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Average Rating
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4.21/5
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# of Reviews
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29
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MSRP
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$ 325.00
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Weight
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Description:Small 4 piston caliper working on a closed system and supplied with adjustable Pro lever. Only one caliper design available with 150mm front and 130mm rear disc on international standard mounts. The 74mm post mount forks (2000/1 Manitou) require a special bracket and 160mm disc.
System type: Closed
Lever type: Pro
Caliper No.'s: Only one caliper available
Standard Disc: 150, 130 & 160mm
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Submitted by
Jason
a Weekend Warrior
from Boulder
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Adjustability
Simple aesthetics- Machined look
Great manufacturer | | Weaknesses: | Power
Lever adjustment- needed to apply some lock-tight to the bolt | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes, V's, Magura HS-33's | | Bike Setup: | Had them on my Ellsworth and now a Giant AC | | Bottom Line: | Bought them when I lived in "COWlumbus" during college. Good riding flat XC trails- hence the name.
Moved out here 2 years ago and although I still think they are great brakes- they can't handle the downhills. The tiny rotors get hot aweful fast- so, I find myself having to use the bleed off way to often.
I think Hope is a great company and I will definately use their products in the future. I will save my XC4's for my future hardtail fun bike- but for my FS bike I must upgrade.
Bottom line: great brake for the mid-west | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin
a Weekend Warrior
from Whitley Bay
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Hamsterley Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | With Bike, Stif | | Strengths: | Good stopping power; Light; Easy to set-up; Good modulation/feel | | Weaknesses: | Closed system; Problems with seals | | Similar Products Used: | Hope Minis; XTR V's | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Heckler, Pace EVO IIIs, full XT, Hope XC hubs on Mavic-317 wheels | | Bottom Line: | Impressed with the stopping power on general XC rides - as with all closed systems, its going to suffer on any big downhill sections, but you can live with it.
Have had problems with piston head seals (but probably due to a cack-handed mechanic, i.e. it was fine until the bike was serviced) and two lots of caliper seals - pads jammed closed on both occassions - don't know if its just bad luck, where I store the bike or the brakes... Pad wear, on the other hand, hasn't been a problem, at all. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike wingate
a Cross Country Rider
from altrincham,cheshire,uk
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | wiltshire downs | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | bike factory chester | | Strengths: | 3 years after buying the system, i have just taken the bike into the shop for a new transmission (03 xt) and service, the techie said the brakes were ok, never been serviced, original pads, no problems in 4,700 troublefree miles | | Weaknesses: | fit and forget
a little bit too good at stopping. after a sharpe pull on the front lever i was in superman mode, over the handlebars. | | Similar Products Used: | shimano dura ace on the road bike, a few brands of V's | | Bike Setup: | spec stumpjumper, shimano xt and xtr, hope xc4's front and rear, fox forx float talas 03, spec bg leather saddle, replaced the original after the crash.mavic rims | | Bottom Line: | when matched to the hope hubs and mavic disc rims, running specialized tyres, slick and tredded, an excellent bit of kit | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Emil Sims
a Racer
from Royal Oak, MI
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Pontiac Lake Recreation Area | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | KLM Bike & Fitness | | Strengths: | no brake drag. great looks | | Weaknesses: | I have returned these brakes to Hope three times for leaks and inoperable adjustment dial and they still don't work They are unwilling to give me a refund. My bike shop even gave up on their service department and has tried to fix it themselves. This has not worked either. This is the worst experience I've had with any bike component I have bought. | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes | | Bike Setup: | Giant NRS full suspension | | Bottom Line: | I won't buy another Hope product and my bike shop won't carry Hope any more. I am now going to try Avid Mechanicals. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter St-Amour
a Cross Country Rider
from Sychdyn, North Wales
Date Reviewed: March 1, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Nannerch | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Comically impressive braking power, ease of use, low weight | | Weaknesses: | Brake pump, Mini brake is lighter | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Whyte PRST-1, XTR, Easton EA70 | | Bottom Line: | The key thing to remember is that these are XC brakes. As most other reviewers mention, they're not for massive DH adventures. The Enduro 4 or C2 would be better for that I'd wager.
In day to day riding, the XC4's are very impressive, responding instantly and powerfully. When you head for serious mountains - and I'm lucky enough to live near Coed-y-Brenin and some real mountains - then they do have some limitations. The rear gets really hot and pumps up. But then it's only 135mm so what do you expect. If a big downhill is in order, you must remember to wind them back but with the closed system it's easy to do. I'll accept the compromise for the low weight and power they have in 90% of situations, particularly race ones.
The pad wear is quite high but then mine do take a kicking. Replacing them is dead easy too and they work great in the wet and mud. I haven't tried the EBC red pads yet but the Fibrax seem to work fine (and they're a local company!).
All in all, I have no issue with these. They look trick and work a treat. The Mini's that were introduced after I bought my XC4 seem to be lighter but that's progress. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike
a Downhiller
from truro cornwall u.k
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Strengths: | light | | Weaknesses: | low power neads 20mm bigger disk up grade | | Similar Products Used: | magura | | Bike Setup: | full sus | | Bottom Line: | get them with 20mm bigger disks and you will be fine | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike
a Downhiller
from truro cornwall u.k
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Strengths: | light | | Weaknesses: | low power neads 20mm bigger disk up grade | | Similar Products Used: | magura | | Bike Setup: | full sus | | Bottom Line: | get them with 20mm bigger disks and you will be fine | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Splat
a Weekend Warrior
from COWlumbus, Oh
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | going down | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | http://www.kalomtb.com/ | | Strengths: | Excellent modulation, light weight, Superb customer service, | | Weaknesses: | A pain to set up in the front if you you don't use their hubs, I used Chris King disc hubs I had no problems setting it up in the rear other than bleading the system it is a bit harder than my Magura's but not that bad. Now back to the point on the front the caplier required more off set then most hubs so the clapier hits the spokes and the only fix was to put the shims between the rotor and the hub that was a pain getting it just right. | | Similar Products Used: | magura gustav and hs33, hope DHo4 on a friends bike | | Bike Setup: | conejo ap5/at king hubs mavic rims | | Bottom Line: | First off don't use anything but there hub on the front but the king hub ont the rear works great.
Now rember that these are xc4 as in cross country do thay have the kind of power that the down hill specific one such as the o4's or the Magura Gustav. But they also weigh almost half as much.
I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with the over all power that they had whan I got them. But I swapped out the stock pads for a set of EBC red compound pads and wow what a difference. With the stock pads it was had to skid on pavement or had I wanted to try to endo. But when I swaped out the pad that all changed exclent power with good modulation but not so much that a light tap will send you flying as is the case with the o4's and the gustav with the same ebc pad on them. They due tend to pump up on long techinal downhills that require a lot of breaking but the thumb screws are easy enough to back off before or during.
So the bottom Line is unless you are racing a 40+lbs. donwhill rig these are the disk breaks for normal riding that can still handle a good downhill just swap the pads from to ebc red's and be sure to use hope's front hub and you will be as happy as I am with them I think they are perfect now that I swapped the pads and never have to touch the front hub setup again. So they are losing on chile for lack of compatibaily for not being as international standard as the should be and for the stock pads. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Si
a Cross Country Rider
from UK
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | This is more about Hope than the XC4 specifically, but the XC4 is amazing - light, really well made and plenty powerful enough for XC use. | | Weaknesses: | Well I had some major trouble with the caliper when I first got it, the pistons didn't slide back into the caliper body - so the pads rubbed and the braking was well spongy. All sorted now though, I popped it bake to Hope with a letter - 2 weeks or so later a brand new XC4 comes through my letterbox - and this one is perfect. No questions asked. No problem. No extra charge. Awesome. | | Similar Products Used: | XT V's / Deore V's | | Bike Setup: | GT Psyclone, full XT, Pace Evo 3's, Chris King stuff like that | | Bottom Line: | I said this was more about Hope than the XC4. I think from reading the reviews below that there have been problems with this brake BUT most of them seem to be centered around brake fade on downhill bikes. This isn't a DH brake, so dont buy it for that. It's an amazing XC brake. I know I had some major problems with the first one, I was gutted as I have loads of Hope bits and i've never had ANY issues at all with them. The way Hope have dealt with me is second to none. I know everyone goes an about Hope's Customer Service, but its true - and personally I like having that level of support, especially when you've probably paid a large wack of money for a quality product. My new brakes brilliant and i've got a great company behind me. Makes me proud to be British (cue the national anthem...) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Neeek
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Secret | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$225.00 | | Purchased At: | UK Bike Shop (mail order) | | Strengths: | Very lightweight
Lots of power
Beautifully made | | Weaknesses: | Small rotor gets very hot
Fluid expansion a prob on long descents
Took a looooong time to bed in
| | Similar Products Used: | Most Hopes, Hayes, topline Shimano V's... | | Bike Setup: | Cove, Pace triple clamps, XC4/C2 brakes, XT/XTR, Race Face... bike porn | | Bottom Line: | I fitted this front XC4 to my bike in Jan 2000. Had quite a few problems...
1. Fork mount (Pace RC-37) allows about 1mm clearance between caliper and spokes. Never have been able to get the alignment 100%...
2. Lever always felt a bit hard, but the power's there..
3. Rotor is easy to warp at high temperature (mine has).
4. Spring tensioner for pads is a bit poor - should be stiffer sprung.
I bought this brake (was on of the 1st of the batch ever made) and found out that I would have trouble mounting it on my forks. I managed it, but with compromises... only get one if you have IS mounts as part of the fork/frame, otherwise you'll come to grief. Also, they it let in air to the system for the first 12 months of it's life. This was solved by replacing all seals and basically renovating the brake, at substantial cost (almost the price of a new system!). I believe that because they were such early models, there were sub-standard seals in it... but that's my word against theirs..
DO NOT buy these brakes if you plan to ride any long downhills that require a lot of braking. They are an XC brake. They heat up and become much worse when hot. This is why I'm replacing it with a C2 in about a week. But, they're still a cut about any V brake. And they're getting cheaper every year! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rod
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose,CA
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Southern Cal trails | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Kalo Mountain Cycles | | Strengths: | The Hope XC4 has great looks and is definitely light weight. They have good modulation and feel. Adjustability with closed system is nice. Very easy to install; if you can tighten bolts, you can put them on. Simple! Customer support from Hope is superb. Bill and Gwyenn are more than happy to talk to you and if there are any problems, they send you a replacement part at no cost. | | Weaknesses: | The only problem I can say is: if your over 175 pounds or are a crazy man on the down hills, don't get these. Opt for the C2s. The stopping power is not enough for my liking. | | Similar Products Used: | Hope C2,02
Hayes | | Bike Setup: | FSR with custom disc mount on rear triangle. XTR groupo | | Bottom Line: | All in all, any of the the hope products are cool looking and functional. I personally like the closed systems so I can back them off if they start to drag. Dragging my butt up hills is enough. For downhills, definitely go with the C2s. No worries about support, the people at Hope are great. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pedro Pons
a Weekend Warrior
from Spain
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Andorra | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Malaga | | Strengths: | Untirable | | Weaknesses: | NOne | | Similar Products Used: | CODA Expert Disc, really unnacceptable. | | Bike Setup: | Jeckyll | | Bottom Line: | Everyone who has had Coda should take legal actions against CANNONDALE, ´cos CODA is really a swindle.
The bike is not cheap at all, so all components should be in line of the price paid.
And the response from the brand to a complain, is simply... NONE!!!!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
a Weekend Warrior
from Bristol
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$160.00 | | Strengths: | Works REALLY well, great 'feel' looks ace. British. | | Weaknesses: | I'm having a bit of a 'mare with these, when they work, they are REALLY cool, but i'm finding that the piston arn't sliding back into the Caliper body - so the pads are rubbing and wearing out extra fast. I've tried opening the return spring a bit more and that hasn't worked. Now the pads are worn out and are still rubbing on the rotor - i'm dreading fitting new pads. They have been into a bike shop who sorted this problem for about 2 rides, then it came back. If anyone knows how to sort it PLEASE let me know, 'cos I love the XC4 when it works. Also I had did have some leaking at the lever (a Pro), but the shop fixed that. A bit annoying for the amount of cash | | Similar Products Used: | V's. The new Hope DH thingy's. | | Bike Setup: | GT Psyclone, Full XT, Pace Evo 3's etc | | Bottom Line: | I am trying REALLY hard to love this brake, when it works its awesome, but i'm not used to having this sort of trouble with Hope stuff. My hubs have been about the most reliable bit of my bike for 5 years ! I'm seriously considering switching back to a V for a while - because I just dont trust it to keep working enough for a ride. I'm going to take it in to a bike shop in a couple of days, and call Hope to see if this is a problem that they know about and can help with. I've read how fast Hope pads wear out and I don't want any brake drag to wear them any faster. I'm trying to take my bike to the US in May - and there's NO way my XC4 is coming with me if it doesn't prove itself VERY soon. It really hurts to type this stuff, as I do love it when its working - but thats only been for about 2 rides, the rest of the time its just been 'pants'. Far too much hassle. Hope - if you read this get thinking 'cos i'm calling you real soon ! Oh yeah I rode a nice set of the new Hope's on a DMR Trailstar - they were awesome, I just wish mine was as good. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
michael thomson
a Cross Country Rider
from gorinchem,holland
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | druinen | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | mammoet ,den haag | | Strengths: | high quality engineering,adjustability,size,looks. | | Weaknesses: | price,brake pad wear, | | Similar Products Used: | good quality v brakes | | Bike Setup: | custom scott g-zero world cup,complete xtr,chris king,pace evo 3,crossmax disc,raceface xy post,profile carbon xc bars & bar ends. | | Bottom Line: | I bought these brakes on the reputation of Hope and because they look stunning.
From new they took a few rides to bed in ,but thats normal anyway,now they work great.
Grip is very progressive and over the bars if you pull hard enough, there is some brake rub noice in the wet but it's not too bad,there is also some sqeall but i think their is not many brake system that don't suffer from these problems.
No leaks so far.
After about 6 weeks i lost most of the power from my back break, I found that the pads had worn right down and the compound was also breaking up, I contacted the importer and had the pads replaced foc within 1 week, BUT ! this happened again after only arround 300kms VERRY DISSAPOINTING
BUT ! Hope to the rescue,this time i called Hope direct at their factory,the guy on the phone could not have been more helpfull,he explained their had been a lot of problems of this type, also that due to the very small rotor size the brake runs on the back wheel, pad wear was a little higher than normal,anyway Hope sent me foc 2 set's of replacement
gold pads and some free stickers,these were received only 4 day's after my call,the best service i have ever had, the best brakes i have ever had.
As the name suggests these brakes are designed for xc and are totaly dedicated to this!, so if you want dh brakes look elsewere!.
Summing up,the brakes only lose marks because of the price and pad wear problems, unfortunately if you want the best you have to pay the price, rest assured if you have any problems with these brakes Hope will bend over backwards to help you, the best after sales service you will ever find.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Simon
a
from London
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | When its working very good braking
all condition stopping
great braking feel
very progressive
quick adjustment ... | | Weaknesses: | ... which is good, because you may need to adjust it A LOT.
Brake pump
expensive | | Bike Setup: | Pro lever XC4 on Mavic x317 / x618
Bike Giant Coldrock framed custom-build | | Bottom Line: | OK, I was one of the first to get this brake (I've had it 9 months - sorry, there was no option for that), and have held off submitting a review until I'd had a really good long test. I've tested them in all condistions - from the 100 miles South Downs Way challenge to the Checkendon XC. I had very high expectations for these brakes - which might be the main problem. These are designed for a very specific use - they are lightweight XC racing brakes. They sacrifice a fair amount of power over their slightly heavier Hope cousins with the small rotor which for non-hard core racers is not really worth it. Why? Because the brakes can't really cut it in general trail riding - long downhills lead to pump up (closed system) which will have you adjusting the brakes as you ride to stop them coming on and locking (on the SDW ride I actually thought I had a flat a few times before I realised the brakes had suddenly locked on). Also, the most irritating thing about them (and this isn't just my set according to our friends at www.bikemagic.com)is that the reach adjuster winds in slowly - needing allen keying out every few rides (when it winds in, brakes performance gets worse). With my early set the pads were awful, although I understand Hope know about this and discountinued them.
Overall, when I've set my brakes up and in normal conditions they are excellent. In extreme conditions they begin to crack. But they need fiddling with all the time, and although this is very simple, for a £170 product this is not good enough.
Racers - wait for the new 'mini' Hopes out soon. Otherwise get the open two-pot Hopes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Niels Wijdogen
a Cross Country Rider
from Haarlem, Holland
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Garda Lake Italy | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Excellent braking power, easy to adjust and very light | | Weaknesses: | Long downhills brakes heat up | | Similar Products Used: | Coda Competition discs | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale F3000 (CAAD 4) Disc | | Bottom Line: | After a long period of problems with the Coda Copetition Disc brakes I decided too buy the best brakes available (Hope). I have tested them in the area of the Garda Lake in Italy. Well known by most european mtb-bikers.
Long extreme downhills, mud, water, they work perfectly!
Only when i used the brake for very long periods (more than minutes of contiously braking) i smelled the brake pads.
I advise everyone too buy the Hope brakes. They are very expensive but if your life depends on them you can rely on them! My Compliments for the makers in the UK! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ross Thomson
a Cross Country Rider
from Glasgow
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$315.00 | | Purchased At: | chain reaction cycles | | Strengths: | instant response, little effort required to stop, looks cool, pad distance adjusment. taking the wheel off is easier as you don't have to unhook your rim brakes. | | Weaknesses: | fitting instructions very bad, they don't tell you which way to put the disc on. it can be a bit tricky to get the calipers centered with the disc | | Similar Products Used: | coda discs on a raven | | Bike Setup: | orange C16r, mixed high level comp., RST fork | | Bottom Line: | a very good upgrade from crap V-brakes the best upgrade sfter spd pedals! It is worth the expence for very good braking. the pads work best after a few goes. if nothing else you'll have a bike that looks good and has the best brakes money can buy. Hope are the best and their British as well! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike DeNudt
a Racer
from Long Beach
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Any Trail with singletrack | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Jones Bicycle Long Beach | | Strengths: | Modulation, power and feel. These have great stopping power, but still give plenty of feel for when you just need to scrub a little speed. | | Weaknesses: | None I've noticed yet, perhaps set-up, but once correctly set they have been trouble free. | | Similar Products Used: | Many types of V brake and V Brake rip-offs. | | Bike Setup: | Giant MCM Team, out of the box this bike came with these gloriuos brakes. Only thing I changed was seat and bar-ends, otherwise just how it came from Giant. | | Bottom Line: | After using many different V-Brakes and lever set-ups, I got these brakes on my new MCM Team. Initial set-up took some time but once centered correctly have been trouble free. The power and feel are like nothing I've ever experienced. There is no drag what so ever and stopping power is 10x that of any V set-up I've tried. I'm a big rider so I really get going on downhills quickly. For XC riding and racing these seem to be a perfect fit for me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Wilson
a Cross Country Rider
from UK
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Karrimor, Coed Y Brenin | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Awesome power and modulation!
Unparalleled by anything else I have ever used... | | Weaknesses: | None that I have noticed just yet.... | | Similar Products Used: | Coda, Hayes, Magura | | Bike Setup: | Whyte PRST-1 XTR everything pretty much | | Bottom Line: | These truly are magnificent. They require a little patience during bedding in but after that they throw you over the bar... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
sean
a
from ontario
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | kalomtb aka. the devil | | Bottom Line: | im just posting a follow up to my last review. after riding in some serious mud for a few weeks these brakes became ALOT better. no more fading etc. sure they may pump up a bit, but its easily fixed ON THE FLY. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gavin Atkins
a Cross Country Rider
from Chilterns
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Karrimor route Coed-y-brenin, Wales | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Maintenance free braking
Second to none modulation
No sqeaking
Robust design | | Weaknesses: | Ultimate straight line braking power a little weak
Fluid exspansion causes pump after periods of prolonged braking | | Bottom Line: | These brakes fill a very specific niche, and they work very well in their intended guise. What Hope designed is a light as possible system, for cross country racing/riding. They have minimised the size of the rotors to loose weight, at the exspense of ultimate power. At cross country speeds they are more than acceptable, providing a little more power than a perfectly set up, dry condition V brake. If you run in a little hot, you do tend to be grabbing quite hard at the lever at times (I weigh 190 pounds). If you need more power, you go for a heavier duty system, of which Hope do many.
The XC4's are a closed system, giving the advantages of bite point adjustment, and snappier lever feel. Personally I saw this as an advantage when purchasing, because I like my brakes to bite very close to the bar. Most of my riding locally causes no problems with pump, because downhills here are short and not too steep - like most race courses. The problems start when you head for the real mountains, where pump is evident after prolonged braking for minutes at a time. You can wind the thumbwheels out to back them off, but it's not easy to do it effectively on the fly as they are quite sensitive to small adjustments. On reflection I would prefer a closed system. I intend fitting these to my race bike where they will be perfect, I'm going to an open system for my hardcore trails bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Danny
a Cross Country Rider
from Manchester, England
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Very powerful, while retaining the nessecary modulability -plus they look the mutt's nuts (well what is power without style?) | | Weaknesses: | Pricey | | Similar Products Used: | None, only countless V-Brake combos.... | | Bike Setup: | Rock Lobster AL with Rock Shox Judy XC 2000s | | Bottom Line: | I fell in love with these brakes the first time i used them, they automatically inspire confidence - great deal of power with little or no "fuss" - by this i mean they are easy to control; i thought V's were very grabby, something which took either a lot of practice to overcome, or even more adjusting! I don't profess to know everything about brakes but like i say the XC4s are awesomely powerful while retaining some balance i.e. controlabilty - something which the V brakes promised but to my mind never provided. The system is also very easy to setup (40 mins max.)regardless of what some people may say! Other points for consideration maybe that the sport lever (which i have) isn't the best - even now i notice slight play at the lever - disconcerting at £155 (caliper, disc, lever), which brings me onto price. Hope stuff, while being the standard for brakes, does tend to be pricey! If you are looking for a top notch, light, powerful system go for this, but be warned it is expensive - you also need a new hub (many shops only recommend hope) which means a new wheel build...So i would recommend it to serious trail hounds whole heartedly, but to all rounders i would recommend the closed 2, on price only ( if you can afford it - go for it!)
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul C
a Cross Country Rider
from Horsham, England
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Anything in Lakes | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Extremely well made, quality metal parts. Light. Adjustability at lever. Good stoppers. | | Weaknesses: | Brake pump ( although I expected this from a closed system) | | Similar Products Used: | Magura Louise Discs ( very poor ) | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale F900, many parts changed | | Bottom Line: | I'm happy with these brakes, they are far superior to Magura Louise, I've not tried any others. Very important to set up correctly - disc needs to be centred between pads. Also be careful about oil/grease leaking from hubs ( extreme heat from discs transfers to hubs and melts grease ) you lose all stopping! Also try disc brake cleaner every now and again - it clears all the accumulated muck off. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Laurence Wilks
a Weekend Warrior
from Southampton, Hampshire, UK
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Ride The Dragon, Wales | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Looks, weight, quality of manufacture, modulation, power and relability | | Weaknesses: | Tight tolerences on Lefty fork and Cannondale CAAD 4 frame. | | Similar Products Used: | XT V brakes, XTR V Brakes, Magura Rim, Hope C2, Coda Expert | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale F900sx, lefty fork, standard except 2 ring crank, Monkey Lite Risers, CT2 carbon seatpost | | Bottom Line: | I ran Coda Expert brakes (as included with the F900sx) for 6 months with 5 major failures. After hitting a gate due to the disk adjuster falling out! I changed to Hope XC4's. After initial problems ordering the correct calipers for the CAAD 4 frame and Lefty fork they now work superbly.
I have had no fault with the XC4's in 3 months, no maintenence except standard cleaning whilst washing the bike.
These brakes offer good modulation, good power, reliability and superb looks.
Note that Hope supplied the XC4's with gold pads which are still going strong and have worked flawlessly. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Zdenek Palas
a Weekend Warrior
from Ostrava, Czech republic
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Beskydy mountains | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | pretty to look, weight, adjustability, no squeal, no drag | | Weaknesses: | pumping, bad quality of spare pads - grooves for springs were out of center and different of depth | | Similar Products Used: | none, my first hydraulic disc brakes | | Bike Setup: | Morati Titanim softail, XTR, Marzocchi x-fly | | Bottom Line: | The brakes works good. They are a bit better then Shimano XTR V brake. No problems in wet and muddy conditions. Sqeals slightly in heavy rain. Problem with pumping is serious only on steep and long (3 km) descents in mountains. Probably open system would work better on this trails. On usual trails works good without noticeable pump. Pads were worn after 1000 km riding in mountains. I don´t know if it is enough. I think that the pads would be worn later about 30% if grooves for springs will be deeper. There are enough thickness for deeper grooves. I had problem with obtain spare pads from my local dealer then I removed the springs and rode two hundreds km without them. And one problem with mounting the caliper on the frame. The caliper is too big and rubbed the spider adapter of Mavic Crosslink wheels. The problem was solved by removing about 1 mm of material from spider. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Carl
a Cross Country Rider
from Eugene, OR, USA
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | These brakes are well designed. Maintenance is made easy. Changing brake pads is as simple as removing one cotter pin.
The modulation is as good as that of a sport motorcycle. There is a long, and very linear, throw from initial braking to full lock up; making it easy to stay near lock up without actually skidding.
Stopping power is consistant in various conditions.
Excellent customer service. You call the 1 800 number, talk to someone, and things get done quickly. | | Weaknesses: | The inboard side of the caliper is deep enough to cause spokes to run very close to the caliper. This is fine as long as the wheel is tension balanced, and the spokes are firmly seated into the hub during wheel build. Unfortunately there aren't that many great wheel builders out there. More clearance would be better. | | Similar Products Used: | Coda discs. | | Bike Setup: | Moots YBB with Hope hubs and XTR drive train, Bontraeger Valiant rims (for disc brake aplications an asymetric rim should go on the front wheel) Frog pedals, Marzocchi Z2 atom80 shock, Jones 52/55 front tire. | | Bottom Line: | I like my bike, and these brakes are my favorite feature. The brakes were not set up that well at the local bike shop when I first purchased the bike. The calipers were not properly centered to the disc, so the pads had to be adjusted wide to keep the outboard pad from dragging. The reason for this was that the wheel had not been built correctly, so the spokes would rub the caliper when the caliper was aligned to the disc. The extra throw at the lever required by the bad set up did not allow the brakes to be used to their full potential. At first I was disappointed. Fortunately I have a friend who is an accomplished bike mechanic. He noticed that my spokes were not balanced, and rebuilt my wheel set. I got some new spacers and centered the calipers. Now that the brakes are set up correctly they stop very well. I've used them on extended downhills in Moab, and in the North West; in rain, snow, sand, mud, and pavement. I weigh about 200 lbs. These brakes stop me more quickly, and with more control than anything else I've tried. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hollywood
a Weekend Warrior
from UK
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Light weight, look cool | | Weaknesses: | Pump, pad wear, stopping power not on a par with C2 | | Similar Products Used: | Hope C2, Shimano XT Vs | | Bike Setup: | SC Superlight, Z2 BAM | | Bottom Line: | Disappointing - I'd previously owned a C2 (front) on my old Mount Vision and it was superb, excellent modulation and power, never had any pump problems.
However - the new XC4s have so far not impressed. The main problem is pump. Even on relatively short downhills, the change in lever travel is unacceptable. Secondly, pad wear has been way worse than on the C2s. Like a previous post, I have also received a replacement set (FOC) from Hope, but these have worn in the same way. I'm now on my third set of pads in just over 3 months... Lastly, they simply don't stop as well as the C2s, although there is enough power. They're not as positive, and they don't inspire the same confidence as the C2s. The modulation is nice though (when they're not pumping up)
In my opinion, the extra 100g or so of weight for the C2s is definitely worth it, AND they're cheaper! I'll be going back as soon as I can get a buyer for the XC4s. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike wingate
a Cross Country Rider
from altrincham,cheshire,england
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | wiltshire downs | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | it works and is reliable. graduated or full on braking,excellent modulation..strong,weightless-well almost | | Weaknesses: | works straight from the packet,needs to be ridden in ,then it gets so much better | | Similar Products Used: | maguras gustav,hayes, nasty far easter ppoduct with cables that was not bad, but pales into significance to the xc4's | | Bike Setup: | specialized fsr xc comp-see skewers | | Bottom Line: | the one to get, if it does not fit your bike ,get a third arm or adapter(manitou mars front-adapter. specialized third arm rear-a hope version availablr.my mate has the same brakes fitted to his trek 9.8.it can be done! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter Shoew
a Downhiller
from Canada
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | .... | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | |
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