They have a slightly different feel to most brakes, it is a love or hate, or like me hate, then appreciate what they offer and love.

 

I have only been running formula brakes for the past 4 years. Started with the oro series which were good but didnt have the one finger braking power I was looking for, though the modulation was incredible. I have been using the Formula The Ones for the past two months and they are by far the best brakes I've ever used. The power is amazing yet still allow for precise modulation. I was originally going to get the R1's but they come with organic pads which dont work in my area, and The Ones are more powerful. They are also only 25 grams or so heavier than the R1's and probably due to the aluminum backed pads the R1's come with.

 

I have been running the new RX's for about 3 months and I am really happy with them. Braking power is off the charts. At first I felt the modulation was a bit low for my liking with what seemed like too little lever feedback but I have since become used to them and it is no longer an issue for me. This concern was probably more a function of the fact that I was coming off Hayes Strokers that had way too much modulation and it seemed I had to bottom out the lever to get any significant braking power.

I was also looking at the R1's but settled on the RX's after concluding that the RX was going to serve my purpose as well as the R1 at a much lower price.

 

I have been running the new RX's for about 3 months and I am really happy with them. Braking power is off the charts. At first I was I felt the modulation was a bit low for my liking with what seemed like too little lever feedback but I have since become used to them and it is no longer an issue for me. This concern was probably more a function of the fact that I was coming off Hayes Strokers that had way too much modulation and it seemed I had to bottom out the lever to get any significant braking power.

I was also looking at the R1's but settled on the RX's after concluding that the RX was going to serve my purpose as well as the R1 at a much lower price.

7 months of use, I've changed to metallic pads from Exotic and they are poweful, though they lack a bit of modulation. Hopes offer a lot of modulation, but they don't bite rotors as well as Formula, at least the Mono Mini.

 

I've been going through this same internal debate recently; there are several other posts out there regarding Hope X2 vs. Formula RX.
I have a set of K24s on my Ventana, the Mrs. has Hope Mini Mono Pro on her 5Spot, Both of us are very happy with them.
A couple of other things I considered, with help from Cliff at Pedal The Peaks.
Formula pads are the same throughout the models (I believe), while Hopes pads are different between many of the models.
Cliff also tells me that Hope parts are more difficult to get.

I decided on the Formula RX in black. They should work well on my new Lynskey.

 

I've owned 4 pairs of ORO PURO and have been fairly happy with them. However Formula brakes are not without faults.
- The PURO model uses an alloy pad retaining bolt that will gail and seize in the caliper. Applying some anti seize works well in mitigating this issue. Need to be careful not to get any on the rotors or pads.
- Master Cylinder seals wear out after a season or so and need replaced.
- The brakes have a small hole allowing fluid to escape towards the bar. Only an issue if you like carbon bars.

As for the newer Formulas I can not say much as I don't have much time on them. For longterm reliability and service I really like Hopes. Parts are really a non-issue with Hopes in comparison with some other brakes (including Formula). Regardless that is just one opinion. I really hope that Formula matures their technology as they do seem to have a good grasp on the market.

 

ORO K 24's with sintered pads on both my bikes. One finger braking with great modulation. Love 'em.

 

I have been using the Oro Uno's for about three years now. Very happy with the power and more importantly, the modulation of that power.

I weigh about 225lbs. w/loaded camelback and ride XC/AM. Primarily SoCal and Colorado rides. Tons of control on windy singletrack and no noticable fade on long downhills. True one finger power for my purposes.

Well worth the cost. An industry standard like CK. But, that being said, there are other brakes on the market that have a lower cost or work as well.

Good luck on the choice!
Tim

 

Been running k24's for the last couple of years. Good power, great modulation, but they eat pads. I think they addressed this with the new RX/R1's though. Friends and wifey have had good luck with the elixir and maggy martas too.

 

I recently picked up a set of '10 Formula Ones and could not be happier. I also have a set of 09' Ones. The '09's were a little more finicky to get the desired lever feel but have exceptional modulation. The '10's have a more traditional lever feel, little less modulation and are a hell of a lot lighter. I "almost" went with X2's before I bought the '10's because their ease of bleeding, wide selection of cheap replacement pads and they would look sweet on my Ti bike. After reading through tons of Hope threads I made the decision to stick with the Forumulas. Reasons:

1) Somebody on MTBR posted actual weights (with photo evidence) of a 180mm/160mm X2 Combo. They were not at all lite. Kind of heavy actually compared to published weights. Not a show stopper, but kind of a letdown.

2) I read one too many posts where the X2 and "powerful" are not mentioned in the same sentence.

I still want to try X2's and CR's price on the '09's is killer. In the end, the '10 Ones are stupid lite and very powerful and modulate well. Everything about them is ideal except for the price.

 

I have a pair of Oro K24s and a pair of R1s and could not be happier. The support from FormulaUSA is great and the product is top notch. I went with the one-piece rotor and they are beautiful. The two-piece is about looks (nothing wrong with that), I think-- they aren't any lighter.

 

I have had the Oro 24's for awhile, excellent brake stopping and modulation. as noted, pads are short lived. I have the two piece rotors in 180/160 setup. One finger control. :thumbsup:

Just bought a sweet set of R1's for my new Niner Jet, Hope they work as well as the K24s but just lighter.

 

I just picked up a Hope Race (fancy X2, as I understand) and it's been great. I know someone in the industry and was looking at the Formula R1s. This individual prefers the Hopes, as they said the Formulas are more fussy and require more messing around.

I still think the Formulas are pretty hot, but followed their advice as I'm fairly new to discs. I'd imagine either are great, but do find the modulation on the Race to be really easy to get used to.

 

Another Oro K24 user. Works great and can't complain about brake life either. using them with Ashima ARO-08 rotors and sintered pads.

 

Good brakes

I have Formula Bianco brakes and like them pretty well. The levers don't fit my hands well. They don't rub and modulate pretty well with average power for a given rotor size. They are beautiful brakes though. Good effort.

 

I have Formula K24s. They feel perfect to me. The amount I squeeze the lever is the exact amount of braking force delivered.

 

2) I read one too many posts where the X2 and "powerful" are not mentioned in the same sentence.

On initial setup the X2 are not very powerful and they take sometime to get bedded in right. After that their power comes into play. This being said they seem to be right in the middle of the pack for power assuming all stock pads.

 

I have a set of Formula Oro for pver three years...NO problems, excellent brakes.
I tried Magura, Avid, Hayes, Sram XX, NONE compare to the formulas.

The feel and power is just unmatched...

I have a set of R1s in the way for next build....

 

The R1's are insanely powerful for their weight, I also have oro puros on 29er race bike, they set up and work perfectly, bags of power too.

 

Formula brakes are unambiguously the best, in particular given the heft of the average 29er rider where you need better stopping (slowing at least for those in the upper quartile) power

 

I just picked up some R1's on my XC race rig to replace my POS Avid Juicy Ultimates which I absoletly hated. I've only had them a few weeks, but they are the bomb...one finger braking, great feel, etc. Only gripe I had with them was the pricetag..but I bit the bullet.

Also FWIW -- I got the one piece R1 rotors with mine. I have 2 friends who splurged a little more for the two piece R1 rotors and they both hated them. They both said they were extremely noisy. YMMV.

 

- The brakes have a small hole allowing fluid to escape towards the bar. Only an issue if you like carbon bars.

Not to be a smar tass but your statement is misleading and uninformed. The fluid reservoir has a bladder that flexes with the fluid as it moves in or out of the reservoir. The small hole is to allow air to escape or come in as the bladder moves. Without this there would be air pressure as the fluid expands or a slight vacuum as the fluid leaves the reservoir pushing or pulling the bladder back to its original shape. If the brakes are bled with too much pressure, too mush fluid, or if the pistons are reset after bleeding the bladder can slip or rupture. The fluid is not just splashing around near an open hole and in normal use no fluid should be escaping from the reservoir or dumping out onto the bars. The issue highlighted a few years back was certainly a case where the bladder either was seated improperly from assembly, ruptured or slipped due to misuse.

 

Not to be a smar tass

what is a smar tass?

 

I have The Ones. I had some issues with the rear, and when returned the tech said nothing was wrong with them, but the power was noticeably better. Overall these brakes are freakin powerful and obscenely expensive. If on a budget I would just get XTs and be done with it.

 

what is a smar tass?

^^^^

A perfect example of one.