All Hope everything - almost, the trail bike "Made in UK": Testing the Hope HB.130

Anyone who deals with the subject of bike parts should definitely know Hope. The UK parts forge from Barnoldswick, just north of Manchester, has created a broad fan base in the bike scene over the years through its milling skills. Known for the finest CNC aluminum parts, there was of course a big surprise in the scene when Hope presented a carbon frame in 2017 with the HB.160. But the connection is obvious. For the production of carbon parts or frames, molds are required, which are usually milled from aluminum. With know-how in the field of carbon processing, Hope can produce carbon frames according to their credo "Made in Barnoldswick". British Cycling also relied on the futuristic Hope HB.T. track bike. from Barnoldswick and was able to win some medals.

With the Hope HB.130, a modern trail bike with a carbon frame was presented last year. We were able to test the HB.130 extensively and give you an insight into how the UK trail bike performs on the trails in the Bavarian Forest.

Hope HB.130 – frame and geometry

Fans of the art of milling can breathe a sigh of relief. The frame of the HB.130 is not made entirely of carbon. The main frame made of carbon is supplemented by an aluminum rear triangle. But Hope wouldn't be Hope if a standard rear triangle were installed here. The components for the rear end were deliberately given a striking CNC milling treatment. In addition, the rear end does not require any welds at all, as the parts are plugged into one another and glued. This is not only visually beautiful but also ensures a stiff and light rear end. A shapely protection made of plastic is attached to the chainstay so that it is not maltreated by the chain. The first version of the Hope Bike used its own rear triangle standard. A 17 mm axle with a width of 130 mm should ensure more rigidity and robustness, as well as advantages when driving due to the less protruding rear. But for reasons of compatibility, Hope moved away from this and put the frame on the Boost standard in 148 x 12 mm. This means that any wheel with a Boost standard can be mounted on the Hope bike and, according to Hope, the performance remains the same.

Not much can be said about the paint quality on the Hope - the rear end is anodised in elegant black and the frame triangle only needs a little clear paint to fix the logos. The carbon fibers are processed into one piece at the finest "Made in the UK" and under the touch of clear coat you can only see perfectly processed carbon. Nowadays, carbon manufacturers mainly rely on mats with unidirectional carbon mats, carbon mats with the typical carbon structure are installed on the carbon monocoque main frame. From a purely technical point of view, it shouldn't make much of a difference, it's more of a visual story. In our opinion, the classic look of the carbon main frame harmonises well with the CNC-milled rear end. The main frame and rear triangle should not only harmonize well optically, the rigidity of the main frame and the slightly softer aluminum rear triangle should also work well together on the trail.

The HB.130 rear end is a typical four-bar linkage and is designed for 29 inch wheels with 130 mm rear travel, but the bike can also be ridden in a mullet setup with a 27,5″ rear wheel using an exchangeable linkage. With this conversion, the spring travel at the rear increases to 140 mm. The geometry can be changed in 2 positions via a flip chip on the shock mount of the rear triangle. This also changes the characteristics of the rear triangle a bit by making it a bit more progressive in the "low" setting.

In order to have fun with the frame in the long term, special attention was paid to ease of maintenance. When it comes to hardware, too, Hope leaves nothing to chance and manufactures most of it itself in the hallowed CNC halls. If there is something wrong with the frame, Hope grants a lifetime guarantee to the first owner.

The frame set is available in sizes M, L and XL. And according to Hope, it should fit riders with a height of 165 cm - 195 cm. The geometry on the Hope HB.130 goes in a modern direction without becoming too extreme. As already mentioned, the geometry can be adjusted by half a degree via a flip chip. The low setting is aimed more at riders who like to accelerate downhill and ride playfully. The high setting is intended to appeal more to riders who value good all-round qualities. In the low setting, the head angle is 66,5° and the seat angle is between 76,2° and 75,2°, depending on size. In High mode, these angles steepen by half a degree. At 469,5 mm, the reach is in the range of modern trail bikes. The chainstays are designed to be short at 435 mm for more manoeuvrability. Overall, the geometry of the HB.130 is modern but not too extreme, which will benefit a wide range of riders.

Hope HB.130 Equipment

The Hope HB.130 can be purchased as a frame set for around €4240 and set up as you wish. As a complete bike, the Hope HB.130 achieves a level of vertical integration that hardly any other mountain bike on the market can match. The frame, stem, handlebars, brakes, wheels, saddle clamp, headset and cranks including crank and chainring (300 € surcharge on the standard XO1 crank) come from the legendary CNC forge in Barnoldswick. Usually, most parts from Hope come in up to seven different anodized colors, you can also choose the colors for the parts for the HB.130 and also choose the colors of the frame hardware to match. Our test bike was almost a bit boring with the all-black look, but black always works. If you like it more colourful, you can definitely let off steam here.

In detail, the Hope Tech 3 E4 four-piston brakes with 180 mm floating discs are installed in the brakes. The reach and pressure point of the brake can be individually adjusted on the brake lever. The proven Hope Pro4 Boost hubs and Fortus rims with an internal width of 26 mm are used for the wheels. This should be sufficient for the tire combination of Minion DHF and DHR in 2,5″ at the front and 2,3″ at the rear. Other Fortus rims with a wider rim profile can be selected as an option. The 800 mm wide Hope carbon handlebar with 35 mm clamping dimension is installed to match the carbon main frame.

When it comes to the chassis, Hope leaves nothing to chance and relies on a Fox Factory chassis. A 36 mm fork with Grip2 damping is installed at the front. At the rear there is a Fox DPX2 damper with 3-way adjustable low-speed compression, which allows you to tune the damper tightly for uphills. A Fox Transfer post with an adjustment range of 150 mm is installed to match the Fox Kashima look.

Shifting is done with the Sram X01 group with 12 gears and a 10-52 cassette for sufficient gear range. Hope's Matchmaker clamp, which combines shift and brake levers on the handlebars, is a nice solution here. An SDG Radar is installed in the Hope Edition as a saddle. And the grips come with the Deathgrips from DMR. With this setup, the bike weighs a total of 13,9 kg in size L and without pedals, which is definitely acceptable for robust and powerful equipment. Hoses were installed on the test bike. With a conversion to tubeless you can definitely get a few more grams and also improve the performance.

Our test bike came standard with a Hope crank upgrade and costs €7860. Of course, that's not necessarily cheap, but if you look at the current market and the high degree of vertical integration "Made in the UK", you can call the price tag fair, also with regard to the top equipment. If that's not enough, the bike can be upgraded with wireless Sram AXS gears, Santa Cruz Reserve carbon rims or an Öhlins chassis.

Hope HB.130 - On the trail

Can the Hope HB.130 join the ranks of powerful trail bikes? We took it extensively to our home trails in the Bavarian Forest. The first basic setup for the bike was found quickly and the first seat test was positive. A 35 mm stem was installed on the test bike, here we would probably prefer the 50 mm stem. But that is a matter of taste and also depends on the proportions of the driver. Otherwise everything feels very consistent.

As soon as you turn the crank and play with it on the way to the trail, you notice that you are dealing with a very stiff, but also playful chassis. If you go uphill on gravel roads, the rear end wobbles a bit. But no problem, with a quick grip on the damper it can be locked and the rear end becomes very drive-neutral. Due to the very stiff bottom bracket and the steep seat angle, it almost feels like an XC bike. The bike was easy to pedal even on flat transfer stages and you can also cover longer distances between the trails. When it's technically uphill, the Hope really shows its trump cards. With the combination of a balanced seating position with wide handlebars, active suspension and deep-tread Maxxis tires, technical uphill passages can be clarified almost playfully on the 52 mm blade of the Sram X01 cassette. Not at XC speed, but very controlled and safe. Only in the low setting do you have to be careful to avoid contact with the ground with the 175 mm long crank arms. Although it has to be said that we rode in the low setting most of the time because the uphill abilities were completely sufficient and the low setting promises a little more fun downhill.

Enough uphill, now it's downhill on the trail. As I said, we mostly went with the low setting and the bike really impressed us with that, even on the downhills. The balanced geometry of the HB.130 is also carried over to the trail. In high-speed passages, the bike remains extremely stable and can be ridden in a relaxed manner. If it gets a little tighter in the corners, the bike can be easily maneuvered around them. The bike also gives you the confidence you need for jumps and drops. In general, the Hope HB.130 felt like the 140/130 mm on paper needed more travel. On the one hand, the rigidity of the frame seems to be just right, because the bike held up very well in rough sections and you could pull it through stone fields like on a string. In addition, the bike reacted quickly to changes in direction by the rider and the line selection could be designed extremely precisely. The 36 mm Fox fork at the front, which harmonized well with the rest of the bike, was also a good fit. The chassis itself was perfect for the bike. We ended up with about 26% at the rear and the fork setting recommended by Fox. So the chassis was sensitive enough at the beginning, but also had enough reserves for harder hits. The stable Maxxis tires not only provided grip but also the necessary stability for harder terrain. As already mentioned, tubes were mounted on the test bike, with a tubeless setup the performance could be improved a bit. Only the 180 mm brake discs installed on the test bike at the rear and front could reach their limits with heavier riders. At least something bigger can run in front.

Overall, the bike is a real all-rounder, just like a modern trail bike should be. Of course it doesn't have the downhill reserves of an enduro, but there's quite a way to go and experienced riders will be able to rock most enduro trails with this equipment. Especially since you can kick up the bike really well and you don't necessarily have to rely on a lift. This also makes it interesting for trail-oriented touring riders, with regard to the possible high setting of the geometry. But even playful bike park shredders will have fun on the home trails with the Hope HB.130.

If we could wish for something else: dear Hope crew, make a cheaper version with somewhat simpler components and an aluminum frame. Then the Hope HB.130 might be accessible to even more bikers, because it would suit many bikers.