Are Hope brakes hard to bleed?

[lune ranger]

I’m in the market for my first set of hydro brakes.
I recently set up a set of Magura MT7 for a mate and the bleed was simple and easy. The brakes were also impressive if ugly and not brilliantly made.
My short list is currently either MT7, SRAM Guide somethings or Hope Tech 4 somethings.
My heart says to get Hope but my brain likes the idea of a very simple mineral oil bleed such as the Magura’s or SRAM. It looks like the Hope bleed is a messy faff using highly unpleasant DOT oil - is that a fair assumption?
Also do DOT systems require more regular bleeding than mineral oil systems?
Ta

[Bearbonesnorm]

Not at all. You don't require anything special (tool wise) to bleed Hope brakes as they're pretty much a standard motorcycle brake system in miniture. DOT fluid is corrosive but it's not as nasty as people might imagine. In my experience, they generally need bleeding less than anything else (certainly no more) and the availability of spares increases their longevity. If you can manage the additional purchase price, they're hard to beat.

[TheBrownDog]

I've been through three sets of front pads on my Hope Tech 3s and one set on the rear in about three years and they've never needed bleeding. Great brakes. I'll get another set once the Avids on my Fatty finally give up the ghost.

[Cheeky Monkey]

I've had Avid, Shimano and Hope. I would always get Hope.

Bleeding is simple (if I can do it ......) as is changing / replacing / upgrading bits.

Hope's customer service is very good. They're a UK owned and managed business (if that is important to you, and personally I like that fact). They aim to manufacture almost everything in house. Consequently you also get good parts availability for almost everything they've ever built and you can rebuild almost anything unlike, I hear, Shimano systems. They also never failed in an adhoc fashion like those old Avids ;-)

Nothing that horrendous about DOT IME, I'd wear gloves and avoid getting it in my eyes if using either. So long as you take to a suitable disposal point you're managing it in the best fashion, environmentally, and you'd need to do that for either. Whether one is inherently "greener" than the other IDK. Performance and longevity wise I've had no issues with the fluids.

I'm still running a set of (IIRC) their Mini brakes that I got as an upgrade on my first FS which probably makes them 20+ years. Work fine.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'm still running a set of (IIRC) their Mini brakes that I got as an upgrade on my first FS which probably makes them 20+ years. Work fine.

Yep, I've still got some Mini Mono's which must be 20 years old ... I'll get round to giving them a bleed one day

[lune ranger]

Super. Hope it is then. Thanks for the gen.

[ScotRoutes]

SRAM is also DOT fluid btw

In my experience from bike shop mechanicing, there's a very good reason Hope spares are readily available...

In any case, my suggestion would be that you get a test ride on a bike with the brakes you are considering. They can feel completely different to what you're used to. For instance, many like the "progressive" nature of Hopes whereas others prefer the "snappy" Shimano action. Neither is "right", it's personal choice.

[Cheeky Monkey]

I'm still running a set of (IIRC) their Mini brakes that I got as an upgrade on my first FS which probably makes them 20+ years. Work fine.

Yep, I've still got some Mini Mono's which must be 20 years old ... I'll get round to giving them a bleed one day

My pre-date the "mono" redesign

[whitestone]

I’ve got X3s on both the Solaris and the Spearfish. 4 & 5 years respectively. Not had to bleed either sets. The Solaris used to have Shimano XT but I swapped them for the Hopes when I got the micro-fracture problem with the pistons/callipers.

The Hope Minis on my old Marin Mount Vision are still going strong after 20 years.

As Colin notes, they are more progressive than Shimano brakes, which is better is down to personal preference. They used to be much more expensive than Shimano but that gap has narrowed in the last few years.

[Lazarus]

As above dead easy to bleed and still using some Mono minis which i bled last week for the first time in probably 8 years or so
Its simple [ as indeed are Avid road ones - not tried the MTB version yet]
Spares are available unlike Shimano where you have to get new lever of caliper and i have rebuilt a calliper and a lever at some point but it was years ago

Do agree with trying brakes as some are more bitey and some more progressive - mine are obviously less powerful than my newer brakes - not tried new hopes as hope stuff refuses to break [ or can be repaired if it does]

[redefined_cycles]

Super. Hope it is then. Thanks for the gen.

If no has said it already. Don't forget to spill water around anywhere the dot went. It denatures it... so renders uncorrosive.

[fatbikephil]

Shimano brakes are hard to bleed.....
Mine are on the blink again so seriously thinking of going back to Hope. I do like the bang on brake feel of the Shimanos. Dot 5.1 isn't as bad as Dot 4 but I always seemed to end up with it spraying all over the place when ever I did a brake bleed. It is nice to be able to do them like motorbike brakes though.

Singletrack bikes seem to be the cheapest on the net for Hope just now.

[Mart]

I’ve bled mine on the fly outside Halfords Aberystwyth on one of the bearbones events
From Memory the bleed nipple came loose due to a branch.
Solved the problem with simple tools