Hopey

So how many of you use/run a Hopey on your ride? likes and dislikes? opinions? I was thinking about getting one.

My fiancee has one on both of her bikes (Turner Highline and Knolly Endorphin). She absolutely loves them!
They say once you try one, you never want to ride without one! I have purposely not tried it as I dont want to have to buy them for my bikes as well!
They take a bit of time to setup right, and you need to make sure you check them for snugness every few rides. Their CS is topnotch (I have sent one back for a rebuild) and they work as advertised.

Shaums still runs one I think….

You could always just overtighten your headset.

If that is the way they worked, it would definitely be the cheaper option. :)

why bother?

i can understand why in a moto application but is it really necassary in MTB?

They work so well in moto. Bryon Enns runs one on his V10 and he loves it. I would guess they would be great for deflection, but I haven't ridden a bike with one so I don't know.

I'm surprised those things didn't catch on actually.

why bother?

i can understand why in a moto application but is it really necassary in MTB?

I can see the advantage if you are riding a lot of downhill/park, it would certainly reduce fatigue.

They absolutely make a difference for her. She can hold a rough line much better, and feels WAY more confident doing so! If she has more fun riding, and she rides more often because of it, then I say it is doing its job quite well.

I've been using one on my dh bike for the last 6 years or so.
-Great CS (you do need to get them rebuilt every once in a while (I did it after 3 years
but it only went bad because I had it installed crooked…read the directions).
-Good at high speed hitting big rocks (deflection). But the faster you go the less
it's necessary as the tire spin keeps things stable.
-Great at slower speed hitting big rocks. Less gyroscopic effect at slower speeds
make runs like OS or GG a bit more manageable.
-Best for really soft sand/mud and off camber landings. The Hopey has saved my
ass on this many times and worth the $$ for this alone. Not so bad here in BC, but
back on Kauai it really made a diff.
-Really nice at the bike park (a lot less fatigue). I've tried a run without the Hopey
engaged and wow, what a difference in arm and hand pump.
-It's probably saved my front wheel a few times too (stopping it from getting
square to the direction of travel on landings).

-Bad on really tight fast stuff (like Angry pirate), but you learn to adapt.

Basically, the thing works good, and while I've considered getting rid of it, when I
turn it off the bike just feels like the front end is on ice, so I turn it back on. It is
adjustable so you can have as much or little as you want. There is no damping
within about 15 each side of straight, after that the damping kicks in until about
50 of center when it kicks off again. It really is a lot more than just "tightening
you headset a lot". I don't recommend it for single crown forks since the bars
will turn more than the Hopey will allow, so you put a lot of stress on the headset
when you crash with a single crown. That being said, I've never heard of anyone
doing damage with a single crown. I'm sure a email to Mr. Hopey would answer
any questions on that (really nice guy and stands behind his product).

I've never had any headset issues (but I only have it on my 888, so there should
be no stress).

-Great at slower speed hitting big rocks. Less gyroscopic effect at slower speeds
make runs like OS or GG a bit more manageable.

Sorry - comprehension fail on my part… What do OS and GG stand for?

Original Sin and Goats Gully (@ WBP…Whistler Bike Park), I figured most hear
know those trails, I found using WBP trails is generally a good way of conveying
a trail difficulty.

I can see the advantage if you are riding a lot of downhill/park, it would certainly reduce fatigue.

That what I would be using it for.

Original Sin and Goats Gully (@ WBP…Whistler Bike Park), I figured most hear
know those trails, I found using WBP trails is generally a good way of conveying
a trail difficulty.

It's a great way to convey trail rating - so long as the reader is smart enough to deduce the acronym… Me not so much.