Hope teases 35mm bar & stem, still waiting for Shimano’s Micro Spline permission

The new carbon HB.130 might be getting all the attention recently, but Hope also had another new bit of carbon floating around at the launch. This one is still a prototype though, but you can see where it’s going – 35mm.

It’s no secret that Hope makes nearly everything themselves, now in aluminum and carbon fiber. The carbon abilities allow them to quickly try out new products, like this prototype 35mm handlebar.

Of course there was a 35mm aluminum stem to go along with it. No word on when these will be available but it seems like it may be soon.

We also spotted this XTR group on one of the staff bikes. It was on a staff bike because Hope can’t actually sell any of their new bikes with Shimano groups because Shimano hasn’t given them the proper license to create Micro Spline freehubs.

According to Hope’s facebook post back in May, Shimano told them that they would only offer it to OEM hub manufacturers and the hubs had to be branded with the bike manufacturer’s name. Well, the HB.130 runs HB branded OEM hubs, so it seems like Hope is playing by the rules, but still no Micro Spline – which is why the HB.130 is only sold with SRAM drivetrains.

When Hope finally does get permission (hopefully), they look to have the design ready to load up into their machines and hit ‘go’.

hopetech.com