The R1 isThe Forged radial master cylinder w/ integrated reservoir and flip flop design Split clamp for easy installation, MixMaster available sold separately 1 piece patent-pending forged caliper body Post mount caliper, adapter and rotor sold separately Aluminum backed pads for additional weight savingsTop loading pads Approximate weight 279 grams Adapter and rotor sold separately
How does it look? Hawt! The lever has a very clean, minimalistic lines with red anodized clamps and hardware. The master cylinder itself sports a flat black finish and is complemented with a silver forged lever. The cable is an elegant gray kevlar braid which leads to a flat, textured caliper with red ano accents as well. However, the rotor itself is not of the same aesthetic caliber. The swoopy center lines are abruptly finished by a very round outer rim peppered by dozens of holes. It’s not in the same vein as the classic Oro Puro rotor. Continue reading →
Submitted by
ddprocter
a Cross Country Rider
from San Carlos
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2012
Strengths: Very strong, well modulated, light brakes. They don't fade. They are strong wet or dry. Pads very easy to change. Reach adjust works perfectly. Bleed it straightfoward.
Weaknesses: Would like some control over stiffness, no adjustment for modulation (although there is plenty of reach adjustment)
Little noisy even with organic pads
Had to replace rear pistons due to sticking piston on one side, but, bought used, have no way to confirm the prior history of these brakes
Bottom Line:
Lightest, strongest brakes out there. Had some maintenance issues, but they were used, so hard to judge real longevity
Submitted by
Cap'n Chris
a Racer
from Dana Point, CA
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2012
Strengths: Light weight, great looking, durable. The stopping power is amazing, and the modulation is CRAZY good when the added pad adjustment dial is added.
Weaknesses: None yet!
Bottom Line:
If you want the best XC/trail stoppers out there, the R-1's are the real deal. The price is so worth it, once they are mounted you will never even think or it again. With the additional pad reach dial and carbon lever upgrade, the brakes are light and extremely worthy of high end race bike set ups. IDEAL for XC racers or endurance trail riders looking for sizzling power in a stupid-light package.
Similar Products Used: Everything from Avid BB7's to Magura to Hayes
Bike Setup: Which one?
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Submitted by
bsdc
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2011
Bottom Line:
For what it's worth, I ride Juicy 7's. They've worked great for me for many years. I haven't ever thought of replacing them.
I just got back from Outerbike where I got to ride a lot of bikes. I really wasn't there to evaluate brakes, but I did ride a couple of bikes with Formula R1 brakes and they really stood out to me. I'm not one to nitpick components a lot. All the other brakes on the other bikes were fine. It's just somehow the R1's really impressed me. I'm sure some of it is personal preference, but they just fit right (I have relatively small hands) and had real nice modulation.
I've got no plans of replacing something that's not broke, but my next bike will have Formula R1's or something very similar.
Similar Products Used: Juicy 7 and tested a lot of others.
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Submitted by
DmD
a Cross Country Rider
from Southern California
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2011
Strengths: Good stopping power, nice modulation, looks, very light weight, and easy to bleed. No annoying noise or vibration like Avids.
Weaknesses: Price.
Bottom Line:
These are a pricey set of brakes. But they work really well. I was tired of dealing with the many problems with Avid Disc Brakes particularly the Elixir CRs and Juicys. So far I have not had any problems with the R1 and The Ones. The R1 stopping power is not as strong as The Ones, but the R1s are cross country brakes. The R1s look stylish with a minimalist look. I like the braided hoses. Bleeding is fairly easy. Im using the R1s with 160 mm Hayes V-cut rotors which seem to work well.
Similar Products Used: Formula The Ones - awesome brake. Problematic Avid Elixirs and Juicy Ultimates. Hayes 9s, Hayes El Camino.
Bike Setup: Pivot Mach 4
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Submitted by
las-palmas
a Cross Country Rider
from Las Palmas, Spain
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2011
Strengths: Stops the bike better than XT, XTR.
Easy to dose, stop without blocking is easy.
Weaknesses: After 6 month up and down the mountains here: None.
Bottom Line:
Having had hydraulic disc brakes for more than 10 years now I have finally found brakes that are easy to use; not too much stopping power, not too little, just enough; all the time.
Even when hot they still function. Julie and the Shimanos did fade on long descends and the Louise was not easy to use: too much or too little stopping power.
But maybe I just had "Monday" products.
Buy them if you want light brakes that are easy to use.
Similar Products Used: Magura Julie and Louise.
Shimano XT and XTR.
Bike Setup: Ibis Mojo with FOX RP23
RockShox Revelation
SRAM XO (thumb shifting)
Formula R1 (1 finger braking)
Speedplay Frogs (easy on your knees)
Selle Italia SLC 130mm old model firm and comfortable
Thomson Masterpiece
New Ultimate flat-bar 580mm
X-Lab water carriers
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Submitted by
easymzm
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2010
Strengths: Very lightweight. Clean design, excellent stopping power, no reliability issues
Weaknesses: Tight pad clearance may require some fiddling. Lacks a contact point adjustment. Not cheap.
Bottom Line:
A great brake, very light and powerful. Appropriate for XC to light all mountain use.
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz BlurXC carbon, Fox F120 RLC, XO drivetrain.
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Submitted by
Mike Aswell
a Cross Country Rider
from Unity, PA USA
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2010
Strengths: Light, good stopping power, good modulation, relatively easy installation.
Weaknesses: Somewhat pricey, though the $380 I paid was brakes, rotors and levers.
Bottom Line:
These are pretty amazing brakes at a very low weight. Set up was fairly painless, though I had to re-center the front caliper 3-4 times before I got it right. The rear caliper was first try. As mentioned in another review, pad clearance is fairly tight, but I don't see this as a problem as long as you don't beat up your rotors, which if you do the R1s probably aren't the best for you anyways...stopping power and modulation are impressive. Did I mention they're light? I think I shed 1/2 lb going to these, no joke.
Submitted by
Kjell
a Cross Country Rider
from Oslo, Norway
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2010
Strengths: Featherweight, design, stopping power
Weaknesses: Pad wears out very fast in wet mud!!"
Bottom Line:
Very light and strong brak - good modulation - OBS if being used in wet muddy conditions change from organic pads - mine lasted for 2 hours and that's it (no brakes...!). Recommended for racing and weight weenies.
Submitted by
aldous
a Cross Country Rider
from Brooklyn NY
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2010
Strengths: Very light, great stopping power
Weaknesses: Tiny pad clearances, need regular adjustment
Bottom Line:
I loved my Oros, and still run them on my SS - excellent power and modulation, set them up and forget them, easy breezy. The R1's offer slightly better power, but have been incredibly finicky for me.
I do all my own wrenching and have been setting up and tweaking brakes since the days of BMX style chainstay-mounted U-brakes, so I know what I'm doing, and the R1s are a pain in the arse. Pad clearance is miniscule, and for the first few rides I kept having to stop and re-center the front caliper due to rubbing of the inboard pad (these are supposed to be self-aligning). I tried de-gumming the pistons (as suggested by the Formula folks) to no effect. I finally re-centered the calipers with a piece of 3x5 card stock between the rotor and the inboard pad and that gave me a hair more clearance to stop the rubbing, although I still get the occasional bell-like 'ping' from the front brake every once in a while, indicating intermittent contact.
The rear brake just started doing the turkey gobble thing, too. No loss of performance (and not as loud as the sound I've heard Juicys make) but annoying as hell.
On the plus side, the factory bleed has held up (just like the Oros - 2 years of service without a bleed), although it seems like most higher-end hydros these days have conquered the need to bleed, so that's not such a big selling point anymore.
These will stop you solidly, and other people seem to have no problems with their R1s, so maybe its me. But for the price, it would be nice to have a brake that is as tweak free as the Oros.
Submitted by
jay_ntwr
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2010
Strengths: Absolutely the best brake I've ever used. The Oro Puros were amazing but these are truly an upgrade. There is nothing else to say really, they just work better than anything else I've used. Formula one up'd themselves with these.
Weaknesses: They are spendy but worth it.
Bottom Line:
Just ride a pair and you'll be sold. Don't do it if you have a lot of bikes 'cause you'll hate the brakes on all of the ones that aren't R1s and you'll have to replace them all and that could get expensive.
Similar Products Used: Oro K24, Hayes Stroker Carbon, XTR, BB-7
Bike Setup: Salsa Mamasita, Reba Race, CK/Revo/355 wheels, XTR drivetrain, Stronglight Magma cranks, XXX Lite bar, post & stem
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Submitted by
Jono111
a Weekend Warrior
from England
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2010
Strengths: Strong and progressive, super light, look good
Weaknesses: None so far, little bit of squeling in the wet, thats about it.
Bottom Line:
Was very nervous about these with all the chat about insufficient clearance, pad drag etc. Haven't had any of that, brakes are strong, light and are doing everything right. No extended work outs so will reserve judgment there, I'm hard on my gear, no complaints after 3 months. Am very happy with these especially at the price I got them.
Similar Products Used: Hope minis, thats it. Makes those look like a complete joke.
Bike Setup: Chameleon, high end build. Brakes set up with 180 front and rear, standard formula lightweight rotors.
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Submitted by
Surfas
a Weekend Warrior
from Lisbon, Portugal
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2010
Strengths: Weigh, power, modulation, so minimalist good looking breaks.
Weaknesses: None so far!
Bottom Line:
This are even better than the Oro Puro. And no interference with the shifters, very little brakes, great floating rotors (I use 180mm at front).
The power is more than with the Puros but the great modulations are there!!!
Similar Products Used: Shimano Deore, Shimano XTR (the first XTR models), Formula Oro Puro
Bike Setup: Santacruz BLT2 X0, XTR, Crossmax ST, ....
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Submitted by
diver160651
a Cross Country Rider
from Belmont, Ca USA
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2009
Strengths: Brake modulation, brake power to weight
Weaknesses: Like any high end race machine requires a bit of setup skill
Bottom Line:
For people willing to invest their time in proper setup and maintenance. The reward is one of the best single finger stoppers with amazing modulation. Even after 15k in climbing descending in a single 120m ride one finger will easily slow you.. BUT ... the clearance are small so knowing how to adjust your brakes is critical.. oh.. they are crazy light too!
Similar Products Used: Avid- 7's 9's ultimates, Hayes, Hope
Bike Setup: Stumpy at 24lbs with 5.5" travel // S-works Carbon Epic
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Submitted by
Jimmy Rueda
a Racer
from Bogotá, Colombia
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2009
Strengths: Potencia de frenado inigualable, Peso super liviano
Weaknesses: Ningun problema
Bottom Line:
Hasta ahora solo había usado frenos XT y XTR, pero no me había atrevido a usar otra marca y encuentro estos super ligeros Formula R1 que estéticamente no son los mas bonitos ni tampoco los mas feos, pero que si analizo todos sus aspectos resultan ser la mejor opción que he utilizado. Su potencia es excepcional, y me dan mayor seguridad y control en la frenada. Espero poder conseguir los discos flotantes Formula se ven muy buenos. Algún día probaré otros como Magura, Avid, Hope y podré comparar y decir si son o no los mejores. 100% Recomendados.
Bike Setup: Fuji Carbón SL C7, Grupo Shimano XTR con Shadow RD Carbón, Ruedas XT, Suspensión Fox RL Remote Lock, Race Face Carbon Next SL, Y los super frenos Formula R1.
I have recently bought a set of Formula R1 brakes with 160 and 140 mm rotors. Both frame and fork are IS2000, the brakes are Postmount. Do I need specific Formula adapters or can I Read More »
I've got Avid G2 rotors and they are bottoming out (or topping out) inside the brake calipers. This is only happening on the rear brakes and only with the G2 rotors. I'm also usi Read More »
I have had enough issues with Formula brakes and I don't care about warranty jobs anymore,I just want those piece of junk brakes in the trash for good.
Problem is if I switch to A Read More »
So I was at the bike shop the other day and they had a sign saying they don't recommend using formula brakes with carbon bars because apparently the weep port can damage the carbon Read More »
I always have trouble with the clearance on the front R1 brake. Has anyone found a solution this? I have rotor rub during every ride regardless of how well the brake is aligned. Read More »
