Need to double your braking with a single hand, but mechanical brakes just aren’t gonna cut it? Well, Hope now has your one-stop, one-handed hydraulic disc braking in two different Tech 3 lever versions… If you need independent control from a single hand, their latest Duo lever breaks it down into two unique lever blades. Or if you just want equal modulation, the single X2 Uno lever blade evenly splits braking between two paired disc calipers.
Hope Tech 3 Duo double brake: 2 brakes, 2 levers, 1 hand
Not satisfied with Paul’s latest mechanical ‘one lever, two brakes‘ setup? Well, Hope can sort you out with the improved brake power & modulation, plus reduced lever force of hydraulic disc brakes.
Just like other double brake lever setups, the Hope Duo is a pretty unique sell for a rather niche audience. But for a wide range of potential users from bike polo to cargo bikes, to cyclists with limited ability to operate a brake lever with two hands, the Hope Tech 3 Duo may be the perfect solution to getting excellent stopping power and more control from a single hand. In fact, the Duo project was the direct result of a French mountain biker with limited mobility in one hand crafting a similar solution from two Hope brakes in his garage shop, then Hope bringing him on-board to develop this final product.
Hope Tech 3 Duo tech details
The Tech 3 Duo is rather unique as it is essentially two independent master cylinders machined on top of each other from a single stiff alloy block, not only creating two independent brake circuits for one-handed operation, but also allowing it to be set up on either side of the bar. Swap the lever blades so the middle finger actuated long blade is always under the index finger operated short blade (the lower blade is left or right specific.) Each lever blade gets its own independent, tool-free bite-point & reach adjustment, and can be pulled separately or together as needed.
As you’d expect from Hope, the premium CNC-machined 2014 T6 alloy brake lever body is completely UK-made, and sold separately or with calipers. It can be even be combined with Hope’s two-piston X2 cross-country, four-piston E4 enduro, or even V4 downhill brake calipers and 160-220mm rotors to get the power you need from one hand. It also uses a split clamp design for easy install, and a direct SRAM Matchmaker mount is also available to connect to a shifter. The Tech 3 Duo lever is available in black, silver, purple, red, orange, or blue ano, and with matching brake calipers.
We got an early look at the Duo back at Eurobike, but it is now available through the Hope dealer network. The basic Tech 3 Duo lever setup alone sells for 230€, where you add your own X2, E4, or V4 calipers. Or if you want to buy a complete setup, 380€ will get the lever plus E4 enduro brake calipers, or 335€ completely set up with X2 cross-country calipers.
Hope Tech 3 X2 Uno double brake: 2 brakes, 1 levers, 1 hand
If you want a more simplified double brake setup, Hope already had the Uno in their line-up for quite some time. The Uno uses a single Tech 3 brake lever that has been modified with a larger diameter piston in the master cylinder, combined with two standard X2 Uno calipers joined with a hydraulic line splitter. Equal hydraulic pressure goes to each caliper for equal braking power at both the front & rear brakes from a single lever. Likely if you want properly balanced pressure you can use a larger rotor up front vs. a smaller rear rotor.
Hope Tech 3 X2 Uno tech details
Like the Duo, the Uno is also made entirely in-house by Hope in the UK, CNC-machined from 2014 T6 alloy and likely is also available in Hope ano colors. The Uno is side-specific, but Hope offers it in either left or right-handed setups, both with a two-piece clamp that can be combined with I-Spec or Matchmaker shifters. Based on the same original Tech 3 lever, it also gets tool-free bite-point & reach adjustment.
The more basic Tech 3 X2 Uno setup is a simpler, lower cost option with pricing from around 250€ for a complete setup including lever & two post mount X2 calipers.
Both the Duo & Uno are available to order from your local bike shop now.
