Goodridge Hope XC-4

Advantages: Longlasting, made by a great British company
Disadvantages: Can be a tad fiddly to fit.

...I've had Hope brakes on my mountain bikes for longer than I care to remember, and I've currently got two full suspention bikes set up with Hope M4 brakes, I love the brakes, and have never had a problem with the Hope pads, so I've always stuck with them. I live and ride in South Wales, where it's wet, rocky and more gritty than muddy. I always stick to the sintered pads, and make sure I bed them in properly before I take them out on their first ride. In summer, when it's a little dryer, I've even got a loop I use to specifically bed my pads in (how sad am I?). But it's worth it, as when bedded in properly, the pads last for many, many months before they need changing. Which is good, as although changing the pads isn't difficult, I more often than not, find it a bit of a faff. The pads aren't cheap, coming in around the £12 mark... Read review

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Advantages: Smooth, Well built, Lightweight
Disadvantages: Very loud when freewheeling, Difficulty fitting cassette

...The Hope XC is another one of the Lancastrian firm's well built bits of metal. Just fiddling with a hub which isn't built into a wheel gives a feeling of quality. The hub is sturdily made, but without being heavy. Spinning the axle in your fingers is a joy. Smooth. Furthermore, Hope's use of cartridge bearings means that the hub body itself has no bearing tracks, so when the bearings fail, there's no need to scrap the rest of the hub. Moving on to the customary twirling of the freehub (I know people who don't ride are reading this too, so just for you, it's the bit that makes the "Ticky ticky ticky" noise) it feels positive and similarly well built. In use when freewheeling it is really, really loud. I don't find this a problem, but apparently it annoys the people that I ride with, and I know of at least one other owner... Read review

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Advantages: Super strong and light, sealed bearings means it will work forever
Disadvantages: 20mm axle means it wont work on all forks

...Another excellent product from the Hope range. The hub is perfect for all types of riding, its light enough for xc riders and also strong enough for the downhill riders. It runs on sealed cartridge bearings that are easily changeable, instructions can be found on the Hope website. The hub body is made of cnc'd aluminum so its light and still strong. It also has the standard 6-bolt disc mount so its compatible with all brake systems. The 20mm axle means it creates a very stiff wheel and front end of the bike that will take all abuse. It comes in all the standard hope colours so you can easily match it to you colour scheme. A superb hub well worth the money, it will last forever... Read review

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