Strengths: VERY strong, VERY reliable, great feel zero fading
Weaknesses: Heavy by current standards, the newer models are lighter
Bottom Line:
I looked though the reviews and saw most posts were from a few months of experience. I just wanted to post that I have been running the Hope Enduro 4 brakes for over three years now and have had ZERO problems.. I posted $400 for the price, I believe that was for both the front and rear. These things are amazing! they don’t fade at all, and have great modulation. Even after three years, and thousands of miles, they are still in top condition.
Strengths: Like hitting a brick wall. They stop in all conditions, and i'm 240 lbs.
Weaknesses: I had a piston shear off in the front caliper. However Hope quickly remedied this problem with no hassle the swapped my caliper with a cosmetically marred caliper for $30. They also ate the shipping and gave me a great deal on new pads. The calipers were also already a couple of years old with very hard riding
Bottom Line:
I will never settle for anything less than Hope again for hydraulic brakes
Bike Setup: Schwinn Homegrownn 4-Banger with a z.1Bam
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
top jimmy
a Weekend Warrior
from new england
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2002
Strengths: Simple to install.
Weaknesses: minor adjustment needed once in while
Bottom Line:
If you do you own bike work, then these are not too difficult to install. Use the business card trick and you should be all set. Stops before a dime and get in all conditions. A noticeble upgrade from mech. discs.
Submitted by
jeffrey
a Weekend Warrior
from powell ,tennessee ,usa
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2002
Bottom Line:
k old guys im 15 and set these brakes up by my self (with a lil help from my dad) .They dont make noise .they brake awsome .they stop me .and tip for those of u who squeel get help .keep it up hope ur brakes are awsomenot like formula mechanicals .never buy formula mechanicals .never
Submitted by
Winno
a Cross Country Rider
from Auckland, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: December 6, 2001
Strengths: work when wet, light weight compared to other discs, very good power and control.
Weaknesses: Very pricey compared to some others especially when I had to get new wheels too in my upgrade from Maggie rims, take some time to bed in.
Bottom Line:
I wanted to get brakes that would work in the wet as I'd had some scarey moments with my Maggie HS33's in the rain. The Maggies were fantastic in good conditions and better than my XT and XTR V's in all conditions. I also didn't want to have to replace rims every so often when they wore out. I just wanted something that I could put on, it would work well all the time and be fuss and maintenance free.
I had had a Hope Ti bottom bracket for some years that didn't have one problem with it and so I decided to look at Maggie and then Hope discs. I went for the Hopes even though they were more costly as they have fantastic hubs and do a short axle kit for the rear Big'un hub due to me having to use a Hope rear disc adaptor kit for my frame due to no disc bosses. The machining is also top class. They took a month or so of light use to get them bedded in and now I have immense control of my braking. The Hayes I tried had a firm stop to them but I felt that I didn't have the modulation that I have with the Hopes.
Strengths: This is how brakes should be, smooth & powerful (Hope Mini)
Weaknesses: Can't think of anything
Bottom Line:
I have tested these brakes in the worst conditions, and they work consistantly every time, no more rim grind from the 'V' brakes, or changing the cables every few months. Also Hope must have fixed the pads on the mini brake, because mine only make a slight hum at speed (holes in the disk?) altogether a excelent brake system.
Similar Products Used: 'V' brakes, tested deore cable brakes
Bike Setup: Zaskar,XT, Hope hubs, mavic x317 rims
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Kace
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol, UK
Date Reviewed: October 26, 2001
Strengths: Stopping your bike
Weaknesses: Bedding-in period
Bottom Line:
I'm reading various reviews here about it being hard to set up and squeaky in use. Maybe I'm lucky (or maybe I'm good!) but it took me just under 1 hour in my office with an Allen key and pair of pliers. This includes removing the old brake and completely replacing the front wheel. This done it runs in silence and stops me on a postage stamp, at all times looking and feeling very sweet. OK I've not had it long but I can definitely comment on fitting and early performance. It's expensive of course, very sharp edged rotor (mind your paint and fingers), and most importantly takes quite a bit of bedding in- don't ride any hills in the first few outings! But to be honest you get what you pay for, and for GBP 110-120 the Hope Mini stops MTBs very very well. PS Hope hubs cost about the same as XT and are superior in weight, freewheeling and ease-of-service, no competition.
Submitted by
Jaap Dr. Paaj
a Cross Country Rider
from Geleen the Netherlands
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2001
Strengths: pure brakingpower. No weak feeling in the handles. More than only xc use braking. The weight 380gr
Weaknesses: squiking but thats the only one...
Bottom Line:
The mini's have much more braking power than all others in compare with xc racing brakes..... But the first feel is very strong when you touch the brake handle you make a nosewheely before you noticed..... This brake can be used for XCracing-freeriding-dual and maybe DH(with lagrer rotors 185mm r+f)
They squeek very nice like singing, but i don't care...... One of the best brake ever...
Strengths: Small levels (not motorcycle style), good manuals, tech support, stopping ability once "bedded in".
Weaknesses: Weight (when compared to cantis), very sharp rotors, can't build real light wheels, had to call tech for additional parts, 5.1 brake fluid vs. Shimano's mineral oil, drag
Bottom Line:
These brakes (HOPE MINIS) are nice but they do have their drawbacks. Stopping power is better than cantis once broken in, but not leaps and bounds better. Setting up is a pain. Numerous tiny washers, messy fluids and wrong parts caused me increased set up time and losing out on a trip to Moab. The rotors are VERY sharp on the edges, due to a lack of machining, and they will chip and peel the paint off your chainstays real quick when putting the rear wheel into the dropouts. Plus out of the box, one of the pistons stuck (would not expand or contract). The guy at HOPE helped with that problem though, wd40 and a screwdriver did the trick.
I have struggled with getting the pad rub out of the calipers by using the washers provided (and extras) to space them properly, but to no avail some drag still exsists. I have been a bike mechanic for ten plus years, plus I have maintain all of the disc brake systems on my motocross bikes, so let me say that it is not a case of a feeble mechanic spinning the wreches that has caused difficulties in set-up.
If you get ANY disc set up that is hydraulic, plan on tinkering time.
As far as the performance, they do stop quicker than cantis. No need to worry about heating your rims either (a concern here in Colorado with loooong descents). But it seems that you use your brakes more too. My race times/descent times are not any faster with them. They look pretty trick with the wavy style rotor and they have just a touch of squeal but no worse than misalighned VEES.
Should you get em? Well gotta ask yourself acouple of questions. Do you ride in mucky conditions? Are you willing to slap extra weight on your bike? Are you willing to trash out your current wheelset for a more expensive, heavier one? Are you willing to mess with fulids and parts that are only available from specialized dealers?
If you answered NO to any of these, stick to canti (Vee) brakes. Otherwise you will experience my dissappointment. Sorry.
Submitted by
PaulC
a Cross Country Rider
from Penicuik, Scotland
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2001
Strengths: (HOPE Mini 165mm on the front)Light setup and very powerful with excellent moculation. No lock up
Weaknesses: AHHHHHHHH my ears, better than a horn though
Bottom Line:
In Scotland rims get munched by the crappy weather. These discs are ace and are much better than any rim brake. The lever supplied is neat and works well. They are easy to set up and required little tweaking. Whoever said that only Downhillers need discs obviously have not tried these out, as a front disc for cross country / downhilling they are great.
The only problem is they are a bit loud, a minor gripe though. So buy them.
Bike Setup: Rockhopper A1 FS PRO with XT Rockshox Judy's. Hope XC hub on Mavic 321 Disc rim.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Steven Shanks
a Downhiller
from Scotland
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2001
Strengths: (Hope O2 Sport) - They are easy to install, quick to bed in and the power and modulation is amazing, they are not bothered by heat, dirt, mud, cold, buckled rims. Easy maintainence. Exelent customer support (UK anyway)
Weaknesses: None at all.
Bottom Line:
Iv tried loads of other breaks and nothin beats the Hope o2. Brilliant breaks and great value only 120 pounds sterling per brake (caliper, hoses, lever, Disk) Good for DH, Open system isn't effected by heat build up.
Just one thing I forgot to mention in my review below.
The stock bolts that came to hold the discs on were total junk. The heads were way too shallow, and the allen key (a brand-new quality allen key before anyone comments) rounded out the hex head (and before anyone mentions ham-handedness, I tightened them with appropriate torque).
I ended up buying a box of 50 A4 stainless allen bolts from RS. Paid a premium for them, but !DAMN! they are nice. By far the best quality bolts on my entire bike. I wish all bike bits came with bolts of this standard!
Only problem was they were M5x10, and the stock bolts are M5x8. Ended up grinding them down on a bench grinder. Fit perfectly now and look far better than the stock bolts.
Still brilliant brakes though, just need better bolts for the discs.
Still 5 by 5 though, coz their performance and value just can't be argued with!
Strengths: Power, modulation, number of options available, perfect match to the amazing Bulb hubs, big + beefy Sport level (I prefer the larger Sport lever over the Pro lever)
Weaknesses: New braided hosing (I got the older black hosing). Rear brake used to squeal (until I sorted it - see below). My rear disc aint very flat (front seems near flat, but the back is all over the place (has been since new)).
Bottom Line:
Great brakes. The real reason for this post is to help (hopefully) some people out with the squeal from their brakes.
I found the following worked well, but I dunno if it will work for other ppl (dont see why not though):
For UK folks, go to Halfords and buy a tub of Copper Grease (Halfords own brand). This is also an anti-seize, so it's all-round useful stuff!
Take out pads and apply a very thin layer of copper grease to the backs of the pads. Make sure you dont get any on the front or sides of the pads (for obvious reasons).
Re-fit pads and brake in silence.
Like I said, it worked on my back brake (front has never squealed - go figure...). I cant promise it will work for everyone.
Lastly, I also got some EBC red pads, and the power of the brakes went up A LOT! Only downer is that modulation is affected, but just need to learn to be lighter with the lever.
