Lightweight, precise and simple to work on
Hope Tech 3 E4 disc brake review
At £175 per end, the Hope Tech 3 E4 undercuts quite a few of the top end brakes but you will still need to add £45 for the two-piece floating rotor.
Or £35 stainless steel option and £16 for fork/frame mount.
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There’s a big adjustment range allowing you to set the stroke exactly to your hand size. The lever has a split clamp and Hope offers spare clamps (£15) to attach a Shimano or SRAM shifter.
The Tech 3 E4 is a doddle to set up – it’s precise, easy to align and we also had zero issues with bleeding and shortening the hose. It also bedded in quickly, requiring only a few hard stops to come up to full power.
The Tech 3 E4 does wail a bit in the wet and there’s a bit more flex in the blade than some here but there’s plenty of power on tap. It feels positive and has a light action, allowing you to really manage the power delivery.
To improve grip in the wet, the lever blade is drilled but some testers found the profile uncomfortable. It’s also a short lever so arcs into the handlebar in a tighter radius and we also found this impacted on the position of the shifter; Hope’s matchmaker shifter mount is a must if you’re running SRAM gearing.
Hope’s Tech 3 E4 is not quite as powerful but it has easy access adjustments, it’s also lightweight, precise and simple to work on.