Hope

Tech 3 E4 Disc Brake

Smashing countless rock gardens while finessing your bike around tight ribbons of winding singletrack is the best kind of fun, but when you're thirty minutes into a rugged alpine descent with pumped arms and tired fingers, the last thing you want is to grab brakes and have them pull to the bar because of heat-induced brake fade. With the well-engineered Hope Tech 3 E4 Disc Brake you get consistent, reliable braking performance whether you put them on your trail bike, enduro rig, or dual-crown downhill sled.

You may have seen the Hope Tech 3 E4 Disc Brakes out on the trail with their distinct colorways and the industrial appearance that resembles something you might find on a moto bike. They are sharp-looking brakes, beautifully machined and anodized, with color-matched rotors available to boot. As one might hope, they perform as well as they look, with smooth modulation and abundant power that won't fade halfway through your 5,000ft descent.

If you're looking for that on/off feel with powerful bite right from the start, these are not your brakes. The Hope's do have a firm lever feel with a definite bite point, but the power comes on smooth at first, allowing more control of your braking force at the point of pad contact. This extra modulation lets you to fine-tune your speed without skidding, leading to improved braking efficiency once you get used to the brakes. As you dig deeper into the lever's travel, there's plenty of power, enough to rip a layer of earth from the ground during those panic-stop situations.

The E4 caliper is CNC-machined from a solid block of aerospace-grade aluminum in Barnoldswick, Great Britain to ensure rigidity, with four phenolic pistons providing usable power and the signature Hope braking feel. The Tech 3 lever offers 5% more power than Hope's previous design, featuring tool-free adjustments that actually work, as well as machined perforations on the lever blade to enhance grip. The lever attaches to the bars with a convenient split-clamp design that leaves plenty of real-estate for your shifter and dropper post lever. You can also mount your Shimano or SRAM shifter directly to the lever body with separately-purchased adapters.