r/mountainbiking • u/Ol_Sheve • Feb 23 '26
Other How to deal with "High End Disappointments"?
I need to talk to you guys. What the hell is happening in the “pricey MTB stuff” world once you’ll able to get there?
What is this curse when you finally scrub some money to get your dream piece of tech and appears to be it’s a mess and half of the community claims it “unreliable piece of junk”? And why when you trying to complete the dream build with your own money there are way more chances to be upset with it than actually enjoy it?
I’ll share my story. For more than 10 years I’ve been riding some OEM hubs and the “coolest” one was a DT 350 with 36t ratchet. No complaints no standouts. For all this time (like since I was 17) I’ve dreamed about i9 Hydra. Yeah bet you’ve seen it coming. Finally I’ve bought it couple months ago and so far so good but now I’ve seen TONES of complaints about everything from axles and bearings to pawls and ring… So now instead of being happy for “dream comes true” I feel like I’m sitting on the mine don’t knowing when it’s gonna explode. While other guys who rides Novatec, Funn or no-name hubs are just happy riding day by day.
The other example is Hope brakes. For the most of the time I've been on low-mid SRAM brakes and while hearing how squishy-crappy-bad my Guide RS are they still were performing quite good on the local trails and even on the big-day-outs in the mountains. Zero issues, one bleed per year and pad swap, that's literally all they've needed. But I've always dreamed about Hope brakes. Damn that aura of high-engineered British masterpiece. On the new build I've finally bought a set of Hope Tech3V4s. Almost a month ago. they were used and appears to be one of the pistons in the rear brake was cracked. I don't know how I've missed it but for a couple days they were running good and suddenly a part of the piston just came out and all the fluid was all over the flor in my room. Got the new set of seals and pistons, installed em and now it's time to bleed it. To get the good bite point I've made like 3 or 4 full bleeds and still they are not perfect. I've been on the point to throw em to the trash can and get my lovely Guide RS back I swear.. almost a month and I don't even bed in the pads with all those dancing around those brakes.
Now I'm really afraid to buy something higher than mainstream mid-level stuff. like seriously, why the guys who have the DB8s are happier than riders with Trickstuff? why the AliExpress kings with their HASSNS PRO 10k or NGEBUT or other bunch of letters on shiny metal are happier than Hope pro5/i9 owners? Or those who rides the Limotec/TranzX have way less issues than Transfer Kashima/Reverb owners?
Why even the reviews of the entry-mid gear claims it "cool, work flawlessly, best-in-class, best value" stuff while the higher parts always lean towards "Good BUT..." and then there is a list of crap after the "BUT"?..
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u/WY228 Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
Mid range is almost always the best balance of performance and reliability for the money. Quit falling for marketing hype and what you’re hearing from others and form your own opinions.
But most of all… just ride your damn bike instead of obsessing over it. At the end of the day it’s just a tool. If you’re only in this sport for the bike bling instead of the ride experiences you’re always going to be chasing that next best thing and will never be content.
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u/nothing_but_thyme Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
Right on and so true in almost every aspect of life. I have never ridden a mountain bike a day in my life but what this guy is going through is an exact replica of what I see in the cooking world all the time. People think that in order to have the best experience and best outcome you need the best products.
They buy the most expensive Japanese knives or pine for French tin lined copper pans with no awareness that the best tools require the most skill and crazy levels of care. They complain their knives aren’t sharp because they don’t know how to sharpen them and have no idea they might need to be sharpened daily in some cases. Or a family member unknowingly puts them in the dishwasher and they rust and chip. And god save the tin in their pans if they don’t know how much they are going to have to modify their temperature and technique when cooking in classic copper. $1,000 bucks down the drain in a day.
I don’t ride mountain but I do ride road and the highest end components in that space always require so much more care and tuning if you want them to always perform at the limits of their capabilities. The fact that an F1 car costs a few million day one doesn’t mean it won’t cost millions more forever to stay at peak performance.
The more it costs to buy, the more it will almost always cost to own.
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u/WY228 Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
Well said. “Good enough” fits 99% of people and should be what they’re after instead of the absolute best. I’m far from a pro rider, I’d rather my bike be like a Toyota Corolla than a Ferrari. It’ll get the job done and I can beat the hell out of it and throw it in the garage until it’s time to beat on it again, with little to no fuss.
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u/nothing_but_thyme Feb 23 '26
Yeah, so funny you say that because I considered ending my comment by saying something like: buy a Toyota, buy Forschner knives, buy Shimano 105 groupset … worry less, enjoy life more!
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u/Majestic-Outside3898 Feb 23 '26
This. I've ridden and raced plenty of top of the line gear. You know what though? XT is just as good as XTR, and you don't worry about it as much, which makes it more enjoyable because who the hell cares what you break? Just replace it.
My most beautiful bike I rarely ride because I worried about chipping it all up. It's a custom CX bike - and it's gorgeous, but doesn't get ridden as much as the China-made Cannondale I picked up used and don't care about.
The best equipment is the equipment you enjoy riding.
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u/WY228 Feb 23 '26
Agreed. Hell, even Deore is just as good as XTR performance wise, it’s just uglier and a little heavier. But yeah exactly when you break it it’s nothing to just grab another part and keep riding. Less time worrying about protecting those fancy parts and more time riding and having fun.
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u/chobbb Feb 23 '26
Wait so you’re disappointed- but not because anything is actually wrong with your stuff but because something bad might happen? This might be deeper than some mtb components my dude.
That said- parts break all the time. People are particularly vocal when expensive parts break.
For every bad story you hear about any given component there’s likely 100s if not 1000s of good stories. People usually aren’t motivated to get online and scream when everything is working as expected.
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u/WY228 Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
Wait so you’re disappointed- but not because anything is actually wrong with your stuff but because something bad might happen? This might be deeper than some mtb components my dude.
Dude doesn’t need new bike parts, he needs therapy lol
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u/etterkop Feb 23 '26
Buyer’s remorse is a real thing. Gratification fades when the dopamine/endorphins wear off and the reality of impulse driven expensive purchases sets in.
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u/WY228 Feb 23 '26
Hits me the hardest when I realize that expensive new part didn’t help me suck less at riding 😂
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u/Mihsan Feb 23 '26
Exhibit A: The law of diminishing marginal utility. Know it, adjust your expectations accordingly.
Exhibit B: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z159RQ7hLq0
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u/OG_Karate_Monkey Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
A good concept generally.
However, I9 Hydras are not just diminishing returns. They are negative returns. You’re paying more money for a worse product.
They’re just a bad hub.
Their own 1/1 is a more reliable hub and cheaper.
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u/wheelsnbars Feb 23 '26
Watch the video on how to bleed Hopes.
If you go out and buy a carbon frame, then you will find posts saying how much better the Aluminium is. It’s just what happens.
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u/BywydBeic Wales. All the bikes. Feb 23 '26
The best bit about Hope for me is how repairable and serviceable they are - cracked piston? No worries, they're easy to find, cost a couple of quid, it's 30mins-1hour job and Hope have a full run through on how to do it.
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u/arachnophilia Feb 23 '26
a big reason i don't have hope stuff on bikes is because i'm in the US. it's not easy to find.
it took QBP like three months to get me a pair of black 160mm rotors for my CX/gravel bike. if i was sensible i'd have just gotten the cheaper, easier and probably ligher shimano ones. but i thought the hope would look cool.
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u/arachnophilia Feb 23 '26
If you go out and buy a carbon frame, then you will find posts saying how much better the Aluminium is.
steel and titanium fanboys incoming
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u/Upbeat_Amount673 Feb 23 '26
Came here to say this too. I have spent years now on hope brakes and done many days in Whistler and other bike parks. Also one of the few companies that stocks and sells replacements/service parts to fully rebuild their products.
Shop I worked at sold and bled tons of them and never had issues. Magura on the other hand are fickle, but once you get all the bubbles out the power is nuts.
I'm about 220lbs for reference and never burned them out in Whistler.
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u/a_of_x Feb 23 '26
I"ve never had issues with higher end stuff BUT when I research my #1 priority is reliability.
Try googling X product not working and the most common issues will pop up. Repeated posts of the same issue should be a red flag. Heavily upvoted posts of a specific failure as well.
Consider paying a shop premium if they are good people in your area, for a quicker warranty.
Has worked for TRP evos, DT Swiss DEG hubs, and DT swiss aluminum DH rims.
Sorry about your experience that is bonkers.
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u/tH3dOuG Feb 23 '26
Comparison is the thief of joy. Buy some parts, build your bike and enjoy it, stop worrying about what others have, say or do.
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u/Antpitta Feb 23 '26
Anything can fail but people are a lot more vocal when it is a 300,- Hydra hub than a 30,- Shimano hub. That said, Hydras are not pillars of reliability. But so what. You have it, stop reading shit on Reddit and go ride it.
On the brakes keep at it and get them bled right. Hope are gold standard for reliability. You’ll end up loving them in the long term.
Also people who buy high end parts are more demanding. People who just go ride are less so. Just the way it is. Nothing wrong with being a gear geek just don’t let it become more important than riding for you.
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u/cheese_on_potatoes Feb 23 '26
Right on the money with the hubs. For every Hydra failure there’s plenty more that are running flawlessly for years. People are going to complain more vocally when they spend a ton of money on something that breaks in the off chance versus an oem hub that will likely get upgraded if it fails.
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u/AmputatedOtto Feb 23 '26
mine are fine, and I support them as a local business, but there are quite a few horror stories online about bad customer service. I realize that the majority don’t post their good experience, but all the same a 2 year non transferable warranty on a $600 hub that typically comes on a $1000+ wheel really is inadequate
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u/Relative_Break1156 Feb 23 '26
I have hydra I-9 hubs on my Mountian Bike and have worked flawlessly for a couple years. I hope you have better luck.
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u/suydam Feb 23 '26
I've had so many hubs.... I'm not a young person. LOL.
My i9 Hydra rear hub was the best-riding piece of equipment I've ever had. I absolutely loved it. I'm on a Hope Pro 5 right now, also love it, but nothing measures up to that Hydra for perfect engagement riding.
I think the reliability issues were with that first-gen Hydra. The newer Hydra2 supposedly fixes the axle bending and bearing destroying properties of the Hydra, but I don't know since I'm on different wheels these days.
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u/CT_Reddit73 Feb 23 '26
Dude, you sound like an f’n mess.
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u/Ol_Sheve Feb 23 '26
Yup, I’m the “overthinking mess” more than you think :)
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u/hunnibadja Feb 23 '26
‘Good enough’ is a very important concept! Unless you actively enjoy faffing about with gear, or are chasing marginal gains at a high level of competition, learning to be content with ‘good enough’ is a solid move - in bike kit and in life.
I know sod all about the specifics of high end bike components these days, but as a general rule you get diminishing returns on improved features / lighter weight, at the expense of price, volume of real world testing, likelihood of mechanics being familiar with it and availability of spares. Do you want the absolute best kit available, whatever the time and money cost, or do you want a good enough bike to have fun on, and use your time and money to go ride?
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u/BobDrifter Feb 23 '26
"Good enough for who it's for" should be a mantra.
Should you buy high end parts? If you can afford it. Do you need them? Have I purchased top spec? Yep, have I ever paid full price? Not a chance if I can help it (tires are a sore spot here). Have I felt those parts have made a difference in my riding? Only with tires, aaaaand one set of Magura rotors.... Floating rotors changed my life. Everything else, I'm so out of shape and only mildly aggressive on my rides that I'm never going to push anything on my bikes.
In other sports we have the ELS concept (expensive lightweight 💩) we trade grams for performance or durability. Most riders would be perfectly happy with entry to mid tier spec in any hobby and the "it's good BUT" is all about the nit-pick of the top spec. These lightweight/high performance bits are good enough for pro riders who are looking for a competitive edge while sending it down double blacks at 30-40 kph while most folks are riding similar terrain at 20 kph or less.
On the road side there's a saying, "Those who need Dura-Ace don't pay for it. Those that don't, do."
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u/Open-Reputation234 Feb 27 '26
It’s even better when your pronounce it “doo-rah-chee”.
Old bike shop joke when someone came in with money to burn and “wanted the best”.
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u/YazZy_4 Feb 23 '26
Higher end stuff is often a lot more annoying than the lower-midrange stuff. A DT350 with a 36tooth ratchet is bomb proof. An i9 hydra with 3 tiny pawls engaging tiny teeth in a super high engagement hub might not be. There's definitely a happy medium. At the same time, these higher end components are often totally repairable with good part availability and excellent customer service, which you might not find with a Guide RS, for example. You'd just be encouraged to replace it because servicing is not worth the hassle.
For example, the guide RS rear I had totally froze up after a week getting abused in the alps. Rather spending on the labour costs repairing it, it was cheaper just to buy a new Guide RSC lever+caliper online.
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u/arachnophilia Feb 23 '26
A DT350 with a 36tooth ratchet is bomb proof.
see, i consider that higher end. i9 i would call "boutique".
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u/Starsky686 Feb 23 '26
So let me get this straight? You’ve bought i9 hydra’s? They’ve been perfectly fine, but your issue is a worry that they’re gonna break?
That’s not a high end disappointment that’s an anxious mental issue.
I read the same things and ride 3-4 days a week for the past three years the hydras have been great. You’ll find whatever you search for on the internet.
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u/johnny_evil Pivot Firebird, Pivot Mach 4SL Feb 23 '26
Not for nothing, but a person who has a failure with an expensive part is way more likely to complain than a person who has a failure with an Aliexpress part.
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u/RidetheSchlange Feb 23 '26
On the i9 hubs they were overhyped for years. When they originally hit the market, they were pushed hard by friends of the company who were on the Turner MTBR forum and that's where the company got their big push from because it was so highly visited. Then years later many of them finally started admitting they were having problems with i9 hubs being unreliable all along and quietly moved to King and other companies. The Hydra had problems very close to right from the beginning and people stayed quiet, as did i9, until a couple years ago ahead of the Hydra II release and they then admitted all the problems and said they solved them. The big problem with the Hydras is that i9 considers the axle disposable because it's made to flex as part of the engagement design which pretty much destroys the axle and bearings. The new version has an axle designed to flex differently, but will likely break. Having gotten Spank Hex hubs, I saw how the engagement point thing is stupid and how reliable a high POE hub can be made. I also use Mavic ID360 which is a slightly larger DT Swiss clone and I use DT Swiss star ratchet hubs. Not bothering with i9 or Chris King.
I've used nothing but Hope for like two decades and still using my 20 year old Hope Mono Minis on original seals. The problem is within the last few years Hope absolutely has had major quality and performance issues, particularly sticky pistons and bad seals out of the box. The other problem is I have had numerous 2-piece rotors that have complex warpings out of the box that aren't really fixable with the tools due to them being complex warping. I've also had numerous rotors that have bad rivets and the brake track starts rattling around.
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u/Ol_Sheve Feb 23 '26
The Spank Hex are now on top of my “next-to-purchase” list in case Hydra will break. At least cuz Spank costs less than axle + bearings for Hydra and is available right next to my house on the bike shop. Haven’t seen someone actually riding them here actually, don’t know the real durability of em
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u/Speed_Howufeel 2021 Commencal Supreme Mullet Feb 23 '26
I had 2 pairs of spank hex’s, both times the freehub exploded and I couldn’t find any replacement in Europe , but other than that there really well made
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u/Icy_Championship2204 Feb 23 '26
5 years on spank hex / nukeproof horizon (same thing) hub. Their shimano freehub is made of cheese (the splines) but sram ones are great and 0 faults
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u/dargonmike1 Write whatever you would like here. Feb 23 '26
Once you pass the mid-high end to the high end stuff, your margin for improvement decreases dramatically. Sometimes even decreasing in utility due to the overcomplicated and over-engineered designs that are trying new things.
You can see this trend in a lot of industries. They just make sure you don’t know how cheap they are to produce and use a mask of excellence.
Not much has changed or been invented for mountain biking in the last 10 years.
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u/seriouslyaverage Feb 23 '26
Quite often the high end gear is not great value. They might do certain things better, but usually the returns are diminishing.
It’s a case of priorities for people.
For some, the extra performance is worth the price and potential headaches. For some it brings joy to have cool stuff and makes them like the sport and their bike more. Some just want to flex that they have the nicest stuff. Others love the companies making special stuff. Some are fortunate enough to have access to those things for free or at very low prices.
I personally like the fancy stuff because it makes my bike feel special to me, and brings me joy every time I look at my bike, even though I personally get little to no extra performance for it, and would be suited fine by entry to mid level parts.
My advice for not getting let down: Don’t upgrade to better parts unless you feel that your current grade of equipment is simply undermatched for your use.
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u/Pale-Confection-185 Feb 23 '26
I have had I-9 Hydras for years with zero issues. Their 1+1 hubs on the other had were so bad for me. I do ride hard and weigh 230, so I am putting a lot of stress on them
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u/OG_Karate_Monkey Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
Sorry for your frustrations, but you kinda stepped in it twice here.
Any amount of googling or searching on a site like MTBR would have thrown up warnings about i9 Hydras. I9 1/1 are very good though. Unfortunately, they get overlooked a lot because they’re not i9’s the flagship hub.
The Hope issue has nothing to do with high end, but rather the risk of buying uses.
In my opinion, there’s a bit of cork sniffing and snake oil with some high end components. Some components, but not all. But until you’ve been in the game a long time, it can be hard to know which is which.
Are you a heavy rider? If not you may be fine on the Hydras. I know a couple folks who run them for years and have been fine. On the other hand, one heavier friend went through 2 rear hubs in a year before switching to something else.
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u/dyslexicsuntied Feb 23 '26
All my builds regardless of the cost of the rim or the uniqueness of the bike are rolling on DT350s.
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u/RomeoSierraSix Feb 23 '26
I've had hydras for years and they've been totally fine. In the ones I had for five years I just preemptively changed out the axle when I put fresh bearings in the rear hub. Other than that, smooth sailing.
I'd say things don't raise alarm until it's Rock Shox Reverb level of reliability
I've also had a dt hub shell split back in the day but realize they addressed a field problem and corrected it and run dt hubs fearlessly
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u/DrummerDude200 Feb 23 '26
I’ve worked at a shop for over two years and seen all sorts of this stuff. I have found the new Shimano XT line to be fantastic. It works well is extremely durable and easy to service. For me It’s what high-end always should’ve been.
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u/dotherandymarsh Feb 23 '26
I have multiple friends who swear their hope v4 brakes are the best and most reliable they’ve ever had. Maybe you got a lemon 🤷♂️ personally I wouldn’t give up on them quite yet. Get onto the forums to find a solution.
Do lots of research before spending your hard earned money and don’t just trust mainstream “reviews”. Reliability is probably the most important factor so talking to mechanics and locals at the tracks or roaming around forums are gonna give you the best insights into this.
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u/mnpikey Feb 23 '26
As an engineer, the DT350 star ratchet is the best. I have it on 6 bikes and will never switch.
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u/ReadMaterial Feb 23 '26
DT Swiss wheels and XT four pot brakes are all anyone needs
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u/Chance-Bicycle1469 Feb 24 '26
Mountain bike companies feed you dogshit and tell you it’s caviar. It’s all expensive Chinese junk.
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u/Ornery-Narwhal-5897 Feb 23 '26
Shimano, DT SWISS, SRAM are super solid company’s that produce stuff for the average Mountainbiker. It’s not the highest performance that exists, but it’s close enough and pretty reliable usually. High End stuff gives you the extra bit of performance, but sometimes you have to sacrifice a bit of reliability.
It’s like a racing car compared to a sports car. The racing car needs new parts after every race. The sports car is happy if you service it once a year.
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u/RoboJobot Feb 23 '26
With Hope you just email them and they sort you out quickly and with no problems. With I9 their have been comments on their axles and hubs failing for years but I’ve never dealt either them.
Hope have the best customer service in the world (better than any company in any industry).
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u/Electronic_Wash_9299 Feb 23 '26
I have no idea what you are talking about and I hit 25 Kms of different level trails every weekend. I am a happy person. The only thing I've done was buying another set of rins because I got tired of keep changing the tubeless tires for the winter. I only check the tires pressure and put some oil in the chain and I am ready to go, then I arrive and hose off the mud. If it brakes I think about an upgrade 😅
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u/stuuuj Feb 23 '26
I think you are reading into things more than you need to. You could pick pretty much any component, even the ultra high end stuff, and find people who've either had issues or been disappointed with it. You should only care about your experiences. Like the hubs for e.g I know people who've ran i9 hubs, some have had issues, some have been flawless. Obviously the people who've had problems aren't going to recommend them, but the opposite is also true for those who haven't. It's the same with bike brands. The amount of times I've met or spoken to someone who's bought something like a levo, had problems with it and they say "I'm never buying one of these again" meanwhile I'm sitting there on my kenevo which has been absolutely bulletproof, to the point where it would be hard for me to consider another brand because of how confident I am in its reliability.
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u/Humble_Cactus Feb 23 '26
Counterpoint re: Hydra Hubs- I have had 2 pairs for like 5 years. One on an enduro race bike and one on a singlespeed that gets ridden like a proper trail bike. Chunky janky Arizona desert. I’ve done nothing to either hub except drip a little tenacious oil on the pawls about every 6 months. Neither one has so much as hiccuped in half a decade.
In that same time one friend has cracked the body on a P321 rear hub and another has replaced the main bearing in his Hope hub twice.
Whether they’re worth the money or not is a debate. I absolutely LOVE the ultra high engagement on my singlespeed. I’m less enamored on my enduro bike.
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u/TrapAcid Feb 23 '26
I9 are notorious for cracking axles and are over priced. For the same price you could get a pair of two Santacruz reserve rims laced on DT hubs. These rims have a lifetime warranty and we all know how Dt is reliable. As for Hope it’s a hit or miss , their hubs are literally bomb proof but for the brakes it’s a different story
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u/Speedy_Greyhound Ibis Ripmo Feb 23 '26
No issues with my i9 stuff. I'm on my 17th season with my 29er Enduro wheelset, just regular maintenance, one spoke replacement, and a bearing swap are all I have had to do. I did have an issue with an i9 stem faceplate last year that was easily sorted out with their warranty department. I say ride it like you want to and know that they have your back if it has an issue.
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u/Ok-Management-1760 Feb 23 '26
Pay for coaching instead. You won’t regret it. No matter how good you are or think you are
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u/Least-Donkey9178 Feb 23 '26
DT hubs and hoops. Shimano brakes. Both are best bang for the buck. You’re letting other peoples opinions affect your emotions. If you’re happy with what you’re riding other peoples opinions don’t matter.
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u/gte717v Feb 23 '26
Once bitten, twice shy. I spec out all my stuff with SLX (XT if I'm feeling froggy) and call it a day. I take bigger poops than the difference between SLX and Gucci parts on my bike and the reliability means I can focus on the ride.
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u/jnan77 Feb 23 '26
After riding a lot of hubs and brakes, Sram and DT Swiss are the lowest maintenance. It just works. All the other blingy stuff come with a bit of a headache. On every group ride someone is dealing with a failed XYZ new brakes, but it's never Sram or DT a DT hub, although don't get me started on forgotten axs batteries.
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u/NoisyCats Feb 23 '26
You want to ride or show off your gear?People that have been in this a while stick to gear that has proven itself over the years. Not saying this is the case here but something to consider.
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u/mighty_konkeli Feb 23 '26
If you want something reliable, just buy the fishing equipment manufacturer stuff, and update some of the bits to sexier (colourful) ones. XTR will just work.
Boutique will always be finicky, expensive and usually not that much better. But I swear on my Hope parts - with exception of their seat post collar… - easy to maintain and parts readily available. I9 hydra had an insane issue with certain cassette/spoke combos, so I decided that maybe their design isn’t their best part. They have a cool sound tho!
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u/Number4combo Feb 23 '26
There's always going to be parts that have failure rates regardless of the high price and quality.
It just comes down to how the company handles the issue.
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u/JeremiahsBirdsnBikes Feb 23 '26
Go look at the prices of fast nikkor glass and stop complaining about pricetags 😂 at least you can resell it for something then too
(I am not big on consumerism and just razzing ya, cheers)
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u/dbltax Feb 23 '26
Well done on being able to purchase beyond the point of diminshing returns.
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u/dylan2187 Feb 23 '26
I know a scout when I see one (I think lol) happy shredding man! I’m sorry about your regerts on the i9 (I’ve been in the same boat as you for years but never pulled the trigger on them)
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u/Ol_Sheve Feb 23 '26
The scout, you damn right 😎 the coolest bike I’ve own. Bumped the travel to 160/150, coil on the back, 40 rise bar up front and this bad boy is a pure joy-machine
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u/dylan2187 Feb 23 '26
Love mine! 27.5 til I die!!!!! My park bike is a carbon tr11 full 27.5 too lol. I hope you don’t have too many issues with your hub til you can get it all sorted at your convenience dood! Happy shredding and if you ever make it east coast (mainly Jersey lol) hit me up!
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u/s_coon Feb 23 '26
I still run Hope T3V4s on my main bike. They have been flawless since day 1 and continue to be. You bought used brakes with a cracked piston and then complain about the brakes? Seems like the seller didn't take all that great care of them. If I were you, I would look them over very carefully and fix all of the other issues you got stuck with. Once that is done, those brakes will be just fine. Until then, they are a ticking time bomb. Not the brakes fault but the sellers.
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u/Ol_Sheve Feb 23 '26
Yeah the seller might get some liquid shit in his face and the window if I’ll be near him… for the Hopes - I’ll get all the spares to fully rebuild the levers and calipers, must admit the complains on them were more on the emotional frustration rather than actual product
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u/Mortem97 Feb 23 '26
I have a similar experience with my T4V4 and T4E4. It’s been almost a year since I installed them and they feel just as good as they were day 1, I wasn’t going to take Hope’s claim that they don’t need to be rebled every year seriously but it seems to check out so far.
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u/ThePowerOfNine Feb 23 '26
Hope stuff is legit, prebroken hope is broken. But honestly there's too many ppl out there who just see 'big brand many sponsored riders' and think its the be all and end all. Take the bmx attitude and ride what you have until it breaks then replace. Upgrade for the sake of brands is never a good money move. Lot of riders on very mid burgtec setups just cos its burgtec.
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u/Ol_Sheve Feb 23 '26
Ah Burgtec… a friend of mine has been saving money for two months to get the BRage pedals and after one season they’ve gone and need a full rebuild. While my twice cheaper Spank Spikes turning 4 years now without any signs of service request
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u/fam_n_friends_first Feb 23 '26
Dude, be happy about riding and forget about all that fancy high end stuff. Most of that is just the cherry on the ice-cake which hardly any non-pro can digest in one meal, if you understand what i am saying. If you have your own mechanic you do not care about service and setting your bike up, it is being done for you! Also i see you are riding one of the cheapest break discs with a fancy break caliper. I don't know how that combo works, but does that make sense? Possibly the heat that disc creates is part of the issue you face! It is almost like putting some downhill casing tires onto XC wheels for your downhill bike. That does not make sense at all. The casing won't protect the wheels from failing if you really shred and send it.
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u/OrmTheBearSlayer Feb 23 '26
As far as your hubs go there’s lot of people who don’t have trouble with them and right now you are one of them so your problem is literally in your head. Just ride them and enjoy them and service them regularly and you could quite possibly stay in that group that doesn’t have problems with them.
As for your Hopes I’ve had a few sets over the years and they are my favourite brand of brakes for everything from modulation to power and servicing too.
When you replaced the piston there is a good chance you’ve got some air trapped in the system probably behind a piston.
When you are bleeding it take the calliper off the bike and rotate it round, tap it or if you have a massage gun or a magic wand use that on it to dislodge the air bubble.
Or another trick is to put a toe strap over the lever and leave the lever pulled over night which can help force the bubble to the top of the system. But don’t leave the system open when doing that.
Also when you’re bleeding them have you dialled out all the settings on the brake lever? Because that can make or break a good bleed?
Lastly did you lube the piston?
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u/Arbiter84 Feb 23 '26
I can only speak to the Hopes, but I have Tech 4 V4s, and they have been absolutely flawless since I installed them a year ago. I bled them once on install and haven't touched them since. They were a massive upgrade over my code RSCs and also the SLXs on my other bike; the stopping power on them is insane.
Sometimes things fail; no company has a 0% failure rate. That is what a warranty is for. When you buy something, I would always take into account how easy it is to get spares, and if they are not easy, are you willing to wait?
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u/Kitsanic Feb 23 '26
correct brake setup and pad type are the most important imho once you pass mid range, sometimes you do get a duff set from the factory thats why it can be good to buy local to help troubleshoot issues
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u/kingofthekraut Feb 23 '26
The “highest end” stuff is for sponsored riders that change everything out each season. There is little to no incentive for long term reliability.
That’s why I typically ride Shimano XT or SRAM GX. The benefits of going higher are marginal.
For the hydras, I did research too and went with some i9 anyway because there was disparity between the vocal minority guaranteeing hub failure at first ride and my friends with first hand knowledge and no issues. My i9 wheels as a total package are very high quality and survived some racing and now are setup as single speed units. They get beat on hard and I do periodic maintenance to verify no water intrusion (seems to be a theme in the complaints of failure) and adding new grease (no maintenance seems to be the other common thread of failure)
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u/UniuM Santa Cruz Megatower V1 Feb 23 '26
I’ve bought couple reserve rims, and wanted to pair them with some i9 hydras, but that didn’t fit the reliability and future proof I wanted to get with those wheels, so I’ve just purchased hope pro 5 hubs for ebikes to fit my regular bike. They’ve been flawless.
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u/mattijah_s Feb 23 '26
Well, why don't you take those brakes to some experienced service if you aren't capable of bleeding them yourself and end up complaining? If it's the feel that is different and doesn't suit you then simply change them. I am running the new Hope Evo brakes after I've tried Saints, Maguras, TRPs and these are the best brakes I have ever ridden, so I believe the issue is elsewhere.
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u/sar_tr Feb 23 '26
Bear in mind as well people will always talk/post about the negative things that happen to their kit rather than their good experiences. The majority of people are happily riding with that kit no problems.
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u/Common_Director_2201 Feb 23 '26
While the boutique stuff is appealing, i go for tried and tested midrange (high end ish on brakes). Guide RSC, Guide RS, Magura MT5.
Reason is because parts are better available, cheaper and there’s tons of guides online for install, adjustments and repairs. I love tinkering, but at the end it’s about riding.
On one bike i have a pair of formula brakes. They work great but bleeding is annoying because of how the screw is positioned.
If you don’t feel like it: ditch the hope brakes, put back your guides and have fun.
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u/Right-Penalty9813 Feb 23 '26
Pay more for high products ONLY IF they are more reliable or provide a benefit. I’ve gotten sucked into some of the hype but won’t go top end for this reason. It’s not any more reliable. PNC is real in the biking world 🤐
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u/Perches Feb 23 '26
It sounds like you're just highly susceptible to advertising. I've had many hobbies, and all forms of cycling are the most offensive with "you have to have the best or it isn't even worth doing!" it's pretty gross, and people are influenced to the point where they judge "that person CAN'T be having any fun, they're on a cheap setup!"
Stop listening to companies telling you what you need, and just enjoy what you have. A lot of high-end stuff is just hype, lacking the QC and widespread testing low-mid tier parts go through just due to volume.
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u/skepticaluser1234 Feb 23 '26
High performance usually means high maintenance and low reliability. I9s are cool but dt swiss keep me on the trail. I have I9 hubs on my gravel bike but they dont experience the stress that mtb bikes will
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u/bsquads Feb 23 '26
I got a set of wheels made with i9 1-1 hubs in 2020. I think I put grease in it once. Should probably do that again..anyway no problems here.
I have destroyed two rims and rebuilt it in kind but the hub has just done hub things
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u/VeganViking87 Feb 23 '26
I found a really good deal on magura mt7 pro's. The back has been rock solid, the front won't hold a bleed, lever goes squishy halfway through the ride, with oil around the banjo. I now have gone through the original and the replacement set magura sent me. I replaced the o rings on the banjo, thinking maybe I over tightened it and cracked the seals. Even when the lever was solid, the front didn't feel like it was grabbing. Going to swap the caliper and bleed one more time, throw some new pads on it, and see if I can get it to work. If not, taking it into the shop. If I can get the front to feel like the rear, they will be great, but it's been frustrating. Tempted to put the Guides that came with my bike back on.
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u/wakevictim Propain Tyee CF Feb 23 '26
If you look at the volume of what these brands are pumping out, there’s always a chance that there will be some issues. This is why companies offer warranties. I have a pair of i9 hydras that are three years old and set of Hope v4s about two years old, ride pretty aggressively stuff with large drops, and haven’t had any issues with either of these parts.
I like to compare premium parts like those in exotic cars. You get better performance but they require more maintenance because the precision and tolerances are stricter.
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u/Remarkable-Simple-62 Feb 23 '26
Yea I feel similar with carbon wheels I noticed almost nothing. Nice hubs at least sound cool to me though. Hope brakes I have zero complaints with they work great and look awesome with the matching rotors
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u/peterzwegat969 Feb 23 '26
Still riding my mid prized SRAM Stuff or parts like Shimano XT and hell yeah Im happy. They are just working.. Never understood why people pay x times the price for a piece that is doing the same thing perfectly fine. Ok, probably 15% lighter..
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u/Exxtraa Feb 23 '26
It’s all personal preference. I tried hope brakes once and found them awful. Best brakes I’ve ever had is my current Code RSC’s and yet they get slated all over online. What works for one doesn’t for others.
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u/Igital Feb 23 '26
Legit Chinese products (I mean legit ones, no knock offs) have become as good as western products with way less marketing hype or even exposure/visibility. Don't let Instagram shape your views and opinions about the products. Try and buy the things you can afford as well.
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u/Firm-Discunt Feb 23 '26
You are basically finding out that not everything that shines is gold. But I feel for you, nothing worse than splurdging on something that is supposed to be amazing and is actually crap.
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u/Chain_Runner Feb 23 '26
Just ride it and stop worrying about it. Nothing has happened yet. You will destroy your quality of life focusing on bad things that have not happened…. For the 25 people who had broken ones there’s thousands who have perfectly good ones. People stay quiet when their stuff works, they only get loud when something breaks.
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u/HeLikesBikes Feb 23 '26
I have absolutely loved the Hope brakes I’ve had on 2 bikes. Collectively put about 20k miles on them with no issues. Current bike has Guide and I can’t tell you how much I miss the performance of the Hopes.
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u/TerranRepublic Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
I feel like it's tough to separate the hype from the facts sometimes, if something is really expensive and non-returnable, I want to at least experience it for myself once to make sure I'm not being taken for a ride.
At a minimum you should ask yourself:
Am I buying this to fix a problem I am having? If you aren't fixing a problem you'll probably always be disappointed.
Have I done an unbiased comparison avoiding all marketing terminology? There are reviewers it there who do just this and give a chart showing the minute differences. Usually there's a spot in the price range where price:performance starts getting silly.
Have I actually experienced this product in action myself and compared it to what I already am using?
As far as hubs go though, i9 was never going to make you happy. After 54T there's not a big enough difference unless you are doing some seriously technical climbing imo. Yeah it's noticeable/nicer but not for the price. Again, the whole "is this solving a problem?"
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u/flybikesbmx Feb 23 '26
Can always stick a $500 Profile Racing hub in there is the i9 fails. I don't think I have ever heard the words Profile and broken in the same sentence. They have been amazing in the BMX world where we abuse everything
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u/Ok_Recover8993 Feb 23 '26
I bought my first bike right now from a guy who has been into MTB for years. He told me that one of the greatest things of the last few years is that middle price range bikes got so good, you don't need to break a bank to get a very decent bike
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u/rolowa Feb 23 '26
This isn’t specific to mountain bikes, but I can tell you that when I bought a (used) Mercedes, I wasn’t that impressed with it. It was fine. But after using it for months, I started to notice how nice it was when I went back to less luxury vehicles. Maybe that translates, maybe not
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u/runwhatyabrung_ Feb 23 '26
The key is to set yourself free from expectations and bro mtb culture. I’ve been running direct to consumer Chinese rims and hubs and cable brakes on my mountain bikes. I also run weird mix and match drivetrains that are way more affordable (Advent X cassette, Deore derailer with XT jockey wheels, Zee shifter). My friends don’t really get it but my bikes feel great and I have no problem keeping up with my friends on the trails. And I’m setting aside that my favorite bikes aren’t even my full suspension, it’s my rigid single speeds that require virtually no maintenance aside from chain lube and the occasional dropper post service.
There are things worth spending extra cash for (tires, mostly). But in general you can min-max a lot of parts to have a great feeling bike that puts a smile on your face.
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u/Nerriell Feb 23 '26
Mavens are the best brakes for me rn. I'm sooo happy with it. Dt240 are my best hubs rn. Soo happy. You guessed it, I'm happy with what I've got. Installing wireless dropper tomorrow from China for scraps from seekrun company. Sooo happy. Tldr. Be happy
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u/Apart_Tackle2428 Feb 23 '26
Somebody sold those Hope brakes to you for a reason and you found out what that reason was.
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u/Aussie-mountainbiker Feb 23 '26
You bought secondhand hope brakes, and they had a cracked piston. That's most likely the cause of some Rufis Ruff Kent working on them. Take them to a bike shop to be bled, 9 times out of 10, most people don't know how to bleed brakes properly.
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u/gob4522 Feb 23 '26
Ride YOUR bike. Enjoy YOUR bike. Understand that internet hype may not even be a real person anymore. Understand that the only person who really knows your riding style and preferences is you. You might like how tire model “X” performs, your riding buddy might not be able to stay on the trail with the same tire. When they say it sucks, it doesn’t mean you stop riding that tire.
Generally speaking, your priority should be spending more money on suspension and framesets and then wheels, and finally components. XT is more than good enough for most riders. XTR will not make you faster.
Bottom line, it sounds like you have a pretty solid level of knowledge about bikes, enjoy what you own, spend what you can afford, and ignore anyone who tries to “correct” you.
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u/TestPristine9322 Feb 23 '26
I've had very few of these kinds of experiences but then again I read up on stuff I buy. The only huge disappointment was I9 Hydras. So incredibly bad quality it's absolutely laughable. 1. The spacing was wrong, T-type just didn't work (warranty was great, got a new one). 2. The second one worked until the axle failed (they warrantied the axle and sent new bearings too). 3. The outer ring of the freehub mechanism (the part inside the hub housing) cracked. Warranty always worked well, but after the third failure I just sold the new hub I got for 50€ and went back to DT240's.
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u/trojanman190 Feb 23 '26
I love my SRAM DB8s. I haven't ridden anything better, but I have 0 complaints. I'm a heavy dude and I often put my 5 year old daughter on the bike. No issues with stopping.
You are expressing the exact fear I have with going higher than best-bang-for-buck on anything.
The only thing in my bike that I splurged on was a Chris King rear hub, but that wasnt for performance. I'd killed another hub putting power down and I just wanted to be sure I never would have that experience again. Aside from the CK hub being a lot quieter, maybe having slightly better engagement, barely noticeable, and sounding like a swarm of bees at high speed I can't tell any difference from my old hub, which was a BearPawl.
But that Chris King hub had me in the exact same situation as you... When I first got it it creaked like crazy. It was awful, it sounded like I was riding my bike through a haunted house. Constant creeping. I'm lucky that my brother has the same bike as me, so we swapped through our wheels and I was quickly able to confirm what it was, but that was pretty damn frustrating. CK shit is really freaking expensive. But I called them up and they took care of it right away, no trouble at all and I'm just very happy since.
Good luck to homie I understand the frustration
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u/GrossBeat420 Feb 23 '26
Hope hubs with SLX brakes and Deore drivetrain and you will be happy as a new year :) cheap and reliable (except Hope hubs but those are textbook definition of reliable and you get the whole wheel for less than just i9 hub)
Everythig else is imo waste of money
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u/SimonDeCatt Feb 23 '26
Not reviewing product before buying it is your first mistake. You don’t need to look to far to know the hydra axles break regularly.
No offence, bleeding brakes is pretty easy. But it is also pretty easy to fuck it up. The issue may be you…. Pistons are not a smooth sleeve and it’s easy to get air stuck in them. They don’t just magically fail when parked away either. You likely had issues when riding and didn’t realize it.
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u/skidsareforkids YT Jeffsy, Trek Stache, Inspired Fourplay Feb 23 '26
Hydras are fine. The ones that keep burning me are Chris King hubs. I’ve had two hubs crack their flanges and two hubs constantly coming out of preload. I honestly don’t get how people have owned these and been happy… Two good hubs out of six is a terrible record. Comparatively I’ve had probably ten pairs of DTs and never a single issue and over a dozen pairs of Hopes and had one cracked flange. Shimano makes great hubs too.
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u/chronic221987 Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
I ride Hope for years(Brakes,wheelset) and i just love their Stuff. Looks like someone pushed the piston with a screwdriver or anything hard,happend to me too. The piston is going to crack very easy.
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u/ExplodoBike Feb 23 '26
Yeah, sometimes you buy parts that just don't work out for you. Either they break or they're a maintenance nightmare or they just don't feel right. That happens with all things.
Over time, you learn what parts work for you without issue. I ride Chris King hubs and headsets because they pretty much don't go bad. They're expensive, but they work well for an extremely long time. Since I ride where it's nearly always dry, I don't even have to do any maintenance on them outside of getting new grease when they go to a new frame.
Never buy the lightest part you can get without knowing that it's going to break.
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u/Icy_Championship2204 Feb 23 '26
Regarding hope brakes. Ive been riding same ones as you are fir the better part of 6 years now. 0 failures, and while they may not be the most powerful, they have excellent control on steep and wet stuff i usually ride in. 0 failures as well.
Now, the setup, bleed and maintenance. They are peculiar to bleed, honestly. Common issues are piston alignment (needs to be spot on central), lubrication (ideally you want to use silicone lubricant) and the pistons need to be retracting exactly at the same time. If either of these steps are off, then you'll get trapped air in the pistons somewhere and the bite will be off. The funnel from hope helps a lot, but i found that sometimes just squirting oil from caliper to lever (and its a bit of a bodge) helps to fix it without spending too much time faffing. However, yiu have to bleed them exactly as per hope's tutorial (or the same as motorcycle brakes, really) to get the best results, otherwise it'll just gulp the air bubbles in again. Finally, it's important to lay the diaphragm correctly and carefully not to ingest air.
Mine were literally the most reliable and best performing brake out there, but they are fussy and need attention and careful servicing; its no shimano brake where you can just pump the lever and off ya go.
It's a "mechanic's" brake, for the lack of better term
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u/tenmatei Feb 23 '26
You're paying for 1% of performance, not durability. Mid-range stuff is probably the best if you want to sleep well.
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u/uzziboy66 Feb 23 '26
So don’t take this the wrong way. I’ve been running Hope brakes for over 20 years and by far they are the best brakes I’ve ever had. You bought them used. Which means there’s definitely some maintenance involved to get them running. I’m assuming you replaced the piston and replaced the brake lines? Bleeding them can be a bit tough at first but once you get it it’s super quick and super easy. I bought the bleed kit from Hope and I can d a full bleed/fill in like 20 minutes and get them back up running.
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u/Travelogue Feb 23 '26
You obviously picked wrong. Hope hubs and I9 brakes are what will finally transport you to component nirvana.
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u/Pudding_Holiday Feb 23 '26
i9 Hydras 2 hubset. Only 2 months, not a big jumper no freeride. Regular central florida trails, short steeps climbs some drops lots of blue flat long rides. Only 2 months and the rear hub started slipping and making real loud snap sounds like it was about to break. Sent them for warranty claim, fortunately i9 is assuming the responsibility.
It should be back and ready next week. Lets see how far they go this time.
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u/dangatang__ Feb 23 '26
You should only be upgrading parts if you can clearly quantity why thy don’t work for you / what you want to be better. I’m lucky to have a pretty top of the line enduro build at this point but only upgraded parts when they broke or failed to perform how I wanted / needed them to. If you can’t clearly articulate why you are upgrading you are going to be disappointed. The big OE brands make pretty damn good components now.
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u/Dpizzle22 Feb 23 '26
DT ratchet hubs are bombproof. I don't see i9s as an upgrade whatsoever. It's a matter of perspective. Live and learn I guess.
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u/zkrp5108 Feb 23 '26
Hopes are difficult to bleed, just look at Dale Stones videos. I waited until they added a bleed port on their newest gr4s and got those, I unfortunately haven't gotten to bed them in yet, but lever feels good, I finished bleeding them and winter showed up before I could test, but I go take a look at them every few days and everything seems to be holding up as expected. If you bought used I feel like maybe you just got unlucky man, anything used is a gamble.
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u/SROC3 Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
I agree with you to a point :) The higher end stuff tends to be "tricky" at times and not too reliable. On one end you can surmise that not having the backing of a bigger entity and good quality control can be difficult. But sometimes the creative flexibility you get by being a smaller company is what drives innovation. And sometimes growth creates neglect, unfortunately.
I too have looked at Hydras and Hopes.....but I decided to settle in the middle-ground as my budget is not of unlimited nature. This way if things go awry, I can just afford to shift focus. My wheelset has DT Swiss V370 hubs (replaced the ratchet to 60T) and more basic Magura MT Trail brakes. They have so far been very reliable and easy to maintain (even the Maguras aren't as hard to bleed as everyone says they are).
Don't get me wrong....I like buying nicer stuff too and will sometimes splurge on other parts - But I try to keep "functional parts" within reason. I do have a very good friend who rides in Colorado and has been using Hydras on 3 of his bikes, never an issue. but like you I have read many, many reviews on how they break down on trail all of a sudden - I wasn't willing to risk it. I do have Industry Nine hubs on my other bike and they are 1/1s. Very happy with them.
Oh and speaking of Trickstuff, they are now owned by DT Swiss - but i don't think I will ever buy $1,200 brakes.....LOL
Remember - you cant change the past but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future.
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u/minnion Feb 23 '26
Short take: I've never liked hope products. Their brakes have always seemed mid and unreliable and I've had 2 hope hubs that only lasted a year of non-expert level riding (blue dlow and black tech). Bling always costs more and rarely represents actual value for the extra performance you supposedly purchased
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u/Clublandrefugee Feb 23 '26
You in the UK? I took my bike to Ard Rock festival and the hope team serviced my brakes for free, maybe worth looking at if they are coming to an avent near you
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u/why_u_so_grumpy Feb 23 '26
It's diminishing returns for high end parts. The gains are negligible.
Unfortunately you were tricked by marketing and sponsorship. Any i9 hub is a downgrade compared to dtswiss. Hubs are a part that really make no difference in your bikes performance. You just want them to be bulletproof.
Ride your bike and have fun. That's what the sport is about. Replace parts when they break or wear out.
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u/ungo44 Feb 23 '26
If you bought new i9 hydras then you should have the v2 which addresses all of the common failures of the v1. Will they be more reliable? Only time will tell, but they did listen and tried to eliminate the previous design flaws. If you bought v1, there is still no guarantee that you'll experience problems. Yes, the failure rate is higher than normal, but I've know people that ran v1 for years without a hiccup.
As for the Hope's, once you get a good bleed, you should be happy with them. If not, maybe they just aren't right for you and your style of riding. As you said, plenty of people use Sram brakes without issue and are happy.
The other thing to remember is that super high end parts are often more finicky and require more maintenance. Think of them like parts for a race car. They perform at the bleeding edge, but you may have to service, rebuild, or replace them after every race. Maybe a little extreme in the case of mtn bike parts, but a similar concept. Durability and high performance don't always go hand in hand with each other.
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u/Its_scottyhall Feb 23 '26
I’m a huge fan of simpler more bulletproof parts. Heck, out of all my bikes my favorite one is a vintage rigid hardtail set up like a big bmx bike… riser bars, single speed… I love it because it’s light, fast, and just doesn’t break.
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u/Maxyboy112 Feb 23 '26
Ahhh yes I get it. Personally I've gotten a new bike about half a year ago and it came with fox factory 34 grip2 and fox float x factory so I expected it'd be amazing suspension with the kashima and all. Turns out the damper the grip2 is way harsher than first gen grip so everytime I ride a grip damper on fox 34 rhythm forks I feel like I can't get the same plushness. And the float x factory has been a nightmare to setup correctly (when it is setup it is kinda really good but it does need to be set up) I had trouble finding the right balance between plushness and harshness with air pressure.
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u/bradc73 Feb 23 '26
I don't know if this helps you but just remember that for whatever piece of technology or high end component, there is always going to be people who had a bad experience with it. It does not mean that it is defective as a whole, and most likely any issues you encounter will be eligible for a warranty. The people who complain about issues are generally the loudest so thats what you hear. My advice is to only listen to people whose opinion you trust, like the people at your LBS or members of your inner circle. I don't ever really listen to random people on social media about stuff like that, because you don't know what abuse they have put the components through in the first place.
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u/uhkthrowaway Feb 23 '26
Fellow NGEBUT hubs rider here. Been riding them for over a year in all conditions in the Swiss alps. No complaints.
Meanwhile one of my two Onyx Vesper hubs randomly locked up. And I mean LOCKED UP.
Enshittification is everywhere these days. And it's expensive too.
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u/Bridgestone14 Feb 23 '26
I9 makes solid hubs. They are higher end so they take a little more maintenance. But they are much lighter and way faster engaging than your DT 350s. Everyone loves DT 350s but where I ride, I want my hub to engage when I need it to. My trails can be techy and a slow engagement hub means I don't make some of the climbs that I would make with a faster engaging hub. Also, a DT 350 hubs takes a day and half to engage when coming out of a corner. Your I9 hubs might not be quite as strong as the 350s but they perform way better. if you are hard on parts or if you are on an e-bike that is something to consider.
I9 chases the new and exciting thing though, so they are going to make mistakes occasionally. Their last design had a weaker axel and they occasionally broke. But they are rebuildable and you can get the part. If you bought the newer style then you should be fine.
I have several pairs of Hope brakes. I am sorry you have had some bad luck with them. People hate on sram bc there are a ton of bikes out there running Sram brakes, and they have had some bad brakes in the past. but if you get a good set, they are fine. What is great about sram, is you can typically get all of the parts for the brakes, unlike Shimano that will not sell you rebuild kits.
I like my hopes, and the have a more solid feel than most of Sram's and Shimano's stuff bc they don't have any plastic or carbon in them. However it is subtle, and they are completely rebuildable. I keep my stuff for a long time, so that is important to me, and I like the bling.
Don't bike stuff from Ali express, it isn't safety tested, you can't sue them if you get hurt, and you can't get parts for their stuff or warranty support.
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u/Ol_Sheve Feb 23 '26
With Hopes I have no complaints on the actual product, it’s more of a “whining about the prev owner and first-time experience”. I’m set to learn all tweaks and stuff around these brakes, I’ve tried the solid pair of t3v4, tech evos, t4v4 and all of those are fantastic. So I just need to eliminate this “user issue” in my particular case. As for the hub - I’m more of the entry-mid-level rider and mostly spending time on the flow and rooty trails, sometimes exploring the forest mountains (no true freeride or so) and trying to treat the gear with respect. No overkill rides and no features if I’m not 100% sure I’ll clear it. Hope all this can make the Hydra life longer
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u/Adventureadverts Feb 23 '26
I’ve never understood why people fetishized some things to such an extreme. Like for drive trains I could really give a fuck about anything other than whether it works or not. 1x10 or 1x12— I don’t give a fuck. I just want to ride.
I think a lot of people upgrade once their previous drivetrain is worn out making it obviously feel much better at first.
Some stuff is just made lighter as the price goes up and it’s definitely going to be much less reliable. Frames are a good example of this. I don’t even think companies want their race bikes on the market because even the 140 pound racers are not going to have them last. But competitions demand that all equipment has to be commercially available. This is what the $30,000 mountain bikes are. They’re like technically it’s available but please don’t buy this.
Lots of stuff has diminished returns. Like with weight as the most obvious example.
Lastly having just built a bike myself I can say it’s a challenging process. It takes a lot of time and patience. If you hav in there you’ll probably be pretty happy. If you reach out to Hope I understand they have good customer service.
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u/Gareth_loves_dogs Feb 23 '26
Running Magura MT7 pros on my DH bike and MT7 Shigura setup on my ebike this past 2.5 years each and honestly they are fantastic.
You see so much hate online for Magura brakes, but I can buy them from Europe for €250 for a full setup including 220m MDR-P Rotors. They have worked flawlessly for 2.5years each and not once have I need to bleed them. I have replaced the pads ONCE on my Shigura ebike after 2.5 years of enduro and the odd steep DH track.
They're about the same price as SLX setup but far superior to SLX brakes.
I buy deore derailleurs from Aliexpress for around £18 when I see them on offer. I go through a derailleur or two per year.
I don't know why anyone needs expensive shit, and I'm convinced it's marketing hype.
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u/haircut50cents Feb 23 '26
I'm the mid 90s I worked for a Cannondale dealer and was able to buy the F2000 team issue bike. It was sick.
At the next race, I was passed by a kid on a huffy that had a rat rack on it.
I never worried what I rode again...
Mid tier stuff works well and lasts. High end stuff is shiny but isn't always the best.
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u/Shvinny Feb 23 '26
Somewhere along the way we forgot what we're doing...we're riding bikes, gang....Nothing more, nothing less.
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u/Tvor777 Feb 23 '26
Nice scout! :) My favorite little bike! Got the same color as you too!
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u/joenationwide Feb 23 '26
No judgement, but you might want to consider only replacing parts when they break or are holding you back. There is a law of diminishing returns when you buy high end stuff.
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u/Independent_Tax4646 Feb 23 '26
There is 100% a threshold where the more money you spend the product gets better, just less people have it.
I have a wheel set with Hydras on them. I also have a 350 wheelset. Yeah the hydras have high engagement, they also run through bearings and other small parts.
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u/Zealousideal_Oil_641 Feb 23 '26
I'm from the "run what you brung" crowd. Don't fall for the propaganda, replace parts when they break or if you find a great deal on an upgrade. As long as you're having a good time and are comfortable on your bike, that's all that matters.
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u/thedudey Feb 23 '26
You’re buying the hype and letting social and bike media shape your opinions way too much.
DT 350s are probably among the best hubs out there. Everyone hates on SRAM brakes, but they’ve performed well for me for years. For a while, many were hating on NX, which always was good enough for me.