Hope mono M4 disc brakes.

Review by Doug Staplehurst

These are the new incarnation of the heavy-duty disc brakes that Hope have been making for several years. The improvement is that the calliper unit is now a one-piece block, instead of the 2 half callipers that it used to be. This is supposed to add rigidity to the calliper, and hence more effective braking. It still uses the same lever, and the only other difference that will affect you is that the pads are different to the previous form of this brake. Before buying this system, it is advisable to talk it over with your supplier, as the size of disc, and range of callipers to fit the various frames and usage is quite large. I opted for the largest disc made 200mm, on the front and rear, as this was going on the tandem.   Not to be recommended for most bikes, as Fork warranty and capabilities of taking this much braking power, are still in dispute. The only thing I wanted was the most powerful system that it is possible to have.

Fitting. I know I am mechanically minded, but this system goes on a treat. The only problem that you may encounter is that the calliper has to be shimmed out to the disc, to get it to run dead central. Not a problem as a variety of washers of varying thickness is supplied in the kit. Only item not supplied, is a form of threadlock, loctite to most of us, but we all have some in our toolkits, don't we. If you don't, then do as I did and a trip to the local car accessory shop will give you access to some. The handbook is fully descriptive, even down to the rotation of the discs, so follow the instructions, and you cannot go wrong. The most daunting point you may come across is if you have to cut the hydraulic hose. This is fully explained, and only requires a sharp stanley knife to give a clean cut. Problems may come about in bleeding the units, and I would advise a tight fitting bleed hose, and 4 hands for this particular task. Hope do recommend using dot 5.1 fluid, and this can take some finding, but apparently you can use dot 4 if you are stuck. Not from bike experience, but I would always opt for the 5.1 in such a high pressure unit as this.

I know I have fitted them to a Tandem, I know I have gone to the largest disc possible, but these brakes are awesome. The lightness of the lever to get the brakes working is minimal, and the brakes are so progressive, that I am wondering why I never had them on a bike before. It's quite obvious why as these units are expensive at around £120 for each end of the bike. I would also recommend that you only go to this size of disc on the front if your fork manufacturer will warrant the forks to take them and that you have a 20mm front axle. I can only suggest that if you are looking for the near ultimate in brakes, and do not mind a little bit of extra weight from the extra pistons, then these are the brakes for you.