formula mod rear shock

Formula Mod rear shock with CTS finally official

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Regular readers of Singletrack will have seen the Formula Mod rear shock from our coverage at the Burgtec house show, now many months later it’s official.

Formula’s rear shock has been seen on the rear of Joe Barnes’ Orange for the past few months, and fans of eMTB’s might have seen the Mod coil shock on the new Sunn range of eBikes. But it’s only today that the shock has been officially revealed and we can release all the juicy details.

formula mod rear shock
Formula Mod in action.

As you would expect from a coil shock named the ‘Mod’, Formula has created a rear shock that allows riders to modify the characteristics depending on their weight, how they ride and the trails they ride. Using the CTS (Compression Tuning System) found on Formula forks, the mod ships with 3 different removable dampers to tune the ride to suit your preference.

formula mod rear shock
Formula Mod CTS valves.

Gold, Orange and Green CTS valves are supplied with the mod, Gold for lighter riders or riders who want a very sensitive feel, Orange for more aggressive riders who don’t want to lose small bump performance, and Green for very aggressive riders seeking maximum support. Additional adjustments come in the form of compression control, rebound, lockout via a lever, and coil spring preload.

Ensuring consistent performance, even on the longest of runs, the Mod has been designed around a “High Flow” concept which sees the system utilise a 30mm internal piston and increased oil passages. Formula says that this provides excellent heat management, less friction and improved sensitivity.

formula mod rear shock
No IFP here.

It sounds like the Italian suspension team were on a major mission to reduce friction, so on top of the CTS and larger internal pistons, the team designed the Mod around a bladder design instead of an Internal Floating Piston (IFP). We’ve seen bladders used instead of an IFP on DVO shocks to great effect.



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Even the bottom out bumper receives some finessing, with the model on the Mod designed using technology derived from the motorcycle world. This bottom-out bumper design allows the Mod to use every mm of travel without effecting sensitivity while ensuring it prevents any noisy bottom-outs on harsh impacts.

Formula is offering the Mod in standard 210 x 55 and 230 x 65 sizes, as well as Trunnion mount options in 185 x 55 and 205 x 55mm. Coils will be available in 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550 and 600lhb/in in either signature Formula Ultraviolet or titanium colours. The weight of a complete shock starts from 670g.

The Mod is up for pre-order now and shocks will ship from 2nd November 2020 at a cost of £643, €699 or $829. Each shock ships with 3 CTS valves and a high-pressure pump.

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Andi is a gadget guru and mountain biker who has lived and ridden bikes in China and Spain before settling down in the Peak District to become Singletrack's social media expert. He is definitely more big travel fun than XC sufferer but his bike collection does include some rare hardtails - He's a collector and curator as well as a rider. Theory and practice in perfect balance with his inner chi, or something. As well as living life based on what he last read in a fortune cookie Andi likes nothing better than riding big travel bikes.

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