HOPE RX4+ DISC CALLIPERS

Solid road and ’cross 4-piston callipers

With over 25 years’ experience of designing, building and developing its hydraulic discbrake systems for mountain bikes, Hope is targeting road, cyclo-cross and gravel bikes with the RX4+ hydraulic disc callipers.

To simplify your decision-making, the RX4+ callipers are compatible with all common Shimano, Campagnolo and SRAM drop-bar hydraulic brake levers. Because Shimano and Campagnolo systems use mineral oil, and SRAM brakes use dot fluid, Hope makes callipers specific to each type, with a useful letter ‘M’ or ‘D’ etched on to the Bore Cap.

The callipers are CNC machined from solid 2014 T6 aluminium in Hope’s Barnoldswick factory, and come in six colours. Versions for either post-mount and flatmount set-ups accept 140mm, 160mm and 180mm rotors.

Each calliper comes with two pairs of Hope brake pads, recommended for road and gravel use, a calliper bleed kit, and the necessary fittings for your frame and brake line, plus instructions. Including pads and spring, our Flat Mount Front +20mm calliper (for 160mm rotor) weighed 119g, and the Flat Mount Rear 101g, which are both lighter than Shimano’s GRX400 callipers. Their cost puts them between Shimano’s Ultegra and Dura-Ace, and similar to SRAM’s Red callipers.

The RX4+ is termed a monobloc design, because it’s formed from a single piece of aluminium, making it far stiffer than a twopart calliper and allowing its four pistons to squeeze the pads firmly and squarely against the rotor every time. Despite weeks of roadand off-road muck and grime regularly coating just about everything, the brakes kept working well. Brake rub is a rarity, occurring only when water or liquid temporarily fills the gap.

Brake feel via Shimano’s excellent GRX levers is at least on a par with any road disc brake, with superb fine control and phenomenal power when needed. Whether on tarmac, gravel or wet trails, the RX4+ gives enormous confidence, and pad wear is no worse than its rivals.