Hope have announced the launch of a new generation of their famous hubs, the Pro 5 at the CORE Bike 2023 trade show.

Hope Technology have been synonymous with hubs for years, along with the distinctive loud clicking sound they make. You either love that or hate that but at least it lets other trail users you are around.

For long time I ran Hope Pro 2 hubs on Mavic 819 rims (in fact I still have them on the Inbred) and for a long time I loved the click clack noise. But gradually things moved on.

These days, Hunt Trail Wide wheels seem all the rage and one of the attractions is faster engaging hubs. Now with the launch of Hope’s Pro 5 the Barnoldswick manufacturer have a competitve option for people who want to mix and match their wheelset builds. Go all-Hope, or build your own wheels around the Hope Pro 5 hubs. You can’t do that with Hunt.

Hope Pro 5 hubs

The new Pro 5 offers several advances over the Pro 4 hub, released in 2016. Most notable is a 6-pawl freehub which uses offset pawls to provide 108 points of engagement on a 54 tooth ratchet. This equates to almost immediate hub engagement with a revolution angle of just 3.3°.

Next, friction is reduced through a new labyrinth seal and lighter, more reliable pawls which are seated inside the spring itself. So you can expect a fast and secure hub, and with the revised pawls I am guessing that the click click sound of old has moved toward something a bit fizzier.

Another key advance – and frankly years overdue – is the availability of these MTB and gravel focussed hubs with Shimano’s Centerlock disc mounts. I guess Hope would argue that previously the demand wasn’t there, but that’s a bit like choosing to build a bridge based on how many people swim over a river. Particularly among the gravel crowd (where bikes are moving toward MTB-lite applications), Centerlock has a following for sure.

Finally, another nod to current trends. The hubs can be had in a special e-bike configuration which sees the freehub made from stainless steel and the pawls adjusted so they all engage at once. You get 54 points of engagement, but you also get a stronger interface. If you are an analog Clydesdale-pedal masher, this might also be of interest to you.

Hope Centerlock disc rotors

Less trumpeted, but still noteworthy is the broadening of the Hope rotor range to offer Centerlock mounting in MTB rotor sizes.

Previously, Centerlock was something offered mainly for road wheels, but Centerlock mounts will soon be available on Hope floating discs up to 220mm diameters. I would have ordered both my Hunt and Silt wheelsets with Centerlock hubs if this had been available earlier. I personally find the Centerlock interface to be easier to install and easier to remove. Logically they are also a stronger interface, but I won’t kid you I can tell the difference on that point.

For both the rotors and the new Pro 5 hubs you of course get the option of all the usual Hope colours; or black, or silver. Whichever takes your fancy.

I have a thing for purple but I can’t help thinking that silver is due a revival. We haven’t had silver for a while and it has a nice classy feel to it. Maybe with a contrasting Centerlock lock ring?

At this rate, we’ll all be back to singlespeeding.

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About the author

Matt is one of the founding Molefathers of the Muddymoles, and is the designer and main administrator of the website.

Having ridden a 2007 Orange Five for many years then a 2016 YT Industries Jeffsy 29er, he now rocks a Bird Aether 9 and a Pace RC-627.

An early On-One Inbred still lurks in the back of the stable as a reminder of how things have moved on. You can even find him on road bikes - currently a 2019 Cannondale Topstone 105 SE, a much-used 2011 Specialized Secteur and very niche belt drive Trek District 1.

If you've ever wondered how we got into mountain biking and how the MuddyMoles started, well wonder no more.