Hope Tech Brake Bleed Walkthrough Guide | Bleed Your Brakes Like The Pros!

Wondering how to bleed your Hope Brakes? Well, you have come to the right place. Today we are inside Ridgeline Service where Joseph Warren will be sharing his tips and tricks in this full walkthrough of how to properly setup bleed your Hope Tech brakes. Keep in mind, this walkthrough will work for any of the Hope models. I will be doing it on the brand new Tech4 E4 brakes, and I will have a full review up on the channel shortly.
Follow along on my other social media channels.
IG: / singletrack_surgeon
FB: / singletracksurgeon

[@Danielxperez14]

So you just push the fluid from the bottom up, then lever bleed to finish it? Genuinely the best and easiest video to follow for Hope Brake Bleeds, I can't thank you enough!

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

Glad it was helpful!

[@gazharwood7258]

This is way better than how Hope recommend.......far quicker and easier...period. Many thanks for this video!

[@jimm244]

I dono….something about dropping the bladder/cap on an open reservoir seems like a setup for trapped air bubbles.

[@pedalingnowhere]

Thanks for this. I'm curious why DOT 4 instead of DOT 5.1 (which is what Hope recommends)?

[@MartinTeerly]

Yeah exactly my thoughts. Hope recommends dot 5.1

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

Since DOT 5 does not absorb water, any moisture in the hydraulic system will "puddle" in one place. This can cause localized corrosion in the hydraulics. Careful bleeding is required to get all of the air out of the system. It is hard to do without introducing bubbles and thus results in soft lever feel.

[@MartinTeerly]

@@SingleTrackSurgeon Glycol fluids like DOT 3, DOT 4 and DOT 5.1 are actually designed to absorb water instead of separating like DOT 5. This water absorption means glycol-based fluids are “hygroscopic”

[@stoneenforcer]

Spray the bleed nipple with a quick dry degreaser then hit it with an air hose. Keeps from attracting dirt.

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

You know whats up...

[@rhettcorbett3346]

They are pretty easy to bleed. Have them on my 2021 Santa Cruz V10. Have got a Red & Black pair for my 2024 V10. When it arrives.

[@lazetar4535]

How about putting a piston block in so as the pistons don't move during syringing fluid in?

[@Emtbtoday]

Hope has their piston cleaning tools on their website to download and print free of charge for the job.

[@michaeldenis7010]

Hi. Can you please tell me what injection do you use and where can i buy it. Thanx

[@MiciahChamberlain]

I did have mine done by a bike shop and when I was using the breaks it was leaking fluid out of the top so I tightened them more but not by much at least 1.5nm

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

Yeah, that would be too loose 🤣 but we can't overstate how easy it is to over-tighten these things.

[@MiciahChamberlain]

@@SingleTrackSurgeon lol yeah when it leaks that’s very obvious great video all together just got my hope levers and definitely loving them!!

[@razvan-grad]

I just got a brand new tech 4 e4 set with the easy bleed kit. No matter how many times I pump the lever, at the caliper end, a lot of tiny bubbles will keep coming out. I checked the connections and there are no leaks. There is no more air in the lever reservoir. What can I do?

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

Did you double check there isn't a fault in the brake hose? That isn't normal, and it sounds like air is getting in somewhere else.

[@razvan-grad]

@@SingleTrackSurgeon the brake hose seems fine, no leaks. Hope said it happens sometimes to have a little air coming out but I can't get a good bleed...

[@michaellee3852]

Tried the Hope method today and same thing, non stop tiny bubbles with every lever pull. I'm thinking maybe air behind the pistons? Anyway, I'm gonna try using the syringe tomorrow. Otherwise the rest of my system is fine, nothing is damaged, fittings are tight, etc.

[@andreioancea416]

Personally,if you have bled them and this happens,you either didn’t push the pistons back or they are sticky/seized.You have to lube your pistons.You will find lots of videos on this subject on hope brakes on yt.Hope it helps.

[@Emtbtoday]

So no lever bleeding after that bladder being open like that?

[@TimmTwins]

Which syringe is that?

[@Danielxperez14]

yea i want to know as well haha

[@bruceyboi96]

@@TimmTwins I believe that’s a SRAM/avid one from their own kit.

[@DK-wd8ju]

Between the V4 and TRP DHR Evo, what’s your thoughts / recommendation?

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

Honestly, between the new E4's power and the ergo on the levers I would pick Hope. TRP makes some great entry level options, but it's hard to beat the ramp of the new hopes. If you want pure power it's Maven all the way.

[@rickybonn]

so the pistons are fully depressed and the hydraulic system filled to that volume? This would maximize lever stroke right? I'd probably use a narrower bleed block to tighten up the lever stroke. Or am I missing something?

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

Yes you can do that, it depend on feel and how much room you want for the rotor. If you bleed with just a rotor instead of a block you can get a stiffer feel, however getting the rotors centered would be much more difficult. FYI this is the approach I take, since I like to pull the levers in and have a really short pull.

[@terrywoods4597]

So if i did this with the wheel in and bleed brakes with just the rotor in between pads I could get lever feel more at the beginning of the stroke? Im the opposite lol I like levers to grab early. Thanks!

[@petrdrabek55]

I have V4 tech 4, tried every possible way but somehow I always end up with pistons too close to the rotor, brake pads rubbing on the rotor, took the caliper off as well...any idea why it keeps happening? thanks

[@bangtarights2226]

Air behind the piston

[@fe9523]

Hi!, I want these ones so badly but, the only thunk that keeps me thinking is the regular maintenance, is it as low as the one needed for the trp, or as high that’s the one needed for the codes?

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

If bled correctly, they don't need a ton of maintenance. And with an easy top off procedure you can bleed them quickly if need be. We just took our time to show the whole process. It can be done in less than 5 minutes if you really push through it.

[@fe9523]

@@SingleTrackSurgeon thanks !

[@AnjooHahn]

Is Ridgeline Service in Cherry Valley, CA?

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

Correct 👍🏼

[@cookie13spike]

Any tips for E4 caliper that the pistons wont retract and rub on the rotor when riding?

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

If you do a good job of lubing up the pistons like that short part of the video, you can often solve that issue and help them center themselves.

[@paulmaul]

If you remove the pads and push the pistons out slightly- NOTE: DO NOT PUSH THEM OUT TOO FAR OR THEY WILL COME OUT ALL THE WAY!! - once you have a good portion of the pistons showing apply some silicone lube to them and push them back in. Should help out.

[@AlexeiPavlov]

@@paulmaul need to clean them first

[@siddhantmishra3598]

thats good but how to obtain your thmbnil config ? where to buy coloured lever ?

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

You can visit any Hope dealer to obtain the different color levers and knobs.

[@siddhantmishra3598]

@@SingleTrackSurgeon cool man thanks :) . can i get iit online ?

[@dwent55]

Is it really necessary to top off the master cylinder as you’re putting the bladder back in? I cringed when you spilled that DOT fluid all over. It looked like a really clean and hassle free bleed procedure before that.

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

It does help the initial lever feel, but it's just the icing on the cake.

[@ChrisBusson]

Interesting. I've always gravity bled hope brakes

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

We have found this is the best way to get a consistent feel.

[@Danielxperez14]

I’m looking for overkill mountain bike brakes to put on my surron ebike, are these a good choice?

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

Playing with fire commenting about owning a Surron.... If you wanted Hope I would go with the V4 instead for more braking power.

[@Danielxperez14]

@@SingleTrackSurgeonmy bad, it’s hard to believe but I don’t ride on mtb trails or go near those people, I respect the mtb community, I just wanted to get some good brakes since they use the same components as an mtb. I ended up going with Shimano saints since they were on sale for 220 each. I appreciate the video and the Information 👍

[@mconradb]

@@SingleTrackSurgeon Why the hate on the e-bikes? Anything with 2 wheels is awesome.

[@leeosborne6071]

Much better way of bleeding’ gets the stubborn air pockets that stay behind the pistons, 👌🏻

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

I'm glad you agree! Takes Hope Brakes to the next level.

[@emir5034]

Isn't anybody bothered by how much mess it makes when u put that cap back on the lever???

[@AlexeiPavlov]

What a clusterfuck! Why dont they just make 2 syringes or 2 bleed ports on the caliper as Hayes??

[@kisong1960]

Thank you for the instruction videos. Could you guys stop using filler video clips for next time? They really out of place and pointless.

[@SingleTrackSurgeon]

Some people like the random clips to keep things less serious, but I'll keep in mind for future videos. Thank you.

[@dit4963]

What a st*pid bleeding system 🤦‍♂And you skipped showing how to clean all pistons. 4:45 I want to see how you do that 🙂 There is actually a much easier way: put a hex key (usually 4mm) in between the pistons and pull them out. Surprised not all bike mechanics know this...

[@sonycarp8271]

Just take the brakes off the bike, 🚴 Also degas, 💯