When we last saw the Hope crankset at Eurobike, the design was still in the final prototype stages but we were told the release would be soon. While the official release for the crankset is set for February 26, Hope has unveiled the final design a bit early. To be made fully in house with the exceptions of the forgings which will come from the same European factory as their hub shells, the Hope crank arms use a forged, then machined 7000 aluminum design for a high strength to weight ratio.
As the latest crank to use a modular design, we expect the Hope cranks to compete directly with RaceFace’s own Cinch system. That means the cranks will have options for direct mount single ring use, spiders for dual chainring use, plus the potential for different spindle lengths in the future. Add in compatibility with most bottom brackets standard when used with Hope’s bottom brackets for the 30mm spindle and you have a very intriguing option to hold your pedals.
In addition to their versatility, Hopes cranks are also quite light – details next…
While at Eurobike, the Hope cranks were still using a polygonal spindle interface though we were told they had already decided to change the design. Hopes reasoning was that the polygon shape would be very difficult to make into a carbon crank in the future. However, Hope didn’t like that standard spline interfaces were prone to wearing out and creaking once they were installed and removed a few times. In order to make a splined interface that they were happy with, Hope has implemented a new patent pending design that actually uses an expanding spline.
The splines themselves are not tapered, so the crank arm slides right on. After the arm is in place, the shaft tapered plug is installed which tightens up against the inside of the splined spindle, forcing it against the matching spline of the crank arm. Hope claims this gives a perfect fit every time, regardless of how many times the crankset has been removed and reinstalled.
Even with the added complexity of the expanding spline system, the crankset still has a claimed weight of just 641g. That weight includes the crankarms, axle, and a 34t spiderless ring, but does not include the bottom bracket. Spiderless chainrings will be offered in 26-36t versions as well as the spiders for single 104 BCD chainrings or double spiders for 64/104 rings. Measuring in at 167mm for the Q factor, single ring cranks will have a 49mm chainline and will be available in 165, 170, and 175mm arms.
Initially available in black, red, blue, silver, gunsmoke, and purple will be available around March. A complete set of arms, axle, and spider will run $400, while the Arms and Axle alone will sell for $350. Additional Spiders will be available for $65, and spiderless chainrings at $90 each.
All photos c. Hope Tech
