The Hope Tech 3 V4 is their flagship high powered brake and sits just above their E4 when we’re talking power.

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Review by Charlie Collins

The extra bite is achieved is through the use of 16mm trailing and 14mm lead pistons within the machined caliper – the E4 uses 14mm all round.

Initially, the lever’s felt a little on the spongey side, to resolve this, we adjusted the bite point dial all the way in which got them feeling noticeably more solid. By doing so, the lever throw is at its smallest movement possible, making setup a little tricky to achieve a freely running wheel.

With the master cylinder piston moved further in, the initial distance between the pads and rotor was rather tight. But after our bedding in session and a re-alignment of the calipers, enough pad material was removed and the result was free running brakes and a perfect lever feel.

Although power wasn’t quite to the level of the Shimano Saint or SRAM Code, there was still plenty to get us stopped when needed. Despite the small amount of free movement in the lever, they modulated it extremely well with no unnecessary lock ups to the wheels. They also proved to be highly dependable with no fade or erratic behaviour in its bite.

A common characteristic of Hope brakes is the squeal they produce in damp conditions. But even with sintered pads fitted, we didn’t have any of these issues – as a bonus, you also get organic pads in the box, so you can try both too!