Emerging from humble origins in the 1980s, initially crafting tools and fixtures for local aerospace firms, Hope Technologies swiftly pivoted into the cycling arena after being disappointed in the performance of cantilever brakes on mountain bikes. Today, Hope is renowned for its premium machined aluminium products and dazzling anodized finishes.
Meticulously machined from billet aluminium and incorporating a replaceable sealed cartridge bearing, the Hope Dropper Lever reaffirms this legacy of quality and craftsmanship, with some nifty features sprinkled on top.
It bolts directly to the master cylinder of Hope’s own brakes via the direct shifter mount, and is compatiable with SRAM’s Matchmaker. For those with neither of the above, plenty of bar clamps are available from other manufacturers that are compatible with the Matchmaker mount.
The main lever body is available in either black or silver, with colour accent options of black, silver, bronze, purple, red, blue or orange.
We have paired this stunning piece of jewellery with the recently launched OneUp v3 dropper on our Specialized Levo SL test bike, with the combination working flawlessly together as expected. The lever action is smooth and precise, and the precision machining on the thumb paddle provides a positive tactile actuation.
The Hope Dropper Lever features independent lever reach & leverage adjustability, allowing both the position and feel to be modified. The leverage adjust results in a claimed 20% variance in lever actuation force. Increasing the leverage provides a light and responsive lever feel, and may be the antidote in overcoming the increase in cable friction on bikes with convoluted cable routing.
On the flip side, decreasing the leverage provided a quick responsive action with less lever travel. This is coupled with independent reach adjustment, allows for precise lever position to suit the largest and smallest of thumbs. It’s not something that we can see riders constantly adjusting, but appreciate the level of detail Hope have put into the design and engineering to facilitate these adjustments.
Offered in an array of vibrant colours with a replaceable bearing and a high level of adjustability, the Hope Dropper Lever is nothing short of engineering excellence. While it may seem elaborate to some, it’s a classy match for those who appreciate Hope’s commitment to precision machining and quality construction.
