Everyone recognises the loud whirr of a Hope freewheel. It’s just one of the things that the Lancashire-made hubs are renowned for — the others being their reliability, ease of servicing and a reputation for outlasting almost every other part of your bike.
If the Pro 4 hubs used in this wheelset are anything to go by, I’d say this reputation is well founded — I struggled to find any faults with them.
They’re laced to Hope’s Tech DH rims, which are the burliest hoops they make. This does mean the complete wheelset is a bit weighty (1,075g front, 1,204g rear), but both the rims and the quality of the build seem to be pretty much indestructible so far.
I’ve hammered them into rocks and cased some pretty hefty jumps, with not even a loose spoke to show for it.
Riders who’ve ditched the tubes will be pleased to hear that the Tech DHs are tubeless ready, just requiring you to add rim tape, valves and sealant. I did find that the deep profile of the rim can make it tricky to get the tape to seal, but once the tyres are holding air, the 28mm internal rim width gives them a good profile and you’ll feel full of confidence blasting into anything you can throw at them.
