Tom B
Guru
- Location
- Lancashire
There is only one problem with that bike....
It's too clean.
It's too clean.
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I never liked Shimano Hydros on MTBs.I found them a bit "wooden".Once I'd fitted Hope Tech M4s they were my brake of choice on all my MTBs for years
As well as working faultlessly they look damn good too.
RX4s for me.........
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
I never liked Shimano Hydros on MTBs.I found them a bit "wooden".Once I'd fitted Hope Tech M4s they were my brake of choice on all my MTBs for years
As well as working faultlessly they look damn good too.
RX4s for me.........
I've never got that far up the braking ladder.
My local bike shop rates Hope in general because the kit is usually serviceable and you can get the bits.
Sounds like it's worth paying the extra.
OP
OP
russ.will
Slimboy Fat
- Location
- The Fen Edge
To be fair, they've never failed to stop me, but there was never much feel at the lever and 10k miles of all-weather riding on them would probably demand more than a fluid change.
Even so, Shimano aren't the last word in braking and I'm lucky enough to be able to afford better.
Russ
OP
OP
russ.will
Slimboy Fat
- Location
- The Fen Edge
Christ! Was I supposed to build it in a mud bath?!?!?
300 miles later, it still looks that clean. I just can't help myself!
Tom B
Guru
- Location
- Lancashire
Damn my cover is blown
Lend it to me for a week or two. I'll get it dirty in places that just can't seemingly be cleaned!
*Time spent cleaning is time that could be spend riding.
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I’m with you mate. 600+ miles and my Lynskey looks like it’s not touched Tarmac
It had its first clean last week when we got back from a damp week in Northumberland!Some of those back roads were covered in all sorts
It looked like I’d been off roading.“A clean bike is a happy bike” has always been my motto
OP
OP
russ.will
Slimboy Fat
- Location
- The Fen Edge
To be fair, crap weather hasn't coincided with riding opportunities, but that will change.
After 122 miles yesterday, it is now mildly dusty.
Russ
OP
OP
russ.will
Slimboy Fat
- Location
- The Fen Edge
A couple of weeks on a quick update:
I guess living somewhere less than hilly may have a bearing, but after a couple of hundred miles I reattached the bleed cup to the top of the master cylinders with a few millilitres of fluid in it. A few lever pumps released a few micro-bubbles that survived the initial install. Lever travel firmed up slightly, but perceptively.
A couple of hundred miles on from that and some opportunities to further bed the pads in with some braking from high speed and I cannot believe how distant the performance of the Hopes are from any Shimano caliper (and disc?) I've ever ridden. The bite point is seriously well defined and power one-finger ample. Lever feedback at any point is braille versus smooth paper. It's like removing your winter gloves and going bareback.
I thought they were a bit better and frankly, the tart in me would have paid for the 'look' but not any more. They're simply so much better I cannot imagine going back.
Okay, having had top end motorbike braking systems in my past (Brembo Goldline 4-pad-per-piston calipers with braided hoses) that cost as much as a respectable road bike may not have helped, but a reality check on Kay's BR-R7070 equipped Roubaix threw the comparison into sharper relief.
I used to think there wasn't much difference between my caliper bikes and the disc ones , except in the wet and even then braking 10m earlier expunged the difference. Indeed there are plenty of people that have posted as such and up to now I wouldn't have disagreed much. Yes, there were subtle advantages to disc, but not enough to make you want a wholesale frame upgrade. Indeed I still wouldn't junk a quality frame to go disc.
But if you're doing a frame up build, that is (in my mind) now a different story. To put it another way, the difference between 105/Ultegra or Rival/Force 22 is inconsequential in performance terms. Neither will make you go faster, but the Hope RX4s really do stop you faster with much more confidence and that difference is reflected in the price, which in terms of derailleurs, it is not.
Russ
I guess living somewhere less than hilly may have a bearing, but after a couple of hundred miles I reattached the bleed cup to the top of the master cylinders with a few millilitres of fluid in it. A few lever pumps released a few micro-bubbles that survived the initial install. Lever travel firmed up slightly, but perceptively.
A couple of hundred miles on from that and some opportunities to further bed the pads in with some braking from high speed and I cannot believe how distant the performance of the Hopes are from any Shimano caliper (and disc?) I've ever ridden. The bite point is seriously well defined and power one-finger ample. Lever feedback at any point is braille versus smooth paper. It's like removing your winter gloves and going bareback.
I thought they were a bit better and frankly, the tart in me would have paid for the 'look' but not any more. They're simply so much better I cannot imagine going back.
Okay, having had top end motorbike braking systems in my past (Brembo Goldline 4-pad-per-piston calipers with braided hoses) that cost as much as a respectable road bike may not have helped, but a reality check on Kay's BR-R7070 equipped Roubaix threw the comparison into sharper relief.
I used to think there wasn't much difference between my caliper bikes and the disc ones , except in the wet and even then braking 10m earlier expunged the difference. Indeed there are plenty of people that have posted as such and up to now I wouldn't have disagreed much. Yes, there were subtle advantages to disc, but not enough to make you want a wholesale frame upgrade. Indeed I still wouldn't junk a quality frame to go disc.
But if you're doing a frame up build, that is (in my mind) now a different story. To put it another way, the difference between 105/Ultegra or Rival/Force 22 is inconsequential in performance terms. Neither will make you go faster, but the Hope RX4s really do stop you faster with much more confidence and that difference is reflected in the price, which in terms of derailleurs, it is not.
Russ
I've been using RX4's for a few years now and couldn't agree more, they're an excellent upgrade. I recently added them to my commuter bike - originally I only had them on my best 2 road bikes but I realised I carry much more weight on the commuter so it really should have good brakes too
That bike is looking rather lovely, great work My ti has black calipers with purple bore caps but I have the orange ones on my Bianchi 😊
That bike is looking rather lovely, great work
My ti has black calipers with purple bore caps but I have the orange ones on my Bianchi 😊
- Location
- Somewhere wet & hilly in NW England.
Missed this one!
That's a cracking looking and very classy machine you have there.
That's a cracking looking and very classy machine you have there.
