High pivot bikes with idlers have been trending recently, but are they all hype like the Emperor’s New Clothes or do they offer genuine ride advantages? Multiple brands including Forbidden, Norco, Deviate and more champion the design and obviously reckon the benefits are worthwhile. And I’ve got to admit it, I’ve loved several bikes touting the layout too, specifically Forbidden’s Druid V2 and the new Trek Slash.

Like any suspension layout, the devil, however, is in the detail. And while no two bikes are alike, one of the bikes mentioned above actually shares quite a lot of engineering know-how with Hope’s HB.916. Incredibly, Trek’s latest Slash actually has quite a bit in common with the HB.916, if only in terms of layout, if not the small brand, made in house philosophy.

Hope HB.916 (V2) need to know

• 160mm travel enduro bike with mid high-pivot suspension design, all handmade in Lancashire
• Hybrid back end made from carbon and alloy, with concentric chainstay pivot, aluminium yokes and one-piece carbon front triangle
• Comes in Racing Green or Raw Carbon (£650 less) and four sizes – H1 to H4 – with the biggest two getting 10mm longer chainstays
• Available as complete bike, frame only including shock and headset, or complete with SRAM (not Hope) drivetrain
• Latest UDH version is SRAM Transmission compatible and uses an all-new Fidlock ‘Butty Box’ internal storage design

High pivot designs explained

Before touching on exactly what though, we’ve got a big explainer on high pivot idler designs explaining the pros and cons. The important part to understand though is the bike’s main pivot is raised well up above the front chainring and rear wheel axle to create a more rearward axle path.

Advocates suggest this adds sensitivity, better erases bumps coming at the rear tyre, and makes it less likely to hang up on bigger obstacles. Rearward wheel paths reduce the angle of impact at any bump face and allow the tyre more time to absorb hits, but as my colleague Al pointed out previously, smaller bumps come from under the tyre, not in front. The wheel also has to continually rebound to its original position and in doing so any bump-eating ‘benefits’ could well get rammed down its throat.

A higher main pivot also has potential disadvantages of lengthening the rear end and wheelbase and therefore subtly shifting dynamic rider balance. It also demands complicated solutions to retain the chain and counteract the inherent increased pedal kickback. This final part manifests as extra pulling back on the cranks across the top part of the chain, so brands typically employ an idler wheel to help decouple the drivetrain.

And, if all that sounds a bit like any advantages come overloaded with compromises, I’ve not even started on how a longer chain looping through complicated idlers and extra retention devices can also lead to extra weight, noise and drag. There’s also the fact that the more rearward an axle path is, the more the anti-rise or force acting on the rear suspension enacts to compress it under braking.

HB.916’s concentric pivots

Despite all this I love some high-pivot bikes and there appears to be definite advantages to them… or at least it can be a great platform to make sweet riding bikes from. Exactly how and where any idler is placed differs quite a lot, which takes us back to the latest Hope HB.916 and the Trek Slash.

Unlike many single pivot high pivot designs, both the Trek and the Hope share a concentric pivot at the rear axle that should help mitigate increased anti-rise. They do this by allowing the brake calliper to rotate partially (with the seat stays and rocker) around the axle during suspension movement. The pair see the upper idler mounted to the swingarm rather than the mainframe too, so it can also move relative to the BB throughout travel allowing further dynamic ride tuning.

I’m aware that’s been a chunk of tech speak to absorb, something not everyone will be into. But one thing every single person I’ve bumped into while testing this bike agrees, the Racing Green HB.916 is absolutely drool-worthy, superbly finished and a real object of desire.

Frame and geometry

Beyond the suspension layout, there is also a high level of technicality and detail within Hope’s beautiful 916 carbon chassis. This latest version is refined and improved, and it’s a shed load quieter too thanks to the new rattle-free FidLock-secured storage door.

It’s easy to get lost in the details – Hope makes its own idlers that are as sturdy and well machined as you’d expect, it also colour matches the entire bike with all the bling it makes, and of course Hope makes the entire frame in-house in the first place.

I’ve been to see HBs laid up at the factory and defy anyone not to get a bit drawn in and romantic about owning one if they’d done the same. There’s a real hands-on artisan vibe watching the small sheets of UK-sourced pre-preg carbon being cut up into specific little pieces and laid jigsaw-like into huge aluminium moulds. And it’s a serious production and prototyping advantage for Hope. The moulds the carbon gets oven-baked inside are CNC’d in-house too, on the same huge machines that carve out its aluminium components.

Some of the craftsmen meticulously laying the fibres were originally part of the team responsible for British Cycling’s medal-winning frames and parts and were brought into Hope when first developing its carbon facility. Some ended up staying too, which is presumably tied in to Hope still making current Team GB’s track bikes in partnership with Lotus, which you might have seen at the last couple of Olympics.

Some specific HB.916 touches include a carbon back end bonded into aluminium hardware at the seat and chainstay tips and rocker link. This means the bearings and idler mounts are mounted into metal and spaced as wide as possible for greater lifespan. You have to assume Hope knows a few things about which bearings to use for best durability by now too.

This V2 frame also benefits from 10mm longer chainstays in the two biggest sizes to better maintain rider balance. At 450mm they’re really long, as is the entire bike – there are four sizes that stretch from 450mm to 510mm reach. I rode the 470mm reach H2 which is pretty roomy for a medium, so can’t comment on any difference this might make.

Stack height also grows significantly up HB sizes, with the H4 a meaningful 27mm taller at the bars than the H1, but I still had to run loads of stem spacers to get a suitable bar height with the H2’s shorter head tube. The 916 frame can be run either 29er or mullet via a flip chip at the seat stay junction, with the wheelbase shrinking by around 4mm in the mixed wheel configuration.

Further adjustability switches the head angle from the standard 64° setting to a shade over 63° using Hope’s own engraved cup. Only the top part needs swapping to effect the change, so it’s a relatively easy swap over.

Also on this V2 version is a new UDH dropout design at the rear concentric pivot that means the HB can now bolt in the latest and most robust AXS Transmission derailleur. As part of this change, Hope has also added its own lower idler pulley to wrap the lower part of the chain in closer to the chainstay. This stabilises and quietens it, but also negates the strong force of the clutch pulling the chain from SRAM’s massive rear mech.

In theory, this lower idler should also make the suspension more active by reducing the pulling force resisting the rear wheel moving backwards. It also comes with a guide at the top to stop the chain jumping up and out and slapping about if you end up descending too vigorously. This issue is something that happened to me a few times while testing Trek’s Slash with an open-topped lower MRP guide, but it didn’t happen here. As a side note, this lower idler also uses a keyed design held in place by the BB cup, rather than ISCG tabs, as the frame doesn’t have the latter.

Hope’s upper idler likewise has a top retaining guide and is mounted to the chainstay slightly rearward of the BB centre and around 100mm higher than the top of a 32t chainring. Because the main pivot sits a few centimetres further forwards and slightly up, the idler is ‘floating’ and moves in an eccentric arc around the BB centre and rear cassette as the suspension cycles.

Components

When one of Hope’s stated aims is to make a complete bike, it’s little surprise most of the gear here is of the Lancashire-laid carbon or CNC’d aluminium variety. It doesn’t make a drivetrain (yet), suspension parts or too many of the bits made out of plastic and rubber like tyres and saddles. But tons of other kit wears its badge and you can mix and match part colours to frame hardware at time of purchase.

Full-width 35mm bore carbon handlebars share a weave and lay-up matching the frame finish and come bolted into Hope’s latest generation stem that’s now stiffer and sturdier. These bars are very direct and might be a tad solid for lighter riders though. Cranks and wheels are also own brand, with stubby, clearance-boosting, 165mm EVO pedal arms with a fatter 30mm spindle and Fortus 30mm inside SC (single cavity) wheels.

These are way lighter and zippier than the previous generation hefty Fortuses (Forti?) and also use the latest Pro 5 hubs that are now quieter and spin more freely for a further speed boost. I wasn’t a fan of older Hope wheelsets, but these new ones are decent, although, for my money, a bike like this needs more serious rubber than Maxx Terra Maxxis in EXO+ compound. On my second run testing at Dyfi Bike Park, I slashed the back tyre just braking on the slatey sharp Welsh rock and had to faff around swapping in the car park to slot in a DH casing tyre.

A big highlight at the bike park or anywhere faster and steeper is the Tech 4 lever and V4 calliper brakes. Full DH spec, these are so ridiculously powerful some riders including me might even consider choosing the Tech 4/E4 combo for slightly less power and more modulation; you can find yourself accidentally locking the wheels on the steeps if you’re not careful with the larger V4 pistons. Lever feel and sustained power is pretty special though.

SRAM’s T-Type AXS Eagle now bolts into the new UDH hanger set up. T-Type is heavy, but I’ve found it really robust on multiple bikes now with shifting that stays rock solid, even if you accidentally bang and clang it.

A couple of potential issues though are, being so massive, if you run the HB.916 (or any bike) in an MX set up, the lower part of the cage gets perilously close to the floor, so you might hit it so hard that it definitely isn’t going to stay rock solid. I’ve also lost a couple of AXS batteries where they hang off the back of the XO mech, while the newer, cheaper and heavier GX version doesn’t suffer from this problem because it’s tucked safely on top. This can absolutely ruin a ride, so it’s worth pointing out.

Performance

The Hope HB.916 excels when it comes to grip. Whether you’re climbing up techie sections or slithering down jank, the bike feels like it’s never going to run out of the stuff, and you’ll be checking your tyre pressures accordingly.

Climbing

Hope’s bike has 160mm rear travel, a 170mm fork and a moderately progressive (26%) leverage curve. Hope also says the HB.916’s rearward axle path isn’t fully rearward throughout the whole 160mm of travel.

Movement is controlled by Swedish damping in the form of a 38mm stanchioned RXF fork and a TTX2 air shock. The bike is moderately heavy at just over 15.5kg, but with bikes seemingly getting portlier all the time, that’s no heavier than the latest heftier Santa Cruz Bronson, to put it into perspective.

Combine these firmly ‘enduro’ stats with the fact it now uses a double idler set-up, and I’ll admit to some preconceived ideas of how efficient a pedaller and climber it might be.

I needn’t have worried. The HB.916 in 29er set up surprised me by pedalling and converting power way more smoothly than any expectations. I really enjoyed climbing on it, especially up steeper sections seated, where it’s able to scramble up and over pretty much anything with ridiculous grip and bump rollover. Riding in the Lakes it didn’t take long to find out my fitness will give out way before the Hope bike gives up gripping on long technical uphill sections.

Shock movement is mostly really stable under power, but the HB.916 is definitely at its best sat down perched and twiddling in the bike’s upright seated position. Stand up and mash and there’s interaction with the shock (particularly higher up the cassette) and a rhythmic up and down wave going through the suspension that steals some energy.

When we reviewed the first 916 version, drag was claimed as low for a bike with an idler, but now there are two idlers (both with upper guides) and it’s a slightly different story.

In perfect conditions, with a clean, well-lubed, chain in the middle of the cassette, there’s minimal noise, but after full days in the rain and mud you can expect some grinding. Sodden uplifting at the bike park led to the top two gears on the usually smooth T-type cassette having a lot of stickiness and it was even hard to cycle the cranks backwards by hand with all the gunk and grit rubbing in between those idler teeth and retaining guides. In this sense, any minor gains of the smoother Transmission drivetrain get lost and reversed fast in very muddy conditions.

Descending

My first HB.916 ride was in the Lake District and took in one of the steepest natural janky enduro tracks I’ve ever ridden. Found only with the help of a mate on the phone talking me through precise directions, I dropped into a fall-line-fear-fest I’d never ridden, with the HB bike exactly as I grabbed it from Hope, bar setting the sag. This track was something else, relentlessly steep and scary for a first run on any bike, and all I can say is I’m very glad that first run was on the 916.

Even when not properly set up, there’s an inherent safety factor, calmness and composure here. Such is the smoothness, the 916 has a vibe of tyres having a couple of psi less than reality and a feeling of real poise on the ground. In much the same way pumping tyres up rock hard and imagining all the jiggling and bouncing about means you’re going really fast (but probably aren’t) the HB rides faster by staying smooth, slinking down terrain and being planted. The back end quietly gets on with dulling impacts and eating up terrain, even when slammed into big square-edged bumps.

The 916 rolls along near silently with the Öhlins suspension at both ends, calming, slowing and moulding your tyres into the floor with tons of braking traction. Rather than any skipping or jerkiness, it’s so ground-tracing, there’s almost the feel of a lightweight e-bike, despite being 3kg lighter than any leccy bike I’ve ridden. All the grip means you can lean and control speed in the most challenging sections, and the 916 also slows down super-fast with those über-powerful V4 brakes.

This stopping power feels intrinsically linked to the climbing traction and with so much floor connection, you almost need to learn to brake less. The rear tyre is so effective at not jarring or bouncing a few smaller roots or rocks at the back end like many enduro bikes do when really dragging on the anchors.

I reckon the frame itself adds to this sense of composure by feeling solid, but also dull and ‘dead’. It’s daft, but I kept coming back to this mental image that it was made of teak or a really dense wood not carbon, as there’s nothing at all plastic-ey or twangy about the ride.

The HB’s muted feel reminded me of the Atherton 170 I really rated, and like that bike, there’s a bit of give and frame flex where the back end feels very slinky, slotting down tight and rough trails. Even cutting scandi-flicks and squaring off turns, there’s a rounded feeling, rather than too much sharpness and a sense the stiff 38 RXF and 35mm Hope carbon bar steer precisely while the back end follows and mops up any mess you might have got yourself into.

The opposite of slinking down steeps and letting tyres get out of the way of whatever’s underneath is pumping down a bike park at full chat. I also took the HB to Dyfi to see how it handles bigger cornering forces and bigger jumps. With all this talk of smoothness, is it a bit of a blunt instrument slicing through wider trails where the pilot, not whatever is on the floor, is primarily driving forces through the chassis?

The short answer is the HB surprised me again. The 916 fires off big lips fine without sucking all the life out of them and is stable. But it doesn’t pop or launch as much off little rocks or roots on the trails as plenty of other enduro bikes. This is worth noting if you love to gap little sections or root webs on the trails by banging the back tyre to aid the bunny-hop. This 916 back tyre instead feels like it bites a chunk out of whatever you want to bang into, which is something that also makes it a bit harder to manual and loft the front tyre up and over things too.

At my preferred settings riding at home, I occasionally bottomed the bike; something I’m not used to on other bikes set to taste, and there’s not much extra support to be gleaned from the Öhlins shock here either. I’m not convinced of that much meaningful tuning from the TTX2’s high-speed compression lever pedal platform – it isn’t like most firm lock outs and not that noticeable on the HB.

I therefore added around 10psi and wound on extra low speed compression for more tightness, but it’s a bit of a delicate balance getting this right without eating into all the Öhlins shock grip that you need for the connecting parts between all the big bike park features.

There’s also a vague sense of feeling soggy or lacking mid or perhaps end-stroke support in the deepest berms or compressions. There’s also a sniff of the front tyre pushing away from you a fraction when it does this too. It’s not a marked sensation, but compared with either the Slash or the A170 I’ve also ridden at Dyfi, there’s less to push into here if you really want to punch through rollers or hollows or use the end of berms to pop and air out of.

Hope’s 916 is fast, composed and absolutely gorgeous, but I’d love to try it with different suspension because I reckon it could feel much zestier, and might potentially offer more mid stroke support with a coil shock too. If you’re considering this bike, another final bit of useful information is my riding pal who’s owned the V1 for a couple of years says long-term durability has been excellent. The extra lower idler here will cancel out any of the chain derailment issues some riders have had and while the first-generation lunch box rattle drove my pal a bit mad, it’s now completely solid and silent on the V2 here while still offering ample storage room.