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Hopey Steering Damper Extras
Product Description
User Reviews
Submitted by
Fred Date Reviewed: April 22, 2012 Strengths: It's the best mountain bike steering damper a person can buy. Or maybe it is the only mountain bike steering damper a person can buy. Regardless it is one nicely made little and lite technological marvel. Weaknesses: Getting the cup to fit snugly and not move is a bit of a challenge but Tim Hopey has been a nice and responsive person to work with. He custom made a cup for me no charge. Excellent customer service! Bottom Line: 
Submitted by
rick700raptor
a Cross Country Rider
from Gresham OR Date Reviewed: November 12, 2010 Strengths: Stabalizing and smoothing steering, firms up the bike and handling Weaknesses: NO numbers like on a Motorcycle to see what setting your on. Mounting it is a nightmare. Tim at Hopey has horrible customer service and is very difficult to deal with. Makes many mistakes, does NOT do what he says he wil do and then doesnt remember. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: trail 400 Duration Product Used: Tested or demo'ed only Price Paid: $259.00 Purchased At: hopey Similar Products Used: Motorcycle dampers only GPR and Scotts. I like GPR better. Bike Setup: all mountian 6" travel
Submitted by
bullcrew
a Downhiller
from San Diego Ca Date Reviewed: August 15, 2010 Strengths: Works like a champ, effective and adjustments are incrimental. No resistance back to zero which is great and light. Weaknesses: None Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: Anything nasty Duration Product Used: 2 Years Price Paid: $80.00 Purchased At: friend Similar Products Used: none Bike Setup: canfieldd jedi 2010, Avy suspension
Submitted by
BATM
a Downhiller
from Rathdrum Date Reviewed: November 11, 2008 Strengths: Keeps you pointed straight with a lot less rider input. I have one on my Nomad, Vp Free, and V10, On the Nomad it makes it a better bike pedalling uphill and more stable for nasty downhill trails. This bike weighs 30 lbs and before putting the damper on it felt very squirrely compared to my Vp free and V10. On the V10 it has made it easier to ride slow speed technical fetures, as well as high speed rough terrain and and for me anyway has made me much faster in the corners. Weaknesses: None so far Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: downhill Duration Product Used: 3 months Price Paid: $250.00 Purchased At: Hopey Similar Products Used: none Bike Setup: with this on 3 bikes it is too much to list, both the v10 and vp free are built so they weigh right at 40 lbs, the Nomad weighs exactly 30lbs.
Submitted by
frey
a Cross Country Rider
from Tasmania, Australia Date Reviewed: September 7, 2008 Strengths: Allows the steering to be slowed as desired. Weaknesses: None stand out. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Similar Products Used: I don't think there are any Bike Setup: 2008 Marin Mount Vision
Submitted by
andy somerville
a Cross Country Rider
from orange county, ca Date Reviewed: September 22, 2007 Strengths: Immediate, noticable impact on ride perfomance. Top-notch materials. Easy to install. Amazing difference over same trails. It works, and not jut for DH/AM/FR set! Weaknesses: non Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: whiting/santiago/luge Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Price Paid: $230.00 Purchased At: hopey web site Similar Products Used: none Bike Setup: SC Superlight, Marzocchi MX Pro ETA fork, Chris King Headset
Submitted by
Travis Allen
a Downhiller
from Lewiston Date Reviewed: March 12, 2007 Strengths: Light, adjustability, stability, performance Weaknesses: None! Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: All Duration Product Used: 3 months Price Paid: $125.00 Purchased At: online Bike Setup: Canfield F1. 888WC, I-9 wheelset, hope mono 6ti, avalanche dhs ti spring etc...
Submitted by
Kalgrm
a Cross Country Rider
from Western Australia Date Reviewed: December 2, 2006 Strengths: Adds a feeling of improved stability in all conditions. Tim Hopey was very helpful when I was trying to order my unit. Weaknesses: Locking nut inside steer tube has slipped twice during crashes. Easily fixed when finished the ride, but it means finishing the ride without the damper being operational (and you get used to using it, so any time without it feels just plain bad!) Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: 1 Year Price Paid: $220.00 Purchased At: Hopey's online store Similar Products Used: There isn't one Bike Setup: Giant XtC '06
Submitted by
Terry Reis
a Weekend Warrior
from England Date Reviewed: October 16, 2006 Strengths: Improves climbing enourmously. Weaknesses: Don't think you can fit them if your bike has an integrated head set. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: 7Stanes - Kirroughtree - Red/Black Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Price Paid: $237.00 Purchased At: Direct From Hopey Similar Products Used: None Bike Setup: Trek Fuel EX9 2006, changed front and rear shocks for Fox.
Submitted by
joe
a Cross Country Rider
from westland Date Reviewed: August 21, 2006 Strengths: Easy setup, light weight, does exactly what it states it will. Weaknesses: none found yet Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Price Paid: $219.00 Purchased At: American cycle and fitness Similar Products Used: none Bike Setup: trek liquid 30, too many mods.
Submitted by
Peter
a Cross Country Rider
from Wyoming Date Reviewed: March 1, 2006 Strengths: I recently irritated someone on this site by complaining that they ran an inappropriately controlled experiment trying to compare the efficiency of 26ers and 29ers. Perhaps I was a bit overboard with my insistence on good experimental technique and relevance of the results in light of accuracy limitations, but for any of you budding experimentalists out there here's an item (the Hopey damper) that is insanely easy to objectively test, at least for some of its effects. Coasting down a rocky track with and without the damper engaged (e.g. -- more or less back-to-back), I discern about a 3% decreased time to complete the run with the damper engaged on that particular route -- I suggest that's significant. I think the accuracy is there (watches are pretty reliable), and even the precision of my measurements wasn't bad… There's lots of subjective stuff to include, and in no particular order: - While riding uphill on a 2-track that had been blown smooth, I switched the damper off and rode for a mile before getting into mud and snow. I turned back and rode down the way I came up. Like all outdoorsman, I like to look at tracks, be they animal or bicycle tracks, and try to determine the direction of travel, when they were made, species, sex, and what not. So of course I was checking out my tracks made coming up as I went down. You know how you can tell who is going uphill on a bike (wavering track) versus downhill (more or less straight running track)? Well, I could instantly pick out the place where I turned the damper off because my uphill track suddenly went from the standard wavering uphill track to a very straight track headed uphill, like the type you normally see running downhill. - Even though I'm riding a straighter and presumably bumpier line as I find myself spending less time dodging various rocks (and even seeking them out), I feel as if the ride is smoother with the damper engaged -- like there's suspension on the front (I have a fully firm bike). I suspect the perception of a smoother ride is due to less fighting with the bars, which allows me to keep my butt in the seat better and as a consequence I can pedal more efficiently. - One of my problems is losing "control" of my front wheel when I bump into the raised edge of a track (you know how many worn tracks have the U shape), which then causes my wheel to turn into and ride up the side of the berm. I then quickly end up over-correcting and slam over into the berm on the other side of the track, beginning a viscous cycle. With the damper engaged, I find myself steering down the middle of the track much more often and if I do drift over into the berm my wheel is not deflected and I can keep on moving down the track while effectively riding the side-hill of the berm. This is a huge plus for me, and might well help me in races in a place I usually lose time -- fast downhills. - I'm riding in Wyoming, so of course it involves dealing with the wind. You just get used to being continually pummeled by wind, with the odd-gust that threatens to knock you down and at the least blows you off-line. Well, the odd gust just doesn't do the damage it once did -- not only does the damper protect your front wheel from deflections on the ground but also from wind and your own inappropriate inputs into the bars. - The damper is great when you're out of the saddle. Sure the bike goes straight when you're in the saddle, but it's even more noticeable when you're up out of it and cranking hard up a hill (I'm set up as a single speed at the moment). - At Sparrow's suggestion, I have been playing with riding a section with the damper off and then on. Well, I was grunting up hill with the damper off whining to myself how I wish I could turn the damper back on (I had promised myself I'd get to a certain point and then backtrack and do it again with the damper on), when I realized I had just figured it out -- if I was asking for it, it must be a crutch worth having, so I turned it back on and left it that way for the rest of the ride. Weaknesses: - It's much harder for me to ride no-handed with the damper engaged. At least for me, riding no-handed works best with a responsive front-end, one that can respond to thighs pressed against the seat. If the damper is engaged and I get a bit off-line, it's much harder to "right the ship" with just body-english. But that only matters on smooth surfaces and I've never really ridden no-handed much off-road anyway... Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Similar Products Used: none Bike Setup: Fully firm 29er 
Submitted by
jon
from doe Date Reviewed: May 27, 2005 Strengths: Allows the bike to rail thru rough and loose terrain. Weaknesses: High $$$ Works so well, I want to add one to my other bikes, but can't afford it. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Bike Setup: Shuttle pig
Submitted by
Brian
from Aliso Viejo, CA Date Reviewed: August 16, 2004 Strengths: It works as advertised (imagine that -- a product that does what it says it will)! The steering damper makes a huge difference in all types of terrain. The adjustability (on the fly) allows you to dial-in just the right feel as you go. It's relatively light weight and looks cool. On top of all that, the customer service is first rate. Weaknesses: The only one I can think of is price, although it's not that bad, especially for what you're getting. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: Aliso & Woods Canyon Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Purchased At: www.hopey.org Similar Products Used: None Bike Setup: 2001 Rocky Mountain DH TO (Downhill Team Only) with PUSH rear shock, Marzocchi Z150 FR SL fork, 2002 XTR cranks, 2004 XTR rear derailleur, 2004 XTR combo shifters / brake levers, Avid Mechanical brakes, XT front derailleur, DeeMax wheels, Maxxis Minion tires, Easton carbon bar, ODI lock-on grips, King headset, Thomson stem and post, custom Rocky Mountain red maple leaf saddle.
Submitted by
Adam
a Racer
from Vail Date Reviewed: July 9, 2003 Strengths: Follow up review from earlier Weaknesses: Price.....and see below Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: 6 months Purchased At: www.hopey.org Similar Products Used: None Bike Setup: 2002 Trek STP 400 with all the bells and wistles 
Submitted by
Rich
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder Date Reviewed: June 4, 2003 Strengths: Does damp steering jitter and the adjustability is awesome. Weaknesses: Can't afford a crash where the steering whips around and stem contacts torque rod. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: 6 months Purchased At: 230 Similar Products Used: none Bike Setup: Ellsworth truth, fox forx 100mm, typical parts.
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