Submitted by
Gary
a Weekend Warrior
from San Jose, CA Date Reviewed: August 16, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Mt. Hamilton
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
OEM
Strengths:
Came with bike
Weaknesses:
These brakes are better than old fashioned caliper breaks, but they have not lasted well.
Bike Setup:
2001 Jamis Dakar Sport
Bottom Line:
I have these because they came with the bike, but I would not go out and buy these. I also tried to get them replaced under warranty, but the dealer said they had to "fail" - not just be a poor product. I'd also add that I got tossed from my bike on a steep hill because the rear brakes failed prematurely. It wasn't a bad spill, but I just replaced them with Avid breaks that have received much better reviews on this site. If you have these Formula breaks, keep an eye on them for your safety!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
tim burton
a Weekend Warrior
from bristol Date Reviewed: April 12, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
brilliant stopping power easy to setup
Weaknesses:
back needs tuning every wk
Bike Setup:
kona stab frame, jr-t, race face cranks and bb
Bottom Line:
this is a very good mech brake the best i have ever used in fact and is also cheap, and for all of you who have also had the adjuster thingy fall off all you need is a 3mm allen key which does the job.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jonathan
a Weekend Warrior
from St Helens UK Date Reviewed: February 21, 2004
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Price, set up, durability
Weaknesses:
Adjusters
Similar Products Used:
Formula B4
Bottom Line:
This is a follow on reveiw from my earlier one from 2002. I'm still impressed with this brake for its price, durability, and stopping. My bike set up has chnaged (OK, its a different bike) with the Activa as my front brake, and it works. Pads take an age to bed in, but are then pretty durable, stopping power is excellent. Not been phased by any weather, so this set up is staying put for the moment. I've downloaded the manual from the formula website, and one correction I'll make is that no special tools are needed to change the pads. As for sourcing pads, I've found some Hope pads to fit for £5 (about $8 or so) but I'm not going to say where so the shop doesn't get sold out.......
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Submitted by
Nigel
a Weekend Warrior
from Westwood MA Date Reviewed: December 10, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Lowell Woods
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
25 per brake
Strengths:
modulation, modulation and modulation.
Weaknesses:
check previous reviews
Bike Setup:
C'dale 500 SRAM 9.0 drivechain, XT disc hubs
Bottom Line:
This is a follow on from my previous two reviews. I've replaced my LX brake levers with Avid 2.0s -a nice improvement.
Just to say that the more I use these brakes, the more I like them. The biggest problems with them are still the lack of power, adjusters that drop off and the need for almost constant adjustment -but at the price I paid, they were a bargain. These brakes can only be recommended for light xc, but once bedded in, you really do seem to feel when the wheel is about to lock. The "feel" is really nice.
If you can get these at a good price, definitely a nice addition for your rear brake -more questionable for a front brake but still usable.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike T.
a
from Ontario Canada Date Reviewed: October 18, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
ThorUSA,com
Strengths:
Ease of installation. Simplicity. Price.
Weaknesses:
There really haven't been any.
Similar Products Used:
Formula B4, 4R and B4SL. All Magura's XC brakes.
Bottom Line:
This is a followup to my Review of the Formula Activa cable disc brake on 3/14/2002. It's now nineteen months after my first review and after I'd tested these brakes for 6 weeks I donated them to an Expert lady racer in town who I mechanic for. She's used them ever since and is still using them. I get to tune her bike every week.
The brakes are still going strong and the only thing that I've done to them apart from tweaking the adjusters every couple of weeks is to replace one set of rear pads.
She loves these brakes and has never complained about them once. In fact she never even mentions them. I just look at the pad wear and feel the levers for need of adjustment.
I ride with her on training rides occasionally and she sure doesn't have any problem stopping. We were both in a recent very muddy, hilly race and she won her age category - as usual. Her brakes worked perfectly - as did my Formula B4SL.
The Activa is one under-rated brake. Get 'em at ThorUSA.com
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Submitted by
woolpainter
a Weekend Warrior
from san francisco, ca Date Reviewed: October 17, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
OEM
Strengths:
None, they are not even recycleable.
Weaknesses:
Everything
Similar Products Used:
Hayes, Avid
Bike Setup:
Giant XTC SE1
Bottom Line:
They can't stop a beginner, 120lb female on a rail-to-trail (e.g. the flattest trail you can imagine) Parts can not be found, they use a uncommon four bolt hub, no-one can figure out how to make them come close to working.
Just removed these from my girlfriends bike after spending weeks trying to get them to stop her. Formula brakes are to stopping as surfborads are to space travel. Avoid these at all costs. This site needs to have negative chili's just for this product.
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Submitted by
Doug Brummett
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Cruz, CA Date Reviewed: June 12, 2003
Favorite Trail:
ucsc trails
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
e-bay
Strengths:
lighter than avids, good power, good modulation
Weaknesses:
rotor issues, cable stop, cable routing
Similar Products Used:
avid and grimmeca mechanicals
Bike Setup:
used these on a couple of my bikes for short durations
Bottom Line:
These are a good substitute for the avids. At about half the price if you look around. They are lighter. Power is almost as strong as the avids. Pads adjust independently. They are very easy to set up.
I did have a problem with one of the rotors not being perfectly flat. I am not sure if it was warped, had build up, or just poorly machined at the factory. I was able to minimize the effect of this by sanding the rotor. The other rotor never gave me any problems.
I rode these for a few months and then sold the bike they were on. Bottom line is that they are not as nice as avidS, but for the budget conscious they are the next best thing.
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Submitted by
Jacob O'Neall
a Downhiller
from Eubank,Kentucky, USA Date Reviewed: February 25, 2003
because of the light weight, they're not comletely bulletproof
Similar Products Used:
promax disk, hayes semi-hydrolic disks
Bike Setup:
2001 Mongoose Pro Valient, Rockshox Psylo, WTB Motoraptor 2.4's, Sun Mammoth rims
Bottom Line:
If you can get a set of these, buy them! I don't know about the people who had bad results with these brakes, because they work, period. They're lighter than some v-brakes (shimano) and stop better, in any condition. I free-ride, down-hill, dirtjump and ride urban stunts with these, with absolutely no problems. I originaly paid $25.00 per brake from jenson, then I tried to buy more, and I got the last one they had at $17.00. These brakes have more than enough power for absolutely any situation besides downhill racing. I let a friend ride my bike, and he wrecked, landing on a cement wall, smashing only the rear disk. Even after that, it still worked! I couldn't get it to quit rubbing, so I installed the extra brake I had, with no problems. These brakes are (very)easy to install, and easier to maintain. These are great brakes that stand toe-to-toe with any disk brake out there, cable or hydro. Buy four.
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Submitted by
Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan Date Reviewed: October 8, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
jensonusa.com
Strengths:
stopping power price easy adjustments Cool looking rotor
Weaknesses:
cheap plastic adjusters finding replacement pads
Similar Products Used:
avid mech
Bike Setup:
GT Avalanche
Bottom Line:
I only have the rear brake installed (Avid Mech on front) and the rear works great. For the price you can't beat it. Stops better than V's. Easy to install and easy to adjust, although I find myself constantly adjusting it since the adjustment knobs have no detented positions like my Avid Mech. The power seems close to my Avid Mech, but it's not as smooth and it's difficult finding replacement pads, so I went ahead and bought a spare brake while Jenson was throwing these out the door at $17. That's cheaper than just set of replacement pads. If I was to pay full price, I would buy Avid Mech.
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Submitted by
Rob
a Cross Country Rider
from Middletown, CT Date Reviewed: August 5, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Somewhere in the birkshires
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
jensonusa.com
Strengths:
You can't beat the price. My first set of disc brakes were shimano deore and both rotors ended up warping in less than a month and stopping power was horrible. The formula's have been good to me, relatively low maintenance, decent stopping power, cool looking. For cross country riding this is all you need. My next set of brakes will be avid's for sure. I've ridden a few bikes with them and they are great!
Weaknesses:
Need constant adjusting and ummmmmmmm no one seems to sell replacement pads for these things!
Similar Products Used:
shimano, avid, hayes
Bike Setup:
gt i-drive 2.0
Bottom Line:
Can't complain for the price...
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Submitted by
Nigel
a Weekend Warrior
from Westwood, MA Date Reviewed: July 15, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Lowell Woods
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA
Strengths:
Cheap, easily adjustable, really good rear brake performance.
Weaknesses:
adjusters fall off (it's all been said already) lack of power for front brake front brake needs frequent adjustment the JensonUSA stuff might have a quality control issue (sticking calipers or contaminated brake pads) Sensitive to setup
Similar Products Used:
LX v-brakes
Bike Setup:
C'dale 500 SRAM drivechain
Bottom Line:
I'd reviewed these previously -and because of the issue with the front brake I decided to just go for it and purchase another brake from JensonUSA at $17. It was in actual fact a rear brake, but you can easily swap out the mounting bracket to the front one. Worse case situation I thought was that I'd end up with quite a few spares for my perfectly good rear brake -all for $17 -so I went for it.
My setup is LX brake levers with your average everyday cables and housing. LX brake levers are set to "maximum" power settings.
First, the improvement is considerable -the front brake, though still not immensely powerful, is considerably better. It really does the job for x-country purposes. Goodness knows what was wrong with my original brake, but I estimate it was 50% less powerful than the one I have now. Additionally, a lot of my constant adjustment woes are gone..... but you notice I use the words "a lot" -alas I still have to mess around with adjustment at least every fifth or sixth ride -and that's not having removed the front wheel either. You could argue it's no big deal, but it's still very frustrating. I could go weeks and weeks without v-brake adjustment.
So if you get these brakes, here's what you should do: i. apply gooey stuff to the inner adjuster threads to prevent the adjuster working loose and falling off.... ii. use velcrose to ensure the outer adjusters stay in place. iii. be patient. Assume you'll have adjustment issues. iv. be patient and read carefully to install correctly.
All said and done I still recommend the rear brake (I haven't adjusted it once since I put it on by the way !!!???) but the front brake seems to be far more picky -I just can't recommend the front brake. I do have concerns that the calipers might be prone to sticking -based on my first front brake experience and my guess this was an issue, as well as the stock pads. Unfortunately the directions are less than clear on how or where to exactly lube the pistons. We'll see.
Ratings are 3 for value (would be five for the rear, but the front brings it down). Overall I would give a 3.5 but no half points so I give 3 (would be four for the rear, but again that need to adjust the front brake brings it down).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chenz
a Racer
from Colorado Springs Date Reviewed: July 15, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Palmer Park
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
Distributor
Strengths:
No strengths!
Weaknesses:
Poorly made product. The adjuster knobs fell off. The calipers freeze up. The rotors are warped. I was left riding 10 miles without a front brake.
Similar Products Used:
Formula MD-1, Avid Mech.
Bike Setup:
Giant SE1 Hardtail, Raceface Next LP Crank, XTR Der. Titec post and handle bars
Bottom Line:
Save up your money and buy the Avid Mech. They are the best mech. disk brake on the market.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
CAlum
a Downhiller
from Scotland, UK Date Reviewed: July 13, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
wiggle.co.uk
Strengths:
Cheap Light Powerful Easy to set up Great modulation and plenty of bite.
Weaknesses:
Plastic adjuster for outer pad comes off easily - luckily i noticed this when adjusting the brakes while fitting, and glued them on properly - seems to have sorted the problem.
Very good stopping power, but still with great modulation and plenty of bite when needed. Very quick and easy to set up. Look better than rim brakes, and less expensive in the long run (no need to replace worn out rims). Great value.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kam
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Angeles, CA Date Reviewed: July 3, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Whiting Ranch to Santiago Truck Trail
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA.com
Strengths:
Price-$50 for a full pair. Ease of installation-took me 40 mins. with adding new cables and all. Modulation-something not found on alot of disc brakes. Power-great power for XC riding. These are NOT brakes for freeriders or light downhillers. Sweet rotors. Light weight
Weaknesses:
The ultra cheesy adjustment knobs-they really need to be beefed up. The crappy rotor bolts the sets came with-really soft allan heads that are easy to strip. Calipers aren't nicely finish like Avids or even HMX-1 or Deore Mechs. I hear of people havinf problems installing these on their disc mounts-some have to gring away material on the calipers mount(watch out RS Duke riders,you may have to do this).
Similar Products Used:
Alot of Avid V's, Deore Hydros, Magura Claras, Avid Mechs.
Bike Setup:
DEAN Private set up SS with a Z2 Atom 80, X3.1 UST rims with XT disc hubs.
Bottom Line:
These are great brakes if you a XC rider looking for non-hydro disc brakes. They are super easy to set up and adjust and they are relatively quiet. Every now and then, they'll let out an occasional squeal. Enough power to do 1 finger lock-ups. I've let a few of my friend ride my bike an they love the brakes. As for the adjuster knobs, take out the knobs and dab some silicon in them and slap 'em right back on. Also, for thos eof you having problems with these brakes, check out ThorUSA.com, and then go to the Formula Owners Group (FOG) forums, it's pretty cool. Anyways, these are a great set of brakes for $25 each ends. Even $70 thru Thor ain't bad. They've been reliable, relatively quiet, and powerful enough for XC riding. I'm gonna keep mine for awhile or until I find a good deal on some Formula B4s.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Trevor
a Weekend Warrior
from Greenhurst, NY USA Date Reviewed: June 29, 2002
Favorite Trail:
sled trails... and anything with mud
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came Stock on Bike
Strengths:
Umm... its a disc brake..? It doesn't weigh much..?
Weaknesses:
hmm... where to begin...
They got hotter than hell (to be expected with discs, but this was overkill) The adjustment knob came off my bike... Front brake squeals like hell, and doesnt stop... I think it just may need soem wearing on the brand new pads, but damn is it annoying. Low power... Brake doesn't endo me... (180lbs.)
Similar Products Used:
a tree... rocks... my foot... a stick in the spokes... a car... side pull brakes (worked quite a bit better actually...)
Bike Setup:
Stock 2001 Jamis Dakar Sport
Bottom Line:
Junk... don't get them... you'd be better off taking your money outside and burning it... The only way I would take them again if they came stock on my bike...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Economatic
a Weekend Warrior
from Moscow, Idaho Date Reviewed: June 27, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$17.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA.com
Strengths:
Extremely Inexpensive, powerful
Weaknesses:
Many...see below
Similar Products Used:
Avid 160mm Mechanical Disc
Bike Setup:
2000 Stumpjumper w/Manitou Mars fork, all XTR, Sun-Ringle Disc Jockey, Thomson Elite stem, Answer Pro-taper Carbon Bar, Avid Mechanical Disc on the front, Formula Activa on the rear
Bottom Line:
First off, for $17 + shipping from JensonUSA I thought this was a deal I could not pass up--I was wrong. Straight out of the box the rotor was extremely warped causing drag on both pads (yes, it was that warped). I attempted to straighten it with an adjustable wrench and did make a massive improvement. Going beyond pads dragging on the rotor, the brakes have a dangerous pulse to them, which isn't much of a surprise with a warped rotor. Aside from the problems with the rotor was the difficulty mounting the caliper. I had to file down part of the caliper mount to get it straight onto the frame (I couldn't use spacers because the adjustment peg for the caliper would rub on the rotor). Lastly, when I finally had them to a point where they worked in a tolerable manner they picked up a terrible squeal after riding for about 15 miles.
Comparison: I mounted a 160mm Avid Mechanical Disc on the front at the same time the Activa was put on my bike. It took a total of about 45 minutes the get the Avid mounted and adjusted perfectly. This is in contrast with the 20 hours and counting that I have spent on the Activa.
Bottom line: If you want to put disc brakes on your bike just because they look cool and don't care if your previous V-brakes worked far better--go for the Activas. On the other hand, if you want a quality, easy to install disc brake then go for the Avids.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nigel
a Weekend Warrior
from Westwood MA USA Date Reviewed: June 16, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA
Strengths:
cheap
Weaknesses:
fiddly cheap plastic adjustment knob on inner side (nearest to spokes) that falls off. Brakes continually rub or seem to fall out of adjustment Poor front brake power
Similar Products Used:
various other v-brakes
Bike Setup:
Cannondale Jekyll 500 with SRAM 9.0 drivechain, LX cranks, levers
Bottom Line:
I bought these based on the reviews already submitted -though I got them for $25 from JensonUSA, I don't believe they are vastly different from the "regular" Activa brakes sold. I used the brakes with Shimano LX levers and Shimano brake cables.
First I've got say the rear brake works like a charm -powerful, got a good feel. However:
Front Brake Yep, they are incredibly easy to adjust -but the biggest problem I had was that the front brake constantly needed adjustment; no matter what I did (gooey stuff on the thread of the inner adjuster to keep the plastic knob in place, velcrose fasteners on the outer adjuster knob, etc) and though the adjuster knobs stayed in place I would always get a "shrrrrapppp shrrrappp" noise after just one ride. It just annoyed the heck out of me. I checked the front disc for trueness -it was off a tad -and attempted to straighten the disc out. It worked and I believe the disc is reasonably true (within a couple of tenths of a millimetre at least I'd say), but then after a couple of rides.... you guessed it, that noise was back. I tried reisntalling the disc and brake caliper on the bike, meticulously following instructions, but still the same result. I came round to the conclusion that a caliper might be the issue here rather than adjustment or disc trueness. Maybe one of the pads was being forced onto the disc? Strangely, whenever I tested the brake the pads always seemed to move away no problem, but once out on the trail that infernal dragging noise always came back.
The other big, big issue for me was the brake power. Even with the adjustment of the pads very close and the disc dragging, power seemed to be wanting -especially when compared to my old LX v-brakes. And to help alleviate the problem of disc drag I had to run the pads very wide open.
Rear Brake The rear brake hardly needed any adjustment at all but even with the circlip and gooey stuff on the threads I got back from my very first ride and found the plastic inner adjuster knob was gone.... oh well, the brake didn't actually need it anyway so no big loss (at the moment). But compared to the front brake, I found the rear brake more than powerful enough and had very nice modulation, and had no disc drag.
Summary The bottom line? This is my only foray into disc brakes so far, so it's tough for me to compare... and assuming these brakes are representative of Activas in general, I would say take a pass on these brakes, particularly the front -maybe I would recommend the rear brake only. I've got to assume the Avid brakes are better; maybe the LX levers and cables I used didn't help, but the most off putting issue was the persistent running out of adjustment and lack of power on the front brake -hey, I thought disc brakes meant less maintenance, not more! I've already spent more time messing around with adjustment with the front brake in one month than a couple of years with v-brakes.
Having said all this, and being very fed up with the time I've put into the front brake, I went with buying another brake for $17 from JensonUSA. What you say??? Well I figured for $17 I haven't got too much to lose (plus I get a spare rotor and pads I can at least use on the rear brake). The plan is to try this new brake on the front and see if I get similar results. I'm hoping for better!
I gave 3 flaming chilis -it was 2 for the front brake, and 4 for the rear brake -this averages out to 3 chilis.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin Dennis
a Weekend Warrior
from Goshen, New Hampshire, United States Date Reviewed: June 5, 2002
Favorite Trail:
snowmobile trails
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
Easy to set up. Good enough power to stop me. Better than my old cheap v's. No need to buy new levers. No hydrolics. They work for me a light (120), but agressive rider.
Weaknesses:
Hard to find a Manitou adaptor.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano v's.
Bike Setup:
Jamis Durango
Bottom Line:
Buy the brakes if you can get them cheap. For what I payed it was a great value. If your willing to pay more, you can get more. But these are good enough for me.
Cheap-you get what you pay for, low power, cheesy plastic adjuster knob falls off, did I mention low power
Similar Products Used:
Avid disc, Hayes disc, Avid V's, Shimano V's, cantilevers, a stick in the spokes, big oak trees
Bike Setup:
SC Superlight, Marz Marathon
Bottom Line:
Not happy at all with the performance, or lack there of. I have no confidence in my stopping ability when using these brakes. The power was never on-par with my XTR V's.
I thought I'd give them a shot since Jenson was closing them out for $25/brake. I guess you get what you pay for. Maybe my expectations were too high, but really any respectable disc should be able to stop my 155# with 1 finger. I could lock the rear with 1 finger, but could barely slow the bike down with the front using 2 fingers. Not acceptable in my opinion.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jonathan
a Weekend Warrior
from St helens, England Date Reviewed: May 1, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Merlin Cycles
Strengths:
Price, set up, weight
Weaknesses:
Difficulty in obtaining a manitou fork adaptor, changing pads looks tricky and needs a special tool
Bottom Line:
I've got this as a rear brake on my Spesh FSR, the front is a B4 because of problems obtaing a Manitou adaptor from the LBS and importers. But it works. Power is at least equal to a very good V brake set up, ample for a rear brake, and has quite good modulation, it isn't grabby or on/off. Plus in mud etc, it is less compromised than rim brakes, and rim wear is now zero. Squeal has been tuned out by careful shimming to enusre the caliper is in line with the disc, and the only other niggle concerns the black adjuster. I found it often loosened, moving the inner pad onto the disc. The fix I have done is to fasten a zip tie over the adjuster and around the body of the caliper. Stops the adjuster loosening, helps keep the brake adjustment.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dan parrett
a Weekend Warrior
from socorro, nm, usa Date Reviewed: April 30, 2002
Favorite Trail:
what ever is good at the time
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
jenson usa
Strengths:
like the other people have said it is light very little noise easier than hell to setup very little maintance
Weaknesses:
a little low on the power side but not bad long break in time for me
Similar Products Used:
none. excapted a couple of test rides
Bike Setup:
a lot of free ride / ds stuff
Bottom Line:
i have not had a chance to use these brakes in the wet yet but i shore that they well do fine. the biggest change that i felt in the ride is the higher speed breaking. it is far better than any v brake will be.
if you want to get an ease disk beark to setup that has good power i would say to get them. but if you are going the torcher them dont get them they are not designed for that.
have fun and ride on.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Formidable Adversary
a Weekend Warrior
from Guelph Ont, Canada Date Reviewed: April 27, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Little Tract
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Braun's bike
Strengths:
Everthing a disc brake should be. Unbelievable modulation, I weigh nearly 200 and I can skid the back tire with my middle figner from a good clip, no problem. These things will stop you on a dime.
Weaknesses:
As with any disc brake, watch that you don't get any lubricant on the rotor (oil, teflon based, etc) which is pretty easy to do, since the rotor is just opposite the rear cogset. If you do, the manual recommends isopropyl alcohol. This won't always work (as you chemists know) since a polar solvent won't take off your nonpolar lubricants too easily. Use dishsoap (don't get ANY on the caliper) then hose the rotor down well, and wipe dry. This should bring your stopping power right back.
Similar Products Used:
none like this one. I have read many reviews that put this disc brake over the Coda hydraulic!
Bike Setup:
Jamis Dakar Sport 2001 stock (Judy TT 88mm, Fox vanilla coil over, rear)
Bottom Line:
Awesome brakes. They came stock on my bike, and I wouldn't dream of replacing them. very very low maintenance. Takes about 50 km to wear off initial brake pad gloss, then they start to really bite (watch out!) one simple adjuster knob to change your mech. advantage. Slow wear on the brake shoes. The whole assembly only weighs 275 grams. If you're in the market for a cable disc, get these, just get them!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Big Al
a Weekend Warrior
from Georgia Date Reviewed: March 24, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Bike Setup:
'01 Jekyll
Bottom Line:
This is a follow-up to my original post(s) on this brake. I've had 4 months of winter riding on it now. The brake stops as good as it did initially. The squeal has finally gone away. The rear stops better than the front, which means I may have some pad contamination on the front. I have cleaned the rotors with alcohol, but the rear is still stronger. Should be opposite since the front cable is shorter. My first impressions still stand. I'm surprised at how easy this brake is to live with; adjustments are very quick and easy, and I have not lost an adjustment knob yet, but I am always sure they're locked down. Pad wear is minimal, even in semi-wet conditions. The rotors have a tiny bit of warp to them, which may be due to excessive heating as I tried to get them to stop squealing by riding down a 1 mile hill with the brakes on. The squealing has stopped. Rotor variation is nothing that I can't adjust out easily. Disc brakes sure do help your riding style. I can go deeper into turns before braking. These are very light brakes too. The weight I posted originally was directly from my gram scale. No drag, no maintenance to date, no problems. At the current Jenson price of $25.00 each, these brakes are a steal. I highly recommend them!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
R Iwamiya
a Weekend Warrior
from Del Mar, CA Date Reviewed: March 23, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
jenson
Strengths:
Easy setup, adjustment and brake power
Weaknesses:
bland looking
Similar Products Used:
avids, v-brakes.
Bike Setup:
trek
Bottom Line:
I have been using these brakes for over three months now and they have been excellent. Setup was easy and the adjustments are also very easy. I use them with speedial 7 and this is a nice setup. The power to me equals the avids and the modulation is much better than my old v-brakes. There is no squeal or noise. Thorsten has been very responsive with the few questions I did have. A very underated brake in my opinion.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Al Hounos
a Weekend Warrior
from Knoxvegas, TN Date Reviewed: March 17, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
jenson
Strengths:
powerful, good modulation, cool lookin rotor
Weaknesses:
cheap lookin caliper
Similar Products Used:
Vs, quad mechanical disc (terrible
Bike Setup:
diamondback reactor dual
Bottom Line:
great, as mike t. said, quite underrated brake when avid mech gets all the attention and is barely any better.
deserves 10 chilis for value if you get it for 25$.
4.5 for performance.
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Submitted by
Mike T.
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario Canada Date Reviewed: March 14, 2002
The outer adjuster knob pops out if you're not careful with installing it. Remove both of them and keep one in the tool pouch for trail adjustments.
Similar Products Used:
Avid cable disc. All Magura's XC discs. Formula B4 hydro disc.
Bike Setup:
Seven Sola.
Bottom Line:
This is an under-rated brake. It bears no resemblance to the old MD-1 which caused a few problems. The setup is dead easy and adjustment takes seconds. It's the easiest disc brake I've ever installed and I've installed lots. It is powerful (one finger rear wheel skids on dry asphalt from 30mph) but probably not quite as powerful as Avid. Its modulation is much better than Avid though.
There is no noise, no squeal at all. Just quiet power. For the price, weight and simpliity of this brake plus the many benefits of disc in general why are rim brakes still around?
Each slave alone is 66 grams lighter than the Avid. If you're looking for an inexpensive disc setup ($72 at ThorUSA) that works well this is it.
Mike T.
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Submitted by
Flat pedal Bob
a Racer
from Central Il Date Reviewed: March 1, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
VERY light!, and Cheap, much better than the Past with Formula's brake reviews.
Weaknesses:
None other that the typical Mechanical disk issues.(some noise)
Similar Products Used:
Hayes, Hope
Bike Setup:
2002 FSR Pro
Bottom Line:
Hey, if you want to try out disk brakes, give these a try. They are much better than non-disks of any type. Haven't had much wet conditions to try them in but they seem to work fine after a good bike wash.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Knackers
a Cross Country Rider
from Melbourne,VIC, Australia Date Reviewed: February 10, 2002
Extremely good value for a mechnical disk brake, I gave the Formula MD-1 disk the quick flick as it was hopeless, punted on the upgrade to the Activa as offered by Formula. So far, so good, the brake has plenty of stopping power and is miles better than a V-brake. Formula have done a good job with this one. Installing is simple, but the brake requires constant adjustment to ensure optimal performance, this is easy as adjustment is provided via two knobs for the internal and external pad. Make sure you click the plastic knob in correctly or you will lose it ! In short, this brake goes off like a prawn in the sun ! Great buy, fantastic value.
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Submitted by
Ron
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego Date Reviewed: January 27, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
jenson
Strengths:
For the price, I felt it was worth trying out. Easy installation and adjustments.
Weaknesses:
As the previous poster said, the little gray knob can pop off if not installed correctly. I had some brake squeal at first but I haven't been gone on a ride yet.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bottom Line:
I've only been able to ride around the neighborhood and haven't broken in the brakes yet. Braking power seems ok but should get better as these things brake in. The installation and adjustments were easy.I guess only time will tell
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Big Al
a Cross Country Rider
from Georgia Date Reviewed: November 8, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Any
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$75.00
Purchased At:
ThorUSA
Strengths:
Light @ 275 grams for caliper & roter, simple adjustment, simple setup, Tech support from ThorUSA
Weaknesses:
Adjustment knob falls out if not clipped down correctly, some squeal (may be break-in), Overcoming reputation of previous mechanical disc brakes...
Similar Products Used:
Coda Expert, Magura Gustav M, Formula Evolution
Bike Setup:
'00 Cannondale SuperV with Thomson post, WTB seat, Sach Quarz shifters, disc brakes
Bottom Line:
The installation was certainly easy, in spite of the mutilation of the english language by the manual. Adjustment is also easy. One note: I had to file down the mounting bracket to fit around the disc tabs on the Headshok. Don't know if it's just a C'dale thing, or what. Otherwise, things installed very easily. Driveway impressions were good initially; better power right off than the Coda hydraulics. The Aptivas have a more "mechanical" feel at the lever, not as Smoooooooth as hydraulics. First ride impressions are also good. In fact, the brake got more powerful as it bedded in. There is plenty of power, so much that I dialed back to the softest setting the adjustment on the Avid levers. There is no lack of power with this brake yet. Modulation is hard to rate right now, but definitely better than a V-brake. It appears that cable and housing selection may play a huge role in the performance of these (or any) disc brakes; I uses some previously used housing with new cables, and things don't feel as smooth as they should. Bottom line: first ride impressions are that I would buy them again. The power is good, the weight is good, the price is good. The tech support from ThorUSA is fantastic! The only question now is long-term performance. But for a budget disc brake, or if you don't like the idea of hydraulics, these brakes work well.
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Submitted by
Big Al
a Cross Country Rider
from Georgia Date Reviewed: November 7, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Bear Creek
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Thor USA
Strengths:
Relatively easy setup. Simplicity. Weight on my scales is 275 grams, pretty close to advertised! Tech support from THOR USA is fantastic.
Weaknesses:
Cheap gray plastic adjustment knob on outside of brake falls off easily. Had to file mounting bracket to fit on bike. Having to overcome the bad reputation of the previous Formula mechanical disc.
Just installed. I had to file the front & rear mounting bracket a little where it rubbed against the disc tabs on the frame. Not much, but a pain compared to the Codas, which bolted right on with no problem. Initial driveway test is pretty surprising; pucker-power or plain brute strenght seems to be there, in fact stronger than the Coda hydraulics. I can nose wheelie easily, and lock the rear wheel easily as well (I weigh 250). Setup & Adjustment was easy, other than the aforementioned adjustment knob falling out, and having to file the mounting bracket. The directions are written in typical Formula mutilated English, but you can understand them. Initial setup & adjustment is very easy. The brakes squeal some, though they're too new to call that a problem. Will hit the trail soon and get some dust on them and see what happens to the noise and the power. Definitely not as smoooooooth as hydraulics, but mechanicals are designed to be a cheaper alternative. Something's gotta give.
$ 66.00
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