Review: Hope's UK-Made HB.130 Trail Bike
After some 20 years of making hubs and disc brakes, Hope spread its wings and flourished into a full-fledged bike brand with the launch of the HB.160 in 2017. Eyebrows were certainly raised when Hope declared it was going to branch out into carbon manufacturing and make the bikes at its Barnoldswick, Lancashire factory, but the investment hasn't been an extravagant indulgence, and the hard work has paid off.
The latest addition is the HB.130, a seriously good looking bike with top quality construction that is impressive given how new to carbon the British company is.
The latest addition is the HB.130, a seriously good looking bike with top quality construction that is impressive given how new to carbon the British company is.
Hope HB.130
Travel: 130mm rear/140mm front
Wheel size: 29"
Frame construction: Carbon main frame, alloy swingarm
Suspension: Four bar with flip-chip adjustment
Sizes: M, L, XL
Weight: L w/o pedals 31.1lb (14.1kg)
Price: $8,400 USD
More info: www.hopetech.com
Travel: 130mm rear/140mm front
Wheel size: 29"
Frame construction: Carbon main frame, alloy swingarm
Suspension: Four bar with flip-chip adjustment
Sizes: M, L, XL
Weight: L w/o pedals 31.1lb (14.1kg)
Price: $8,400 USD
More info: www.hopetech.com
 | It was precise through the slow-speed corners and I was able to point the front wheel where I wanted it to go easily; as the speed ramped up it displayed awesome stability to let you tuck in and barrel through the faster sections." |
Construction and Features
Like the original HB.160, this new bike has a front triangle made from carbon fiber manufactured at Hope’s facility in Barnoldswick. It’s all part of the company’s ambitious plan to expand into the world of composites, which started with a handlebar a few years ago and now includes the radical British Cycling Lotus track bike too. If you haven’t seen that yet, take a moment to go check it out.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this is a lovely looking frame. It’s smooth and curved in the right places, and I love the fact the carbon hasn’t been painted over. Instead, you can revel in its raw beauty and admire the quality of workmanship on show here.
Hope has managed to shed about 100g from the front triangle compared to the HB.160 because of lessons learned along the way and because of the intended purpose of the new bike. While the front end is carbon fiber, Hope went with machined aluminum for the swingarm, utilizing the company’s extensive experience in CNC machining. The various components of the rear stays are machined and then bonded together, which Hope says creates a super strong rear triangle.
![hope hb130]()
The HB.130 has a few features that show Hope’s desire and ability to design a bike from the ground up. The first is a 130mm rear hub spacing with a 17mm diameter axle. Hope wanted to create a symmetrically spoked rear wheel that would be stronger and stiffer, with the oversize axle contributing to the stiffness, so they decided to go with this spacing rather than the more common Boost standard. Side benefits include less risk of snagging the rear mech in a rock garden and more heel clearance.
Also proprietary is the bottom bracket, which uses an M46 thread with a 30mm spindle. Since Hope manufactures its own bottom brackets, support for aftermarket cranks shouldn’t be a problem with spacer kits and so on. All cables and hoses are internally routed in the carbon frame and external along the swingarm. The bottom of the down tube has a rubber protector and there’s a rubber guide along the drive-side chainstay acting as a noise reducer and cable tidy. The last few details include an integrated chain guide and external seat clamp on the dropper post friendly seat tube.
![Hope HB130 Review]()
![Hope HB130 Review]()
![Hope HB130 Review]()
Like the original HB.160, this new bike has a front triangle made from carbon fiber manufactured at Hope’s facility in Barnoldswick. It’s all part of the company’s ambitious plan to expand into the world of composites, which started with a handlebar a few years ago and now includes the radical British Cycling Lotus track bike too. If you haven’t seen that yet, take a moment to go check it out.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this is a lovely looking frame. It’s smooth and curved in the right places, and I love the fact the carbon hasn’t been painted over. Instead, you can revel in its raw beauty and admire the quality of workmanship on show here.
Hope has managed to shed about 100g from the front triangle compared to the HB.160 because of lessons learned along the way and because of the intended purpose of the new bike. While the front end is carbon fiber, Hope went with machined aluminum for the swingarm, utilizing the company’s extensive experience in CNC machining. The various components of the rear stays are machined and then bonded together, which Hope says creates a super strong rear triangle.
The HB.130 has a few features that show Hope’s desire and ability to design a bike from the ground up. The first is a 130mm rear hub spacing with a 17mm diameter axle. Hope wanted to create a symmetrically spoked rear wheel that would be stronger and stiffer, with the oversize axle contributing to the stiffness, so they decided to go with this spacing rather than the more common Boost standard. Side benefits include less risk of snagging the rear mech in a rock garden and more heel clearance.
Also proprietary is the bottom bracket, which uses an M46 thread with a 30mm spindle. Since Hope manufactures its own bottom brackets, support for aftermarket cranks shouldn’t be a problem with spacer kits and so on. All cables and hoses are internally routed in the carbon frame and external along the swingarm. The bottom of the down tube has a rubber protector and there’s a rubber guide along the drive-side chainstay acting as a noise reducer and cable tidy. The last few details include an integrated chain guide and external seat clamp on the dropper post friendly seat tube.
Intricately machined aluminum rear triangle.
Space for a water bottle.
Geometry & Sizing
![hb130]()
The HB.160 seemed to get a bit of flak for its geometry being too conservative, so Hope's designers spent loads of time dialling the geometry of the HB.130. They came up with numbers that are modern but not extreme, and they do look to be more on the money than the original HB.160 when it launched. The main sticking point might be the limited size range, with only medium, large and XL options currently available.
The reach figure extends from 455 to 495mm with a 66-degree head angle and 75.7-degree seat angle in the low setting, with a 1214mm wheelbase, 435mm chainstays and -39.5mm bottom bracket drop.
The HB.160 seemed to get a bit of flak for its geometry being too conservative, so Hope's designers spent loads of time dialling the geometry of the HB.130. They came up with numbers that are modern but not extreme, and they do look to be more on the money than the original HB.160 when it launched. The main sticking point might be the limited size range, with only medium, large and XL options currently available.
The reach figure extends from 455 to 495mm with a 66-degree head angle and 75.7-degree seat angle in the low setting, with a 1214mm wheelbase, 435mm chainstays and -39.5mm bottom bracket drop.
Suspension Design
![Hope HB130 Review]()
![hope hb130]()
The HB.130 uses a four-bar arrangement just like the original HB.160, with the main change being the shock attached to the top tube rather than the down tube to provide space for a bottle cage. Hope has used a metric shock with a 50mm stroke shock. While the suspension closely mirrors that developed for the 160, Hope has tweaked this new bike to favor better pedalling performance.
The flip-chip not only adjusts the geometry, but it also changes the suspension leverage curve, making it more progressive. It’s the opposite in the high setting. The low setting also lowers the bottom bracket and slackens the head angle. The 130mm rear wheel travel is paired with a 140mm travel suspension fork with a 44mm offset.
I can see harder-hitting ridings wanting even more progression from the rear suspension, and thankfully adding bigger volume reducing tokens to the Fox shock is five minutes work. I stuck with the stock setup because I loved the super plush nature; it worked for my weight and riding style and i got on well with the peppy characteristic the suspension displayed. There's space for a coil shock with the Ohlins TTX22 offered as an upgrade option.
The flip-chip not only adjusts the geometry, but it also changes the suspension leverage curve, making it more progressive. It’s the opposite in the high setting. The low setting also lowers the bottom bracket and slackens the head angle. The 130mm rear wheel travel is paired with a 140mm travel suspension fork with a 44mm offset.
I can see harder-hitting ridings wanting even more progression from the rear suspension, and thankfully adding bigger volume reducing tokens to the Fox shock is five minutes work. I stuck with the stock setup because I loved the super plush nature; it worked for my weight and riding style and i got on well with the peppy characteristic the suspension displayed. There's space for a coil shock with the Ohlins TTX22 offered as an upgrade option.
The leverage ratio showing the difference between high and low flip-chip settings.
Specifications
![Hope HB130 Review]()
| Specifications | ||
| Release Date | 2019 | |
| Price | $8400 | |
| Travel | 130mm | |
| Rear Shock | Fox DPX2 Factory 3 Positon Factory Metric | |
| Fork | Fox 36 Factory 140mm Grip 2, 44 Offset | |
| Headset | Hope HB.130 | |
| Cassette | Sram XO1 12sp | |
| Crankarms | Sram XO1 12sp | |
| Chainguide | Hope | |
| Rear Derailleur | Sram XO1 12sp | |
| Chain | Sram XO1 12sp | |
| Front Derailleur | N/A | |
| Shifter Pods | Sram XO1 12sp | |
| Handlebar | Hope Carbon 780x20mm | |
| Stem | Hope AM 35/50 | |
| Grips | Hope SL Black | |
| Brakes | Hope Tech 3 E4 | |
| Wheelset | Hope HB Pro4 On Fortus 26 | |
| Hubs | Hope HB Pro4 On Fortus 26 | |
| Tires | Front Minion DHF 2.5WT 3C Maxx Terra, Rear Minion DHR 2.3 3C EXO TR | |
| Seat | SDG Radar HB Logo | |
| Seatpost | Fox Transfer 125mm/150mm | |
Test Bike Setup
![Merida Big Trail]()
![Hope HB130 Review]()
This is a bike designed for trail riding, so that’s what it was used for, riding as many trails in and around my patch with regular excursions to far-flung trails around the UK to test its mettle. Testing included visits to the bike park and local downhill spot just to push its limits.
Hope recommended 20% fork sag and 25% shock sag for all-day riding, going up to 30% for “riding the gnar” with the Fox recommended settings. All sensible advice, and the Fox suspension guidelines are a good starting point. I experimented with sag and in the end settled on halfway between, about 28% rear sag.
I felt comfortable on the size large bike with a good reach to the handlebars for long days in the saddle. Hope supplied two stem lengths, 50 and 35mm to provide fine-tuning of the fit. After some experimentation, I settled on the shorter stem as the best all-round fit and feel. The pictured bike has a standard spec, but Hope can adjust the parts to fit.
Hope recommended 20% fork sag and 25% shock sag for all-day riding, going up to 30% for “riding the gnar” with the Fox recommended settings. All sensible advice, and the Fox suspension guidelines are a good starting point. I experimented with sag and in the end settled on halfway between, about 28% rear sag.
I felt comfortable on the size large bike with a good reach to the handlebars for long days in the saddle. Hope supplied two stem lengths, 50 and 35mm to provide fine-tuning of the fit. After some experimentation, I settled on the shorter stem as the best all-round fit and feel. The pictured bike has a standard spec, but Hope can adjust the parts to fit.
David Arthur // Technical Editor
Age: 39
Location: Gloucestershire, UK
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 150 lbs
Industry affiliations / sponsors: None
Instagram: @davidjarthur
Age: 39
Location: Gloucestershire, UK
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 150 lbs
Industry affiliations / sponsors: None
Instagram: @davidjarthur
Climbing
Some trail bikes lean towards descending prowess but can feel lethargic on tamer trails, while some might be brilliant climbers but out of depth in the rough. The HB.130 hits the sweet spot, and gets the balance just right. What most struck me is how playful this bike at any speed, fast or slow, with a pleasing level of agility that really lets you hustle it along the trail.
Weighing in at about 31 pounds, it’s already on the back foot compared to what you might expect for a trail bike in the category and price, but the specification is a clear indication Hope has traded in some gravity-defying weight-saving components for burliness. Yet that weight doesn’t feel like a huge handicap, and there’s still a decent sense of urgency when you get rampant on the pedals on a steep climb. You won’t feel like an XC champ on long fire road drags, but get onto anything technically challenging and the HB.130 plays its trump card.
The active suspension lets you tank up anything covered with roots, rocks or other obstacles, with more than enough traction to deal with anything you might encounter on a trail ride. I’ve got loads of tricky little climbs where traction and agility are paramount to cleaning sections, and the HB.130 had all the right qualities to help me clear these challenges time and again. It might not be the quickest to the summit, but you’ll have more fun cleaning the technical climbs that will have other bikes stumped.
On bumpy and rough climbs the suspension works great in the open mode, but on smoother climbs I was reaching for the shock's compression lever. The suspension is on the more active side of things, and unless your pedalling is buttery smooth you can induce a fair amount of pedal bob. Settle into a rhythm and concentrate on smooth pedalling circles and it calms down nicely. Better yet, make use of the compression lever on the Fox can and it calms down a load more.
![Hope HB130 Review]()
Some trail bikes lean towards descending prowess but can feel lethargic on tamer trails, while some might be brilliant climbers but out of depth in the rough. The HB.130 hits the sweet spot, and gets the balance just right. What most struck me is how playful this bike at any speed, fast or slow, with a pleasing level of agility that really lets you hustle it along the trail.
Weighing in at about 31 pounds, it’s already on the back foot compared to what you might expect for a trail bike in the category and price, but the specification is a clear indication Hope has traded in some gravity-defying weight-saving components for burliness. Yet that weight doesn’t feel like a huge handicap, and there’s still a decent sense of urgency when you get rampant on the pedals on a steep climb. You won’t feel like an XC champ on long fire road drags, but get onto anything technically challenging and the HB.130 plays its trump card.
The active suspension lets you tank up anything covered with roots, rocks or other obstacles, with more than enough traction to deal with anything you might encounter on a trail ride. I’ve got loads of tricky little climbs where traction and agility are paramount to cleaning sections, and the HB.130 had all the right qualities to help me clear these challenges time and again. It might not be the quickest to the summit, but you’ll have more fun cleaning the technical climbs that will have other bikes stumped.
On bumpy and rough climbs the suspension works great in the open mode, but on smoother climbs I was reaching for the shock's compression lever. The suspension is on the more active side of things, and unless your pedalling is buttery smooth you can induce a fair amount of pedal bob. Settle into a rhythm and concentrate on smooth pedalling circles and it calms down nicely. Better yet, make use of the compression lever on the Fox can and it calms down a load more.
Descending
It’s abundantly clear if you’ve been reading PB bike reviews for the past handful of years that trail bikes are getting incredibly capable when it comes to the business of descending. This is where the HB.130 shines - the suspension, geometry and equipment let you blaze some blistering lines on your favorite descents and reap the rewards of battling gravity on the previous climb.
On the descents it’s a case of just enough: just enough suspension travel, just enough slackness and length in the geometry, just enough weight, to produce a bike that is easy to slide into corners, twist through narrow gaps, air over crests, plummet down fall lines and send off drops. It’s all the good things - sure-footed, planted and stable - that you want in a trail bike without going full-bore enduro.
I spent time with the flip-chip in high and low, settling on the slacker mode because the payback on the descents was worth the small compromise on the climbs. The biggest challenge this presented was the low bottom bracket; the cranks spin close to the ground and I clouted pedals into the ground a few times, something to be aware of rather than worried about. The upshot is cornering stability that lets you hold off the brakes longer past the point when you thought you should be scrubbing off speed before the apex.
![Hope HB130 Review]()
The low flip-chip setting also lends a little more progression to the suspension too, which is needed if you like to push it hard on the descents. The trade-off to the overly-active suspension when climbing is that it's super plush and extremely supple when coming down the hill. The suspension is supple on all the small-sized bumps and undulations, keeping the wheel glued to the ground, and it’s very forgiving on bigger impacts, whether landing off a drop or slamming into an Anaconda sized tree root. I regularly used all the travel but never noticed a slam dunk bottom out.
The bike displays a high level of stiffness too. I certainly couldn’t detect any wag from the skinny swingarm and the carbon frame feels taut when you’re pedalling as hard as you can or slamming into corners. The high-quality components, from the Fox 36 fork to the Hope brakes and Maxxis tires hit all the right notes, complementing the high-quality frame and delivering enough burliness for harder trails.
I want a trail bike to be reasonably fast on the way up, and fun and capable on the way down, and the HB.130 ticked both boxes. It’s a hugely rewarding bike giving you the ability to cover ground fast and have fun in a controlled manner when smashing down the hillside. It’s not the slackest or longest trail bike, but for me I found it the right tradeoff, with impressive descending and climbing skills. It keeps you on your toes in the best way possible and lets you exploit the tamer trails that you encounter on an all-day epic as well as the rad descents where the HB.130 shines.
It’s abundantly clear if you’ve been reading PB bike reviews for the past handful of years that trail bikes are getting incredibly capable when it comes to the business of descending. This is where the HB.130 shines - the suspension, geometry and equipment let you blaze some blistering lines on your favorite descents and reap the rewards of battling gravity on the previous climb.
On the descents it’s a case of just enough: just enough suspension travel, just enough slackness and length in the geometry, just enough weight, to produce a bike that is easy to slide into corners, twist through narrow gaps, air over crests, plummet down fall lines and send off drops. It’s all the good things - sure-footed, planted and stable - that you want in a trail bike without going full-bore enduro.
I spent time with the flip-chip in high and low, settling on the slacker mode because the payback on the descents was worth the small compromise on the climbs. The biggest challenge this presented was the low bottom bracket; the cranks spin close to the ground and I clouted pedals into the ground a few times, something to be aware of rather than worried about. The upshot is cornering stability that lets you hold off the brakes longer past the point when you thought you should be scrubbing off speed before the apex.
The low flip-chip setting also lends a little more progression to the suspension too, which is needed if you like to push it hard on the descents. The trade-off to the overly-active suspension when climbing is that it's super plush and extremely supple when coming down the hill. The suspension is supple on all the small-sized bumps and undulations, keeping the wheel glued to the ground, and it’s very forgiving on bigger impacts, whether landing off a drop or slamming into an Anaconda sized tree root. I regularly used all the travel but never noticed a slam dunk bottom out.
The bike displays a high level of stiffness too. I certainly couldn’t detect any wag from the skinny swingarm and the carbon frame feels taut when you’re pedalling as hard as you can or slamming into corners. The high-quality components, from the Fox 36 fork to the Hope brakes and Maxxis tires hit all the right notes, complementing the high-quality frame and delivering enough burliness for harder trails.
I want a trail bike to be reasonably fast on the way up, and fun and capable on the way down, and the HB.130 ticked both boxes. It’s a hugely rewarding bike giving you the ability to cover ground fast and have fun in a controlled manner when smashing down the hillside. It’s not the slackest or longest trail bike, but for me I found it the right tradeoff, with impressive descending and climbing skills. It keeps you on your toes in the best way possible and lets you exploit the tamer trails that you encounter on an all-day epic as well as the rad descents where the HB.130 shines.
How does it compare?
If you want a carbon fiber 29” trail bike but you want to save a few bucks, the value on offer from the YT Jeffsy 29 CF Pro Race is a good alternative, with an entire bike costing not much more than the entire HB.130 bike. The Jeffsy has a full carbon frame and carries a bit more travel between its 29” wheels with a reasonably similar set of geometry numbers that gives similar handling, but the rear suspension is noticeably more progressive out of the box compared to the HB.130.
Another keenly priced alternative is the Radon Slide Trail 10.0 I recently tested, which gets an all-star cast of top-end components on a carbon mainframe. It’s not as good looking, but it’s highly competent with only the high-ish weight and short reach the main detractions on an otherwise impressive package.
Technical Report
Hope Tech 3 E4 brakes: Hope brakes have long been popular, and these are a worthy alternative to more mainstream choices. They’re like the Race Evo E4 brakes I reviewed but the aluminum levers have easily adjustable stroke and bite point adjustment. I like being able to dial in the feel of the brake levers without needing any tools, and the braking performance is top-notch.
Hope Fortus 26 rims on Pro 4 hubs: Hope justifiably built its reputation on high-quality hubs and these are no exception, spinning smoothly on sealed bearings with a fast engaging freehub. It was my first ride on Hope’s new Fortus which are wider then its old rims and these proved to be very strong during testing. These were 26mm wide, but they go up to 33mm.
Fox 36 Factory Grip 2 140mm fork: It might have been tempting to perhaps fit a Fox 34 but the 36 is a top choice with a stiff chassis giving a real sense of purpose to the HB.130. The damping is supremely balanced and it’s easy to adjust with a wide range of options to suit all riders. It's an excellent match for the rear suspension.
Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR tires : What can I say about these tires that hasn't been said many times before? Stacks of grip and usable in all conditions from dusty dry to gloopy mud.
Hope Tech 3 E4 brakes: Hope brakes have long been popular, and these are a worthy alternative to more mainstream choices. They’re like the Race Evo E4 brakes I reviewed but the aluminum levers have easily adjustable stroke and bite point adjustment. I like being able to dial in the feel of the brake levers without needing any tools, and the braking performance is top-notch.
Hope Fortus 26 rims on Pro 4 hubs: Hope justifiably built its reputation on high-quality hubs and these are no exception, spinning smoothly on sealed bearings with a fast engaging freehub. It was my first ride on Hope’s new Fortus which are wider then its old rims and these proved to be very strong during testing. These were 26mm wide, but they go up to 33mm.
Fox 36 Factory Grip 2 140mm fork: It might have been tempting to perhaps fit a Fox 34 but the 36 is a top choice with a stiff chassis giving a real sense of purpose to the HB.130. The damping is supremely balanced and it’s easy to adjust with a wide range of options to suit all riders. It's an excellent match for the rear suspension.
Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR tires : What can I say about these tires that hasn't been said many times before? Stacks of grip and usable in all conditions from dusty dry to gloopy mud.
Is this the bike for you?
If you want a true all-rounder that makes reasonably light work of the climbs, is involving on tamer trails, and won’t hold you back on the descents and will let you take the tricky line, you'll love the HB.130.
If you want a true all-rounder that makes reasonably light work of the climbs, is involving on tamer trails, and won’t hold you back on the descents and will let you take the tricky line, you'll love the HB.130.
Pros
+ Made in UK
+ Well balanced geometry
+ Build quality
Cons
- Proprietary bottom bracket and rear hub
- Expensive
- Some pedal bob
Pinkbike's Take
| It’s an expensive bike, there are only three sizes, and you're tied into Hope's own rear axle design, which could all be deal-breakers. If you can live with them though, you have a 100% UK carbon trail bike that offers brilliant performance and handling that is fun and fast in equal measure and a proper rival to more mainstream choices in this category. |
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Being focused on weight and obsessed by that is like staring at the tree that hides the forest.
"Weighing in at about 31 pounds, it’s already on the back foot compared to what you might expect for a trail bike in the category and price, but the specification is a clear indication Hope has traded in some gravity-defying weight-saving components for burliness. Yet that weight doesn’t feel like a huge handicap, and there’s still a decent sense of urgency when you get rampant on the pedals on a steep climb. You won’t feel like an XC champ on long fire road drags, but get onto anything technically challenging and the HB.130 plays its trump card."
27.5lb 130/160 with a coil fork sitting right in front of me and it didn't cost 8k.
Pretty sure for 8k I can get an Enduro bike down to 31lbs.
Ok I'll have a stab..
Nailed it!! Another Canadian who probably rides 80% downhill that says weight doesn't matter.
Shocking!!
But why are people worried about the weight at all? It doesn't matter at all unless you are competing at a really high level in cross country racing or another discipline where the time matters up the hill. Then a 1.5% difference in weight might actually matter, but you also shouldn't be on a trail bike where the kinematics of the suspension are tuned for going down anyway, so.....
I know you wouldn't be able to brag about how light your bike is, if it's a few pounds heavier, but that is the only loss for 99.99% of the customers for this bike.
The wheels and tires are probably an extra pound right there, if they are the same spec tire, rims and spokes. People are able to ride harder and faster on the more modern bikes and so, often a bunch of components are at least as strong. 5 or 6 years ago bikes in the 130-140 travel category were speced with paper thin tires and rims made of cheese. That is not how most are speced anymore, so the weights are not lower than they used to be in this category.
30lbs seems to be the sweet spot. considerably lighter and you start breaking things. heavier, and PB bitches. lol
It seems to me like manufacturers are happy to sell the line of 'oh we build them properly now' and consumers are swallowing it whole, because they don't want to think that these hugely expensive carbon frames are pointless in the wake of a larger wheel size trend and a supposed revision of what 'trail bikes' should be capable of.
I have very rarely seen a frame riding a trail by itself, but if it was possible it would be significantly faster with a 1 pound reduction. In the real world that 1 pound turns into a .5% lighter system and doesn't result in much of a performance difference based on weight.
I don't know the price difference, but I think that almost everyone could spend the money saved by going for the cheaper frame on a lot of other things that could result in themselves being a faster rider than the frame could ever do for them. $500(or more?) dollars for some coaching or personal training sessions, an awesome trip to a place that pushes your progression. That is how you become faster, not a 1lb reduction in your frames weight.
The frames were pretty okay 5ish years ago, but the tires and wheels, especially on the mid-range to entry level builds were awful a lot of the time. Performance non tubeless casings and single compound tires. 24mm internal, non tubeless rims made out of butter. It was pretty bad, that seems to have gotten at least a bit better in the last few years, but has made the weights go up, especially with 29" wheels.
Jared Graves once said you build the bike with the components you need to do the job. Weight is not a concern at all. You can always make it lighter, but it will probably also make it weaker and less reliable.
Anyone saying you can get a lighter bike for less money is missing the point. This is a manufactured in the uk bike for people who want a boutique product that was not made by borderline slave labour in a Chinese factory, or by those nice hard working folks in a Taiwanese factory.
If you care about the price or value for money, it’s not for you.
The price is high, yep.
The travel is just about right for me, I usually run a little less.(point is that the amount of travel that you want is not relevant to the design of this bike)
The only way that experiment makes sense is if you use the exact same bike and components but ride with a 3 pound weight on the same bike. Like maybe a full water bottle. A result that shows that you are slightly faster without a water bottle doesn't mean that you should try and find a way to shed weight off the bike at all cost however.
I have demoed tons of bikes and owned a 28 lb carbon Optic (110 mm 29er), 32 lb Al sight (27.5 140 mm), and am now on a 33 lb Al RSD(27.5+ 120 mm). They were/are all great, the RSD, definitely the quickest down the hill and the slowest up, but just barely and only due to suspension kinematics and slow ass DHR rear tire(slowest rear tire on any of the others was a Vittoria Morsa). How heavy were any of the demo bikes, no idea, I don't worry about it. Some were faster on the downs, like a SC Bronson, was it because it was light weight, very doubtful, probably because it was made to go fast down a hill.
I just did the conversion to pounds. I would never consider trusting a 12 kg MTB(26.5 lbs). I can't imagine the compromises on part selection to get there, carbon rims, paper thin tires, a lightweight flexy fork. Perhaps if I weighed a lot less, did not ride the trails I ride and was looking for a XC bike.... Maybe that would be an acceptable weight.
you decide what is acceptable and not what not your being told is the norm
I could not get away with a bike that light. I am 6'4", 205 lbs when I'm in great shape, and am not in my best shape right now. I've been riding for 30 years and have broke nearly every frame I've owned. The ones that made it away, a Transition dirt bag, my Norco Sight, and an Aluminum Honzo. I'm actually pretty easy on wheels and most other parts of the bike other than seatposts on my first full suspension bike. Can't ride anything lighter than an EXO tire in Maxxis world or super gravity in Schwalbe, ( I actually have up on Schwalbe a few years ago because of the floppiness) not for cut reasons but because of how much they flop around even at pretty high pressure. I like about 34 psi rear on a 29mm rim. Tried Conti Apex protection but the casings just tore the second the dirt wasn't wet. There is no way I would trust a 26 lb trail bike, I've only had 1 XC aluminum hardtail that was lighter than that and I broke the bb shell off the frame.
Hardtails are for younger folk with less surgeries under their belt.
Don't actually know why I wrote all that, as in the end, weight just doesn't matter any significant amount. It only matters if you are a top athlete competing at a national level in cross country racing. The only other place it matters is bragging rights at the shop or at the trailhead parking lot. As long as your bike is a reasonable weight( below say 34 lbs if you are a normal size person) and holds together every ride, than your fine. If you are not an aggressive rider or weigh a lot less than a lighter bike will be fine and probably hold together just fine. I've seen carbon everything Enduro bikes that I would be comfortable riding and weighed a tick over 27 lbs, I would just never be willing to pay for that, as I would gain next to nothing performance wise, for all that money.
I suppose Hope should consider stocking their bikes with Trick Stuff brakes from now on...
In addition they don't require olive and Barb. The banjo threads into the hose itself.
And should be right at home on an 8k bike.
I had a Honzo up untill about a year and a half ago, pretty fun as it was my first hardtail since the late 90's. Got done with a random flowy, natural, small jump blue trail decent and couldn't get my knee, that I have had 2 surgeries on, to pedal over the top of the stroke, even with the seat all the way up. Swelled up the size of a cantaloupe and could barely walk for a few weeks, pretty much has hurt since then. Might have happened on a full sus anyway, but I don't think the extra abuse was doing it any favors. The mildly torn discs in my back also aren't really a huge fan of hardtails on long rides.
I was also not nearly the weight I stated as me in shape. 195 to 205 was my weight as a division 1 college Nordic skier and then through till my early 30's. I was more like 250 at the time when I re-injured my knee. Big boy weight.
Come on carbon suckers!
High cost, average geo, nice new standards which lock you into Hope kit at $$$. Rear centre is exactly the same size regardless of frame size.
There's some lovely finish elements but I certainly wouldn't spend my hard earned on it. Doubtless others would though for looks / bragging rights alone.
I know its not the same thing but I think its ironic that Hope was up in arms about Micro spline licensing and they have a bike with propriety parts and their XD driver doesn't even conform to XD standards.
I really don't see the problem. Why the hell would you buy a Hope bike if you didn't intend to use Hope shit? Not only that but a company that employs a pretty large shop of folks really can't be faulted for ensuring that if you're buying one product line from them, you gotta use stuff from another product line whenever possible. That's just good business sense. It's a stretch that if you buy a Rockshox fork their intent is that you fill it up with Fox internals. Granted people mod shit and what not, but folks would do the same thing with the Hope frame if there was a market for it.
On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised the core market of this bike to be in the UK, specially after Brexit, so a bike being made "locally" to it's core market seems like a good idea
Id be great if the time is coming to pass that corporate greed builds every physical object in China, mostly at shit quality.
It trains the rest of society to devalue everything we own and become unwilling to pay for and support quality products made by our neighbor.
I dont always follow my own advice, but if i need something to last and want quality, ill pay that extra, usually happily. And, its disproportionately German for some reason...
Technically this bike is too.
I hope that you understand the significantly different conditions that a composite worker in Colorado works under vs a composite worker in China.
I don't have a problem with a review of a product stating where it's from. I think it's great to know so that people can determine where to send their money. Just don't make it a pro or con relating to the quality of the bike.
A lot of bike companies manufacture different parts in different countries. Some are made in China and finished in Taiwan. I previously heard of bikes being formed and welded in Taiwan and then finished in Indonesia. Santa Cruz is manufactured in China but as far as I’m aware, no raw carbon strands are manufactured in China yet.
It’s a complex business, but one thing that’s not complex is that some countries don’t respect individual rights, free speech or even free thought. One of them is China. I personally try to avoid anything that’s made in China wherever possible. There is literally no worse pocket in the world for money to end up in than the CCP’s pocket.
That is true for some parts, but the labor standards in North America, the EU and some other countries are far higher than in China or Taiwan.
I am aware that conditions are better in Taiwan than Mainland China, but the original comment was"why is(made in a western country) a pro, (if it isn't the country I live in)".
Not something I want to deal with for vulnerable parts like wheels.
The BB is fine, those usually don't fail spontaneously.
I think Hope is the only company I’d buy a frame with custom parts from. The after market support is brilliant.
Here hoping they turn up on the second hand market in a year or two when I am next looking
I think that PB raised the bar for bike tests and maybe all bikes should go down the test track now and test climb to see how they really fair
Damn, I miss DIRT.
@Mondbiker DH hasn’t progressed much in ten years? Are you trying to be funny?
Yes, plenty of Enduro/AM Bikes will settle with longer reaches than their DH counterparts. For a simple reason. Front center is more important than reach on its own. DH bikes tend to have longer front centers for the same reach due to fork lengths and steering angles. If you want to emulate DH bike weight distribution and stability (and you should) on a shorter travel platform you need to increase reach.
That's why I don't get these frequent comments on "such long reach on a trail/am/Enduro/whatever-non-dh-bike ist just a fad, just look at the shorter reaches of the DH bikes the Pros use!".
If you were not referring to reach, then please ignore my rant
You havent even ridden the the damn bikes!
And yet just about every major manufacturer is creeping toward their numbers more every year.
People are literarily scared of my bike until the ride it and im pretty sure its your fault.
@scary1 are you by any chance one of Functional training Woo woo coaches?
Seriously, its easily my favorite bike in 25 years of bikes, i climb better,get less fatigued while doing it,descend just as fast, and its just a safer feeling bike to do it on.
At my age, that adds to the fun factor,knowing i can go as fast as i possibly can and everything is more stable and i dont even think about getting pitched off into a cactus.
It does take a little adjustment and its not a "jibby" type bike, if thats what you are, its not for you.
BUT, I Literally have been wanting this bike for 20 years and didn't know it.
#formerprodhracer #formershittyangryclimber
#currentlyenjoyingalloftheride
@WAKIdesigns true you need a 8 inch duel crown to make slack geometry to work.
Funny how you mention Josh Bryceland, a rider known for being into tricks and weird almost dj-like bikes (yes, he was crazy fast as well) when on the same team as him there was Greg Minnaar, who spent years asking for longer bikes and is still lengthening his current one with custom mods.
And is there any surprise those top guys have quirky setups? Most of them also run with a billion psi on their tyres and forks, would you also argue that's the way to go for the average rider?
The vast majority of average riders I know feel way more comfortable and safe with longer bikes
I disagree with you that a long bike necessarily equates to an overly planted bike feel.
I can't also see how maximizing geometry can't be compatible with shorter travels. If for an X amount of travel you improve the geometry, you just raised the performance ceiling of the bike a little. Yes, not as much as if you also increased the amount of travel, but is still a safer bike if you don't want to deal with the downsides of more travel for a given suspension design. Is not a zero sum game.
You should call Intense and tell them how they f*cked up. The m29 is a full 5INCHES longer than the original M1.
I wonder if they even know?? Buncha hacks
Luckily i can go from a 60 ha to a 64 on the G1 because you can adjust it with mutators.
I put the -8mm chainstays on it to try and it was too poppy for me . But that is the great thing about this bike as apposed to the Pole, there are a ton of variations you can make out of one frame.
Hint: Fatboy was an obvious outlier, and that was back in the day. Richie Rude seems to be another one right now. Most guys are on the brand's sizing charts for their heights at current geometry.
And notice that people here are not talking about extreme geometries like 510mm reach for an L.
But I should have left the conversation when you said a 450mm reach XL was perfect, so that's on me...
I agree with what you say there. I also think 180mm fork hardtails are stupid, so I think we are more or less on the same page
I’m 6,3 and 450mm reach is perfect for me. My other bike has a 490mm reach and I hardly ride it because it’s too long.
And tell that to the whole bike industry which added length and slackness almost across the range of the new releases.
But hey if that bike suits you, power to you
@WAKIdesigns
He’s amazing he really is, to be doing it at his age. He definitely doesn’t look slow just that he doesn’t have the out and out pace of bruni, gwin or Perron bit doesn’t have the weakness that they have ether. He’s the best all round racer ever.
Anyways, i think i comes down to that Im right and youll be riding this geo in 5 years so
I don´t know, 1289mm WB and 460mm CS sounds long enough for 175cm guy (and I don´t believe for a milisecond that he is above 170 heh)
Either that o the guy's in the spectrum, he would not backpedal even if you rubbed the geo charts in his face.
@WAKIdesigns is right when he says that longer bikes are harder to manual, but I guess, currently, most consumers are more interested in going fast over hard terrain rather than jibbing around.
Now putting “go fast as you can“ idea on trail and Down Country bikes which by their Main concept are meant for those who take a chill pill, which don’t have suspension and tires To cover up for it is basically nothing more but enlarging tits with no face to look at. Who in their right mind needs Danny Harts geo in a fkng trail center on what effectively is a XC bike with Minions as if this wasn’t already a stupid idea. A bike that doesn’t reach speeds that are even close to a DH bike.
Based on the article I posted he is 175cm, in previous article about his bike from 2018 he was 179cm. Must have had pretty serious back injury where he lost those 4cm. I would bet you that the first number is closer than the latter. Anyways, it´s like with bodybulding, everybody is 120kg at 3%BF. At least on the insta/FB. f*ck it, so am I.
The larger the wheel size the longer the bike required for the same or similar feeling/handling.
That is just basic levers and angular momentum stuff.
Not after an argument (that is your hobby) just stating a fact to you.
Snapped my mega TR275, built my 160mm Mega back up, rode a 29er dh bike for the first time. It was ok. Didnt beat my 26er though
Back to work tomorrow after 3 weeks off. Design Engineering.... I mean paperwork.
Far stretch from the days of missile launch systems, brushless motor drives, bomb disposal robots or high temperature high reliability downhole tools for oil and gas.
Mass manufacture medical devices... much more paperwork
Drawing a gym sounds cool actually, beats going back to final tidy up of a large project I was tech lead for then part change notification processing and some alternative supplier qualifications for bespoke parts.
I am the pencil dead sailor king... I mean, I jump like an old man, tired to backflip into an airbag once, didnt get far but it was funny, Closer to 50 than 40 now so have to leave the tricks to the youngsters.... (insert other excuses here).
Find some good legit jumps and grind it
Just to help you. Now as you are clearly a space rocket scientist, I will allow you to do the 2+2 here. (I know, you just either came up with 5 or don't know why I put 2+2)
Inertia is the resistance of the object to any change in its motion, including a change in direction. An object will stay still or keep moving at the same speed and in a straight line, unless it is acted upon by an external unbalanced force.
Then Angular momentum
Angular Momentum
The angular momentum of a rigid object is defined as the product of the moment of inertia and the angular velocity. It is analogous to linear momentum and is subject to the fundamental constraints of the conservation of angular momentum principle if there is no external torque on the object. Angular momentum is a vector quantity. It is derivable from the expression for the angular momentum of a particle.
Watch out for that moment of inertia in the angular momentum text
hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/amom.html
A link for you too so you can see a pretty picture.
Now I will help you a bit.. a 26" wheel is smaller than a 29" wheel, and a 29" wheel, due to having a larger diameter weighs more than a 26" wheel.
If you want take 2 gyroscopes of different sizes and see how much force it takes to move them once they are rotating, you could even see how much force it takes to get them moving...
There are Engineers and keyboard engineers in the world, the best ones are the keyboard engineers as they know absolutely everything.... that isnt written in a text book and they learned from sponge bob.
The 29er should be more stable in a straight line at speed for sure, but harder to initiate that initial speed, and if it goes off balance then it is harder to get back on balance (I have said this since day 1 and also said its why there appears to be more crashes on 29 than 27.5, 29 is still evolving, hence the mullet).
On a pump track a 29er or even a 27.5 is much harder work over the rollers etc to get the bike back down on the ground and through the tighter corners where the exit means you are transferring from one direction to another compared to a 26.
You like your tricks, have you found them easier or harder with the bigger wheels or is injury still effecting you too much?
Also the larger the force the tighter the suspension control required to keep it stable. Suspension includes the rider of course.
The 29er I tried at the weekend was stable for sure, Commy with Boxxer WC etc on, I trusted it straight off the line, just wasn't setup exactly for me (too stiff for me as its owner is 10kg heavier than me), would be interesting to see hoe fast I could go on it, track only maxes out at 25mph on a good day and you have to carry out of some slightly tighter helterskeleter corners to get that speed. Although my bike was faster I was more fatigued on the 26 than the 29 at the bottom of the track.
I always keep an open mind when it comes to different wheel sizes on different bikes. I cant wait to try the commy again and see what it can do with a good few laps practice and setup.
-Average geo
-Average suspension
-Average design aesthetic
-Random standards
-Performs OK
Only difference is the extortionate price.
There are much better looking and performing boutique brands in Europe you could indulge in for this price and get something interesting for your money! (Pole, Antidote, Unno) I just dont see a compelling reason to buy.
Doubt Hope have ever (or would ever) throw an internet tantrum over a bad review
Actually, in all honesty, I think the bike looks sick. I can't afford one, but if someone wanted to give me one, I'd rather have this than some boring Yeti, or SC!
But they get a pass because of low level imperialist pride. Goofy money, immediately dead standards, from a brand that can’t supply enough stock to its dealers already. Sweet.
Geo-wise, it's more up-to-date than the HB.160 but then, geo is personal depending on leg, torso and arm lengths.
The BB is a non-issue. The alloy shells screw into the frame like a normal threaded BB, just larger diameter. The bearings are then pressed in. They run the Hope 30mm crank axle with no adaptors, or the DUB cranks with adaptors, therefore there's no reason to think they won't make 24mm adaptors at some point.
The rear wheel is not flexy. The 130mm hub has no internal axle like normal Pro4's - the 17mm frame axle runs direct on the bearings. The 35W are heavy, though, and at some point I'm going to rebuild with XM481's.
I guess it has a standard post mount rather than the radial mount if you don't want Hope brakes.
It's not that heavy or expensive really - an SC Hightower CC XO1 with Reserves is 13.5kg and £7800 (or £6600 without reserves).
I think I would just rather have a well made bike. Not too bothered about which country it comes from.
'Excellent build quality' is a Pro.
'Made in UK' is a simple fact.
Besides, the days of Made In Britain meaning quality are looong gone. But we're getting off topic.
@usmbc-co-uk: Has the sentiment over there grown any bigger over there with all this Brexit stuff? I must admit being from The Netherlands I don't expect the Brexit will keep me from buying British stuff. CRC already went boring well before the Brexit vote but if I just want to buy something from Hope or Superstarcomponents the Brexit is not keeping me from doing that.
On the other hand, if you make stuff in expensive countries (like Germany or the UK), you might as well make it high quality. High cost and low quality doesn't seem to work in the long run. And Hope has been around for a long time.
High cost low quality will always lose, I agree.
I just keep thinking back to when Hope knocked 2000 GBP of one of their bikes and even refunded customers who had already bought the bike. It was like they were being cheeky and thought 'Hey, people will pay a premium because it's made in the UK, or just because we are Hope'. They shouldn't build a good brand up and then try and abuse their customers trust.
@vinay: Fair point, I'm all for buying locally sourced goods where possible.
Sounds like you're the one whos xenophobic. The UK has a long established high end manufacturing industry.
That's what I'm saying. Made by Hope is a Pro. Not 'Made in UK'.
Need to either have a unique and amazing rear suspension (i.e. Orion, CBF, SB), unique fit (Mondraker, Pole, Geometron), unique custom features (Atherton, SWAT), really lightweight (Pivot, Giant), standout warranty (Santa Cruz) or killer value (YT, Canyon, Intense). To top it off you need to have parts available, service, water bottle storage, looks, etc...
When there is eventually a recession the herd of 'also' bikes will be culled and I don't see what this Hope bike offers that stands out.
That said, I genuinely wish Hope all the luck and sales in the World.
Kidding, but it is a bummer to see a new bike with the seat post angle getting slacker as the bike gets larger...
XL isn’t very XL is it....
I’s take the Pace RC295 over this any day.
for $10,000.00 Canadian and its beefy like a dead weight for a trail bike.
HELLO GIANT.
I don't care who makes the bike or components, I will NOT be locked into any one thing for the life of the bike!
NEXT!
Say what now?
At least with the hub being a Hope, it will never ever need servicing, let alone replacing.
"...the value on offer from the YT Jeffsy 29 CF Pro Race is a good alternative, with an entire bike costing not much more than the entire HB.130 bike"
I'm not a huge fan of big dollar bikes, but don't kid yourself that an Asian made frame equals a big payday for anybody in the industry.
* the environmental regulations are much stronger in the EU so it's better for the planet (hopefully this will remain the case after Brexit)
* The labour laws are saner so you know the staff aren't being exploited
* You know it's not an kit bought off the shelf with a few stickers on
Created a bunch of their own standards, that the big red S gets lambasted for. But because these guys have cnc machines plugged into the UK grid they get praise.
Geo is generic, along with a generic suspension platform, the hub and bb is proprietary from a relatively tiny company. Don’t these also have the concentric brake mount? Or did that standard die with the 160?
After seeing the carbon work on the Lotus Hope track bike, who knows if this is even a well built frameset.
IS to PM brake mounts
20x110 to 15x100 axles
15x100 to 15x110 (or 20x110 but different from the old ones)
steerer tubes
These stanchions aren't up to it any longer, one size larger is the new shit.
Oh no, did I just start a new industry standards debate? Oh dear...
Added to that it is a boutique bike not a mass productions bike which make the 'Big S' comment a little redundant!
The point of the bike is to be a Hope bike, if you like what Hope do then you like there components, thus buying a hope bike you would expect anything but a hope hub and BB. If you don't want it don't buy a bloody HOPE bike.