November 22nd, 2008 by 
rsutton1223
ON THE TRAIL
John at Kovachi Wheels really out did himself on this wheelset. It was incredible stiff and is still running perfectly true…even after all of the abuse. This allowed me to really concentrate on how the hubs were reacting with me, the bikes and the trail.
The first thing you notice with the Hope Pro 2 hubs is the sound of the four pawls against the ring while free wheeling. This hub is loud! A lot of riders really like the sound of the Hope Pro 2 so it is entirely a personal preference. I like the sound at times, but overall…I like to have a quieter set of hubs on my rides. You might even turn a couple of heads as you pass other riders on the trail.
The 24 point engagement is descent, but if you are used to higher engagement hubs…you are going to miss that. The Hope’s…out of all of the other hubs around 24 points…have the strongest, solid feeling engagement. You really feel like you can hammer the pawls into the teeth of the ring. It is hard to describe…but try a set and you will see. It is almost like they lock in.
There is no noticeable bearing or engagement drag out of the Hope Pro 2 hubs and when left in the stand…they will spin for a long time. With some higher drag hubs, you can feel like you are pedaling in sand, but there was no issue on the trail with the Hope’s.
FINAL THOUGHTS
THE GOOD - HOPE PRO 2 HUBS
- Incredible Value - The price of these hubs in comparison with everything else on the market is fantastic. You can easily find a quality wheelset in the 500 and under range with the hubs themselves retailing for around 75 and 180 for the front and rear. That is hard to beat for a set of high quality hubs.
- Durable - The bearings, pawls and ring are all very durable and can withstand a lot of abuse. As an added bonus, they are also very easy to service.
- Stiff Wheel Build - When in the right hands, the Hope Pro 2 hubs will provide a very stiff and strong wheel build.
- Interchangeable Front Hub - You can change the Hope Pro 2 front hub from QR, 15mm TA and 20mm TA easily and quickly. With slight modifications to the QR end caps, you can even make it work for a DT Swiss RWS.
- Color Options - Everyone likes options….
- Hope Support - As with any Hope product, you get incredible online and phone support. Hope is one of the only bike component manufacturers that actually has a full video library to help you service their products.
THE BAD - HOPE PRO 2 HUBS
- Engagement - 24 point engagement is still average to below average. These hubs would be an absolute steal with a faster engagement drive.
- Loud - The rear drive is so loud that you won’t run into any deer!
- Grooving On The Cassette Body - I did experience slight grooving on the cassette body.
If you are looking for a mid priced hub set for your first high quality wheel build, put the Hope Pro 2 hubs on the top of that short list of possibilities. When you combine the performance with the price…they are very hard to beat.
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PERFORMANCE
VALUE
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:13 am
The gouging of the cassette body is what turns me off. I really want to build a set of wheels with these but I could not live with a cassette boy that is so easily damaged. Hope really needs to offer a stainless or titanium option on this hub. Yes, it would come with a price and weight penalty but the durability would make up for it in my opinion. Other than the cassette body these things are awesome. Light and easy to service.
November 23rd, 2008 at 11:34 am
Hope actually does make and sell a steel body to replace the standard aluminum one.
November 25th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I have a rear wheel with a pro II on Mavic XM 321. The grooving in the cassette body is more than slight on mine. I had to hammer off the cassette last time I removed it. Other than that it’s a great hub. I prefer the White Industries MI6 hubs though.
November 26th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
So, Hope is now offering caps for 15mm through axles? I thought there was only the QR or 20mm through axle set ups. The information here is a bit confusing.
November 26th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Yes, the hubs are good, but what about the poor grammar and spelling of the reviewer? Surely MTBR could hire some “descent” writers, or at least a proof reader, to do a better job than this.
November 26th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
GT…
The front hub is available in QR, 15mm and 20mm versions.
December 1st, 2008 at 6:45 am
been running these for several years. just keep up with the maintenance recommended and they should work great. tougher than white even though they pretty much use the same rear pawl design. thier customer service is top notch…
December 4th, 2008 at 8:34 am
I disagree that the engagement of the hub is average or below average. I did not find it to be slow. It is not instantaneous like a King but it is certainly not a hindrance. It does have a very solid and positive feel to it as mentioned.
The cassette body gouging is a problem just like King’s.
February 24th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Robb!
The front hub is available in 9mm QR, 15mm & 20mm thru axle and 24mm Maverick 24/7 axle diameters.
February 25th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
What he means to say is that the front hub is convertible between all those formats just by changing the end caps.
September 3rd, 2009 at 10:48 am
got open hand at rear hub ya??? i c dt swiss got rear open hand