The overall snatchy then spongey feel definitely divides riders into lovers and haters but Youtube superstar Danny MacAskill does OK on them! However, its unclear if the lack of seal protectants have any adverse effects on reliability. Its taken us a while, but weve finally wrapped up our riding on these three four-piston brakes: the Shimano XT four-piston, SRAMs latest Code RSC, and the Hope E4. Hayes absolutely dominated the disc brake market at one time but lost that lead in a big way. Really quick google shopping search (and actually confirming part number matches). www.hopetech.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. Reach adjuster is pretty flimsy and not in keeping with the rest of the construction. The love-child of hydros and mechanical disc brakes is also worth mentioning here. YMMV etc. If you've never ridden Hope brakes, they've got loads of modulation and a feel that's as clean and tight as they look. An interesting opportunity therefore to directly compare the two brakes on otherwise identical bikes so please excuse the long post. I should state up front that I love Hope brakes. Find details on the three most recent issues below, join the Bikepacking Collective to get it in the mail (anywhere in the world), or click here to find a collection of selected stories in digital format. Has Restrap solved the Hike-a-Bike problem with the hands-free harness? He spent a few years working in bike shops and warehouses before starting writing and testing for bike mags in 1996. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Or downgrade depending on how big your riding group is ! Additionally, metal pads manage heat better, dont fade as much, and are better in wet and gritty conditions. Not only are there different types of padssome much more common than othersbut they come in different compounds. Good metal/sintered brake pads can last 1,000+ miles and are easy to replace. An interesting opportunity. Theyre reliable and have strong stopping power with a great lever feel. Direct Link lever and single piece caliper modulation are excellent for taming minimal tread race tires or dusty/slippery race courses too. Other brands of rotors work best with that brands brakes as the rotor thickness do vary a bit from 1.6mn to 2.0mm. In short, if a brake were to fail in a remote location and DOT5.1 wasnt available, DOT3 could come to the rescue. BA1 1UA. That is not saying that the Shimanos are anything less than brilliant brakes, but all things being equal, in my opinion the Hopes are better. The only difference between the two is that mine has Hope Tech Evo M4 brakes with 203/183 rotors and the demo bike has Shimano XTs with (I think) 180/180 rotors. Just make sure your frame and forks are big disc compatible too. But if youre weighing out the two options, I believe the choice has a lot to do with how long your trip is. TESTED: Four-Piston Brakes - SRAM Code RSC, Shimano XT M8020 and Hope E4 - Flow Mountain Bike THE BEST WAY TO MAKE YOUR MTB HUB LOUDER!! Theoretically, these can be used if needed, and will work, according to reports. Quick Question while were talking about Shimano brakes. This is a sealed system, so the master cylinder and line are full of brake fluid. You also have the option of lighter race lever with less adjustability if you want to save the grams. A lot has changed with bike brakes during the last decade, not to mention how theyre perceived in the bike touring and bikepacking community. Hope cant forge parts like that so they cnc them, but it makes for a heavier and (for a given weight) weaker part. Ive got a pair of C2s and two pairs of Minis that are still going strong. This. 60.00 + 4.69 Postage. A bit of a faff to bleed and the results were never consistent, lacking in power, temperamental, not very robust (the Code levers in particular were shocking, had at least one rebuild on each lever). CRC have cheap hope brake hose. Thirdly in regard to the shimanos, I have small hands and the hope adjusters do actually work properly. Snatch feel that may also be due to the stupid nobby nice too. Great looking kit that works well and is backed up by really good customer service. Shimano Saint M820 Brakes Specs Weight: +/- 450g each, depending on hose length Usable with finned or non-finned pads, with resin or metallic compound Four-piston caliper Hydraulic hose: SM-BH90 Mineral oil brake fluid Tool-free reach adjust Price: $240 each MSRP Available at Jenson USA and other online retailers Jun 17, 2019 202 198 Middlesbrough Mar 8, 2020 #1 Need new brakes for my levo as the stock levels are rubbish. While I was up in Aviemore I thought I would get a ride in, so borrowed Bothy Bikes demo Bronson. Brake pads come in all shapes and sizes. If theres one shred of justification for rim brakes, its that replacement pads are probably easier to find in remote places and developing countries. Endura has entered the helmet market across the pond, with helmets now certified to USA standards and on sale now. Shimano often has one of the lightest feeling throws in the bunch and the Tech 4s feel even lighter and smoother. One-finger braking is even more important in the drops, and these provide just that. Id say the Hope have enough effective adjustment that you can get them to feel just as (or very close to) immediate as the Shimano. For most riders though, its the Guide RE with its mongrel combination of basic Guide R lever and original Code caliper, that wed recommend. (HOPE) Sram Guide brake problems 5 Stan's No Tubes - 2016 Neo Hub Stan's 3.30/3.30Ti hubs XD Driver Freehub Installation Tech Tip Tuesday - Neo Freehub Options. SRAM Force and Rival are both great performers that have proven to be extremely reliable over the years. Examples: Shimano SM-RT56 is compatible with resin pads only ( literally written on the rotor) while SM-RT64 can work with both resin and metal pads. This process is automatic. Ive been using blah brakes for 5 years, and then I bought blah brakes and they are so much better!. Power is decent rather than dramatic, so fit big rotors for big bikes. Use code HELLO54 when you join us as a print or digital member and your membership will be half price for the first year. Hope CNC-machines its brakes (and pretty much everything else) in-house from single blocks of alloy, then anodises them in one of six bling colours. Hopes can be pernickety on set up but when you get them set up properly you'll struggle to find a better brake, loads of modulation and with 200/220 disk enough power to stop a bus. 'SHIMANO()16mgl2!10!!!3! But this isn't American politics, and fortunately, we do have more than two choices when it comes to stopping a bicycle. I was pumped at the lower section of the WC track, coming into rough sections way too fast, arms falling off, and I still was able to slow the bike incredibly quickly. There is a linear feel to the Tech 4 levers and they have great modulation upon contact with the rotor without feeling spongey. Warranty/Service/Technical T // +44 (0) 1282 851400 Option 3 E // service@hopetech.com They even worked after I tortured them on a dyno until the rotors were orange hot and the paint started bubbling on the calipers. Hope offers a bewildering array of rotors for the V4 - from 140mm to 225mm, floating or fixed, and even different thicknesses, and in about 20 million colours. There is also very little friction in the system, and all of this results in a powerful braking system that takes little effort to engage. Lever feel is consistent and progressive enough to translate into decent traction and theyre far more arm-friendly than other budget brakes. It's very rare that we give a full product five our of five stars, but Hope's latest enduro brake is fully deserving of such a score. That is one of those in depth posts I hope to find when I am researching my next bike related purchase. The lever throw feels very light on the Hope Tech 4 E4 brakes. Power fade over long runs is imperceptible and they are as easy to set up and maintain as it gets. You just cant beat Shimano for the money. Think thats just due to my braking style, I dont drag brakes, I tend to be on them or off them. If you dont believe the price, then dont worry, neither did we when we first met Clarks M2 a few years ago. Contact point adjustment seems to work much better than earlier versions of the Guide or Code brakes. Looks and added bling capability aside they are also very crash resistant, the levers can be easily bent back into shape if needed and Hope are legendary for spare parts and serviceability if needed. The Code is SRAMs downhill brake, and so its a little out of place here as the Shimano and Hope brakes are targeted at the trail/enduro crowd. Bleeding can be a faff but I dont find it inconsistent, or the brakes to be temperamental. The M8020 brakes look just like Shimanos Saint downhill brakes. Those brakes you got are an upgrades and cost about $15 more a set. And then theres the availability factor, which will likely be more important to those on a long-term bike tour. Concurrently, a growing number of riders were tossing old standards into the wind and running disc brakes on big around-the-world bike tours. And for me, Shimanos win on all three of those metrics. I switch things up a lot, and for that reason, Ive often opted for mechanical brakes on test builds. Our cycling experts have decades of testing experience. This website requires Javascript for optimum viewing purposes. disc brake, mountain bike, Hayes, Shimano, TRP. Anyone going from Hope to Shimano like me will find the Shimanos a bit grabby with not a huge amount of feedback with which to judge the lock up point. Even after trimming the lines, we didnt need to bleed them. Both need a bleed block to hold the pistons in position, and if youre using DOT fluid brakes, youll definitely want rubber gloves, paper towels, and iso-alcohol to clean things up. Hope Tech M4 My second set of Tech M4s. ), which is used in dozens of hydraulic and mechanical calipers, such as the TRP Spyke and Spyre. Weve had nothing but totally consistent performance from the several sets weve used whatever the weather has thrown at them too. The first thing you will notice is Hope has opted for a four piston design for the caliper rather than the usual two pistons that most stock road brake calipers use. Which has more power and which comes out on top of the theoretical brake power tests in the mags is completely irrelevant. Fairly powerful, nice to look at, usefully adjustable. With the moon washer system, we found them easy to align and the pads retract well clear of the rotor so theres zero rubbing. Just like almost every brand they have tiers. I like the look of Hope, the machining is nice to look at and feel but ironically, its an inferior option- Hope cant forge parts like that so they cnc them, but it makes for a heavier and (for a given weight) weaker part. Additionally, most of the reputable mechanical calipers use brake pads that are somewhat easy to source, depending on locale. Im not sure that is really very much of an issue. At $450 per end once you've factored in rotors, these are the most expensive brakes on test. Hydros require more knowledge and pre-trip experience with how they work. Its proved a total smash hit with anyone looking for a rowdy brake at an affordable price, so its stayed in the line up alongside Code and the new G2. Firstly forget about power. As the name suggests, Guide RE was introduced as a stopgap for e-bikes while the second generation SRAM Code was being developed. Apart from an early re-bleed using the unique port on each side caliper design, theyve been totally trouble-free for nearly a year now. On a long-term bike tour which has more power and which comes out on top of the lightest feeling in... On a long-term bike tour small hands and the Tech 4 levers and they as... Theoretical brake power tests in the drops, and then I bought blah brakes and they are as easy source... 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