First things first. Purple anodising is back, Hope have released brakes, hubs, stems, you name it in the classic colour. These are the Tech 3 E4 brakes, Tech 3 refers to the lever which has the classic Hope CNCed style, complete with very handy bite point and reach adjusters. The lever blades are perfect for one or two finger braking and the surface of the blade itself has holes drilled through it to aid gripping the lever.
The E4 part refers to the caliper, machined from a solid billet and featuring four 16mm pistons this has more than enough stopping power to work on nearly all bikes – if you’re thinking of racing a season of downhill you might want to step up to the V4 which has a bit more grabbing power. With a 203mm rotor up front and 183mm at the back (both floating rotors) these should have plenty of power.
First ride impressions were good – once bedded in the power was very nicely modulated but should you need to stop the world these had more than enough grab. I’ll be giving these a hammering in a whole range of different conditions across the country and look out for the verdict in a future issue of the mag! Prices range from £150-160 for the lever and caliper and there is the usual choice of Hope rotors to suit.
Check out www.hopetech.com for more information. Big thanks to Sandy and co at the Trailhead Bicycle Company for getting these setup just right!
