I’m looking at a set of Hope brakes but am not sure about the difference between Race and Tech levers. It seems that the Tech ones weigh quite a bit more in order to include a lot of external adjustment. Is it worth the extra weight or do most people just adjust them once and then never bother again?
I mainly ride trail centres and a few 24 hours per year, weight 73kg.

Cheers

Might be worth waiting for the Tech3?
http://singletrackworld.com/2013/08/eurobike-2013-hope-technology/

Looks nice but after waiting for about five years to afford to refresh my bike I am in full, ‘WANT IT NOW’ mode.

I adjust my tech’s a fair bit- bite point and lever position so I’d miss that if I couldn’t do it. Not familiar with the race levers so not sure if they have any adjustment or not?

Had 4 pairs of Tech and they are ace, on my new bike I put Race and have not been disappointed, the race levers feel lovely and compact and kind of make the Tech levers feel cumbersome, I haven’t missed the on the fly adjustment at all, my new build is getting Tech3’s because I’m a Hope victim.

I had exactly the same question a few months back (http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/hope-evo-levers).
I bought the race levers and have felt no need for the evo’s and no regrets since

Thanks all, Race it is then.

Race levers on both my bikes. Work just fine and a lot less bulky than the Tech version. Also easier to bleed.

I love the feel of my Techs, but they don’t sit very well with the shifters. I’d lose the adjustment and buy the race

Race unless you specifically need the extra features of the Tech.

Anyone out there want to swap my Tech levers for their Race levers? Mail in profile.

Perso ally prefer the feel of the tech but the race actually gives more power.

Perso ally prefer the feel of the tech but the race actually gives more power.

Got a link for that or is it anecdotal? Ta.

If you’re used to Shimano or other more immediate-feeling brakes, you might appreciate the extra adjustment on the Tech levers to make them feel more familiar.

race is more powerful than tech

http://www.hopetech.com/webtop/modules/_repository/documents/2012Brakeselectorp2.pdf

thx, does that mean Tech has more modulation (or is less efficient)?

in fact the concept of ‘power’ in braking is interesting – since the only power is from the lever being pressed, I guess it actually means ‘efficiency’. that said I’m surprised with a pull of 2 fingers I can stop the 95kg of me + bike pretty sharpish.

EB13: Hope Tech Updates Hubs, Brakes, Lights & More! – UPDATED

^^ that link

“The new master cylinder uses a cam and roller system to push the piston”

Lever looks nice.

Is that the same as Shimano’s Servowave? I think Servowave has some sort of knock on effect in the calliper that means the pads are held further away from the rotor for better mud clearance. It’s a good USP Shimano have over Hope IMO, especially for UK rders.

mattjg I think the evo lever already uses a cam

Woah, backtrack. The race is more powerful than the old tech, not the tech evo. Plus if your after a set of V4’s you can’t get the race lever as they don’t push enough volume of brake fluid in their stroke

@maurizio according to the PDF linked by kimbers, Race outpulls Tech by about 5%, for the same generation.

The race is still slightly more powerful than the tech evo. If it wasn’t, then it would be able to push enough fluid for the V2, which is can’t (as stated above).

The differance is in the hydraulic advantage.
It’s also the reason why the lever on the wife’s X2 tech evo feels firmer than the M4 tech evo on her full suss, feels firmer than the V2 tech evo on my bikes.

If the Race lever pushes less fluid than the Tech, how can it be more ‘powerful’? I can’t work that out.

Surely how far the pad moves is a function of how much fluid is pushed into the calliper (assuming the lever is the only variable in the system)? Or does the physics change once the pad is in contact with the rotor and therefore not moving, but applying pressure?

If the Race lever pushes less fluid than the Tech, how can it be more ‘powerful’? I can’t work that out.

Surely how far the pad moves is a function of how much fluid is pushed into the calliper (assuming the lever is the only variable in the system)? Or does the physics change once the pad is in contact with the rotor and therefore not moving, but applying pressure?

The larger the ratio of distance the finger pulls the lever to the distance the piston pushes the pad, the greater the mechanical advantage. Same with the brake pedal in a car with unservoed brakes, the further you have to push it, the stronger the brakes if all else is equal.