Hope Tech Xc - Pro 4 Trials/single Speed 29 Inches Wheelset Reviews
In today's very toll focussed marketplace, wheel brands are increasingly existence pushed difficult to deliver more than for less, driving the sticker price down to appeal to those who buy with their head rather than their heart. Nosotros all know nosotros tin can't have something for nothing and often compromises have been made in the specification. The wheels are often disregarded, yet crucial for how a bike feels and holds upwards. Is the Hope Tech XC wheelset a worthy upgrade?
A fancy drivetrain and fork certainly helps when selling a bike, but the all important wheels are often the first to suffer from penny pinching by brands. Inexpensive wheels can ruin the handling of a good cycle, leaving it feeling amorphous, lumbering and unresponsive (this is especially true of 29ers), and often a wheel upgrade will transform the ride. We have been testing the €526 Hope Tech XC wheelset to see how this (relatively) affordable 29er wheelset handles some rough use.
The Tech Xc wheelset is Hope's lightest factory wheelset, using Sapim Race / Sprint spokes they counterbalance in at 1741 chiliad for the set. Although not the lightest Hope claim that their 19.five mm internal width welded and eyeleted T6 6056 Aluminium rims are some of the stiffest on the market place, and their rugged Pro EVO (now fitted with Pro 4 EVO) hubs have been tried and tested in the field with great success. The Tech XC'south are available in all three bike sizes and the EVO hubs allow about any axle configuration to be accommodated.
Riding the Promise Tech 90 Wheelset
After over 1000 km the Hope Tech Xc wheels are soldiering on well. From experience of other Hope wheelsets under test we know that the Promise Pro 2 EVO hubs are only only getting into their stride, and as expected nosotros have not encountered any reliability bug. It would be nicer to have a faster engagement pickup, only this has now been achieved with Hopes's latest Pro 4 hubs, at present fitted as standard. The rims themselves have proven solid in some quite surprising terrain. The xix.5 mm internal width is a trivial skinny by todays standards, but holds a 2.35 inch tyre well enough every bit long as you don't go besides extreme with low pressures (where the tyre starts to tuck under a picayune). For fast trail centre blasting they are perfect.
We have been very impressed with the strength and stiffness of the wheel, specially in the 29er size. On difficult berms and compressions we didn't experience any feeling of the rim folding over, or the musical 'plinking' of spokes moving around that is all too common in weaker rims, simply accurate and precise steering. We pushed the wheels in terrain that would certainly exist defined every bit 'enduro' and they held upwardly surprisingly well, and afterwards a couple of days battering through rock gardens all they needed was a few tweaks to bring them back to truthful. On that note, the eyeletted T-6056 Aluminium rim makes truing the rim a cakewalk and it'due south very easy to accomplish even tension on the black Sapim Race / Sprint double butted stainless steel spokes and solid contumely nipples.
If you lot similar a loud free hub you will love the Pro two EVO (and the new Pro 4 EVO now fitted) equally it'southward ridiculously vocal, hikers and wildlife will spring for cover as you buzz loudly downwards the trail, sounding like a hornet stuck in a megaphone. The freehub is also really like shooting fish in a barrel to service and begetting and bound changes are well within the realms of an ambitious home mechanic, specially as spare parts are bachelor from all good bicycle shops,
Conclusion
So not just for XC weight weenies then! If you have inexpensive OEM wheels on your cycle, particularly 29 ers, and do non need a wide rim, the Hope Tech XC Pro 2 EVO wheels volition be a expert upgrade. Stiff and strong they offer precise treatment and reliability at a very affordable price signal. The new Pro 4 EVO hub brings improvements in engagement speed without any increment in price and you can fifty-fifty cull your hub colour. Heavier or more aggressive riders, or those who love low pressures should look towards the wider and stronger (admitting heavier) Hope Tech ENDURO wheelset, but for riders focussing more than on high speed trail fun, and who don't need to run huge tyres, the Tech 90 wheels volition advantage with rapid acceleration and precise treatment.
For more than information check out the HOPE website
Words and photos: Trev Worsey
About the author
Trevor loves adventure. Whisky, riding his bike and everything in betwixt. Though he was born in England, he believes he should accept been Scottish. Too being accustomed to bad weather he'southward a specialist when it comes to steep and demanding trails. Once, he was in honey with competition and raced in the early on years of the EWS, but now, at 41-years-old, he no longer has anything to prove. Nonetheless, demonstrating that you lot can teach an old dog new tricks, he continues to hold his ain confronting the wild and fearless youth. As a reminder of his new role as a father, the words "Think about Beck." (his son) are inscribed on his top tube as a gentle alarm against unruly riding. Together with his young family and two crazy dogs, you will nigh e'er find him outdoors. Whether it'due south teaching Brook to ride trails, hammering out gravel loops, surfing, skiing or boating, he'll be there no matter the conditions, like a true Scotsman.
Source: https://enduro-mtb.com/en/hope-tech-xc-wheelset-review/
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