If the wife tuts and says its up to you .. is that a yes or a warning ?
That is a big fat "YES" in my book.
(but don't be surprised if she wants something expensive in the future)
Bike Forum
PSA 'Bargain' Hope HB160
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Posted 13 hours ago #
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I mean it's exclusive and looks alright, fair enough, but all of the proprietary bits and the already out of date geo for £5k? No thanks.
Posted 13 hours ago # -
Out of date geometry...?!
^^^ Yes
^^^ No
Posted 12 hours ago # -
wife has already suggested I treat myself as I work hard for what I earn. I really like the idea of owning one of those. However, it would mean two very similar bikes so the sensible part of my brain is saying no.
Posted 12 hours ago # -
Out of date geometry...?!
Depends on your frame of reference:
^^^Yes
^^^No
Posted 12 hours ago # -
Yeah,i dont quite get the love for this bike.
Sure itll be quite exclusive,but a stack load of proprietry parts (much worse than specialized in this respect), quite dated geometry, its relatively heavy,and its still quite pricey,although a lot more competetive now.
Posted 12 hours ago # -
I've worked in composites for about fifteen years or so and I can't believe how cheap they are doing it for. You just can't compare it to mass produced brands like Santa Cruz or whoever. It's the production processes and quality control that is the major cost along with skilled, educated labour.
Posted 12 hours ago # -
Could it be that they underestimated the sales so the tooling and development costs are now spread out over more bikes and they are passing that back to ALL the customers rather than just the new ones? If they had just discounted it now then they may well have put off the off the original buyers who were early adopters and probably more likely to buy their stuff in future from investing in their products in future.
Well played Hope.
I really hope this is right, for all that the geometry is undoubtedly conservative (/dated), I really admire Hope for investing the massive amount of time and money that it must have taken to get this bike to market.
Posted 12 hours ago # -
Isn't it only the rear hub and caliper (poss BB/crank axle length) that are Hope proprietary? Geo isn't too different to a 2016MY Spitfire, probably lighter by miles and the new price isn't too far off of a mediocre Santa Cruz/Evil/Yeti/Pivot/Intense etc.
Posted 12 hours ago # -
andyl - Member
"If the wife tuts and says its up to you .. is that a yes or a warning ?
That is a big fat "YES" in my book.(but don't be surprised if she wants something expensive in the future)"
She just has ... Towbar and Thule rack for her car ...
Posted 12 hours ago # -
At that price I would be tempted to cash all my other bikes in if they made it a bit longer.
Posted 12 hours ago # -
There’s very little wrong with the geometry that wouldn’t be helped by chopping 50-75mm off all the seat tube towers, renaming the current sizes XS, S and M, and adding some larger sizes.
I think £5500 for a European made composite bike is incredible. Look at the prices for Unno, Antidote, Robotbike and Arbr - almost as much for just a frame.
Posted 12 hours ago # -
I've worked in composites for about fifteen years or so and I can't believe how cheap they are doing it for. You just can't compare it to mass produced brands like Santa Cruz or whoever. It's the production processes and quality control that is the major cost along with skilled, educated labour.
Yep... the weaves visible as well so even more production hassle, no filling and painting and its done over here.
Posted 12 hours ago # -
She just has ... Towbar and Thule rack for her car ...
That's bike transporting stuff though so doesnt count. Now she can act as an uplift service for you and your HB160
Posted 11 hours ago # -
The proprietary stuff doesnt bother me. Most of the time you upgrade TO Hope stuff so having it all on there already means no upgrading so who gives a monkeys and if anything does need replacing Hope are not going to let you down. They make it all in house and have a long history of supporting older components.
Posted 11 hours ago # -
The rear end is fantastic. Because Hope make the swingarm, hub, rotor and caliper, there's no adjustment to worry about. The caliper just bolts down in one position, the right one.
I see proprietary kit here as an advantage, but as planned obsolescence on a specialized.
Posted 11 hours ago # -
Thats the way I look at it , most of the time , parts get swapped out with Hope over time , why not just start with that from the beginning ..
Would be interested in seeing what bearings and warranty the frame has ?
Posted 10 hours ago # -
I'd love that klein
Posted 10 hours ago # -
stevedoc - Member
Thats the way I look at it , most of the time , parts get swapped out with Hope over time , why not just start with that from the beginning ..
Wouldn't want to downgrade anything on my bike to Hope tbh
Posted 10 hours ago # -
Beautiful looking Bike and the reduction in price ( and hope activley reducing it for those who have already bought one ) is amazing I think.
I do wish it was a bit longer reach wise though, it’s a lot shorter than my current bike.
Posted 8 hours ago # -
Still no bottle mount for a 5k bike. (But i admit some dont mind that missing).
Looked at the one at 18 bikes. Look nice but 5k is still a lot for a bike for me.
I'm sure there is a carbon fiber producer in notts (toray?) Hope are handy with a cnc so moulds shouldn't be to hard, the only development/ dificuly i can find is lay up blue printing & testing to make consistant and how to make the bladders. Plus auto clave costs (but i dont see many bikes needing autoclave as such more oven with pressurised bladders in a steel mould.
Posted 3 hours ago # -
I think its a cool bike for the money (now). Jeez if I could make a carbon frame with that kit for 5K in the UK I would be all over it. Just need a massive factory full of CNC machines and £500k spare first. Geo is personal, for some it will be bang on. The proprietary stuff? I guess Hope have the rep for long term support so if you want the bike its probably no big deal.
Posted 1 hour ago # -
The value is amazing considering all the parts at the cheapest you can find them for non-trade, let alone full RRP. What are top of the line 36's and X2's - £900 & £600?
Even at £5.5k it's cheaper than the top 3 most expensive Bronson builds on the SC website, and only the top one comes with Kashima as standard.
Posted 53 minutes ago # -
I think if the geo was a bit longer with shorter seat tubes itd sell like hotcakes .
I guess thinking about it rationally it is now good value,even if still a lot of money, and the proprietary bits are mostly not the sort of thing you would upgrade at a later date - With the notable exception of the brakes , i can see being locked into hope brakes as a big problem for some.
For me its mostly the geo that is the issue.
Good on hope for doing it though, i hope they do a longrr/Lower version in tbe futurr
Posted 33 minutes ago # -
They do ride beautifully. Though I didn't spend along time on it
Geo wise I'd say it's a bit conservative but it means it's going to be spot on for less than mega death GNAR trails
Posted 3 seconds ago #
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