#117 Joe Barnes' Hope HB.916

The Barnoldswick crowd's latest hand-crafted carbon fibre superbike, with a splash of imagination only 'Top Chief' could provide

Hope Technology have been churning out high-quality brakes, hubs and more in Barnoldswick, Lancashire, since 1989. Over the years, they've gone from strength to strength, and now operate 55 CNC machines running around the clock. All that expertise in hewing parts from aluminium led them to think about producing their own bikes onsite. For that, a different approach was needed. They created their own carbon fibre moulds and in 2017 released the 650b-wheeled HB.160 to the public.

That was followed up with the more trail-orientated HB.130 29er three years later, which built on all the lessons learned from the first bike and was a far more modern offering. All eyes turned to see what Hope would produce next to replace their aged long-travel bike. Last year, the new HB.916 began to appear under some of the faster factory staff and, in this bike's case, Hazzard Racing's Joe Barnes, who would make the switch from another UK brand making their bikes on home turf. Officially launched at the 2022 Ard Rock Enduro, the HB.916 is now available to buy, but you won't find any other one quite like Joe's.

Carbon craftsmanship