[chowdapilot]

Anyone have experience with Formula the one FR brakes? Thinking of getting a pair as I've seen some really good reviews of "the one" but not the FR version. I can get them at a much better price than the higher end version but also want to be sure I'm getting solid performance for the price. Any reason not to get them? I guess the lever is heavier but should have similar adjustability

 

[chowdapilot]

Oh well, pulled the trigger. Should go well with the new spot.

 

[FrostyStruthers]

Any news?

 

[FireLikeIYA]

All of the reviews that I have read sound like they are great brakes... They just don't look flashy.

 

[chowdapilot]

BS, mine look great and flashy in person No review yet though as I'm still building my new spot.

 

[FireLikeIYA]

BS, mine look great and flashy in person No review yet though as I'm still building my new spot.

lmao :thumbsup:

What was the price difference between the FR and The One?

 

[Motorep]

I just ordered a set of "The Ones" to replace a month old set of Marta SL's that were leaking. They should be in early next week. I'll post a review after I get them installed.

 

[ignazjr]

The Ones are my favorite brake I've ever used. Super strong dh brake and lighter than a Marta SL. The One's caliper body and lever body are cold forged, making them stronger so Formula can further machine away material for a lighter framework. The One FR is basically the same brake mechanically but it is not cold forged and foregoes some of the lighter hardware. Should make for an awesomely strong brake but a little heavier.

 

[MK_]

The One FR vs. The One DH is analogous to the RX vs R1.

You lose no braking power nor feel, simply add a little weight.

_MK

 

[Chuey83]

Awesome brakes! But be wise of your rotor. I have a 203 in front and 180 in the rear but they are more of a XC rotor and can def tell the diff compared to the beefier rotors my buddy is riding on Hope X2 brakes.

 

[Jaybo]

Overpriced

I have some Formula Bianco's on one bike and Shimano SLX on another and I would take the Shimano every day of the week and twice on Saturday: stronger, better lever feel, and no DOT fluid. Oh, and they are dirt cheap....

 

[MK_]

I have some Formula Bianco's on one bike and Shimano SLX on another and I would take the Shimano every day of the week and twice on Saturday: stronger, better lever feel, and no DOT fluid. Oh, and they are dirt cheap....

The praise here is for the Ones, not OROs. Those were not in the same league by a long shot.

_MK

 

[chowdapilot]

Is there any need to run with Formula rotors and hardware? I have shimano mounting items and rotors and don't want to buy the formula rotor kits for the front and rear unless I really need to.

 

[Jaybo]

Interesting

The praise here is for the Ones, not OROs. Those were not in the same league by a long shot.

_MK

Cool! I might have to take a look at the Ones but the darn Shimano brakes are so bombproof and work well for such a great price.

 

[johnd663]

good one

I run The Ones on shimano rotors on my 29er FS and Oros on my Ht. The ones are the best brake l have ever used - if not alittle temperamental like all good hot blooded Italians. Dont mind abit more adjusting/fiddling to get them right then they are gold. S*it all over the Oros, my friends Hopes and two sets of Shimanos. Bolts are too light and easy to snap / strip.
JD

 

[MK_]

Cool! I might have to take a look at the Ones but the darn Shimano brakes are so bombproof and work well for such a great price.

I'm not the biggest fan of any Shimano brake with exception of the 4-pot XTs and now the new Saints. I was a long time hold out; I went on the XT 4pot wagon after being a long time Magura fan. The Ones exceeded anything the 4pots could deliver and I've since made a total switch to Formula; The Ones on my trail bike; R1s on my wife's trail bike and RXs on my XC bike. All brakes are stellar.

_MK

 

[chowdapilot]

Ok so can I run my shimano 180 brake adaptors as well? I see no reason not to but wanted to ask.

 

[MK_]

Ok so can I run my shimano 180 brake adaptors as well? I see no reason not to but wanted to ask.

Yeah. As long as the offset matches you can run any brand adapter. Hayes, Shimano, Magura, etc. (Avid doesn't work, as they use 185mm, for instance).

_MK

 

[nybike1971]

I'm not the biggest fan of any Shimano brake with exception of the 4-pot XTs and now the new Saints. I was a long time hold out; I went on the XT 4pot wagon after being a long time Magura fan. The Ones exceeded anything the 4pots could deliver and I've since made a total switch to Formula; The Ones on my trail bike; R1s on my wife's trail bike and RXs on my XC bike. All brakes are stellar.

_MK

MK,

Did you have any experience with the old The One or Mega (before Formula switched to radial cylinder)? Has the lever feel tightened up a bit? Do they engage earlier in the stroke? I have two pairs of K24 and one pair of old-style Mega and my only gripe with these brakes is the late engagement (very close to the handlebars).

I know there are setup tricks that can be played to improve the feel (and I use all of them) but I can only run through about halfway through the pads before the free stroke becomes excessive.

 

[MK_]

MK,

Did you have any experience with the old The One or Mega (before Formula switched to radial cylinder)? Has the lever feel tightened up a bit? Do they engage earlier in the stroke? I have two pairs of K24 and one pair of old-style Mega and my only gripe with these brakes is the late engagement (very close to the handlebars).

I know there are setup tricks that can be played to improve the feel (and I use all of them) but I can only run through about halfway through the pads before the free stroke becomes excessive.

All of my experience with The Ones is with the old master cylinder design; I've only used the new radial cylinder with the R1s and RXs. On The Ones, the lever throw is pretty short; but these brakes (as all Formula brakes) are really hard to fully bleed. It really takes some time to get every single bubble out of the caliper and the master cylinder; a lot of cycles of applying vaccum to the master cylinder and caliper are necessary (bleeding air out of the DOT Fluid by applying vaccum at the syringe appears to help as well). The lever throw on the R1s and The Ones is approximately equivalent.

On your K24s you could overfill the master cylinder to improve the throw; what I mean here is to do a bleed without fully retracting the caliper pistons.

_MK