After most of a year hammering the Hope Pro 5 hubs in all manner of conditions, how has the Barnoldswick flagship hub held up?
It’s been a busy summer for the Hope Pro 5s, but has the faster rolling and pickup been hand in hand with Hope’s legendary reliability? Pete casts his thoughts.
Photos by Pete Scullion.
Key features:
- Sealed stainless steel cartridge bearings
- Hub shell machined from forged aluminium billet
- Standard 6 bolt disc fitting
- Larger spoke flange to enable stiffer wheel builds
- Available in both standard 15mm, 20mm and Torq end cap options
- Hub flanges are moved outboard 5mm compared to the standard 100m front hub to increase wheel stiffness
- Available Black, Silver, Red, Blue, Purple and Orange
- Available in 28, 32 and 36 hole drillings
- Machined from forged 2014 T6 aluminium billet
- Conversions available for 15mm Boost, 20mm Boost and Torq
- Weight: 188g (32h option)
- From £220 (rear) / £95 (front)
- HopeTech.com
1500 km on Hope’s Pro 5 Hubs. The Pro 5 uses an off-set 6 pawl design and has gone from 44 points of engagement with the Pro 4, to to 108 with the Pro 5. This is achieved by using 2 sets of three pawls to engage alternately on a 54 tooth ring. In real world riding, that means much quicker pickup when you’re pedaling and a faster response when putting the power down
With more colours to choose from than the average gob stopper jar, opening the box is a bit like cracking the top of a skittles tube. I’m pretty sure the room lit up like Indiana Jones opening the Ark. I’ve got the Orange and this hub is not subtle in looks at all. So, does the 5th generation of the hub live up to Hope’s claims of increased reliability and durability and all round improved performance?
I put these candy-coloured hubs through 1,500km of riding across the UK and abroad to see if they were more than just a face lift and once these candy shop rollers hit the trail, it seems in this case, bite and bark seem seem to live up to each other.
Laced up to DT Swiss 511 rims, I was aiming to build a wheel set to take a beating. The first thing you notice is how quick the engagement is. As soon as I was thinking about a pedal stroke, it was already being translated into power through the drivetrain. In fact, it was so quick, that it took me a couple of climbs to get used to.
Once on top of how quickly my input was being translated into output, my usual technical climb seemed to flow more and moves that I had previously over complicated became simpler. Amazing the difference a few nanoseconds can make.
Once at the top pointing the bike downhill, there’s no two ways about it. Hope have created a fast rolling hub. The familiar Hope whirl kicks in as soon as you start to freewheel, so this is not a hub designed for riders hoping to approach any wildlife with ninja-like stealth. In fact, it’s far more akin to a Saxon battlecry, although, slightly more subtle than the noise that accompanied the previous Pro 4.
Like the few 80’s hair metal bands that survived to a 5th album, these hubs have found a maturity, but kept their original appeal. Hope says the low rolling resistance is down to the zero-drag labyrinth seal. So, after a summer of riding and generally thrashing about in what has been a particularly wet Scottish summer, how did they hold up?
To fully answer this question I’d like to first give a bit of context. In a normal season running other brands of hubs, I am doing at least a couple of services and a full bearing replacement. I’ll notice the sound of the hub change before any play develops and then once I open them up, I’m normally greeted with a black, mucky abyss.
I deliberately left the Pro 5s as they came from Hope; so no extra grease, and no extra love and attention. When I opened them up to admire the carnage I had created, I was amazed to find that actually, the bearings looked pretty clean and corrosion-free. They were still running smooth and the inside of the hub was one of the few places that the season’s grime hadn’t been able to fully penetrate. Hope’s Labyrinth seals were obviously doing their job of keeping out all intruders better than David Bowie in the one, true Labyrinth.
When the time does come to fully service and replace the bearings, the Pro 5s have retained the simplicity and serviceability of previous models, making them a go-to choice for many wheel builders and hard knockers alike.
What do we think?
If you’re looking for a hub that can take a beating and keep coming back for more, then the Pro 5 is a definite contender. Just be aware that there’s lots of options available and making sure the right spacer/end caps for the axles on your frame and fork is not always the most intuitive.
We love:
- Fast rolling
- Super fast pick up
- That buzz
- Rock solid
- Labyrinth seal isn’t hype
Could do better:
- We’re not sure there is anything
