The one piece CNC caliper and Tech 3 lever are manufactured in-house in Hope’s production facility in Barnoldswick, and the machined T6 aluminium body looks stunning. The new lever has a very effective bite point and reach adjustment without the need for tools, but the useful flip-flop design has been lost. We found that the lever controls were the best on test, allowing us to get the brakes just like we liked them, while still being easy to operate wearing gloves. The Tech 3 levers are very moto-inspired, and they polarised some testers, looking a little agricultural next to the slick ergonomics of the Shimano and SRAM levers. However, the burly levers are very strong and shrug off impacts well. The caliper houses four 16-millimeter phenolic pistons which promise functional power, and impressed with a very respectable braking torque of 96.9nM during testing.
What impressed us most on the trail was how they deliver their power: torque is applied in a smooth, progressive fashion (the slowest deceleration times in the test), and modulation is extremely high. You have to pull a little harder than with the others to really brake hard, but the power is there should you need it. Where the Hopes excel is in loose or muddy terrain, providing class-leading modulation. The Hopes proved very resistant to fade in both the laboratory and on the trail, and had a robust and reliable feel. If you get excited by beautiful machining, you will love the E4 and Tech 3 lever. If you love modulation and smooth power delivery, the Hope is the best in the test; however, we found more power is available at a much cheaper price.
PROS
Beautifully machined
Class-leading modulation
CONS
Beauty is expensive
Strong fingers required