Hope Brakes

Hope produces a wide variety of brakes, and in this guide, we’ll break them down to help simplify your decision.

Based in Barnoldswick, Hope is one of the rare brands that manufactures nearly everything in-house. From levers to olives and inserts, their factory is filled with CNC machines working around the clock to craft precision bike parts.

Known for their exceptional quality, Hope components come in a wide range of anodized colours. Here at Biketart, Hope brakes are a staff favourite.

Their brakes are broken down in to six categories:

RX4+ - Road and gravel
XCR / X2 - Gravel and XC
Tech 4 / X2 - XC and trail
XCR / E4 - Trail
Tech 4 / E4 - Trail and Enduro
Tech 4 / V4 - Enduro, trail and Ebike

The RX4 callipers can be purchased on their own as an upgrade to your existing Sram or Shimano brake system.

They are available with DOT or Mineral Oil specific seals. DOT 5.1 can be found in most Sram brake systems and mineral oil in Shimano's.

You can find more information Here

The XCR/X2 is Hope's lightest, sleekest cross-country aimed brake system boasting a weight of 199g and a super minimalist design. If you're aiming for minimal weight these are the brakes you need.

You can find more information Here

The Tech 4 is Hope's latest, greatest and most powerful lever. Boasting a longer lever than previous versions and a larger reservoir, for power and feel you can't beat it.

These are available in three calliper versions

X2 - The small, lightweight one. These two-piston callipers don't have the highest maximum power but they're the best for low weight and good performance for an XC or light trail bike.

E4 - The middle child, the E4 is the best brake for trail and enduro bikes, it lacks the power of the V4 but has the best modulation and sensitivity.

V4 - The V4 is one small step behind putting a stick in your spokes, maximum power for heavy Ebikes and downhill bikes for pushing the highest speeds imaginable.

You can find more info Here

Rotors

Hope makes a wide range of disc rotors designed for their different brake systems.

Standard fixed rotor: Link

Available in 1.8mm thickness for 120/140/160mm rotor options and 2.3mm thickness for 180/200/220/225mm sizes.

These are a simpler and more cost-effective option for the brake system. The 1.8mm rotors are ideally used with the RX4, X2 and E4 callipers and the 2.3mm with the V4's for extra rigidity and less chance of warping when used aggressively.

Floating Rotor: 6 Bolt / Centre Lock / Road

Hope's lightest and brightest. The anodised centre is constructed from Aluminium and the braking surface is stainless steel. This allows the braking surface to heat independently to the centre, preventing warping and improving performance, it also means you can run awesome colours on your bike.

These are best used in conjunction with the RX4, X2 and E4 callipers.

Vented Rotor Link

The big rotor for the biggest bikes. Two rotors sandwiched together, the steel outer portion is constructed to provide a gap in the centre for exceptional braking performance and cooling.

At 3.3mm thickness, they're designed for the V4 callipers only. Available in 203mm and 220mm options and all the usual range of anodised colours.

Brake Mount Adaptors

Available in black and silver, Hope makes brake mount adapters for almost every application.

It's worth noting that due to the size of the V4 callipers, we'd recommend using Hope adaptors for improved clearance.

Here is a breakdown of the most common sizes and you can find them on our website here and here.

Post mount:

K - 140mm to 160mm
L - 160mm to 180mm or 180mm to 200mm
M - 160mm to 200 or 180mm to 220mm
P - 200mm to 220mm
Q - 203mm to 220mm
C - 160mm to 203mm
H - 160mm to 183mm

International Standard

A - IS Front to post mount 160mm or IS rear to post mount 140mm
F - IS Front to post mount 180mm or IS rear post mount 160mm
N - IS Front to post mount 200mm or IS rear to post mount 180mm
R - IS Front to post mount 220mm or IS rear to post mount 200mm
B - IS Front to post mount 203mm or IS rear to post mount 183mm

Shifter mounts and matchmakers

To make sure your shifters and dropper levers mount to your brakes, Hope makes the following adaptors. Available in left and right-hand mounts in silver or black.

Tech 4 Sram shifter mount Link
Tech 4 Sram T-Type shifter mount Link
Tech 4 Shimano EV shifter mount Link

Brake pads

The brake pad selection is organised by compounds:

Sintered - Gold - Full metallic compound pads have excellent fade resistance at high temperatures and give consistent performance in all weathers and conditions
All weather - Red - An all-year-round pad that maintains its performance and integrity in extreme wet and muddy terrain.
E-Bike - Purple - The compound mixture is adapted to deal with the increased weight and speed of E-Bikes.
Racing - Green - High-performance resin compound pads formulated for increased power, reduced bed-in time and excellent fade resistance
Road - Blue - Specially formulated for road riding. Made to deal with the increased velocity under dry and wet conditions.

Legacy Brakes

Hope has been making brakes since 1991. While they no longer manufacture the older models, you can often still get spares to keep them running.

Hope has a vast library of technical info which you can find Here.

Hope has made an excellent technical reference guide for their brakes which we've found very useful: You can find that here.

Hope BrakesUpdated 6 months ago