Hope from Great Britain has been building the finest aluminium add-on parts for mountain bikes since the 1990s. Since In 2019, the British company will also be manufacturing exclusive carbon bikes in the UK. Nevertheless, their trademark remains: CNC milling. Whether brakes, cranks or stems. Everything is milled from aluminium blocks at the company headquarters in Barnoldswick. This is stable, saves weight and is expensive. But the "made in UK" parts are a real eye-catcher. With the new Union clipless pedals, Hope wants to offer an alternative to the top dogs Shimano and Crankbrothers.
The Union pedals from Hope are available in three versions. The Race pedals (RC) are minimalist and designed for lightweight construction. The pedals with a small cage are called Union Trail (TC) and Hope offers a Gravity version (GC) for downhill use. While the pedal body is milled from aluminium, the click mechanism is made from stainless steel. This should make it extra durable and prevent rust. The axle is made of steel, but can also be replaced with a lighter titanium axle. The race version comes with a titanium axle as standard. As in the 2F0 Flat pedals three industrial bearings and a Norglide bushing are used in the clickies. This should ensure low maintenance and optimum function.
The special feature of the Hope-Klickies: a double click mechanism. This should make it even easier to click in. Nevertheless, the foot should be held securely in place. Two different cleats are supplied, which change the degree of freedom and release angle. The plate labelled "4" has four degrees of free movement and a 12-degree angle when clicking out, while the 5 plate provides five degrees of heel clearance and has a 13-degree click-out angle. The cleats are not compatible with other pedals.
There are six colours of cage to choose from. The cage should weigh Race version of the Hope pedal 324 gramsthat Union Trail lies with 437 grammes and the Hope pedals with large cage bring 498 grammes on the scales. The Race and Trail versions are available for 185 euros. The gravity version with the large cage costs 195 Euro and can be ordered now. Hope specifies the delivery date as September 2021.
