Hope drops £2,000 from price of its HB160 bike

Hope Technology has today announced that it will drop the price of its acclaimed HB160 bike from £7,500 to £5,500, refunding those who committed to purchases at the higher price in the process.

Launched last year, the UK-made carbon 160mm enduro bike is fairly unique in the bike world in that the Barnoldswick firm hasn’t necessarily stuck to the standards rule book, instead creating what it describes as an uncompromising bike designed and made with input from experts from the Formula one and aerospace industries.

Hopetech said in its statement: “Our first bike, the HB160 was successfully launched last August and received praise from all who rode it. An asking price of £7,500 certainly put it into the Superbike category, but given the quality finish, attention to detail and uniqueness, it’s not unjustified.

“However, this price didn’t really sit well with one of our founders, Ian Weatherill. He’s been quoted many times stating that UK manufacturing can easily compete in the global market, but initial pricing for the HB160 didn’t really reflect this.”

This led the Barnoldswick manufacturer to reassess its carbon bike program over Christmas, with the firm “recalculating the absorption of the R&D costs” for the program.

The news comes in tandem with the revelation that the business has just purchased a new six-acre plot of land with a view to expanding its manufacturing and assembly, in particular of its wheel business.