It's been a long time in the making, but now it's finally here: Hope has released their much-anticipated crank. In typical Hope fashion, the product was conceived to solve a specific set of problems and to address what Hope felt is a shortcoming of some other crank designs. The process took quite a long time, but Hope are never ones to be rushed, and our initial impressions are of a well-rounded and competitive product.
What was Hope working on all this time? Aside from optimizing the forging, profile, and machining to deliver a light yet strong crank (rated from XC to DH use), Hope also focused on the crank arm to axle interface. Hope claims that traditional splined axles are prone to wear over time and tend to develop slop at the interface (something we have indeed experienced ourselves), especially after removing and reinstalling the cranks a few times. To overcome this issue, Hope designed a splined axle that expands from the inside to ensure a snug and secure fit with the crank arm.
The final product is a departure from the near-final prototypes we saw at Eurobike, which sported a polygon type arm-axle interface. Clearly Hope felt that the expanding spline offered up the best solution in light of the required characteristics and settled on this design for the production version. We are currently putting a pair through a little winter sludge and will report back shortly with the results.
Black crank arms with a black spider are available immediately. Red, blue, silver, gunsmoke and purple options (both for crank arms and spiders) will follow in March. Chainrings are only offered in black, gold, and silver (the hard anodizing used for chainrings is more consistent in these colors).
More information atwww.hopetech.com.
Danimal5-0
1/16/2015 12:08 PM
Capricorn
1/16/2015 7:04 AM
iceman2058
1/16/2015 8:16 AM
DubC
1/16/2015 1:17 PM
iceman2058
1/16/2015 2:03 PM
Capricorn
1/17/2015 12:11 AM
your rhetorical question is answered in the first line. Are you an engineer with them? Also, how can short term testing of a new design prove anything against a DIN standard that's been field tested for decades now? Your statement about being removed many times and perform well blah blah almost sounds like saying the DIN polygon design has flaws in those areas? How does a patent cost versus using a DIN standard? it adds to the bill.
I personally almost dont care which way Hope went, but it is a curious deviation from what was previously seen, and frankly, I've yet to hear a compelling reason for the change given the benefits of the polygon design. Before you wind yourself up again, i'll say it again: the overall package looks a good product, so its not berating Hope in any way.
iceman2058
1/17/2015 2:30 AM
Danimal5-0
1/16/2015 6:58 AM
I would be interested to know what kind off b.b. they use. Not compatible with any other b.b., IE: KING?
The E13 cranks use the same size spindle and their b.b. is an f ing joke, lasting about five rides before the bearings start binding. E13 has been good to me, replacing the b.b. at no cost each time I call, but I just want to be able to run a BB that will last.
What bearings do they run on?
iceman2058
1/16/2015 8:31 AM
Danimal5-0
1/16/2015 11:54 AM
iceman2058
1/16/2015 12:35 PM
DubC
1/16/2015 1:24 PM
DubC
1/16/2015 1:22 PM
Carraig042
1/16/2015 6:15 AM
bizutch
1/16/2015 6:03 AM
Reinforcer
1/16/2015 4:02 AM
iceman2058
1/16/2015 4:35 AM
Reinforcer
1/16/2015 4:58 AM
b-kul
1/16/2015 11:45 AM
Ploutre
1/16/2015 5:52 AM
Yes but the thing is that you can't really find sales on Hope parts while you'll easily find prices with -50% on SRAM/Shimano/RF products, which make them much more competitive price wise.
The product may be extremely good, but I think they went bonkers on the price :/
dirty booger
1/16/2015 3:48 PM
Yes, but the high end cranks form those mfgs (except maybe e*13), do not use 2D forged alloy arms.
This crank is very similar to RaceFace Turbine Cinch, which is half the price.
Seems the only thing "high end" about the Hope crank is the price!
And usually the reason why a mfg makes design changes (new spindle interface), is because the original design would not pass testing. You don't make huge changes late in the development process just to "do something different", that is ridiculous.
kc358
1/17/2015 8:38 AM
iceman2058
1/17/2015 10:02 AM
MSRPs within the group I referred to:
XTR single ring crankset: ~$400
SRAM X01 DH crankset: ~ $400
e*thirteen LG1R, crank arms only: $449
e*thirteen TRS crankset with direct mount chainring (AM rated only): $496
Race Face SixC crankset with direct mount ring: ~$660
The value leader right now for sure seems to be the Race Face Turbine Cinch, which we gave a full 5 stars to when we tested it, and which can indeed be found for well under $300 with the chainring.
Reinforcer
1/17/2015 5:10 PM