Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Hope HB916

Tags
enduro high pivot hope new bike
Jump to Latest
1 - 20 of 89 Posts
K

kapolczer

· Registered
Joined
·
446 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
Hope’s HB916 is here! It seems to be a bit of a soft launch on Hope Tech’s latest enduro bike, preorders have been happening for awhile, some customers have received bikes (in Europe it seems) and there have been reviews appearing.

Lets get into some the details:

-Travel: 170f/160r
-Wheelsize: 29/29 or 29/27.5 via flip chip
-Adjustable headset cup (-1 degree)
-4 sizes (H1-H4)
-3 colourways (carbon, neutral, chameleon)
-Mid-high split pivot which is said to be ~10mm rearward for the first 2/3 of travel, then 4mm forward at the end. 26% progression.
-Downtube storage
-T47 bottom bracket
-full carbon front end with bonded carbon/alloy rear end
-205x65 trunnion shock
-Not dual crown compatible (confirmed by Hope)

I have one in carbon finish and size H2 on pre-order (eta: spring 2023 for Canada) and assuming I get along with the high pivot, I have a feeling this is a bike I’m going to keep for quite sometime. It’s the first bike that checked all the boxes for me in the last few years.

I’ve added the kinematic charts which were supplied to me by Hope, and links to the the HB916 tech book. As well as reviews that have been posted so far.

Please post your builds, setups, discuss the bike, and give ride impressions!

Singletrack Review

MBR Review

Bike Rumour Review

ENDURO Mag First ride

Bike Radar Review

Bike Perfect Review

Hope HB916 Tech Manual

Image
 
#3 ·
Interesting that they abandoned horst link finally.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
Discussion starter · #4 · (Edited)
Jayem said:
Interesting that they abandoned horst link finally.
Click to expand...
Interesting for sure. Although using split pivot seems like a great way to make a mid-pivot design as it allows for mounting the idler on the chainstay non-concentric to the main pivot without infringing on the I-track patent. If they had stayed with a Horst link mid pivot, they would have had to keep the the idler concentric which may have resulted in less anti squat, keeping all else equal of course.
 
#5 ·
These are the prices (before taxes, +15% here in QC) i've been given by my local distributor (CAD$):

frameset black - 6399$
frameset chameleon - 7199$

Complete black GX- 11799$. X01 - 12199$
Complete chameleon GX- 12599$. X01 - 12999$

Man. The bike is nice. But these prices are CRAZY. 12k for a gx build with alloy wheels? what? 7k for a frame?
 
#6 ·
eliemath said:
These are the prices (before taxes, +15% here in QC) i've been given by my local distributor (CAD$):

frameset black - 6399$
frameset chameleon - 7199$

Complete black GX- 11799$. X01 - 12199$
Complete chameleon GX- 12599$. X01 - 12999$

Man. The bike is nice. But these prices are CRAZY. 12k for a gx build with alloy wheels? what? 7k for a frame?
Click to expand...
£7k for a GX/Factory build here. I’m guessing the extra 1000CAD is import/shipping costs? Pretty competitive with Santa Cruz prices here but yeah…bikes are crazy expensive these days 😞
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
eliemath said:
These are the prices (before taxes, +15% here in QC) i've been given by my local distributor (CAD$):

frameset black - 6399$
frameset chameleon - 7199$

Complete black GX- 11799$. X01 - 12199$
Complete chameleon GX- 12599$. X01 - 12999$

Man. The bike is nice. But these prices are CRAZY. 12k for a gx build with alloy wheels? what? 7k for a frame?
Click to expand...
Thanks for adding the CAD pricing, I forgot about that. I fully agree that the prices are crazy. Over $7k for a frameset is ridiculous. The price difference between gx and xo1 also seems weird. But compared to other bikes in the same category the full X01 builds seem inline. You’re getting top end ohlins suspension, proper x01 throughout, debateably the best brakes on the market (excluding trickstuff) and you get full hope finishings rather than house brand ****.

Full disclaimer, I work in the industry and am not paying retail, but even at industry pricing it’s expensive compared to other options. I was debating buying just the frame, but the full builds are a much better deal.

And unlike most of the brands, the frames are laid up right at the Hope factory in the UK. I’m also am looking for a bike that’s unique. I could buy a Santa Cruz (currently have a specialized) and match everyone else at the trail head but that’s boring (also feels like SC’s quality has gone downhill). If I wanted a good deal, I think the WAO Arrivals are very well priced here in Canada for the builds, but they are becoming increasing popular and it misses some key point for me.

The HB916 is one of the few smaller brand bikes that really checked all the boxes for what I wanted in my next bike. Those being: frame storage, mid high pivot, ability to run 29 or mullet, full length seattube, great geo and suspension kinematics. Plus quality and customer service should be right up there.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Bike finally arrived today! Got it built up and all I can say is WOW. Build quality is amazing. I’ve worked on and built a lot of nice bikes over the years working in shops, nothing comes close to this. All the cnc machine details are so overkill but make it feel that much more special. Few build changes planned but nothing crazy. Waiting for some ridewrap to arrive this week and then I’ll hopefully post up a first ride review before the end of March. Will also try to put together a video going over all the details of the bike. Here’s some pictures in the meantime.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
Okay first ride report. Previous bike was a 2020 Stumpjumper evo 29, size s2. Trails I rode today are ones I’ve ridden many times and was familiar with. The pictures I’ve posted above were the bike in it’s stock form but I swapped over my wheels (29/29 ex511 on Hope pro4), tires (conti Kryptotal dh f&r) and fork (manitou Mezzer LE, 44mm offset, 170mm).


TLDR: Great bike so far, super fast, very composed and balanced. Initiates corners really well even in 29/29 setup, rails corners but doesn’t feel like a boat. Some set up changes to come but overall I’m really happy and it’s a step in the direction I was hoping for. Brakes are great, suspension is great, a few changes to make it just right.

The full details:
Climbing - not much to talk about here, you can’t feel any extra drag from the idler and no weird sensations or noises either. No pedal bob and it feels fairly firm and quick to respond to pedal inputs. Seattube angle is noticeably steep but it’s a very comfortable position it puts you in.
Descending - starting with some slower twisty trails the bike does feel long, getting the front end up is more work than on my SJ evo. Once you get a rolling with little speed this feeling drifts away though, it feels as nimble as an enduro bike this geometry is going to feel.

The bike corners really really well, it is super eager to initiate the turn and once you’re into the corner it’s just balanced. Weight distribution feel bang on and I didn’t find myself fighting to keep the front end weighted, it was quite natural and easy. It does however want to be leaned over aggressively, when you commit hard, it has your back and shoots you out the backside of the berm. I actually over-turned a couple corners and ended up off trail because I anticipated needing more body input than I actually did. Rear end felt stiff enough in these situations, without any harsh feedback either.

On that note let’s get into suspension performance. I think my fork and shock were a little off this ride, fork has a touch too much springrate and shock felt like it had too much lsc at times. With that said the rear end seems to track the ground very well and just eats chunk when you have some speed. From braking bumps to roots it just doesn’t care and they disappear. It feels very neutral under braking and stays active as well. It feels super controlled and predictable on jumps and drops, no issues with bottoming out yet or doing anything strange off takeoffs.

The only issues I had were coming into tighter unsupported corners, the bike felt long in these situation. I think I was just coming in with more speed than normal, plus things were a little wet so I don’t think I was as committed and this may have been why it felt this way. But there was definitely a couple corners times I almost came to a full stop because I thought I was just going to straight line the corner. Might just be the trade off of a longer bike, and if that’s the case I’m okay with that.


The classic “my new bike is perfect review” but I really am happy with the bike and it feels like a step in the direction I was hoping for - something more capable that my SJevo that doesn’t feel like a boat when you’re not full on charging.

Standout components -

-The Hope tech4 v4 brakes are fantastic, just great feel and power delivery. I think the pads are still bedding in but I had no complaints.

-ohlins ttx22m.2 shock - seems to do it’s job well although I had the rebound damping as fast as it could go and it was just enough, may need a lighter tune in the future. Hard not to resist ordering an e-Storia…

-Manitou Mezzer feels better at 170mm vs 160mm, probably add the shockcraft mix-and-match kit soon.

-wolftooth resolve dropper is silky smooth, light action, and the 200mm drop feels fantastic.
Things to change: carbon wheels, remove the rear cushcore, trim the bars down.

Experiments:

-ohlins rxf38 vs manitou Mezzer

-29/29 vs 29/27.5 set up

-bar width between 760-780mm
 
#11 ·
kapolczer said:
Okay first ride report. Previous bike was a 2020 Stumpjumper evo 29, size s2. Trails I rode today are ones I’ve ridden many times and was familiar with. The pictures I’ve posted above were the bike in it’s stock form but I swapped over my wheels (29/29 ex511 on Hope pro4), tires (conti Kryptotal dh f&r) and fork (manitou Mezzer LE, 44mm offset, 170mm).


TLDR: Great bike so far, super fast, very composed and balanced. Initiates corners really well even in 29/29 setup, rails corners but doesn’t feel like a boat. Some set up changes to come but overall I’m really happy and it’s a step in the direction I was hoping for. Brakes are great, suspension is great, a few changes to make it just right.
Click to expand...
Hey! What size do you ride and how tall are you ?

I found a good deal on a H3 size. I'm 5'9 and currently ride a Medium Dreadnought (reach 462 VS 490 for the H3). I would probably have went with H2 naturally, but the guy told me to come try it and that the cockfit didn't feel that big.

I was only able to try the bike in the parking lot for now, but looking at the geo numbers, I was kinda shocked how "small" the H3 felt while pedaling. (Maybe because of steep seat angle?). I wasn't able to ride the bike in trails, but might have to ask the seller in order to have a better idea.

Anyways, after trying it in the parking lot I'm kinda considering it. But maybe I'm just trying to convince myself here haha! I'd be interested in your experience with the bike size wise.
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
eliemath said:
Hey! What size do you ride and how tall are you ?

I found a good deal on a H3 size. I'm 5'9 and currently ride a Medium Dreadnought (reach 462 VS 490 for the H3). I would probably have went with H2 naturally, but the guy told me to come try it and that the cockfit didn't feel that big.

I was only able to try the bike in the parking lot for now, but looking at the geo numbers, I was kinda shocked how "small" the H3 felt while pedaling. (Maybe because of steep seat angle?). I wasn't able to ride the bike in trails, but might have to ask the seller in order to have a better idea.

Anyways, after trying it in the parking lot I'm kinda considering it. But maybe I'm just trying to convince myself here haha! I'd be interested in your experience with the bike size wise.
Click to expand...
Hey, I’m the same height as you at 5’9” and I’m on an H2. For me I think the size is bang on, it’s already quite committed over the front end but with enough room to move around and feel comfy in all kinds of terrain. I think going up a size would make me feel really stretched out. Most people that take my bike for a spin in the parking lot says it feels small, I definitely think that’s due to the steep actual and effective seattube angle. For reference, my SJevo was 25mm shorter reach but the seated position feels/is the same as my Hope ( ~600mm toptube length, which is perfect honestly, I hate being stretched out when climbing).

My current set up is mullet, 50mm stem with 770mm bars, and a 200mm dropper post (I have short legs, ~30” inseam). With the long dropper and the smaller rear wheel I love how much clearance I have put back, steep terrain feels much easier to ride and it’s easier to shift my weight around on the bike. I do want to raise the bars up slightly as my old steerer tube didn’t allow for more than 10mm of spacers under the stem, but that’s the only change I plan to make, otherwise it feels perfect for me and for the intentions of the bike. Anyways, I’ll save updated ride details for another post!

I don’t blame you for trying to talk yourself into it, once you see the bike in person and pedal around on it, it’s hard not to get hooked haha. Do I think you could ride the H3 with a short stem? Sure. I’ve ridden a bike with a 490mm reach for a few laps before, but it’s a big bike and while I could ride, it does feel too big for riding all around and also riding really hard. If the seller is willing to let you take it for a spin on the trails, I’d take it! But IMO and with the ride time on my bike so far (plus the size of your previous bike) I think you’d be better served on an H2. Do you live in B.C.? Hit me up with a message if you want and maybe we are close enough that we could link up for you to sit on my bike too.
 
#13 ·
kapolczer said:
Hey, I’m the same height as you at 5’9” and I’m on an H2. For me I think the size is bang on, it’s already quite committed over the front end but with enough room to move around and feel comfy in all kinds of terrain. I think going up a size would make me feel really stretched out. Most people that take my bike for a spin in the parking lot says it feels small, I definitely think that’s due to the steep actual and effective seattube angle. For reference, my SJevo was 25mm shorter reach but the seated position feels/is the same as my Hope ( ~600mm toptube length, which is perfect honestly, I hate being stretched out when climbing).

My current set up is mullet, 50mm stem with 770mm bars, and a 200mm dropper post (I have short legs, ~30” inseam). With the long dropper and the smaller rear wheel I love how much clearance I have put back, steep terrain feels much easier to ride and it’s easier to shift my weight around on the bike. I do want to raise the bars up slightly as my old steerer tube didn’t allow for more than 10mm of spacers under the stem, but that’s the only change I plan to make, otherwise it feels perfect for me and for the intentions of the bike. Anyways, I’ll save updated ride details for another post!

I don’t blame you for trying to talk yourself into it, once you see the bike in person and pedal around on it, it’s hard not to get hooked haha. Do I think you could ride the H3 with a short stem? Sure. I’ve ridden a bike with a 490mm reach for a few laps before, but it’s a big bike and while I could ride, it does feel too big for riding all around and also riding really hard. If the seller is willing to let you take it for a spin on the trails, I’d take it! But IMO and with the ride time on my bike so far (plus the size of your previous bike) I think you’d be better served on an H2. Do you live in B.C.? Hit me up with a message if you want and maybe we are close enough that we could link up for you to sit on my bike too.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the all the info ! I was thinking about running it with a shorter stem. That way, it's not that much bigger than my current bike. But maybe I'm just trying to convince myself again here LOL. I'll task the seller if I can get a few laps on it. Unfortunately I'm in Quebec for quite far away haha. Thanks again!
 
#14 ·
kapolczer said:
Hey, I’m the same height as you at 5’9” and I’m on an H2. For me I think the size is bang on, it’s already quite committed over the front end but with enough room to move around and feel comfy in all kinds of terrain. I think going up a size would make me feel really stretched out. Most people that take my bike for a spin in the parking lot says it feels small, I definitely think that’s due to the steep actual and effective seattube angle. For reference, my SJevo was 25mm shorter reach but the seated position feels/is the same as my Hope ( ~600mm toptube length, which is perfect honestly, I hate being stretched out when climbing).

My current set up is mullet, 50mm stem with 770mm bars, and a 200mm dropper post (I have short legs, ~30” inseam). With the long dropper and the smaller rear wheel I love how much clearance I have put back, steep terrain feels much easier to ride and it’s easier to shift my weight around on the bike. I do want to raise the bars up slightly as my old steerer tube didn’t allow for more than 10mm of spacers under the stem, but that’s the only change I plan to make, otherwise it feels perfect for me and for the intentions of the bike. Anyways, I’ll save updated ride details for another post!

I don’t blame you for trying to talk yourself into it, once you see the bike in person and pedal around on it, it’s hard not to get hooked haha. Do I think you could ride the H3 with a short stem? Sure. I’ve ridden a bike with a 490mm reach for a few laps before, but it’s a big bike and while I could ride, it does feel too big for riding all around and also riding really hard. If the seller is willing to let you take it for a spin on the trails, I’d take it! But IMO and with the ride time on my bike so far (plus the size of your previous bike) I think you’d be better served on an H2. Do you live in B.C.? Hit me up with a message if you want and maybe we are close enough that we could link up for you to sit on my bike too.
Click to expand...
So I was able to go ride the bike in trails! It went pretty well. While climbing the bike seemed the perfect lenght, almost the same effective top tube as my current bike. While descending it felt a little bigger, but not by much. It had a 35mm stem so I'm guessing that helped a lot, just 5mm longer than the H2 with 50mm stem. So the main difference I think is the larger wheelbase. The bike did feel longer in that sense, but it also felt super stable and very fast, also way easier to pop than my Dreadnought. I'm kinda leaning towards buying it haha. Really hoping I won't regret in a few months. Anyway, gotta sell my Dreadnought first; in this market it's not gonna be an easy task. :LOL:
 
Discussion starter · #15 · (Edited)
eliemath said:
So I was able to go ride the bike in trails! It went pretty well. While climbing the bike seemed the perfect lenght, almost the same effective top tube as my current bike. While descending it felt a little bigger, but not by much. It had a 35mm stem so I'm guessing that helped a lot, just 5mm longer than the H2 with 50mm stem. So the main difference I think is the larger wheelbase. The bike did feel longer in that sense, but it also felt super stable and very fast, also way easier to pop than my Dreadnought. I'm kinda leaning towards buying it haha. Really hoping I won't regret in a few months. Anyway, gotta sell my Dreadnought first; in this market it's not gonna be an easy task. :LOL:
Click to expand...
Stoked to hear you were able to get out for a ride on it and enjoyed it! It climbs really well for an enduro bike and the position it puts you in is super comfortable. It definitely has a good amount of pop for how stable it is as well!

How was the bar height set up? I’m feeling like I need to get my bars 10-20mm higher than in my last bike to be comfy. And Paul Aston put something ridiculous like 70mm of spacers under the stem (although he is taller than both of us).

Im not going to sway you either way on whether you should buy it. I personally got one with the intentions that it will be my main bike for atleast the next 5 years. So far it’s been an easy bike to live with, it’s fast and stable, while have lots of pop and suspension support and not being a handful in tighter or slower trails. With the quality, up to date geo and adjustments, and support from Hope I don’t see myself truly lusting for anything else in the coming years.
 
#16 ·
kapolczer said:
Stoked to hear you were able to get out for a ride on it and enjoyed it! It climbs really well for an enduro bike and the position it puts you in is super comfortable. It definitely has a good amount of pop for how stable it is as well!

How was the bar height set up? I’m feeling like I need to get my bars 10-20mm higher than in my last bike to be comfy. And Paul Aston put something ridiculous like 70mm of spacers under the stem (although he is taller than both of us).

Im not going to sway you either way on whether you should buy it. I personally got one with the intentions that it will be my main bike for atleast the next 5 years. So far it’s been an easy bike to live with, it’s fast and stable, while have lots of pop and suspension support and not being a handful in tighter or slower trails. With the quality, up to date geo and adjustments, and support from Hope I don’t see myself truly lusting for anything else in the coming years.
Click to expand...
The stem was a bit lower than the original set up. It seemed fine for me that way.
Image
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
eliemath said:
The stem was a bit lower than the original set up. It seemed fine for me that way.
View attachment 2041197
Click to expand...
Yeah looks reasonable! Plus some room to play with on the steerer tube.

Man the chameleon paint job is sick…. I went back and forth on getting it before sticking with the raw carbon. But sometimes I see that colourway and have second thoughts about my decision haha.
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
More ride updates coming soon! I have my first race on the bike in a couple of weeks and have been getting a lot more ride time on it lately in preparation for that. Have some interesting upgrades/changes as well, I’ll just leave this here as a teaser…
Image
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
dotcodotuk said:
Dredging this one up from the depths... any HB916 owners able to share updates on their ownership of the bike and how you feel about it now?

Still an owner, @kapolczer? Did you ever sell that Dreadnought and get the Hope, @eliemath?
Click to expand...
I’ve been meaning to type of a full detailed review and it just hasn’t happened yet. I’ll try and do so in the coming week.

I currently have the bike for sale, however that has nothing to do with the performance and strictly to do with my personal fit. At 5’9”, the size H2 just felt too big for me to manage front and rear weight bias the way I’d like to. When I did ride it the way I needed to, which was quite committed and centred weight bias, it is a shocking fast and capable bike. However, my preference is to be slightly more rear bias and when riding like this I felt like I didn’t get the most out of the bike and in certain situations I was fighting how I wanted to ride vs how the bike wanted to be ridden. I will add I have slightly shortly legs and a slightly longer torso, so that’s contributes to my fit preferences.

So the short version of the review is I really liked the bike overall, the high pivot is enough to take the string out of hits and it avoids getting hung up well, but the bike still feels sufficiently energetic in corners and when pumping compared to the Kavenz VHP16 I am on now. The idler is smooth and quiet, and I find the bike to sit and spin very nicely up the ups. The bike pumps well, corners well and is very predicable jumping. In rough terrain it’s very ease to just stay centred and let the bike work, the suspension is sensitive off the top and builds support nicely. It’s a very easy high pivot to live with, and you’re not making any many compromises as with other designs, other you do give up some outright bump eating performance in comparison. I wish I could get it with a reach of 455-460mm and +/- 5mm chainstay adjustment to dial in the fit for my preference and trails here in the PNW. If I could do this, it would have been my 1 and only bike for the next 3-5 years no problem. The other thing I think is worth highlight and really emphasizing is the build quality is truly spectacular, it’s so hard to portray this in photos but every detail is just fantastic, and the frame alignment in both suspension pivots and bottom bracket is some of the best I’ve ever seen.

If there’s anything you’re specifically curious about, let me know and I’d be happy to answer it the best I can. Be happy to ship it over to the UK as well if you’re interested ;)
 
1 - 20 of 89 Posts
About this Discussion
88 Replies
10 Participants
Last post:
dotcodotuk
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
posts
16M
members
534K
Since
1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Discussion Downhill - Freeride California - Norcal Shocks and Suspension Passion