Following on from my earlier thread…

If you have made the move from shimano to Hope are you happy with it?

They have been on the Market for a while now and I know there have been previous threads on the subject but there’s always room for another…

Please say if it’s ceramic or steel please.

Cheers Jason

IMO Shimano XT better than the Hope ceramic that replaced it. CK better than both.

Hope Stainless much much better than old LX’s/XT’s – however my XTR is still going strong after 2 years 🙂

I went from shimano to hope stainless. It lasted a little longer than the shimano ones had done but nowhere near longer enough to be worthwhile. I’ll be staying with shimano ones now.

Just bought a shiny red hope stainless one. No idea what it’s like yet other than it’s very shiny … Which is nice 🙂

Had a Shimano last me 3 years, no idea how, now on Hope though as needed a new one for the new build last month. Why Hope? because I got it cheap and it’s pretty.

Hard to say, the original Shimano ones were utter shit. I went through 3 in a year so I changed both my main bike to Hope Stainless and they are still nice and smooth 2 years on. However my commuter has been running an XT shimano BB for 2 years with no issues

My hope ones seem to be lasting longer so far (compared to RF/Shimano). And the red ones look bling 🙂

So the score so far

Happy x 2

Not happy x 2

Shiny x 2

Happy/Shiny x 1

Hope Ceramic – 9 months and a lot of pedalling – still nicely smooth. I like, and it came through Bike to Work so cheap.

Experience of Shimano is they’ve usually given up by now (9-12months)

The slight downside with the Hope is taking the seals off and giving them a nice clean occasionally.

The distinct upside is you can replace the bearings and it’s a tool you only need to add mallet and bearing to make your BB all lovely again. Put me down for happy and shiny please

XT lasted less than 6 months, hope lasted about 2 years before needing new bearings. Did look shiney utill I didn’t quite file enough off a chead deore inner ring and it’s scored the BB, but it still works init.

Hope stainless, over 2 years of good use and still running sweet. And it looks nice!

I have a hope one replacing a rubbish race face. so far it just works

Hope stainless, running for about 18 months still perfectly smooth, never touched it. replaced a Shimano that had been there for about 6 months but was fine (changed merely for pimp points)

happy/shiny thanks.

Happy with my Hope stainless BB, still running smooth after 18 month or so. Also happy with my superstar aerozine SKF BB which i picked up for £20 at fort bill, still spinning nice and smooth after many miles.

Shimano last about 9 month for me, so on that basis i will go hope again in the future, plus they come in colours and i’m a tart 🙂

I started with ISIS- pants- soon replaced that with standard shimano LX (frame faced etc) that lasted 6 months replaced with hope ceramic 18 months later still going strong
on another bike shimano slx (same as lx?) no problems after 12 months so I was maybe unlucky with the first shimano
(shimano square taper 14 years still smooth…..)

I’ve always been happy with the longevity of Shimano HT2 BBs, and now you can get Deore ones for around £17, which is great. This is on my hardtail.

Truvativ external BBs on the other hand I’ve found to wear out in around 6 months, so on the full suss bike with Truvativ cranks I’ve gone for a Hope BB this time as an alternative. Not ridden it yet though so can’t comment on bearing life yet. 😐 It is shiny though 8)

I’ve never had any Shimano last for a satisfactory length of time so fitted a SS Hope around 6 months ago. As I’d expect it still feels like new now but then Shimano usually lasted 6-9 months for me so currently unproven.

Shimano press-fit bearings though, what a pile of pish.

Not happy x 2

Happy x 4

Shiny x 2

Happy/Shiny x 3

XT fitted to both bikes – no problems so far

I would fit an Acros or CK before a Hope based on other peoples recommendations

Totally happy with XT on all my bikes, XTR seems functionally identical, Deore doesn’t last as well but still decent, Raceface was diabolical. Just got a Gusset EXT24 to try on the Hemlock purely because it’s a pretty colour.

Got 2 Hope stainless steel B/B’s never had any problem ,take them apart now & Again & regrease over 2 years on Original Bearings & Lots of miles

My red hope stainless steel BB is going into its second winter, its a bit scratched now , has never been serviced and is still going strong

Hope stainless on one frame and Hope ceramic on the other, both two years old and running well.

I think Shimano ht2 bbs are crap,but can’t see why the Hope is 60 quid ,so I will carry on changing bearings in Shitmano ones every few weeks

XTR lasted 2 1/2 years , hope still on after 2 years, felt better after the shimano but probably because the shimano was rough.

Edric 64 – Member

“I will carry on changing bearings in Shitmano ones every few weeks”

Every few weeks? Either you’re riding a few hundred miles a day, or constantly under water, surely?

Hope Stainless, over 2 years old, done nowt to it, still smooth as a cashmere codpiece.

Very happy with it.

I have previously used standard shimano lx, the standard raceface x-type and hope stainless. The hope has outlasted the others by a long way. coming up on 2 years with no issues. Colour me Happy.

I thought my Hope BB had died prematurely but it turns out that the plastic cover had become slightly misaligned when taking the cranks off. It’s fine now and running smoothly. It’s done about three times the mileage of the Truvativ it replaced but that’s not saying much! Ask me in another year for a conclusive opinion but so far it’s boding well. The Truvativ adaptors make it near impossible to service so I’m hoping it keeps running…

The bearings last a couple of months or a couple of dozen rides then die .I find it a very poor idea compared with a bearing system hidden in the shell.It is a step backwards .

As steveh, i’m back to shimano deore’s.

Edric 64 – Member

“The bearings last a couple of months or a couple of dozen rides then die .I find it a very poor idea compared with a bearing system hidden in the shell.It is a step backwards . “

Have to say, I have no idea how you’re achieving this, even in the depth of winter I got more life out of a Deore than that never mind XT.

Hmm I wish it was better as well .I may go back to square taper as my other bikes have it and I can’t say HT2 feels any stiffer

So the scores on the doors so far are..

Not Happy x 3

Happy x 13

Shiny x 3

Shiny/Happy x 3

So that’s

3 x Negative
16 x Postive
3 x Blingers

& 2 people who haven’t tried them but aren’t Happy but wanted to add their opinion (welcome to STW)!

Anybody else with a Hope BB?

just to re-light the thread

fitted new hope ceramic bb at weekend, replaced just under a year old xt bb, and my what a transformation, even in the snow etc its super super super silky smooth, and although i didnt believe the hype and thought i wouldnt notice it, i can vouch for the definate feeling of its spins better and smoother, it is just simply put as a smooth as the bonnet of a porsche…..i know it sounds daft but its defintely improved pedalling effieciency, and having had 3 xt’s before they definitely didnt feel like that when i put them on…..

how long it lives who knows, doesnt concern me, it was a doddle to fit and will be a doddle to keep an eye on, and should something go wrong with the bearings as ive heard on ceramics, then no doubt hope will sort me out 🙂

all in all im very very impressed with it 🙂

Short answer: yes.

Fitted back in 2008, raced right through the season, plus loads of biiig, long rides in all weathers too.
Eventually killed the bearings in 2009, had them replaced in under 2 days (including postage time) for under £30 by Hope.
Raced through 2009 (a lot) plus loads more biiiig long rides in all weathers and it’s still nice and smooth.

Eventually the bearings will die again and it will be sent off again to be serviced

I was killing more than 3 shimano ones a year, so the Hope one works out cheaper…and is all shiny and red too 🙂

@oscillate

You don’t think the fact that you are comparing a new BB to a year old BB might be responsible for part of the difference? And what’s the snow got to do with anything?

I have a shimano xt in one bike and Chris King in another which is a fantastic peice of kit. I have used hope and wasn’t that impressed. I do alot of muddy rides and use a jet wash which I know is frowned upon but i live in the real world.

I’d be happy to keep buying Shimano but if I was going to spend more then the Chris King wins hands down. It genuinly in my opinion is a lot better than hope.

poppa – not to sound rude but thats exactly why i stated this on that post “and having had 3 xt’s before they definitely didnt feel like that when i put them on” 🙂

and the snow was merely, the bb area is covered in rock hard ice/snow and stored with lots of rock hard ice/snow, this possibly getting in and around the bb area, giving it a good soaking, and ive also heard of the bearings ceizing in the extreme cold, so thats all im stating on that…

in no way did my xt ever feel this smooth even from day one, so it is comparable yes, my mate has a hope bb with steel bearings and we fitted both my xt and his hope steel one at the same time at his was alot smoother then….just had a generally cleaner smoother rotation…

again i cant vouch for the life span or how it will fair in the mud, but in the freezing snow, stored well below freezing, its has been seamlessly smoooth….

not that im diggin at the xt, ive had just under a year out of it, so thats pretty good going in itself, if this hope continues like its started for a year then ill be mightily impressed 🙂