My first Hope component came after struggling with a squeaky bottom bracket. I was after something more durable than a 08/15 plastic press‐fit standard one, and came across the Hope BB, so I put it on my bike.
Spoiler alert: 5 years in, it still works, faultlessly.
The longer I was using the bike, the more components I swapped for Hope parts. They all work faultless to this day (compared to others that failed miserably). I think the E4 brakes had the biggest impact on my riding, they completely changed how I ride. The adjustability, together with the durability have been an absolute game changer, so when the possibility arose to join the Hope Ambassador program for the new HB.130, I did not hesitate.
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I will always remember the day I drove to pick up my Hope HB130. It was a raining, and there was a lot of traffic in Vienna, but nevertheless I was really excited and once I brought the bike home, I instantly built it up. Once complete, I ventured out the next day to take some proper pictures of it, before the going got tough for the first time.
It’s my first “new” bike, previously all my bikes were all second hand. It was my first 29er as well…And it’s different to all others I knew. I knew from taking it out of the box. You instantly notice all the handicraft and love for detail. The frame is immaculate, I just love the raw carbon look of it, combined with the personalised parts from the ambassador program, it all adds up to the HB.130 being the bike of my dreams.
When the weekend came, I took off into the nearest hills to ride it. I was blown away by how well it rode uphill and down. My first time on an Öhlins set up, which is impressive to say the least. I only had to fiddle with the Eagle, as I was accustomed to Shimano until now.
After a couple of easy spins in the hills it was time to conduct a proper test. I chose to go to a trail park located on a hill next to the Danube. An old monastery sits at the top, and the Benedictine monks were kind enough to allow a local club to build trails down the hill. There are trails of all kind of difficulties giving me a glimpse of what the bike can handle. Steep, rocky trails as well as jumps and drops. A nice start to the summer on the new bike, handling them all extremely well, and showing what 130mm of suspension is capable of.
During the summer I was fortunate enough to travel to the Tyrol and Styria regions of Austria with my girlfriend. We spent a week in Nauders and a couple of days in Schladming. Nauders is located at a border triangle, connecting Swiss, Italian and Austrian trails. The trails there are superb to say the least. I was eager to test the HB on the there and again it did not disappoint. There is a wide variety of trails in Nauders, from fast flow high alpine trails to steep rocky descents, it has everything a true trail rider would desire. Again, the bike handled exceptionally well on everything it came up against. Unfortunately, the week flew by.
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We were then off to Schladming to meet with my brothers and friends to ride the famous trails of Planai and Reiter Alm. The weather wasn’t great, the rain poured down for most of the time. Nevertheless, the trails were fantastic and again the bike took it all in it’s stride.
The next trip took us to Bad Kleinkirchheim in the Carinthia state, which is home to the longest flow trail in Europe (25km) and some nice natural singletrack as well. The weather was much nicer than the last trip. We stayed in a small cabin in the woods and spent time off the bike hiking and collecting mushrooms in the forest. A long weekend filled with good food, lots of biking and grand vistas, again ending way too soon.
Usually, at the beginning of autumn my family and I travel to the Istria county in Croatia to enjoy the autumnal colours and indulge in the local cuisine.
As well as ride the great trails located there. Unfortunately, this year going abroad was not possible, so the whole family went to Schladming instead, spending our time hiking and riding bikes in the Alps at Planai and Reiter Alm. The weather played nice and we had a great time on the trails. The bike again proved once more it’s worth, shining with high reliability of all components.
In summary, it can be said that the bike has exceeded all my expectations. The way it handles rough terrain is astounding, you have to try it to believe it. It loves to jump and for a 29er, it corners really well. I’ve handed the bike over to my brothers and a couple of friends to try it, and all of them said that it’s very impressive! The bike itself has drawn eyes and raised questions on most of my trips. Not only are my friends super impressed with the bike, but also with the reliability of Hope components in general.
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Find out more about Lukas on his Ambassador Profile and check his Instagram for his latest adventures.