Hope Mono M4/Mono Mini lever

Relliott6879

Hi guys, this is is my first post in, I'd guess, a couple of years. Long enough for me to put MBUK Forum into Google and start wondering, "What's all this BikeRadar malarky?"!

Anyhoo... As you might guess, I've been away from biking for a while. I decided to brush the trusty Kona off the other day but found a problem with the front brake, which is a Hope Mono M4, circa 2006. The lever comes virtually back to the bar before the brakes bite, if riding at any more than walking pace you can pull it all the way to the bar with little say on the speed of the bike, a far cry from when could I lock the front wheel at pretty much any speed with one finger! My first guess is that the brakes need bleeding and/or that some fluid may have escaped from the master cylinder on the lever (there is evidence of it 'weeping' fluid). I tried today to open the little cap on the m/c but one of the 3mm allen bolts seems to be rounded out, so what now? The bolts themselves and also the metal cap are listed as spares on Hope's website, but I can see no way to remove the damaged bolt. A quick internet trawl seems to imply that the complete levers themselves are no longer available to buy, unsurprising 5 years down the line. Any (serious!)suggestions would be gratefully received.

nicklouse

them damn small bolts.

it may be possible to rescue it. drill the top off and then grip the remains and unscrew.

but as usual give Hope a call in the AM to check for spares.

allthegearnoidea

torx bit slightly larger tapped in gently as they are Soft bolts Normally works!!
crc have them as spares along with 'upgrade' bolts that have a raised head, used some allen bolts from my old R/C truck spares on mine! work a treat!!

i asked hope about compatability of levers and new calipers a while back, mainly Old mini lever and new M4 caliper and they said was fine so guess should be the same for new lever old caliper if needs be!

Pr][nCe

+1 on torx bit, if that fails, nice small dremel cuting blade, make a groove so you can use a small flat blade screwdriver.

kevolution

When you get the bolts out, feel the top of the hole it threads into. You should feel a raised bit above the flat surface around it.
This is where your MC hasa been taking in air and spitting fliud out the breather on the MC cap.
The fix is to ream it with a M5 drill bit heldin your hand (don't use the drill) just remove the excess raised material. Then bleed, refit cap, and it'll work like new.