Hope today revealed an interesting development to BikeRadar - a UK-made carbon fibre seatpost. The post, which is currently in pre-production form, was said to be part of a forthcoming British-made line of carbon fibre components from the company.
Hope was always unlikely to outsource carbon components, as shown last year when it invested in an outsourced handlebar, only to cancel it before it hit production.
The move to producing carbon components in the UK is a bold one, but could well pave the way for a new future in composites from a firm best known for its CNC'd alloy parts.
Details are still scarce but the post appears to use the same splined knuckle style clamp as the company's long-standing Eternity alloy model. Further carbon fibre developments are in the pipeline, with a composite crank and handlebar also rumoured.
It's from Hope, but it's not anodised - in fact it's not even metal
Hope has also finally confirmed its long-awaited crank, more than five years since the firm first teased a prototype design. Primarily designed for use as part of a single-ring transmission, the design features a splined spider, which makes it compatible with multi-ring or bashguard-equipped setups.
Don't look too closely though, Hope has made a last-minute change for production that means the polygon axle interface shown in our pictures won't make it to production - instead it'll use a unique splined axle and locking mechanism.
Hope says that once released, it'll be compatible with most bottom bracket systems, and will be available in November.
Hope says its alloy crank will be available in November this year and that a carbon model is also being developed
