Hope Pedals

Axle Standards, Shoe Compatibility and Q-Factor

Every Hope pedal in the current range uses a standard 9/16-inch axle thread, so they fit any adult crankset without adapters. No surprises there. Where it gets more specific is Q-factor - the lateral distance between the pedal faces - which affects your knee tracking and overall stance width. The Hope Union RC sits at 55mm, as do the TC and GC variants, keeping your stance consistent whether you're switching between builds or just want predictable biomechanics across your fleet.

Union pedals require Hope's own proprietary cleats, which come in the box. They're not Shimano SPD cleats, but they mount to any standard 2-bolt SPD-compatible shoe - so if you're already riding Shimano-compatible footwear, you're fine. Worth checking your shoe before you buy rather than after.

Looking for replacement cleats or rebuild kits? Hope pedals are fully rebuildable, and we stock the complete range of proprietary hardware. Visit our dedicated Hope Tools page to find the exact match for your setup.

Flats, Clipless, and Where Each One Fits

The Hope F22 is the current flat pedal benchmark in the range, and it's a step forward from the older F20 in several ways. The platform is larger and asymmetric - wider where your foot actually sits, rather than symmetrical for symmetry's sake. The concave profile pulls your foot into the pedal rather than letting it skate across the surface, and the hex-key-adjustable pins let you dial in bite to match your shoes and your nerve. The F20 had proven internals, and the F22 keeps those while addressing the platform ergonomics riders had been asking about for years.

On the clipless side, the Union range has three tiers, each aimed at a different type of riding. The Union RC (Race Clip) is the lightest option - lean, minimal platform, suited to XC and gravel where every gram earns its place. The Union TC (Trail Clip) adds a mid-sized platform that gives your foot somewhere to rest on longer descents and rough trail riding, making it the most versatile of the three. The Union GC (Gravity Clip) goes full platform - chunky, confidence-inspiring, designed for the kind of enduro stages and bike park laps where you're spending serious time on the pedals and want that contact point to feel solid.

All three Union variants are available with a titanium axle upgrade if you're trimming grams. The weight saving is modest but real, and titanium's resistance to bending under lateral load is a practical benefit if you're prone to clipping rocks or stumps on tighter trails. Riders weighing up the GC against something like Crank Brothers pedals or DMR pedals will find Hope's dual mechanism notably more consistent in muddy conditions - it doesn't pack up with clay the way some four-point engagement systems do.

If you're coming from flat pedals and weighing up the switch, the TC is usually the sensible starting point. The GC makes sense if you're already clipped in and want more platform security; the RC makes sense if you're building a light XC or gravel setup and don't need the extra material underfoot. Pairing any of the Union models with matching Hope chainsets and cranks keeps the whole contact-point-to-drivetrain interface consistent, which is worth considering if you're speccing a build from scratch.

Surviving UK Winters: Bearings, Grit and Service Intervals

Most pedal bearings fail the same way: water and fine abrasive grit work past inadequate seals, the grease turns to paste, and the cartridges grind themselves out. Hope's answer is three cartridge bearings combined with an IGUS bushing - a self-lubricating polymer sleeve that handles the radial load the bearings don't cover. The whole assembly sits behind heavy-duty O-ring seals that are sized properly rather than as an afterthought.

In practice, this means a set of Hope pedals ridden through a Pennine winter will still feel tight and smooth by spring, where a cheaper pedal might already be notchy. The Peak District's particular brand of grit-laden mud is especially hard on bearings - it behaves like fine grinding paste once it gets inside a seal - and the Hope internals are genuinely built to resist it rather than just marketed that way.

Service intervals depend on how hard you ride and how enthusiastically you pressure-wash, but a basic clean and re-grease every six months is a reasonable rhythm for regular UK winter use. The axle assembly removes cleanly with a standard cassette lockring tool, which means you don't need specialist kit sitting in the garage. Full bearing replacement is typically a one-to-two-year job rather than a seasonal one. Compare that to Burgtec pedals or Nukeproof pedals - both solid options - and Hope's rebuildability is a genuine differentiator over the long term. Paired with Hope bottom brackets, which share a similar sealed-bearing philosophy, you get a drivetrain that responds well to straightforward periodic maintenance rather than demanding specialist attention.

One thing worth knowing before your first service: don't over-tighten the axle preload. Snug is enough. Over-tightening compresses the bearings and shortens their life - the opposite of what you're trying to achieve.