These Hope Pro3 SP (straight pull) hubs were spotted back at the Core bike show late last year. Hope has yet to release them as stand-alone products, instead choosing to sell them only as complete wheel builds.
No worries there, as the straight pull hubs use quality DT spokes laced to eyeleted 32-hole DT Swiss 4.2D rims. The whole lot weighs in at 1,620g, right in the ball park for XC racers (about 200g less than the same wheels with Pro2 hubs).
Certainly it's XC racers who'll be first in line for these wheels, although that might be underselling them a bit, as in the two months we've been running this set they've proved to be more than a match for some real rough and tumble riding on our resident 6in travel all-mountain bike. The Titanium nitride-coated alloy cassette body uses four pawls (like the Pro2) to solidly engage, although next to some of the instant clutch hubs we've ridden there's a little rotation prior to pick-up (but not more than any Shimano freehub for example).
There are five bearings, all INA German-made jobs, for smooth performance and long service life. But getting bogged down in the technical aspects of these reliable, well-sealed wheels is to miss the key attraction: the frankly astonishingly beautiful CNC machine work that goes into each Pro3 hub shell. Beauty, light weight, high strength and durability and solid performance... What more could you want from a wheel?