Hope’s lightweight XCR brakes now come in lots of colors and can be paired with their E4 caliper for bigger bikes. Their Pro 5 Hubs get a new DH option, too. Let’s stop, er, start with the brakes…
The XCR brakes are Hope’s 199g XC stoppers, and have always come in black and raw (silver), but are now available in Red, Orange, Purple, and Blue to match their hubs and other parts.
They’ve also always come with the X2 two-piston caliper, designed for cross country bikes and maximum weight savings. They also stop quite well, but for riders who push it harder, they can now be ordered with E4 four-piston calipers, too. It’s a $32 price difference, and the levers stay the same with their titanium hardware and carbon fiber lever blades.
The X2 caliper comes in post- and flat-mount versions, but the E2 caliper is post-mount only. The levers have a hinged clamp and are compatible with their Tech 3 shifter mounts to keep your cockpit tidy.
Hope PRO 5 DH hubs
The Hope Pro5 DH hub gets a new axle that makes it stiffer, with steel freehub bodies (XD and HG available) with six EDM wire-cut hardened steel pawls hitting 54 ratchets. This makes it tougher, with quick engagement for launching out of the start gate and powering through flat sections. A new labyrinth seal protects the internals with no drag, letting you coast more freely, too.
The Pro5 DH hubshell pushes the driveside flange further out, giving it equal spacing from the centerline. This lets you run even spoke lengths and tension on most wheels, and gives the driveside a better bracing angle for a laterally stiffer wheel.
