PSA: Formula RO Brakeset £103 at Planet X

Mine arrived today, well pleased, now have to work out which bike to put them on

Vorlich; how much do you want for the SLX brakes?

First ride on the RO’s this morning, very very nice!

After bedding them in I was getting an upper body workout trying not to go OTB on the steep road I was using.

They’re very similar to my Tech M4s; lots of modulation, but the power on these keeps on coming, pull them as hard as you can and you are definitely going to lock something up or go OTB.

If they can be as reliable as my Tech m4s have been then I’ll be very impressed. I’ve just serviced my tech m4s with brand new seals and a new (black) Goodride hose kit, and have some one ride old (!!!!) Hope 203 and 183 black floating rotors that’ll be going up for sale in a few days, very sad to see these brakes go but it’s nice having a change now and again.

Managed to grab hold of a set in the end! Well chuffed.

Will ne bedding them in tonight, fitted them yesterday and trundle around my street revealed lots of lever range, but desperate to be bedded in correctly, stupidly, I think there may have been some muc-off left on my rotors so I may need to throughly clean them and sand pads.. Or change pads… Hopefully a 40mph decent will burn that crap off nicely!

Took mine out for a test last night and I’m getting a lot of brake judder on the front. Headset and the caliper bolts are tight so I’m going to swap rotors tonight to see if it cures it. Anyone else having any probs?

If they can be as reliable as my Tech m4s have been then I’ll be very impressed.

Prepare to be unimpressed I’m afraid… There’s a reason they were selling for a fraction of their RRP!

Like all Formula brakes, the first 3 rides they’re incredible, then performance rapidly deteriorates. New pads will bring the performance back briefly, but throwing pads that are less than 50% worn in the bin continually starts to grate! Then the lever will fall apart on you on a descent (ally bolt snaps or works itself loose usually), then when you inevitably break a lever (rather easy to do compared to most) the price of a replacement is more than a new set of SLX brakes will set you back!

Enjoy the performance (which to be fair is exceptional) whilst it lasts… Cos it won’t last long!

Like all Formula brakes, the first 3 rides they’re incredible, then performance rapidly deteriorates.

Maybe not all, matey. My ‘the ones’ from 2011 are still running superbly after being on my main bike since new. Was going to bleed them last winter, but as they still didn’t need it, I didn’t bother.
The only possible complaint is that (in combination with the ‘Calder/Mordor grit’) they seem to eat sintered pads, but pads are cheap and it is a small price to pay for the power and consistency that mine have.
Would have loved those r0’s, but missed the boat!

Enjoy the performance (which to be fair is exceptional) whilst it lasts… Cos it won’t last long!

Well aren’t you a ray of light!

It does, however, sum up my own experience of Formula brake ownership in the past.

Prepare to be unimpressed I’m afraid… There’s a reason they were selling for a fraction of their RRP!

Like all Formula brakes, the first 3 rides they’re incredible, then performance rapidly deteriorates. New pads will bring the performance back briefly, but throwing pads that are less than 50% worn in the bin continually starts to grate! Then the lever will fall apart on you on a descent (ally bolt snaps or works itself loose usually), then when you inevitably break a lever (rather easy to do compared to most) the price of a replacement is more than a new set of SLX brakes will set you back!

Enjoy the performance (which to be fair is exceptional) whilst it lasts… Cos it won’t last long!

pretty much my experience with Formula… i say my experience, but i was fortunte enough never to buy any.

my friend’s K24s were great when new and it got to the point where i bought him a set of SLX for hs birthday as i couldn’t be doing with his moaning and the brakes squeaking on every ride.

then there was the customer whose rear caliper seized with the pistons out whilst on a Transalp tour. had to open the grub screw and let out some oil till the pressure dropped off and the pistons could be forced back into the caliper.

and the guide who had “mended” his lever with a chunky cable tie as the pin had fallen out during transport.

Contrary to pretty much every long term review then I suppose.

My only other experience of Formula was a set of R1s that I didn’t touch in 3 years of ownership – they were great, and light!
Transalp tour failure sounds like air in the system to me.

Worth a shot at £103. Happy to have egg on my face and switch to SLX/etc if they end up being duds, fingers crossed they go and last as well as the reviews claim.

They do look nice, slimjim. Hope that they give you years of problem free service, but if they turn out to be crap, I will happily relieve you of your burden 😀

Northwind seems to like Formula and I’ve been impressed with his recommendations in the past 😛 (spesh tyres and Gussett BBs) I bet he doesn’t even know he has a fan boy 😳

I ran some version 1 The Ones for a year of so and they were reliable.

P.S. 2nd ride on them this morning and they’re still rocking, I best enjoy my next one as they’re destined to explode apparently 😀

This thread is a journey unto brilliance.

Thanks, OP (not that I bought anything)

Problem-free user for over 6 years here – 2 sets. I know of another 4 sets over the same period that have been similarly reliable.

Well aren’t you a ray of light!

It does, however, sum up my own experience of Formula brake ownership in the past.

Genuine 😆

Contrary to pretty much every long term review then I suppose.

If you believe journo’s ever test anything properly long term (to be fair, I know the STW guys are a lot more thorough than just about anyone else) you’re a bit naive I’m afraid. Enduro Mag were banging on about the Rockshox Reverb being the most reliable dropper post a while back, to which I pointed out to them that I’ve had 6 of my own fail (and I’ve had to warranty many more than that for customers) in the last 3 years. They admitted they had a fleet of 15 demo bikes though, all fitted with them, and that time was spread around the various bikes… So whilst they were testing the Reverbs, they weren’t testing the same one time and time again through all conditions.

If anyone that missed out on the crazy priced R0’s fancies a set of nearly new T1’s for a bargain price, ping me a message… I literally can’t give them away!

and the guide who had “mended” his lever with a chunky cable tie as the pin had fallen out during transport.

I can top that… Out on a ride one evening, nothing on my person other than my car keys as I’d gone out for a quick blast after work without a pack etc… Brake lever pivot bolt/pin fell out (I wasn’t aware that upon receiving a brand new set of brakes, I was supposed to take them apart, service them before using!) and the only thing I had to fix it with was the keyring from my car key!

It worked well enough to get me down off the hills sheepishly until I could get a new bolt (£6.95, seriously!) for it… By this point though (I think the 5th ride) the brakes were almost useless anyway…

Over 2 years on my R0’s and they are still as powerful as ever. Only had to bleed them once. Love them.

🙂

mboy – Member

Like all Formula brakes, the first 3 rides they’re incredible, then performance rapidly deteriorates.

I’m using 3 sets of 2011 The Ones, between the 3 of them they’ve had 1 replacement part other than consumables, and they’ve been used a wee bit more than 3 times… Oh and a decade old set of Oros on my commuter, they have incredibly flappy levers now but I could still take them and stick them on a dh bike and go racing, not many 10 year old brakes you could say that of.

OTOH every issue Alpin described there sounds a basic maintanance failure. So there’s always that.

My The Ones have been reliable too. The pair replaced by the R0’s have been on a mates DH bike for two years, he’s still paying me in beers 🙂 , and another older pair are on my hard tail. No problems to report yet.

Enjoy the performance (which to be fair is exceptional) whilst it lasts… Cos it won’t last long!

Not in my experience, my 2007 Oro K24’s have outlasted Shimano Deore, LX and XT. They are fantastic brakes, just don’t have the power of more modern brakes. Lever feel to die for and superb modulation though.

First proper ride on the R0s, took me several decents to get anything other than a horrid squeal out of them – then one loooong draggy descent got them really hot and suddenly they came to life. Bloody awesome. I’ve never felt that much control on a brake before – pure modulation to the point where you actually want to lock up – and then you can lock up at will.
Super nice feel on these suckers, and stopped my fat ass with confidence, here’s to many happy descents!

Got out for a really short ride with mine on Saturday, did manage a shortish but steep descent though and was impressed, was able to lock up each end with ease. This is just what I’m looking for after needing to two finger brake my way off Knoydart hills on a loaded bike with the old brakes.

Both lever and calliper feels like quality in comparison to the SLX, which is a decent brake, but feels mass produced (no surprise there I suppose). Really chuffed with them, and if they last anything like my old Megas have, I’ll be pleased.

Duckman, you in any rush? I’m working in Machester, so can’t get you pics until Saturday at the earliest.

Enjoy the performance (which to be fair is exceptional) whilst it lasts… Cos it won’t last long!

Really?? No issues with my RO’s which are coming on 3 years old. Did the 1st bleed they’ve ever had last week (not that they needed it) and a bit of improvement. Saying that, they’ve been spot on from day one so I guess I must’ve got a good set..

If anyone that missed out on the crazy priced R0’s fancies a set of nearly new T1’s for a bargain price, ping me a message… I literally can’t give them away!

£5? And I’ll, obviously, be doing you a favour 🙄

what pads are people using for theirs? I’ve got a set of R1x that will need a set soon and there’s no way I’m shelling out £50+ for the formula replacements

I use these… Rahox pads [/url] really impressed by them.

Uberbike sintered. Tried the race matrix and just got too much honking from the rear.
Tried a few different cheap and nice brands, but prefer these. Cheap, too.

Those Rahox ones were good too.