Upgrading My Kona Chute To Disc Brakes - Hope Mono Mini Brake Upgrade

My 1999 Kona Chute is great bike. The geometry and fit was ahead of it's time but as standard - it comes with V brakes. Today I'm upgrading and fitting a set on Hope Mono Mini disc brakes - but it wasn't as straight forward as it was meant to be.
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Bike Spec & Product Links
Frame : 1999 Kona Chute OB 7005 Alumnium
Handlebars : Kona DH Riser
Grips : Lizard Skins
Shifters : Shimano Deore LX 3 x 9
Brake Levers : Hope Mini
Stem : Kona OB
Headset : FSA The Pig
Fork : Rockshox Judy XLC
Brakes : AHope Mono Mini (Caliper 3)
Brake Pads : Aztec
Wheels : Hubs - Hope XC
Rims - Mavic X317 Disc
Spokes -
Nipples -
Tyres : Schwalbe Tough Tom
Seatpost : Kona 30mm
Seat Clamp : Hope QR
Saddle : Charge Spoon
Rear Derailleur : Shimano Deore XT
Front Derailleur : Shimano Deore LX
Crankset : Raceface Turbine
Chainring : Raceface 44/34/24
Chainring Bolts : Raceface
Bottom Bracket : Raceface
Chain : SRAM
Cassette : Shimano
Pedals : Burgtec
Bash Guard :
Bar Ends :
Bottle Cage :
Decals :
Paint :
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[@danielsperling3686]

watching this as a come down session from a night out... just fitted my new "exotic carbon" 26" fork with a cane creek direct curve 3 brake yesterday! nothing beats 4 to 5 hours fiddling around with one singular set of brakes at 2 AM :)

[@MonkeyShred]

Ooft - that sounds like a nightmare.

[@garysprojects]

Bro just got around to it watching this! What a mission !! Can’t believe hope brakes are that finicky , then the rotors 😭😭. Turned out super sweet though, always loved those brakes. Bike looks great with the brake upgrades. What a ripper!! 🙌

[@MonkeyShred]

Hahaha yeah it was a bit of a mission. Most of the confusion came from the Mono Mini vs the Mini differences... and then that bracket for the rear caliper being welded on upside down! Still - She's grand now

[@Tomw-e3g]

Great video as usual and nice build. I was a rim brake only on a retro bike advocate until trying hope discs in hilly wet terrain The hardest bit is figuring out the old hope standards for yourself, like you I have a pile of discs that didn’t fit lol. I find them way easier to live with than any rim brake and they are the easiest brakes to bleed needing no special tools. Keep up the good work 👍

[@MonkeyShred]

Thanks! I’ve recently switched my daily bike to my latest Cove Handjob build too. Nothing against the cantis that are on the MBK but like you said… discs are better in the rain 😅

[@Pcbootleger1]

I was a kid/teen in the 90’s/early 2000’s so it’s quite a learning experience when playing with older parts. I have ran into similar issues so I’m always glad to see I’m not alone in my struggles. I have had to delay some of my builds by months because of weird obscure issues and having to order new parts.

[@MonkeyShred]

Same. Although I didn’t get in to bikes until much later 😅 I think the Hope code is cracked now so I should be good with future brakes. Luckily I have a set of Mono M4s that I can use the 185/165 discs on!

[@samteks125]

At least that money wasn't completely wasted then!

[@comedyash]

Awesome job showing all the trial and error, like it when people leave the whole process in its way more informative. This has given me the push to attempt my first conversion on a low budget. Specialized HR Comp 2003 I got for £15 and is disc ready. I plan to go with Shimano BR-MT200 brake set and use Post to IS adapters, 160mm rear, 180mm front, figure I'll have to do some shimming but hopefully it all works out. Looking forward to more builds/ upgrades in the future.

[@MonkeyShred]

Good luck! I think there may be some shimming but you are usuing a slightly later frame so fingers crossed it's a bit more standard on that frame.

[@pierrorider]

Perfect timing for this video ! I got a cheap bike with mono mini and tried them on another bike and couldn't understand why the disk was too big.

[@MonkeyShred]

I think I posted the link in the description for the Hope table. That’s for the Mini/M4 and another variant though. The silver two piece caliper. The Mono (like I have here) are black and gold and have 5mm smaller discs.

[@bergolli1]

Very nice upgrade. I enjoyed that video very much. I have an older inactive bike too, which has mounted v-brakes but also mounting points (??) for disk brake installation. Maybe it will be converted sometimes, too. It is built roundabout in the year 2002 or so. Cheers from Germany

[@MonkeyShred]

Yeah should be fine then! Shimano brakes should be straight forward for sizing. These Hope’s just took a bit of trail and error 😅

[@KarlosEPM]

Your perseverance paid off. Really nice bike. Cheers!

[@MonkeyShred]

Thanks! 👍

[@Newwave4j]

I really enjoy your vids , no pretensions bull! Just real stuff ! I dig the accent! Regards Bsk London

[@MonkeyShred]

Haha thanks! I hope it's always been real and always will be.

[@leonleber7059]

at least you now have a nice collection of discs for future projects

[@MonkeyShred]

True 😂

[@icantgivecredit871]

12:45 That looks like great flow for a fun vintage bike! I enjoyed seeing that and am a bit envious you have trails like that nearby. Also, I know this isn't the point of the video, but I am curious what you think of your Schwalbe Tough Tom tyres. I have been running the same exact ones (26x2.25) for a while now and have been impressed with their grip and durability, especially for the money. They're even 50 TPI, which is better than the typical 30 TPI common with tyres in its price range. My only gripe is that they have a pretty round casing and tucked-in side knobs, which means they provide a handling feel that's very free and doesn't keep the bike rolling straight without constant input. So, not the most confident in the handling department. That said, there aren't very many alternatives with this aggressive a tread pattern and a casing that can withstand chunky terrain. I've been impressed with them time and time again.

[@MonkeyShred]

Yeah - the Forest of Dean has some awesome trails. They're very well done. It's a 2 hour drive from me though but it's definitely day trip worthy. Hard to say on the tyres. I haven't had too much use on them and they are on 17mm internal rims still. I think they'd be better suited to the 21mm internal to give them a bit mroe volume and stop any roll in the tyre.

[@bobstevens9040]

Great video dude! FOD hell yeah!!

[@MonkeyShred]

Possibly the best trail centre..?

[@bobstevens9040]

@@MonkeyShred OOO! thats a toughie. Bike park Wales is my favorite at the mo but we always call in at FOD when travelling down from Yorkshire

[@wayneclement7201]

The Chute was/is such a gorgeous bike, I can think of a better bike deserving of a restomod. Would love to see somebody do a mullet version

[@MonkeyShred]

It is! Mine's staying in the retro spec though. A modern drivetrain and fork would make it a lot more user friendly on the trails but I love the look of it now.

[@stevenwilliams7845]

Super nice man super nice good work too. Your version looks really nice.

[@MonkeyShred]

Thank you very much!

[@samteks125]

Kona MTBs from that era are great, I have a 2002 Kikapu. Too bad one of the chainstays broke, it'll be interesting to see how it will hold up after professional welding. Would be a shame having to swap the frame for a different make

[@MonkeyShred]

Yeah finding a replacement frame for that would be pretty hard! Hope the fix works.

[@samteks125]

Thanks, I'll pick it up in a week or two. At least it only cost a crate of beer to fix it if it breaks again

[@duringthemeanwhilst]

nice conversion 🙂 and a fantastic looking bike. convert to single chainring next maybe??? how do the standard QR skewers compare to through-axles for strength, compliance, etc?

[@MonkeyShred]

Ooo I had the single ring originally when I built it with the Roox Dog and Cat but I didn’t like that so put it back to the original gearing.

[@charlesbronson1959]

I got 4 sets of Hope tech brakes and I love them all , Tech 2 / X2 , Tech 2 evo / M4 , Tech 3 / E4 , Tech / Mono M4 . I'm not looking forward to setting up the old Mono M4 as IS mounts are a pain in the ass to set up compared to PM

[@blairrighton6270]

really want your rear hope hub I assume it's a 32H! lol speaking of V brake calipers have you or anyone in the community managed to restore the parallelogram linkages within the caliper, as you mentioned they begin to become sloppy I have a bunch with this problem, also... hi Torvey you gorgeous cat, you must be proud mark, I would be

[@MonkeyShred]

Oh yeah - she's beautiful :) And yes - it is a 32H. No - I haven't looked at repairing the pivots but I think I have seen very thin washers being used as shims before. Maybe even made out of coke cans.

[@carlbuckley6230]

Hi mate. Great video, thanks! I built a bike about 10 years ago and started running out of funds so started throing used parts at it. I ended up with the Hope mini brakes in your video. I had to use washer and shims to get it just right over the disc. I built my bike around 2014, I didn't relaise how old the brakes were. When my son was born the bike spent a number of years in the garage but I'm on it again now, but it needs a service, badly! Can I ask, how would you replace the fluid for these? I want to replace it from the bottom up but, if possible, but can't find a suitable kit. Any advice?

[@MonkeyShred]

Amazingly - Hope actually has all their old guides, parts diagrams etc on their website! It's a great resource. Should help you in your quest too. www.hopetech.com/_repository/1/documents/2004_instructions_small.pdf

[@ianwilkes4434]

Get sone mavic d321 wheels for it

[@MonkeyShred]

I was thinking of those. I saw them when searching for a matching 317. Maybe later down the line!

[@glennpettersson9002]

I have recently gone from hyd. disc brakes to rim brakes on my town/shopping bike and man oh man do I miss those disc brakes. On the trail I imagine it must be like night and day. 😎

[@MonkeyShred]

I bet. Yeah on the trail those Avid Vs were pretty damn poor. The discs, so much more confidence.

[@ruudjo8520]

Nice conversion and bike! How does this old ass frame and fork came with disc brake mounting points btw :P ?

[@MonkeyShred]

Old…. Old ass frame and fork??? SIR! This is the finest bike from 1999. It’s only 5 years old. 10 at the most! Really though - it’s about the time disc brakes were starting to be introduced on top end bikes. The top top came with them spec’d and slightly lower specs often got built for Vs but with disc as an option.

[@ruudjo8520]

@@MonkeyShred Sorry if i hurt your feelings Mr MonkeyShred! With 'old ass' I ofc meant 'vintage' 😉 I didn't know that a 1999 bike could have disc brake mounts though...that's very ahead of it's time I guess!

[@MonkeyShred]

@@ruudjo8520 Damnnnn. So now I’m vintage 😂 Nah it’s ok. It’s all fun. Yeah I’m not sure exactlty when disc brakes properly came in to existence. I think for Shimano it would have been the 2000s but small boutique brands like Hope were definitely doing them in the 90s.

[@samteks125]

Remember that Scott Expert Racing you did up a while ago, I think that was a 2001 model and also had the disc brake tabs. That's when lots of mid-range bikes came with a disc brake option

[@kentjoosten8149]

Reinforces my opinion that disk brakes are more of a problem than they’re worth.

[@69Deez_Nutz69]

😂 maybe use DISC with a 'C' instead of floppy disks.

[@MonkeyShred]

The performance increase over the Arch Rivals would disagree 😅.

[@samteks125]

Yeah, if you want to spare yourself the pain, just be boring and get a set of whichever Shimano brakes you want to afford + matching discs and caliper mounting brackets

[@richardwallace133]

I used to spit in the grips lol

[@MonkeyShred]

Well - I guess that's one way to do it.

[@crunchtape2178]

First

[@MonkeyShred]

The Worst Second the best. Third the one with the hairy chest.