Preview: Hope Tech M4 Brakes 2009
For 2009, Hope designed a new brake lever as well as a revised M4 brake caliper. The Tech M4 brake set according to Hope is designed for Trail / Enduro and All Mountain riding but also have some Freeride / Downhill capability. The new Tech lever, paired with the new M4 brake caliper represents a brake that can be used by a wide range of riders with the added adjustability and power they desire. Read inside for the rundown on the features of the Hope Tech M4 brakes.
The new Tech brake lever features a lot of changes from previous Hope levers. First off, the Tech lever is ambidextrous so you can flip-flop the lever to your hearts content. It makes setup and exchanging much simpler as there is only one lever and not a specific left or right lever.
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The lever (and all Hope parts really) is CNC’ed from solid billet 2014 T6 in Barnoldswick, England and features a split clamp.
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The piston is redesigned as well as the lever and pivot assembly. The lever no longer features a nut & bolt setup and secures the lever much better to the brake body. It helps remove any play in the brake lever and gives these new Tech levers a solid feel.
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The Tech lever also features external adjusters that are easy to turn and adjust to your hearts content. The bite point, and reach adjust are externally adjustable without the need for any tools.
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Hope also sells two different replaceable matchmaker type mounts to let you mount SRAM shifters (x.9 / x.0), or soon to be released Shimano (Saint / XT) style shifters to directly to the brake lever. This gives some better compatibility of shifter placement should the standard clamping systems not give you an ideal position. These mounts fit their Tech brakes, as well as X2, M4, and V2’s.
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For brake housing, Goodridge stainless steel braided hose or hi tensile polyester reinforced lines are available on the Tech M4 brakes.
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The M4 caliper while looking similar, is also revised. The one piece CNC’ed machined caliper is also made from 2014 T6 aluminum. All 4 pistons in the caliper now have the same 16mm diameter instead of different sizes for the trailing / leading pistons. Hope feels that it gives more usable power to the M4 brake system.
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The caliper also has and adjustable banjo so you can orient the brake hose to your ideal position. Pad changes are easy and top loading.
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Bleeding the Tech M4 is pretty easy as well. The Tech lever features double sided reservoir lid for bleeding on either side. Hope has new tutorial videos like Bleeding Tech M4’s in their technical section on their website that are worth checking out.
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The Hope floating rotors have a great look to them and are pretty lightweight. They have a stainless steel braking surface riveted to an aluminum central carrier. In addition to saving a little bit of weight, they also claim that the floating setup helps when the rotors heat up (expand) and cool (contract). They are available in 140mm, 160mm, 183mm, and 203mm (the aluminum carrier also is available in their full color range).
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Weight:
| Manufacturer | Model | Year | Real(g) | Desc. | Pic. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hope | Tech M4 (950mm hose) |
2009
|
278 |
 |
 |
| Hope | Tech M4 (1500mm hose) |
2009
|
290 |
|
|
| Hope | 183mm floating rotor |
2009
|
147 |
|
|
| Hope | 160mm floating rotor |
2009
|
89 |
|
|
| Hope | 183mm post mount front |
2009
|
22 |
|
|
| Hope | 160mm rear IS adapter |
2009
|
22 |
|
|
| Hope | caliper / adapter bolts (2) |
2009
|
14 |
|
|
| Hope | Torx rotor bolts (6) |
2009
|
13 |
|
|
Price: MSRP for the Tech M4’s starts at $282
- floating rotor options available
- all rotor sizes and adapter are also available 140mm / 160mm / 183mm / 203mm
- $28.50 for the SRAM or Shimano mounts
Overall these brakes seem to be on the right track for Hope. The external adjusters and revised lever have improved a lot. We’ve taken a look at their Moto V2 Brakes in the past and the lever revisement’s they’ve done to the Tech M4’s are thought out well. We’ll be putting these brakes on various bikes to test out so stay tuned to read our full review once we’ve gotten ample time on them.
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Just sick brakes. Good overview also. Let us know how the noise, pump, and fade seem to be like.
yep will do!
If the Terminator were to pick a set of brakes to use, my bet is that he’d choose these.
Lighter than juicy 7 and they must have more power…. pretty CNC
They’re awesome brakes. I have a set on my Intense M3 and had to change my riding style because braking mid corner is no longer an option, they slow you down too much! So strong!
I had the old Mono M4s on my bike, and the new Tech levers feel much nicer. The lever adjusments are a doddle to use and allow you to fine tune the position and feel of the braking. Deffinately recommend them.
The new levers are also a bit lighter than old ones, just to add some more pros!
FINALLY! These look perfect….if the shakedown is good I’m slappin’ some on!