Hope Tech 3 E4 Brake Review

Hope Technology has been around for almost 40 years now. They began making their first disc brakes in the late 1980's. Over the years they have expanded their production to include hubs, stems, pedals, headsets, cranks, BB's, chainrings and a cassette is now in the works. They pride themselves with making all their parts in their home country of England.

Over the years we have owned many Hope products personally. Including Bulb and Big Un hubs, Mono 4, Moto V4 and and the newer Tech V4 brakes. All of their products worked well and their brakes in the past where nothing short of amazing. We decided to get a set of Hope Tech 3 E4 brakes to test out on the "enduro" bike and see how these machined works of art perform going "full enduro".

"Hope Technology began life in the late 1980’s as a subcontract machining business making tools and fixtures for the many local aerospace companies. In 1989 they began making disc brakes for the newly developed mountain bikes. Initially for the personal use of the owners Ian Weatherill and Simon Sharp but they quickly realised these brakes could be sold as a product in their own right.

Since disc brakes were such a novel idea on a bicycle they decided to begin manufacturing other more common bicycle products, the first of these being a front hub. These began selling through retailers in the UK and interest was also shown in many countries around the world.
Over the subsequent years many more products were added to the range and in 2000 the decision was made to stop all subcontract work and concentrate purely on bicycle products.

Hope now manufactures almost every part for a bicycle including hubs, brakes, headset, stems, bottom brackets and lights. The only major part left to develop is the actual frame, which may be happening in the not too distant future. All parts are proudly manufactured in Hope’s Barnoldswick factory which is a true state of the art facility. They have almost 100 staff operating the factory 24-7, running the 55 CNC machines, anodising the individual components and hand assembling the finished parts. Manufacturing all products on site gives Hope total control on quality and delivery schedules.

Hope exports around 50% of its production to over 40 countries. They deal directly with retailers in the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium and The Netherlands (employing French and German speaking staff), then have distributors in many other countries. Their components have an excellent international reputation for both quality and reliability. They are generally fitted by enthusiasts looking to upgrade their bikes to the highest levels and are supplied through specialist retailers."

Hope History

We received our Hope brakes a few days after ordering them. They are now based out of Texas show shipping to either end of the USA should happen in 3-4 days with standard shipping. We opted for a 203mm front and 183mm rear rotor. Another option you have with the Hope brakes it a floating rotor or non floating. We opted for floating and then discovered that the floating rotor would not clear the Evil Following frame on the back so we had to order a standard rotor for the back of our bike.

Hope ships their brakes in sturdy packaging. Each brake came in it's own box and had the corresponding rotor and brake adapter in each box. For those that have not seen these brakes in person that are literally a machined masterpiece. The detail on these brakes is out of this world. Having adjuster knobs on the lever to change pad contact and lever reach is very nice. Using the knobs on the Tech 3's gives you a positive click each time you make a turn. There is no vague guess work to do here! Also the range of adjustment is better than any other brake out there.

Hope Tech 3 E4 Features

• Rigid CNC'd one piece caliper
• E4 caliper uses 4x16mm phenolic pistons to give more usable power
• Tech 3 lever offers 5% more power compared to our previous lever
• Ergonomic lever design to fit around other handle bar items
• The Tech 3 lever is directly compatible with Shimano I-Spec shifters.
• Complete brake available in Black, Purple or Red
• Choose either standard or braided hose (braided hose is an extra cost)

Hope Tech 3 E4 Specifications

• Tech 3 lever offers genuine bite point and reach adjustment without tools
• Uses post mount, 9.74 caliper with adapters to suit all mount options
• CNC machined from 2014 T6 aluminium alloy
• Top entry pad fitting
• Shimano I Spec Shifters can be fitted directly to lever body. Separate Sram Direct Mount also available
• Black anodized for durability
• Available to fit 160, 183 and 203mm front and rear rotors
• Weight from: 266g (standard hose), 300g (braided hose)

We got the rotors mounted up and then put the brakes onto the frame and fork. Once done we did some tweaking to get the rotor to stop rubbing. Then it was a bit of break in time. The Levers on the Hope Tech 3 E4 are good size. You can use two fingers easily on them if needed but they produce tremendous bite and one finger braking is all you would typically need.

I will typically run my levers far out and have them be pretty spongy giving the brakes a bunch of modulation. Having used every major brake out there the Hope Brakes show their superiority over the other brands here by a pretty wide margin. You could literally have them hit the bars if you wanted before locking up.

Hope Tech 3 E4 Exploded Views

Ian W

So with my rear brake set to be a tad more squishy than the front I set out for the hills. My first ride was a 12 mile loop on a lunch ride. The climb up is mellow and the downhill is in the mid four minute mark typically. It is a fast flowy trail with many turns and only a few rocks scattered across it. So basically the brakes where used going into corners and for the occasional hiker. Coming into the forst hard left that is rock filled I grabbed a fair bit of brake. I have used Hopes in the past but it has been about six months since I rode on them. The slow down was substantial and I had to let off the brakes earlier than I was sued to. First lesson was to brake a bit later. About half way down there are a few corners I have issues with one is steep and off camber but fast. On a good day I can go through no brakes but typically I drag them some. Running a Semi Slick on The Evil Following was gonna be a test of the rear brake and its modulation. I used the back a bit and it didn't break loose. This was great since I have used the same tire on two other bikes and the back end usually breaks free in this turn. The entire first run the brakes worked well and showed their ability to allow the rider to have complete control over the breaking point of their tires and the soil.

The next trail is just above the first and is much rockier for the first 300 yards or so. The climb was a bit longer but the descent is worth it. The start of the downhill has soccer ball sized rocks for about 100 yards that you go over at a good rate of speed. The trick here is to stay off the brakes and let the bike skip over and around the rocks. I used the Tech 3's a few times. Once out of the rock garden the speeds increase and you enter trees with turns carving their way down the hill. This twisty section is dry and many would consider the traction not very good. The Hope Brakes once again had plenty of power and I had no problems keeping the tires rolling and not locking them up! In the twisty stuff the Evil does a great job of offering copious amounts of traction and carrying speeds through turns. There is one turn near the bottom that is a very hard right this is where I will break the back loose to cut the turn the tires once leaned over and the rear brake grabbed hard seamlessly went from rolling to locked up and sliding.  

Once we got the chance to head up to Northstar we loaded up and hit the road. Along with the Following we also brought a few Downhill bikes and another "Enduro" bike. Their lifts run fairly fast and we hopped on and headed for the jump filled trail Live Wire. This is a flow trail loaded with many tabletop jumps and corners for the 2 mile run. There are not many local trails that have jumps so it had been awhile since I jumped a bike at high rates of speed. I started off a bit timid and then began gaining more speed on the way down. The brakes worked perfect the entire time as I worked my way down the hill. My first run I used them a fair amount and there was no sign of heat issues. I weigh 215lbs and have had brakes start to loose power in the past from this.

The next trail was Flameout which is on the left side of the mountain. This is a chunkier trail that has a few jumps. The trail has a bit more loose dirt around the rocks so line choice here can be a bit more difficult. The Following did well in the chunkier stuff here. Having not ridden this trail before I had to come down from speeds to almost a crawl on a few parts. We also caught a few groups of riders we had to slow down for. The Hope Tech 3 E4 brakes worked very well at slowing the bike down in the dry and dusty conditions of Northstar!

Gypsy trail is on the right side of the hill. This is a mellower trail that has some rocks, jumps and wood features in it. This trail has more jumps and some wood features. I am not a huge wood fan so I slowed down some over these. Again the brakes has no issues and my semi slick tire only broke loose if I wanted it to.

Mineshaft is a trail that takes you from the halfway point back down to the lodge. It has some jumps a bunch of tall bermed corners and some rocks scattered here or there. This trail can literally be pumped the entire way down and you will be able to clear the jumps. The Following was moving through here it seems to be one of the best bikes I have ever ridden at pumping speed off features and terrain of the trail. Everyone on the hill uses this trail to get back down we caught 4 sets of riders on the way down some going very slow. The Hope Tech 3's worked wonderfully at slowing me down to go around other trail riders.

Conclusion

Overall the Hope Tech 3 E4 Brakes where incredible. There was nothing in their performance that could be or would need to be improved. The only issue would be weight of the brakes. They are about 100 grams heavier than some others. This could probably be shaved out of the brakes if they found it to be a serious issue. Keep in mind we ran braided lines which are a tad bit heavier as well.

The quality of these brakes is amazing. It is rare to find a company in the bike industry still manufacturing products in their home country. Hope has been in England for close to 40 years now. It is always nice to know you are buying a product from a company that is making stuff on their home soil. If you look at the price difference between the Hope Tech 3's and say a Shimano XTR there is no price difference between them. Also make sure you have the brake line lengths you will need and give them to Hope when you order the brakes.

It may be worth ordering a spare set of pads since not many shops carry Hope products on hand. That is the only negative we have found. Though the pads do last a long time our last Downhill bike had Hope brakes and we had it almost 1 year and never replaced the pads! Just something to think about. Many mechanics will tell you the Hope brake system is the easiest to bleed.

Hope knocked it out of the park with the Tech 3 E4 Brakes. There is nothing more we could ask for in a brake system. This is the 5^th set of Hope Brakes I have used and all of them have been great. We would for sure recommend these to a friend. Their lever feel, modualtion, adjustability and build quality are unmatched.

Q & A With Hope Technologies

1. What was Hope's primary goal in creating and designing the Tech 3 brake system?

The Tech 3 master cylinder was going to replace the long going Tech and Tech Evo master cylinder. So the goal was to keep the first generation Tech master cylinder’s best assets, improve what could be improved for more reliability, shed some weight if possible and increase the generated brake line pressure to gain some braking power.

 2. There are two versions of the Tech 3 can you explain the differences?

There are actually 3 versions. There is just one version of the Tech 3 master cylinder but three versions of calipers: X2 (XC caliper), E4 (“enduro” caliper) and V4 (DH caliper).

3. Was weight or braking power of more importance with the E4's?

Definitely power, even if it’s important to keep a close eye on overall weight, trying to have something super light at any cost often comes to the detriment of reliability and we are making things to last and be serviceable, not to snap at the first occasion.When it comes to braking, power is a vague thing, there is no much point having a mega powerful brake is you have no grip whatsoever… it’s a very fine balance between power and modulation.

4. What benefit will riders see between the braided lines and standard versions?

The braided hose will make the whole unit more robust. If you are often hanging the bike on the chairlift or stacking them at the back of the van, there is no danger of the hose being crushed, this is the heavy duty option. The standard version can’t take that much batter but it’s a lot lighter too. Performance wise, you won’t notice any difference. Although the braided hose has got a higher burst pressure than standard black hose, we are never going anywhere near these pressures in normal usage.

5. Any tips or tricks to getting a clean bleed with the Tech 3 brakes?

First of all, don’t bleed the brake for just any reason. If the brake feels soft, it’s more likely to be down to poor setup, checking caliper and perfect pad alignment should be done first. Most of our sponsored riders go the full season without a single brake bleed.If you need to bleed them, use some DOT4 or 5.1 and bleed them like you would do on a motorbike, no syringe or silly bleed kit required. We have a good video on the website showing how it’s done step by step: watch the video below.

6. You guys offer a floating and non-floating rotor what are the reasons for this?

We have been making a floating rotor option for over 10 years now. The original reason to make it was for its higher resistance to warping. Because the external braking surface can freely expand and contract radially, it is not affecting and loading the center carrier.They also have that “moto” look that most riders seem to like.

7. Hope has been around a very long time can you give us a brief overview of the company?

Hope was officially co-founded by Ian Weatherill and Simon Sharp back in 1989. Both tool makers at Rolls Royce and also national level motorcycle trials riders, they would often be found making parts for their trials bikes or mountain bikes which they used for training.

As Ian and Simon started receiving requests to make parts for others’ bikes they decided there could be a gap in the market. The first product was a cable brake followed by a hub. It wasn’t until two years later, in 1991, that hubs and brakes were sold to the market.

Since the early ‘90’s the range of products we manufacture has expanded from one brake and hub to various versions of each, Cranks, finishing kits, headsets, bottom brackets and pedals. Although still based in Barnoldswick, UK, the company has grown significantly over the last 26 years, now employing over 140 people and selling to over 40 countries worldwide.

8. What do you think were the top 3 advancements in MTB technology in the last 20 years?

The generalization of full suspension and disc brakes was a big breakthrough, making the bike more controllable and safer!For the third one I would say the usage of carbon fiber parts and frames.

9. Climbs or descents?

Descents because they are much more fun… And even more enjoyable if you earn it with a bit of sweat when climbing.

10. Rocks or jumps?

Rocks… wheels are made to stay on the ground… and I can barely jump anyway !!!

11. What do you think the future holds for the industry as a whole?

We’ll see the integration of more and more electronic gizmos, like it or not… maybe eventually one single battery to run everything from it.

12. Would you rather have the skills of Nico or Ricky Carmichael in their primes?

Nico Vouilloz… even nowadays!

13. Is it hard for you guys to keep production in England and still keep you prices close to competitors that have moved production to Asia?

No because we are using the latest manufacturing machines and techniques which can keep manufacturing cost to minimum. Granted our costs may be slightly higher than some of our competitors who manufacture in Asia, however, we concentrate on efficiency to keep our costs low rather than cheap labour.

14. Any information you want the viewers to know about the Tech 3 brakes?

To get them if they want some “fit and forget” brakes, no hassle, no bleed every other ride and guarantee to find some spare parts for at least 5 years should you need them.

Thanks

 

This short video by Sam Needham shows you how to align and lubricate your Hope brake calipers.

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Hope Tech 3 E4 Owners Manual