We’ve always liked Hope hubs for their durability and easy servicing. Dymag’s full carbon clinchers are built on Hope’s latest RS Monos, with a spectacularly loud freehub.
- Highs: Top hubs, standard parts
- Lows: Crosswind behaviour
Spoke tensions weren’t especially even, but standard J-bend spokes and sensible external brass nipples mean repairs are cheap and straightforward, and the hubs can be re-used when the rims wear out. The rather old-school rim section is quick enough in a straight line but twitchy in crosswinds. Braking is grabby, but we didn’t have Dymag’s recommended pads, so we’ll reserve judgement.
Authors
Matthew Loveridge (formerly Allen) is an experienced mechanic and an expert on bike tech who appreciates practical, beautifully-engineered things. Originally a roadie, he likes bikes and kit of every stripe, and he's tested a huge variety of both over the years for BikeRadar, Cycling Plus and others. For a long time Matthew's heart belonged to the Scott Addict, but he's currently enjoying Specialized's sublime Roubaix Expert and having a torrid affair with a Giant Trance e-MTB. At 174cm tall and 53kg, he looks like he should be better at cycling than he actually is, and he's ok with that.
