Review | Hope Union TC & GC Pedals

When the Hope Union pedals rolled into Flow HQ, they definitely grabbed our attention as CNC machined bodies and bold colours make quite the statement. They look great; but it was getting them under our feet that made us really fall in love. We found them to be extremely well designed, durable, serviceable and most importantly, high performing. They’re a pedal that can be finely tuned, allowing for multiple variables to be tweaked in favour of personal preference.

Below we’ll take a closer look at each of these features and why we’ve enjoyed them so much. We’ll also dive into the similarities and differences of the two models we’ve been testing. Those being, the Union TC (trail/ enduro) and the Union GC (Enduro/ DH) pedals.

Hope Union TC and the Union GC key features

Pedal Body and Axle:

Both the Union TC and Union GC have fully CNC machined bodies. When you’ve got these in your hand you can really see their craftsmanship and feel their quality. Running through the body is a high-strength Cr-Mo, heat treated and plated axle (Titanium axle upgrades are available). Building on that is a system that operates on three cartridge bearings and an IGUS bush which makes for a mega solid and smooth pedal. Throughout the testing period there has been absolutely no play, nor signs of any to come soon! Durability is something Hope prides itself on and it seems that the Union pedals fit the bill on that front.

Similar construction found in both the GC & TC.

Pedals that are easily serviceable will always get a tick from us.

If you did need to service these pedals, all the parts are easily accessible and replaceable by the consumer, with the exception of the clip mechanism itself, which is only serviced in-house by the Hope technicians. To be completely honest, you probably wouldn’t want to do this yourself anyway, and it’s something we see as unlikely or a ‘once in a blue moon’ necessity in any case.

Cleat and Clip Mechanism:

Hope uses its own mechanism in the Union pedals. Without any particular thought of foot placement, we were easily able to clip into them. In most cases, just stepping on the pedal will activate the mechanism. There is no need to nose in the cleat or enter at a certain angle. Once you’re in the pedals, there are a few adjustments that can be made to personalise how the pedal operates.

To manage the tension of the clip, there is an allen key adjustment on the mechanism. It’s similar to Shimano’s SPD system, however Hope’s are easier to reference position. With other systems, like Shimano’s, you have to count the clicks or allen key rotations to know where you are at. The Unions have clear markings showing how tight the system is. This is a small detail but it made setup and experimenting with settings an absolute breeze.

The markings on the mechanism really help to setup the spring tension accurately.

You can also adjust the feel of the pedal by changing the cleat. Both pedals come with two sets of cleats. You can choose from 4°or 5° of float and 12° or 13° release angle respectively. Both cleats also allow 2mm of lateral (side to side) float. The cleats are stainless steel so they are durable and should last a significant amount of time.

Hope Union Platform and Support

Both pedals have a generous platform and provide a significant amount of contact with the shoe whilst clipped in. It’s a bit of a pet hate of ours when platform pedals don’t actually make contact with the shoe. You might be surprised how often this happens. Whether you want the larger surface area of the GC’s will come down to personal preference, but we found the lighter TC’s to provide more than enough support. The GC’s are definitely aimed at the DH scene where maximum support is beneficial, despite the slight weight penalty.

The Union TC and Union GC pedals both come with pins and spacing to again adjust for personal preference. The GC’s have a neat feature where you can run no pins, replaced by a traction pad that provides solid contact with the shoe but a little less bite than the pins. We (our shins) appreciated this feature, it’s a nice middle ground.

The traction pad (GC model only) is a neat option if you don’t want to run pins.

Shoe Interface:

To ensure these pedals work with all shoes, they come with a nifty cleat spacer guide. You place the guide into the cleat box of your shoe and it’ll suggest what size spacer to use. This guarantees the distance from the cleat, shoe and pedal are optimised. All the different spacer sizes are included too. Less time fiddling with settings and more time on the trails is always a yes from us!

Included is a cleat guide as well as all the respective spaces should you need them.

Flow’s Verdict

One comment we got a lot on the trails was about the price of these pedals. Yes, they are on the more exy end of the spectrum, but we see plenty of bang for your buck with Hope. Invest in some Unions and you’ll get a durable, fully serviceable, highly adjustable (all the “ables”) pedal with the performance to match. If you are particular about your setup or don’t want to service your pedals regularly we’d recommend the Unions. An all round great pedal.