[DIRTJUNKIE]

I've seen some good reviews about these new Hope Tech 4 E4 brakes.
Every MTB website posting a review about these brakes pretty much sets them as the new benchmark.
So I'm curious to read some actual rider's feedback.
View attachment 2014982
View attachment 2014985
View attachment 2014983
View attachment 2014984

Hope brakes have always been the benchmark for others to achieve. I have a pair of Minis that are 22 years old and will out perform many of the newer brakes that are out today.

 

[jonshonda]

I would also only use Hope brake adapters and floating rotors, just and fyi after using others that didn't work correctly.

 

[Jayem]

I would also only use Hope brake adapters and floating rotors, just and fyi after using others that didn't work correctly.

I would use TRP rotors...and I do!


There's no compelling reason to use Hope's pinned rotors.

 

[jonshonda]

I would use TRP rotors...and I do!


There's no compelling reason to use Hope's pinned rotors.

I can only suggest what I've used!! Plus they match if you are all fancy and stuff.

 

[tuskenraider]

Hope brakes have always been the benchmark for others to achieve. I have a pair of Minis that are 22 years old and will out perform many of the newer brakes that are out today.

Thanks for the laugh. My T3 V4's were the weakest brakes I've ridden. 2-piston XT's included. Trickstuff pads couldn't help those sorry things a bit and I wasted a year riding them cause they were so pretty. It took one run at Windrock, and almost dying with severe arm pump trying to manage bike speed, that I sold 'em off and went back to the Saints. The T4's 30% improvement should get them into mid-pack. Nice job Hope!

 

[Jayem]

Thanks for the laugh. My T3 V4's were the weakest brakes I've ridden. 2-piston XT's included. Trickstuff pads couldn't help those sorry things a bit and I wasted a year riding them cause they were so pretty. It took one run at Windrock, and almost dying with severe arm pump trying to manage bike speed, that I sold 'em off and went back to the Saints. The T4's 30% improvement should get them into mid-pack. Nice job Hope!

Maybe he meant the machining and that stuff. That IS really nice compared to most, especially magura and shimano stuff that just doesn't last as long, but I'm with you on the power aspect. It's greatly improved now, but the bar was pretty low before.

 

[milehi]

Thanks for the laugh. My T3 V4's were the weakest brakes I've ridden. 2-piston XT's included. Trickstuff pads couldn't help those sorry things a bit and I wasted a year riding them cause they were so pretty. It took one run at Windrock, and almost dying with severe arm pump trying to manage bike speed, that I sold 'em off and went back to the Saints. The T4's 30% improvement should get them into mid-pack. Nice job Hope!

My T3 V4s have been fine. I don't think about them when racing enduro. Fine enough that I'm not going to bother with the new levers. I'd like to get the new pistons when I can find them, and 2.3 rotors.

 

[tuskenraider]

My T3 V4s have been fine. I don't think about them when racing enduro. Fine enough that I'm not going to bother with the new levers. I'd like to get the new pistons when I can find them, and 2.3 rotors.

Actually, my first ride on my new Ripmo with V4's was actually an Arkansas enduro race. They felt fine once they bedded in, but trails out there just aren't that long and steep to expose weak brakes.

 

[slimat99]

I went from zee's (old ones with aggressive servo cam) to v4's because I wanted to get away from the horrible modulation and wandering bite. I was pretty shocked at how much weaker v4's were. Easily a full rotor size down compared to zee's. Modulation was a bit too broad for my taste too. The initial bite was so soft I didn't find it very practical. Full pull power was adequate for me to ride with confidence but I found I had to initiate braking early and almost ride the rear at mid stroke just to have quick enough access to full pull power to have confidence. When I didn't ride the rear close to or at mid stroke I had some sketchy late braking situations. A lot of that was me just getting used to going from very powerful on off brakes to very linear weaker brakes. Had I uped the rotors I would have been a lot happier I'm sure but I also felt the lever pull was fatiguing my hands too much as well. Tech 4 has addressed all my complaints. They might be my perfect brake? I'm currently running Shigura's that are more Shimano than magura. I'm not a huge fan though they are super strong and get the job done just fine. Finesse isn't a word I would use to describe them. Finesse is something I would like.

 

[kbcrdc]

Take a look at the only empirical brake test I have seen to date. If I am wrong please link me another that actually uses a repeatable setup such as this. Anecdotal evidence is garbage compared to bench testing of brakes. From this you can see the Tech 3 levers were putting out 73.1nm (e4) and 74.8nm(v4). Highest measured from SRAM was Guide ultimate at 71.7nm and Code RSC was a close second at 70.6nm. Shimano highest was Saint at 83nm, Zee was 75.2nm. Trickstuff and Magura are in a category of their own for pure caliper power. So next time someone says Tech 3 are underpowered please show them they are incorrect. If the tech 4 has 30% more power we are roughly at 96nm which puts them into Magura power levels. Mentioned in this test as well is brake pad choice, changing sram pads for Trickstuff pads gave the Sram roughly 20 percent more braking torque. If this test was able to use all the same brake pad compound I would be very curious to see those results as it would eliminate that as a variable and we would see caliper power compared. https://enduro-mtb.com/en/best-mtb-disc-brake-can-buy/

As someone involved in engineering I place much more value on empirical, repeatable tests over anecdotal evidence. Anecdotal evidence is not used in the scientific community as its not measurable or repeatable and basically boils down to word of mouth. So if you feel like your Hope Tech 3 were not as powerful as any of the SRAMs in that test then good for you but the data says your personal observations are incorrect. As a community we should demand this type of testing to be done by pinkbike, vital, enduromag etc every single year. Brake manufacturers will not like this as they may have an "emperor has no clothes" situation where their brakes are provably weak. Agree or disagree with my opinions all you want but until you have conducted your own test protocol and want to post your methods, data etc you have no leg to stand on.

All this being said I have tried the new Tech 4 levers and did not like the feel of the bite point and the lever felt more SRAM-like to me than I prefer. The older tech 3 levers had a very distinct end point to them where I could not pull further. The tech 4 hits that end but then either flexes or compresses past that point making it feel mushier. The power when doing this is high and have no issues with the ability to stop I just don't like the feeling of having them hit the end then keep squishing. Tried bleeding them 3 more times to get allll the tiny little bubbles out and still dont like them so swapped back to my Tech 3s and sold the Tech 4 levers

 

[947656]

Pretty sure that test was widely regarded as inaccurate, didn't it claim the E4 stopped considerably faster than the V4? Ballpark figures though, it does show that people can't claim "they're not powerful", as you rightly say.

In regards to the flexy feel after the bite point, keep trying with the bleeding. My front brake feels very firm now, and while the rear will always feel softer, I've got it much firmer after being much more careful with replacing the reservoir cap properly, and most crucially balancing the pistons properly.

 

[kbcrdc]

Can you show me where that test has been discussed and disputed? Not trying to dispute you just need more evidence then "pretty sure that test was inaccurate". I am pretty sure anyone other than Magura and Trickstuff would love to throw the results of this test out the window. Again right now as far as I know that is the one and only test I have seen conducted and results shown to the public. That being said we are missing all the raw data. Which exact pads were tested with each brake? There is a chance that with the e4 they tested the standard pads(red) and with the V4 they tested the sintered (goldish) so that may have thrown those numbers off but without the rest of the data we really dont know. I am 99 percent sure that SRAM, Shimano, Hope, Hayes have all this data on their own brakes already but we have never seen any of them publish any of this data first party. We as consumers need to demand more of this type of testing from manufacturers and reviewers. Brake manufacturers have a vested interest in not showing this data as it might show their brake is not as good as company "X" brake.

I am also into PC gaming and if there were no benchmarks done by 3rd parties we would be left to trusting the manufactures on their claims of speed and power. Its ridiculous to me that we have no true measurements to go off when looking at these products. Another example is helmet safety tests. We have 3rd parties that test lots of helmets with no financial incentive from any companies. I trust that data much more than Bontrager claiming their wavecel technology is the best stuff around when in 3rd party tests their cheaper MiPs helmets outperform wavecel.

I am just a big nerd wanting more nerd stuff. Just give me DATA

 

[TTTURNER]

Pretty sure that test was widely regarded as inaccurate, didn't it claim the E4 stopped considerably faster than the V4? Ballpark figures though, it does show that people can't claim "they're not powerful", as you rightly say.

In regards to the flexy feel after the bite point, keep trying with the bleeding. My front brake feels very firm now, and while the rear will always feel softer, I've got it much firmer after being much more careful with replacing the reservoir cap properly, and most crucially balancing the pistons properly.

It is critical with any brake to bleed it properly. I ordered a custom set of E4's from Hope with the hoses cut to my predetermined length. The bleed was not good. Hope's are amazing when you get them bled and set up properly. I think the vast majority of brake complaints on mtbr are related to poor bleeds and setup, and people that are too clueless to know it. That is why the brake thread is not very useful in general. You hear such differing opinions on the power of brakes with no mention of whether or not the rider is a competent mechanic. The same goes for the drivetrain forum.

 

[947656]

That being said we are missing all the raw data. Which exact pads were tested with each brake?

Exactly. That's why I thought it had been regarded as not terribly accurate. Also you don't need empirical data to tell you that for the same size master cylinder, a larger slave piston will deliver more power, and - all other factors being equal - stop quicker. The E4/V4 numbers show that not to be the case, so something isn't right with their method.

 

[Mudguard]

Take a look at the only empirical brake test I have seen to date. If I am wrong please link me another that actually uses a repeatable setup such as this. Anecdotal evidence is garbage compared to bench testing of brakes. From this you can see the Tech 3 levers were putting out 73.1nm (e4) and 74.8nm(v4). Highest measured from SRAM was Guide ultimate at 71.7nm and Code RSC was a close second at 70.6nm. Shimano highest was Saint at 83nm, Zee was 75.2nm. Trickstuff and Magura are in a category of their own for pure caliper power. So next time someone says Tech 3 are underpowered please show them they are incorrect.

I guess the issue is if the brake delivers it's max torque after the lever hits my other fingers...
I've just gone from Saint to some form of Codes and the lever throw is about 25mm Vs 20mm. I rode some reasonable trails but had no issues adjusting. It's probably my first time on SRAM brakes in a decade. I still prefer the wall the lever hits with Shimano and I've never lucked out with the wandering bite point with SLX, Deore and Saint either.

 

[robj20]

Just upgraded to Tech 4 E4 from Tech V2 / M4. Guessing its normal but noticed when finishing the build that the brakes make a loud bang when you pull the brakes and rock the bike, presume its the pads moving around in the calliper. They feel great though, love that they got rid of the flip/flop lever.

 

[Mac_89]

Just upgraded to Tech 4 E4 from Tech V2 / M4. Guessing its normal but noticed when finishing the build that the brakes make a loud bang when you pull the brakes and rock the bike, presume its the pads moving around in the calliper. They feel great though, love that they got rid of the flip/flop lever.

Could it be the rotor slipping because the pads aren’t bedded in yet? It would be more of a loud crack than a bang? Eyeball the rotors when you do it. Should see a tiny bit of movement.

 

[robj20]

Could it be the rotor slipping because the pads aren’t bedded in yet? It would be more of a loud crack than a bang? Eyeball the rotors when you do it. Should see a tiny bit of movement.

Couple be. See how they are after the first ride.

 

[chadbrochills]

Just got a set of the new V4's. Absolutely loving them so far. Rear was a bit of a pain to bleed, but mainly because I'm not use to Hope's method. Love the modulation these provide over the XT 4 pots they replaced, which were like an on/off switch.

 

[iErnest85]

I put on my set of Hope Tech 4 E4 brakes on Transition Spur so far a bit over 150 miles and I absolutely loving them!
On my previous 4 bikes I had the SRAM Code RSC which I still consider as one of the best brakes out there, the Tech 4 E4 are just a bit better.
Within the first steep descent I could tell that the Hope provide stronger bite on the rotor. Definitely more modulation.
For the first few rides with the Hope Tech 4 E4 I had 180/180 Hope rotors as well, but the kept on singing so I swapped the pads to the MTX Racing which improved the final bite even more and even slightly more modulation. But the rotor kept on singing. So I swapped the rotors to a brand new set of SRAM CenterLine X 180/180 that was laying in my garage and it’s just perfect.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk