In today’s market the popularity of the Hope bike is increasing day by day. 

Not only between the riders has Hope also successfully built their name among the bike components maker. 

Their bike and mountain bike’s part are manufactured and designed at their own factory which is located at Barnoldswick UK.

Finally, Hope has come with their first ever on of the best mountain bike HB 160. 

HOPE owners, Ian Weatherill and the late, Simon Sharp, had always dreamed of building their own bike. 

After drawing hundreds of different sketches and renderings at Hope HQ and prototype bikes, but it wasn’t until now that they were finally ready to unleash the Beast from Barnoldswick to the public. 

According to the maker HOPE 160 is one of those bikes they always wanted to rise. Thus, they designed and constructed HB 160 according to the comfort and more importantly to them, built almost entirely in-house. 

In the below article you will get to know more about Hope HB 160’s in-depth review, manufacture, design and price and so on. 

What’s new on Hope HB 160?

Before diving into the performance of HB 160, let’s discuss on details.

Every cranny of the HB160 has been pondered over many a brew. Every part of HB 160 is designed and built at their own factory. From selecting part from a catalog to putting those in the right place Hope team had a great job.

The water transfer graphics are added before the final matte finish lacquer is applied and Cable routing is internal with 3D ports printed in-house as well.

Moving towards the frame, it is single-ring specific, with an in-built chain guide that’s compatible with 28-36t chainrings. All of the fixtures and fittings are laser etched and anodised in a choice of seven colors. Similarly, the clearance for muddy 2.5in tires, but no bottle cage mounts.

The front triangle is carbon, laid in Barnoldswick in return for British wages, safety standards and income directed into their local community.

Credit: bikemag

Now moving towards the brake of HB 160, the radial brake and mount are also Hope’s own. Both are designed to sit perpendicular to the hub. For the bike they use Tech 3 E4 brakes.  Rider can simply to add or remove spacers to raise or lower the caliper. Instead of trying to find that obscure ‘IS160 Front Old to PM203’ mount from 2003 that you need on your modern bike to upgrade the rotor by 20mm.

Coming towards the wheel, for HB 160 they uses rear hub to 130mm for better clearance through Yorkshire gritstone, though the hub flanges sit a similar width apart to a boost hub. While manufacturing space is saved bet the frame and disc and spoke angle is also symmetrical as well.

That is touted as the ultimate solution for reliable wheel building. Similarly, we can see HB 160 has 17mm instead of 12mm, which is the size of Hope hub inner bearing races, the races sit directly on the axle, instead of on spacers on the axle.

Available in all color the suspension is top-drawer: a Fox Factory Float X2 rear shock working in partnership with the powerful Fox Factory 36 Float RC2 160 mm fork, a pairing without equal. For the suspension Hope admits that all suspension is a compromise, rather than marketing they have found a perfect solution.

This time they went with a four bar, horst style link that provides fairly neutral characteristics all around. Beside that the bike has reliable and effective SRAM XX1 11-speed drivetrain and RockShox Reverb.

Credit: bikeradar.com

Adding to other’s Hope Crank, cassette, headset, stem, bar, grips, rims, hubs, and brakes all carry the Hope logo everything goes perfectly with each other. They use their own Cranks with 30mm axle, direct mount chain ring, and specific HB160 chain guide. And the quality of components and craftsmanship of bike is admirable.

There might be reason why Hope fan goes crazy under the collar, and when they hear the bike can be chosen in any of the Hope colors, including for the first time ever the super-exclusive Hope Team Green, their heads will literally explode.

Adding to other’s Hope Crank, cassette, headset, stem, bar, grips, rims, hubs, and brakes all carry the Hope logo everything goes perfectly with each other. They use their own Cranks with 30mm axle, direct mount chain ring, and specific HB160 chain guide.

And the quality of components and craftsmanship of bike is admirable. There might be reason why Hope fan goes crazy under the collar, and when they hear the bike can be chosen in any of the Hope colors, including for the first time ever the super-exclusive Hope Team Green, their heads will literally explode.

Pro and cons of Hope HB 160

As lovely as the Hope bike looks, it’s not light, with a medium frame and shock coming in at about 4kg. Considering quality the HB.160 is amazing value.

Tech 35W wheels fitted, the HB.160 feels keen and lively, which speaks volumes for the hand-laid front end and deftly-machined rear. You could spend hours looking at the beautiful chevroned fibers as well.

Pros of hope HB 160

i.          Joyful

ii.         Smooth yet agile ride

iii.        Feels keen and lively

iv.        Absolutely gorgeous to look at

v.         Great suspension

vi.        Custom colour

vii.       More component options

Cons of Hope HB 160

i.          Heavy for a semi-carbon frame

ii.         long seat tube but small/medium reach won’t suit everyone

Specifications

1.  Frameset

i.          Frame: Carbon front triangle, alloy rear triangle, internal cable routing

ii.         Fork: FOX Factory 36 Float RC2, boost, 160mm

iii.        Shock: FOX Factory Float X2, 2-position lever

2.  Wheels

i.          Hubs: Pro4 HB/110 boost

ii.         Wheels: Tech 35 W, 35mm internal width

iii.        Wheel Size: 27.5″

iv.        Spokes: Sapim Race

v.         Tires: Maxxis High Roller II 3C EXO 2.4″, tubeless

3.  Drivetrain

i.          Chain: 435mm, Top guide, direct mount, 30 tooth, spider less,

ii.         Crank: Hope

iii.        Bottom Bracket: 340mm (-15mm drop), Hope HB, 30mm

iv.        Rear Derailleur: SRAM XX1, 11-speed

v.         Shifters: SRAM XX1, 11-speed

4.  Components

i.          Brake set: Tech 3 E4, radial mounted calipers, 180mm (160mm rear on Small), Tech 3 E4

ii.         Handlebar: Hope Carbon, 780mm

iii.        Saddle; SDG Duster MTN, Ti alloy rails

iv.        Seat post: RockShox Reverb, 125mm (S), 150mm (M-XL), , Standard single bolt, , Standard single bolt

v.         Stem: Hope AM, 35mm

vi.        Grips: Hope Lock-on

vii.       Headset: Hope 1.5″ – 1-1/8″

viii.      Hubs: Hope Pro4

ix.       Rims: Hope Tech 35 W

Credit: vitalmtb

Hope HB.160 on the trail

The HB160 gets well with all types of riding and the geometry also goes well 0n the long ride. Some of the rider claimed that the geometry isn’t fully new-school.

However, after adding a degree or two to the seat tube and a couple knocked of the head tube, as well as a few more millimeters in the reach and chain-stay the bike run smoothly.

The easy-going handling and confidence ensure the HB.160 is easy to fall in love with.

The standout feature of the bike is ‘GRIP2’ damper in the Fox 36 fork which is supple yet supportive.

⏩ Read Also: Hope HB.130 Bike In-depth Review

The frame’s chunky front end keeps a grip on stiffness and accuracy. According to them the Gear shifts are cleaner and swifter with the Eagle cassette than the Hope one on previous HB.160s. Similarly, the back of the bike has amazing tracking characteristics across rough cambered ground and corners. 

 The progressive suspension allows the pilot to take commanding and aggressive approach.

Credit: wideopenmountainbike

The HB 160 is superb on corners and through compressions, and picking up speed is natural as the chassis spurs onwards. 

On the flipside, it swerves and stitches through tight corners and tweaks back on line easily, particularly at slow speeds. The geometry of the bike is good but to reach steering is short and the high seat tube makes sizing up awkward. It seems that mountain bike is designed for the long leg people.

Another interesting thing about the bike is color the color goes perfectly with the design. Even with Hope’s normally sedentary-feeling Tech 35W wheels fitted, the HB.160 feels keen and lively, which speaks volumes for the hand-laid front end and deftly-machined rear?

On the trail the HB.160 delivers an easy ride that is neither old-school or new-school. It’s simply fun and living the life. To find the comfortability while riding bike confidence and versatility are at the forefront, and it excels in short, hard turns, darting through with the poise of an athlete.

Hope HB.160 geometry

Moving towards the geometry of Hope HB 160 is radical in its conservativeness, as you will find no super-stretched reaches or crazy-steep seat tubes. Whereas, these model has same similar structure which first came out of the mould three years ago. On the based use of a short 438.6 mm reach, and 435 mm chain stays, giving a wheelbase of 1195.5 mm.

The angles are similarly conventional with head and seat tube angles of 65.5o and 74o, respectively. If you are planning to buy Hope HB 160 then remember that you are only buying a mountain bike but also becoming part of the Hope family. Similarly, the bike is premeditated to work as a holistic system engineered from a blank sheet of paper, demanding the condition quo for sure, but not intended to sadden the market.

1. Seat angle: 74 degrees

2. Head angle: 66.5 degrees

3. Chain stay: 43.5cm / 17.13in

4. Seat tube: 47.5cm / 18.7in

5. Top tube: 61.5cm / 24.21in

6. Bottom bracket height: 34cm / 13.39in

7. Wheelbase: 1,200mm / 47.24in

8. Stack: 61.5cm / 24.21in

9. Reach: 43.86cm / 17.26in

Hope HB.160’s color and Price

Hope HB. 160 are available in seven anodized component color options (green, blue, black, orange, purple, red, silver).

Similarly, the upgrade kit is also available to match fork/shock/rims to components. To get Hope HB. 160 you have to pay around $8,400. It may sound quiet expensive but the quality of the hope 160 will not only worth the money  but also give a lifetime time thrill on the trail.

⏩ Read Also: Hope HB.130 Bike In-depth Review