Superstar or hope for wheels and Formula or Hope for brakes?

I’m building up my new 29er and I’m having a brake and wheel dilema. last night I was thinking Hope X2’s and a Hope Pro 2 Evo’s on ZTR Arch rims but now considering Formula Oro’s as they are half the price of hopes and seem to have good reviews. Still not sure on the wheelset though, are the Superstar ones really that bad? Any advice greatly received.

Personally, Hope/Hope.

I want to upgrade but I’m still running E4 brakes and BULB hubs from the last century that show no sign of giving up.

Not sure on the brakes, but i have been running hope pro 2 wheels on dtswiss 42 rims for five years now…rock solid 🙂

I’m running some Oros with 180/160mm rotors and they’re awesome brakes. There’s lots of modulation, low weight and shed loads of power.

To put it into perspective when my bike went into the LBS for something (do most maintenance myself)and the mechanic went for a test ride. He said he nearly went over the bars as he didn’t realise the amount of power that was on offer. He’s coming from Hope X2s and this was when I was running 160/160mm rotors.

I think I am pretty much going to get the hope wheelset. Just not sure on the brakes either. Are the hope brakes worth twice as much as the formulas?

get the hope wheels and formula brakes….you wont regret it..had formula brakes in the past and will DEFINITELY buy them again when the need arises to upgrade

Got an Hope X2 tech 183 brake with spare normal hose for sale!
Brake lever brand new
Caliper As new unmarked
Pads Superster ones used
Hose front and rear lengths
Disc 183 brand new
Mount brand new
Fully boxed stickers instructions

£100 posted

Rich

I took some Oros to the Alps a couple of weeks ago. They were fine. I also have a set of Ones, which are RIDICULOUSLY powerful.

DT or Shimano hubs and Magura or Shimano brakes.

Unless you like lots of calls to the Hope service department, that is….

Are the Superstar wheels bad? They’ve got a Stan’s Flow offer on the way that I was thinking of getting involved in.

Hope all the way.. have both on my full sus.. perfect 🙂

Hope on all my bikes and they work very well for GB trails
Have had Shimano before and they work very well but when they fail its buy again time!

The components on the Superstar wheels seem to be spot on, for the money. The build (and customer service when said build fails spectacularly) are, at best, variable in my experience.

Got both Oros and X2s. The Oros out-perform the X2s as a brake but in maintenance terms, they’re a funking pain in the arse to bleed right without trapping air, the X2s are a damn sight easier. I like both equally but for different reasons, depends what you’re prepared to compromise on…

Hope Hoops all the way though – got 2 sets of the original Pro3 SP3 on DT 4.2d from when they came out 4 years ago, no problems at all and no maintenance required; got 2 sets of Pro2 Evo SP on Crests, absolutely ace as well. And both types were not that expensive, just search around for the deals.

I’ve got both superstar and hope hubbed wheels, not much between them, hope pawls are better, but neither are as well sealed as shimano hubs. Superstar wheel build was poor on the rear, non drive side came loose in a few rides. Front was great though.

Have Oros too, great brakes if you like some feel and modulation.

I didn’t find my Oros that hard to bleed at all. I only had to bleed them because I was fitting blue hoses so it wasn’t the brakes’ fault that they needed bleeding.

The Hope brakes have tons of modulation, are reliable and very easy to maintain and get parts for. The X2’s are more than powerful enough for anything unless you are heading into big AM territory. IIRC from other posts, Formula brakes are OK until you get a problem and are then a bugger to fix or find parts for.

Hope hubs all the way. Last forever and cheap bearing change when they eventually die

superstar/avid
or
superstar/shimano
or
shimano/avid
or
shimano/shimano

I’ve been running a Hope/Arch wheelset since last October and it’s been great.
Had some pawl springs go in the rear hub recently and Hope just sent me a set of replacements next day with no fuss.

I wouldn’t use Superstar for anything where you might want a warranty based on what I’ve heard about them.

I also run Formula RX brakes (previously used K18 Oro) which seem to be pretty good and fuss free. Got a mate who swears by Hope brakes and the sets he’s owned have been reliable.

Running Superstar/Formula, and couldn’t be happier with them.

Brakes are much better than shimano slx and avid juicy 3s I’ve used in the past. No bother bleeding them, get a cheap avid bleed kit of ebay (Same fitting for formula), and follow the instructions.

Wheels have withstood months of clumsy riding from me, and are still true.

Personally, Hope/Hope.

+1

Hope/Formula. The Hope Hoops are great wheels that happen to also be at a great price, hard to argue with. 2 sets here.

The Hope brakes aren’t much worse than the Oros (equivalent model is the Tech V2)- a lot less power but closely matched on feel- but they’re almost exactly twice as expensive! At RRP there’d be room for discussion, but at current prices it’s an easy choice IMO.

As far as living with them- both have great parts availability and servicability. Oros seem more reliable (some Formula brakes are a bit flakey but the Oros are a workmanlike, proven model) Hope’s warranty is second to none, but tbh I have no idea what Formula’s warranty is like as unlike Hope you don’t really hear of anyone using it. Both can be slightly fiddly with some shifters due to the shape of the lever. Hope are easier to bleed, Formula require a bleed kit and need to be bled exactly by the book for good results.

CaptainMainwaring – Member

Formula brakes are OK until you get a problem and are then a bugger to fix or find parts for.

Used to be true, to be fair, but they have a new UK distributor so now you can order through CRC among others, no longer an issue. For less common/older parts, you can get them straight from Formula. So really identical to Hope.

Personally Hope/Hope, IME long lasting, endlessly and easily repairable, nice people who bring support to 24 hour races and always seem to command good second hand prices if the time comes to sell.

Unless you like lots of calls to the Hope service department, that is….

Only if you are a ham-fisted incompetent!

Hope brakes are great, but if the oro’s are that much cheaper then fair enough. I have a friend with K24’s that are a nightmare, hard to bleed, squeally, weak and eat pads. Presumably they aren’t all like thet though.

Thanks for all your responses, after plenty of research I went with Hope/Formula. Just couldn’t justify the extra cash going on the brakes when I could use it elsewhere. Pics soon when it’s finished.