Hope Pads Mono Mini

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: Stops well, works in mud, doesn't fade
Disadvantages: Can be a little trying to get fitted correctly, can be noisy at times

..., complete with photos and exploded diagrams which goes into more detail on the Mini. With the brake happily sitting on the front of my bike, time for a ride. At first, braking is a bit dodgy, and you wonder why you spent all this money on something that doesn't really work. At this point it's worth remembering that both rotor and pads are brand new and haven't done a day's work in their lives. Get them both worn in a bit, and the power is where you need it. The lever feels a little strange at first. It turned out this was due to the reach that I had setup on it. Whip out the allen keys, quick tweak and we're sorted. Easy to control and it feels good and positive. Speaking of controllability, the brake is an open system design. I don't understand all the technical details of this (although if you're that interested, Hope's website... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent stopping power, good feedback, ouses quality
Disadvantages: None

...from a little bit and it is only a little bit when the discs are wet, but this is hardly noticable,I have not noticed any problems when the brakes get hot and have not found any fade either. There is no adjusting of the pad gap as the pads are wearing down as the Hope mini's are self adjusting and I have found this to work excellent. I cannot recommend these brakes enough, they ouse quality, they also look fantastic as well. If you are in the market for a brake upgrade then buy the Hope Mini's you will not be dissapointed.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful