Hi all, I know this one seems to be a shimano vs Hope preference thing but I’m currently torn between brakes.
Question is: are the hope x2 brakes really worth spending £100 more than the SLX brakes?
Both are more than suitable for the type of riding I do.

Both are in stock before anyone asks as I know hope have stock issues with some.

Only you can answer that, in my opinion Hope brakes aren’t really better brakes than shimano, BUT they are made in the UK, can be maintained for ever with the availability of spares and if you ever want to get rid will have no problem selling them. Shimano work fine and are cheaper. When you have a problem that bleeding doesn’t fix you throw them away.

I’ve had hope, have shimano at the moment because I couldn’t justify the extra when I was building the bike, will be tempted when the shimano start playing up.

For me its more about sustainability and uk manufacturing than it is about marginal differences in braking performance.

I expect someone will be along to tell me why I’m wrong.

“For me its more about sustainability and uk manufacturing than it is about marginal differences in braking performance.”

There’s a difference in feel too – Shimano have a more sudden grab, Hope come on more gently.

The above mirrors my experience exactly. Shimano brakes work perfectly fine until they don’t, once that happens they’re fit for the bin. Hopes are harder to set up, seem to need slightly more attention to keep working well, but if you want to you’ll still be able to use them in 15 years time.

For me its more about sustainability and uk manufacturing than it is about marginal differences in braking performance.

Thanks, I do prefer that way of thinking. I suppose it’s making saving in the long run for not having to buy shimano SLX brakes 2-3 times.

I’ve had SLX and now have Hope X2

As above, SLX have more initial bite, but I’ve also sent a few SLX calipers into the bin.

I actually prefer the feel of the Hope’s too.

Plot twist. Buy the E4. Why bother with the X2 at all?

Hope brakes are lovely, lovely things, but I’ve gone for Shimano for my latest brakes just because mineral oil is so much easier to live with than DOT. As soon as brakes start leaking horrendously corrosive liquid I get a bit edgy.

I’ve no real world idea the difference between hope and Shimano brakes but as above hope tend to be less grabby and easier to modulate, whereas Shimano are more powerful and grabby. Which you prefer is up to you really.
To me the sustainability and maintenance are a big part of picking components.
I have an X2 and E4 on my hardtail which is a mK2 Cotic Soul, so it is somewhere over 10 years old. I have only really bled them and changed the pads and they still work flawlessly.
I now have e4s on my flare (3 years old) and while they have been a bit more finikity for some reason (until I crashed last year which resulted in my back brake lever taking the brunt on the impact (ignoring my injuries) blowing the seals on my caliper), I haven’t had any real problems.
Even the above issue is an easy fix with parts readily available and repairs easy to do at home.
I do wish hope didn’t use dot fluid though.

Blimey I need to learn to trim my posts!

Everthing i’ve ever bought from Hope was rubbish. 2 sets of brakes that leaked like sieves from new. Seatclamps that just didnt work, same for Qr’s (remember those) Hubs that ate pawls. I could go on. despite that the new bike has a Hope headset (only beacuse the bearings are easy to get). As life goes on Ive got no time to tinker. Despite people who change their car every 2 years going on about brakes lasting 15, I would go Shimano. They generally work perfectly, dont require tinkering and are so cheap that a caliper only costs a pint and a packet of hipster pork scratchings in the wrong pub…ymmv

Perfect follow up post to mine, although I do tend to keep my car until it falls apart. 😁

As a counterpoint to beanieripper, I’ve got Hope XC hubs that are nearly 20 years old and still giving good service.
Also Pro2s that are nearly 10 years old, going fine on my Krampus, you can even boost them with a kit.
X2s on my DMR have been rock solid for 3+ years, love the feel and modulation.

I recently refitted a set of SLX to a bike…I’d forgotten how on/off they are! I was skidding all over the shop on the first ride.
Good stoppers, but VERY different to the Hopes.

buy some Hope tyres. They modulate much better 🙂

“I do tend to keep my car until it falls apart.”

I’ve only ever sold my cars for scrap – four so far in 24 years of car ownership.

I’ve bought three sets of Hope brakes in the last 10 years and only sold one set when I committed N-1. Not tried X2, only E4 (aka M4) and V4.

Hope brakes aren’t really better brakes than shimano, BUT they are made in the UK, can be maintained for ever with the availability of spares and if you ever want to get rid will have no problem selling them. Shimano work fine and are cheaper. When you have a problem that bleeding doesn’t fix you throw them away.

In this throw away society, we can talk long and loud about what we should be doing to reduce our landfill, or that of other countries we send our rubbish to.
A sound example is above. Forget shimano, as they’re cheap and work and buy British, which you also know work and are helping to reduce landfill.
A bit more expensive initially, but nobody said it was a cheap fix on the environment.

I too try to make good decisions about waste and the like, but in the case of bike brakes the 4 Shimano sets I’ve bought since 2009 are all still in service. So accepting that any could end up in the bin at any time, and the oldest isn’t great by today’s standards and isn’t in regular use, they have still lasted longer than many other bike components. Failure is likely to mean a whole caliper needs replacing, but in normal times this would still be a modest part to replace.

I support all the good points listed above but realistically I’m not going to have my brakes in 15 years time because something better will come along and I will want it.
I’ve had my Shimanos 5 or 6 years and have already started looking at the 4 pot versions now available because I will always want to improve my bike.
I also think the chances are I could walk into any LBS in an emergency and buy a set of Shimano pads but not sure that would apply to other brands. So I wouldn’t pay extra for Hope brakes.
(I do fit Hope bearings because in my experience they are worth the money)

Plot twist. Buy the E4. Why bother with the X2 at all?

I’ve got one set of each.
The E4s are nice, but need a bit of fettling occasionally (still far less than my previous shimano)
The X2 have a nicer feel and have not been maintained, adjusted or fiddled with since I bought them, and they still feel better than any other brake I’ve tried.
Being on the hardtail I guess they get less of a workout, but they do see a lot more mud.

Gaffer tape a set of pads to your cables. You then have a set with you always.

I replaced SLX with Hope V2 on my Ragley.

Granted, I am a bit of a sucker for Hope gear generally for all the reasons above, and while the brakes do feel very different to SLX, I do find I’m a bit faster and more confident when using them.

I think that’s because I find I’m able to grab a little bit of brake easily with the Hopes, giving a more smoother ride overall, as opposed to the SLX where is was a case of charge into a corner at full tilt, lock up the rear on the way in and hope you get around!

Also worth noting that the bleeding process on Hope brakes is a complete doddle (especially with their bleed kit), so you might save in workshop costs too if you usually send the bike in for that kind of thing.