I’ve had multiple very prompt replies from Hope support this morning and they’re happy for me to send them in for repair (although postage is at my own expense).
It definitely sucks but if they come back working perfectly then I’ll be happy overall. I’m well aware that any product has some rate of failure and that you only tend to hear from those people in forums, not the probably 1000s who have no problems.
I’ve got a set of tech4 e4 with no issue.
Very happy with the power and feel.
It wasnt metal, just a reflection from the oil on my phones flash!
It wasnt metal, just a reflection from the oil on my phones flash!
I was going to suggest that, as you can see the light being reflected in a straight line down, in line with that bit on the seal.
Hope you get these sorted, though its a bit of a joke that you need to pay postage given this is something Hope have caused.
It wasnt metal, just a reflection from the oil on my phones flash!
Doh! 😳
Hope you get these sorted, though its a bit of a joke that you need to pay postage given this is something Hope have caused.
I thought so too, but actually Biketart came through brilliantly and arranged a same day collection from my house, next day delivery direct to Hope for me 👍 I’m hopeful that they’ll resolve it quickly, I’ll let you know.
My brakes are back basically as quickly as they could be (arrived at Hope on Tuesday, shipped back on Wednesday, arrived with me on Thursday). They've had a full set of new calliper seals fitted and a new set of green pads installed. I can't see any leaking around the pistons this time so I'm hopeful they'll be good now.
Good service from Hope and Biketart 👍
Yep mine was delivered to Hope yesterday, got a FedEx email for a delivery coming back to me tomorrow. Tbh the longest part was Yodel delivering it!
I'm expecting the same on mine, new seals which will be the fix. Still need to clean up my disc which I'll do at the weekend or tomorrow if I have a quiet day at work!
Any comments on how the new pistons hold up over time either in new brakes or retro fitted as replacements for the phenolic ones in older brakes?
I've seen the comments in this thread about how easy they are to push in, and Hope say they should need much less maintenance, but it'd be good to hear from someone who's riding with them in grotty conditions regularly and doesn't use an air line to dry their bike after every ride. There's a lot I like about my tech 3 E4's but I do get fed up of the sticky pistons on them. I've fully stripped and rebuilt the calipers a couple of times, but they rarely go more than a couple of grotty rides without needing tweaking again. Would the new pistons help, or are they just going to rust and stick like the old ones if not dried properly every time the bike goes away?
Any comments on how the new pistons hold up over time either in new brakes or retro fitted as replacements for the phenolic ones in older brakes?
I was on tech3s and went to tech 4s when they came out.
6 grotty months of winter riding and they are still slick and smooth
That's great, thanks Kimbers
I have some tech 3 on my hardtail and have noticed there is sometimes a dribble of oil near the pinholes on the top caps. I know there's a rubber diaphragm/seal under the top cap. Will this just be excess that ends up between the two when re-fitting them after a bleed? I'm guessing it shouldn't be there but a bit puzzled as to why it is. Anyone else had this?
First ride on tech 4 e4 today. Tons of power and tons of modulation. Took a while to get them dialled in to what I wanted but they're superb!
I have some tech 3 on my hardtail and have noticed there is sometimes a dribble of oil near the pinholes on the top caps. I know there’s a rubber diaphragm/seal under the top cap. Will this just be excess that ends up between the two when re-fitting them after a bleed? I’m guessing it shouldn’t be there but a bit puzzled as to why it is. Anyone else had this?
Yeah I've seen this too, it's normal. My bars are turned 180 degrees and my bike is hung by the front wheel so my levers are upsidedown - I've only seen tiny bits of fluid by the holes. It's just excess brake fluid on the top of the diaphragm.
Another day of riding steep tech all day on fully fettled, properly bedded in E4's.
They're mint aren't they? They're what I always wanted Hope brakes to be.
I know I'd be less impressed if I had to mess around with replacement calipers and stuff but I haven't so, objectively speaking, they're excellent.
My only problem is that I'm going to need them on my other bike.
My only problem is that I’m going to need them on my other bike
Funnily enough, the thought did cross my mind.
I've not been put off yet, they're on my birthday list for the wife 😂 just gotta wait until April
Couple of rides in now on my V4s. Can't see me wanting anything else from a brake, rakes of power and modulation to boot.
Looking forward to hitting some long descents.
I was happy with Tech3 E4s beforehand, but these really build on the modulation that Hope have and add more power 👌
Well, I've just returned my Tech4 V4s.
I got them back from Hope with new seals, mounted them to the bike, carefully set them up without trimming the hose and no matter how I tweaked and adjusted them could not get the lever free stroke down to a level comparable to the Tricksuffs they were meant to replace and a big reason for replacing them was that I imagined the bite point adjuster would let me tune that down further.
I spent the next hour giving the Direttissimas a really careful clean, bleed and re-setup I think that the Trickstuff are just plain better, they feel amazing now and I could not get the Hopes close.
Assuming the power is similar (which I don't have an answer to because I wanted to keep them returnable) they seem like great brakes, I guess the second best you can buy. It's a shame, I wanted them to be better or at least the same.
Blatant ad: If anyone wants the silver levers that @tomhoward sold me then let me know.
hmmmm this is interesting just popped back in this thread - i wonder if this is why my rear brake screams like mad at the drop of a hint of water?
my front is totally silent (ive tried swapping everything around, even a new rotor and it does it still) wondering if the caliper is slightly leaking - need to investigate it now a bit closer
i thought/think its totally odd as the front is completely silent no matter what the weather!
Mine were honking only when cold, once warmed up they were fine.
Should be easy to check if there's any contamination on the rotor. The green pads are fairly easy to sand to get rid of any glazing too.
Mine came back, said they'd had a caliper service which I think is new seals at the least. I'll keep an eye on the discs but can't immediately see any fluid.
yeah thats exactly what my rear one is like, any hint of water/damp and its howling until it heats up - front no matter it goes through or temps etc is completely silent
did them fixing remedy the noise then? have they made any sounds in the wet/cold since then??
did them fixing remedy the noise then? have they made any sounds in the wet/cold since then??
Haven't been out since refitting them, I put in a fresh set of green pads I had, bedded them in and did have some strange warbling - however I then sanded the pads, re bedded in and that's gone.
100% my noise was caused by rotor/pad contamination so it'll be a while before I know if they're fully fixed.
Any update on the noise @ta11pau1 ?
I’ve been out today and it’s wetter than wet out, and my god my rear brake hasn’t shut up all day, once it was wet it never recovered only when I’d really done some hard braking, but as soon as it cooled down again it was back to squealing
Still the front is absolutely silent no matter what it goes through!
I am starting to think it is contaminated from some leakage given I’ve tried a new rotor new pads everything’s aligned (spins for ages freely)
Think I’m gonna see if I can send it in for inspection
Hi,
What thickness rotors were you using ?
In theory they would be set up from the factory for the thicker 3mm vented rotors, so to get a firmer feel if using thinner rotors would need to bleed with the correct bleed block, I’m using 2.3mm thick rotors and bled them with Shimano blocks, really good feel to them and still has really good pad clearance.
what rotors are everyone using with there new tech 4 e4? or even v4? (although i assume the v4 is designed around a thicker rotor?)
sadly i cant get a floating rotor to fit my hub/frame combo out back, i could spacer it out with a pedal washer on the rear axle, but i remove my back wheel ALOT so no doubt im going to lose the washer at some point before a ride then have no carbon left on my rear brake mount!
interested to hear what other rotors people are using with them
Haven't Hope started making 2.3mm 1 piece rotors? Just use one of those. I'm waiting for them to start fitting the 2.3 rotor to the alu spider but I don't see it happening any time soon.
what rotors are everyone using with there new tech 4 e4? or even v4? (although i assume the v4 is designed around a thicker rotor?)
The v4 can use the vented rotor but it works completely fine with the standard non vented.
Haven't been out on my bike for a couple of weeks, that nice dry spell we had didn't last and it's miserable here now, gagging to get out too!
ok keep us posted as to whether your noise disappears too when you get back out - im tempted to put some sram HS2 rotors on as they are 2mm thick - so should give a little more bite too
E4 a here. I’m using my standard SRAM centreline rotors. No issues to report.
cool good stuff - how does the noise fair on them in the wet?
Hi,
What thickness rotors were you using ?
In theory they would be set up from the factory for the thicker 3mm vented rotors, so to get a firmer feel if using thinner rotors would need to bleed with the correct bleed block, I’m using 2.3mm thick rotors and bled them with Shimano blocks, really good feel to them and still has really good pad clearance.
I'm using 2mm Sram HS2 rotors. I don't think that rotor thickness changes require a re-bleed though.
With a thinner rotor the pistons should advance further, taking some fluid from the reservoir to keep the system full. The amount of pad retraction is what governs the free stroke and that comes from the piston seals flexing when the brakes are applied. I think what you may have is an overfilled system which is a thing some people do like to do to remove some free stroke but it means you need to be careful not to push the pistons all the way back without opening the system.
Good tip though, and definitely a good way to tweak feel if you're in the know!
how have you got on with the hs2 rotors @appltn - i know you sent your v4 brakes back but assume youve used them on another brakeset also? are the quiet, and is the extra width noticeable for a bit extra bite?
I am using Tech E4's with 2.3mm Intend Massive rotors (180mm both ends). Perhaps a little more bite than regular rotors but not night and day like I was expecting; brakes are plenty good enough with standard width rotors I think.
cool good stuff – how does the noise fair on them in the wet?
Maybe the odd squeak but nothing out of the ordinary. Running red pads at the moment.
I am using Tech E4’s with 2.3mm
Ah that's interesting. I wasn't sure they'd work with thicker rotors as it already seems very close on my Shimano rotors. Maybe I'll grab some 2.0mm rotors. Very tempted by the galfer sharks, though they're very pricey!
CalamityJames
Full Member
I am using Tech E4’s with 2.3mm Intend Massive rotors (180mm both ends). Perhaps a little more bite than regular rotors but not night and day like I was expecting; brakes are plenty good enough with standard width rotors I think.
thats cool least i know the 2mm hs2 will be fine fitment wise then - yeah i need some new rotors so ill likely just get some of the new hs2 - ideally wanted to go floating hopes but it just wont work without faffage
razorrazoo
Full Member
cool good stuff – how does the noise fair on them in the wet?Maybe the odd squeak but nothing out of the ordinary. Running red pads at the moment.
thanks good to hear
how have you got on with the hs2 rotors @appltn – i know you sent your v4 brakes back but assume youve used them on another brakeset also? are the quiet, and is the extra width noticeable for a bit extra bite?
No complaints at all. I've been using these same rotors for about 10 months with both trickstuff power and galfer green pads and they've always been silent (like I've never heard a single noise from them) and had great bite (although I think that's supposedly down to the design of the cutouts rather than the thickness). It took a bit longer to get them perfectly true versus a 1.8mm rotor but the payoff is that they've stayed true ever since.
I appreciate that this is a dangerous thing to say here, but I recently tried a set of Tech 4 V4s and really didn't like them. However. . . I reckon it was mostly down to the way they were setup so the bite point was really close to the bar. Is it possible to set them up with them biting a bit further out, but also having a nice short level throw?
For reference, running XT levers with TRP Quadiem calipers at the moment. Nice short level with short throw, but not as solid a feel as a full Shimano setup. However, they've also had the wandering bite point fun recently (probably fixed but tbc) so looking at less frustrating options
However. . . I reckon it was mostly down to the way they were setup so the bite point was really close to the bar. Is it possible to set them up with them biting a bit further out, but also having a nice short level throw?
In simple terms, yes. I don't like my levers biting to close too the bars and I like as little free movement as possible. There's a huge amount of adjustment in the reach knob, and once you've set the pistons up (caliper alignment is crucial in this) the bite point adjustment can bring this down to a cm or 2 max. The E4 will have less free travel before the bite point due to the smaller piston size too, so that might be an option.
appltn
Full Member
how have you got on with the hs2 rotors @appltn – i know you sent your v4 brakes back but assume youve used them on another brakeset also? are the quiet, and is the extra width noticeable for a bit extra bite?No complaints at all. I’ve been using these same rotors for about 10 months with both trickstuff power and galfer green pads and they’ve always been silent (like I’ve never heard a single noise from them) and had great bite (although I think that’s supposedly down to the design of the cutouts rather than the thickness). It took a bit longer to get them perfectly true versus a 1.8mm rotor but the payoff is that they’ve stayed true ever since.
great info thanks! sounds good hopefully will be a little quieter too then once i get them fitted
are the green pads you use in your trickstuff these ones?
are they not the same as the green pads supplied with the hope brakes?
@oscillatewildly Just as another option, I'm using Galfer 2mm Rotors with mine, bought from Rush. They seem pretty good to me, though I did bend the first front one which I couldn't bend back after crashing into a big lump of Lakeland slate!
Is it possible to set them up with them biting a bit further out, but also having a nice short level throw?
From my perspective, these are the brakes that I have used which I have been able to set up with the lever feel you describe (I've also owned Tech3s, Code Rs, Guide Rs, Formula R1s, XTs).
Cannot comment on the factory bleed as I have shortened both hoses when fitting. Using SRAM centreline rotors (so not the posher thick ones). I bled the brakes with the pads in (risky I know, but using the proper Hope bleed kit I can do it without spilling fluid on the caliper body - it's done this way in the Hope bleed vid). I did have to do the front twice as must have still had some air in it the first time which was OK for the immediate ride, but got into the caliper between that and the following ride.
great info thanks! sounds good hopefully will be a little quieter too then once i get them fitted
are the green pads you use in your trickstuff these ones?
are they not the same as the green pads supplied with the hope brakes?
The Galfer greens that I've used are the same compound as those but a different shape - Trickstuff updated their caliper design to take a Sram Guide shaped pad.
I believe that the newish Hope green pads are not the same though, they're certainly not manufactured by Galfer and Hope are tight-lipped about who does manufacture them. I remember reading (maybe even in this thread somewhere?) that Hope's green pads are manufactured by the same company that make Trickstuff pads though I don't know if that's true or not.
