It’s been ten years since we’ve seen a new flat pedal from Hope. The new F22 pedal brings Hope’s wealth of CNC machining experience to its design, boosting overall grip and support, and putting it right up there with the best mountain bike pedals. However, the platform isn’t the largest and the anodising has already started to wear.
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Hope F22 flat pedal - Technical details
The Hope F22's CNC-machined alloy platform has been completely redesigned. The new platform features a deeper concave body to offer more support. It’s also a touch larger, measuring in at 10.3x10.6x1.9cm. The body is tapered to deflect strikes without launching you over the bars.
The changes don’t stop there as there’s a new pin layout and design, with each of the 11 pins mimicking the body’s concave design, which gets shorter towards the centre of the pedal. The pins are reverse loaded, so there’s less chance of them getting stuck or falling out on the trail.
As for the internals, Hope didn’t feel the need to change anything, so they remain unchanged over the F20 pedal. These are made up of three cartridge bearings with an IGUS bush. The internals are fully serviceable/rebuildable and feature internal and external sealing for protection against the elements.
It then weighs in at 182g per pedal, only two grams heavier than claimed.
Hope F22 flat pedal - Performance
During my time with the Hope F22, it was tested with the Leatt 7.0 HydraDri Flat and Giro Latch shoes, and performance was very consistent. While grip and support are nothing to be sniffed at, the fact the lightweight and durability on display are the F22’s star qualities.
The pedal body is a good size but it’s definitely not the largest on the market. My size EU44 feet matched up reasonably well, though if you have bigger feet the pedal may feel a little small. But for me, support was plentiful.
The pedal body could be boosted though. The pedal’s concave design isn’t particularly deep, showing only a millimetre or two difference between the outer and inner portions. While this ditches a fully locked-in feel, it offers a full-but-flatter contact patch between the shoe and the pedal body. And this certainly has an appeal to those who don’t like huge concave pedal bodies.
The grip the F22 offers is reliable. Only on very rare occasions have I slipped a pedal or lost grip. The pins are very lengthy which definitely aids the cause. That’s even with a washer on each pin to make them shorter. It’s definitely an aggressive-looking pedal that offers solid grip.
While testing, the pedals have been put through the worst of my lazy riding, having struck rocks, roots, and other nasties at any given opportunity. After all of that, while there are a few cosmetic scratches, the pedal body has remained unscathed, and the same goes for the pins. However, a fair bit of the anodising has worn away where my shoes have rubbed. This is only cosmetic and, as a major contact point, it’s to be expected. However, other pedals such as the pricier Wolf Tooth Waveform have held up better over time.
Another thing to point out is the fact these pedals are rebuildable which improves the longevity, should the internals eventually bite the dust.
Hope F22 flat pedal - Verdict
What the Hope F22 flat pedals offer for the money is pretty good. They are reasonably light and reliable CNC-machined pedals. At this end of the price range, competition is high with Race Face offering the larger and thinner Aeffect R for £120. But it's worth noting that they are heavier and have fewer top-loading pins.
£130 will get you the PEMBREE D2A, another CNC-machined pedal with a larger platform with 10 pins. A bonus of this pedal is that it’s created using carbon-neutral processes.
At £150, the Deity TMAC offers a larger platform but they weigh a little more than the Hope.
For the money, the Hope F22 isn’t offering much more than cheaper alternatives in terms of shape - but what you get is a lightweight workhorse that offers grip and support that’s very tough to beat. Though, while larger than before, the platform isn’t quite as vast as others on the market, plus the anodising isn’t super hard-wearing and some may prefer more of a concave body shape.
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