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Black Friday PSA: Formula The One's for $65 a side(now out of stock) :c

csermonet

Monkey
Mar 5, 2010
942
127
Not bad I have them on my bike and they have been great the last three years without have to do anything with them.
Same, have a set on my dh bike for the past 3 years. was going to get r0's for the big bike and put the t1's on the trail bike. this was too good of a deal to pass up though so now both bikes will have t1's.
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089
You guys are aware that these are not the full T1 brake but the downgraded T1S with a different master cylinder/lever (I think it is the RX). So a little heavier with a more durable lever, perfect for the DH bike.
That said, I ordered them. :D
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,862
4,160
Copenhagen, Denmark
@iRider that is exactly the combination I have on my bike OEM spec.

I had The Ones on my DH bike and these have actually worked better. The Ones always had more lever throw until the were warmed up. On these I also had a problem getting the lever close enough to the bar so I bend them a little. They have been perfect since then.
 

csermonet

Monkey
Mar 5, 2010
942
127
Yeah I knew that, I have my2012 ones on my dh bike, pre-ect caliper. These have the updated t1 caliper but with the rx lever, I emailed formula hoping to get some info about performance with the rx lever compared to the lighter t1 lever. I'll post anything I hear.
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,195
4,419
Pretty nice deal to get a brake + rotor for $75 shipped.
 

csermonet

Monkey
Mar 5, 2010
942
127
This from Formula USA

Hello,
You are correct in that the T1S has the RX master cylinder. This is an OE customization that decreases the overall cost of the brake.
The performance is exactly the same, the only difference is the RX m/c weighs a little more.

One this to consider is replacement parts. RX m/c parts cost on average 20-30% less that T1 parts because RX parts are cast whereas T1 parts are forged.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
I have these brakes. They are resoundingly OK. They have excellent modulation- I didn't realize shimano's pitfalls until I swapped bikes after riding these for a while. they are, however, not very strong. I easily fade and overheat them on long, extended downhills. I weigh about 205 now and it's only on the steepest, most maniacal trails that it happens, but it makes me nervous having them constantly pump out. I would consider putting them on the trail bike and swapping the XTs over, but the T1Ss also constantly howl at low speed. Once you get going they aren't bad, but I can't imagine listening to that on a trail bike all the time.
 

csermonet

Monkey
Mar 5, 2010
942
127
I have these brakes. They are resoundingly OK.
Interesting. I have the regular T1 on my DH bike and have never felt like they were under-powered. I haven't ridden anything more powerful for any appreciable amount of time though, perhaps I am just used to the way they perform. As per the Formula rep, the T1S should perform exactly the same as the T1, so i'll test that theory and post my experience back here. I am upgrading Oro Bianco's though with the T1S so it should be night and day when compared to those. For what it's worth I currently weigh 195 ready to ride. 3 months ago I was 215+ ready to ride though. Broken dominant arm makes it harder to shovel food into the orifice on my face
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,195
4,419
Due to a stock discrepancy we are unable to include the following in your order at this time.

Formula T1s Disc Brake Rear - Black/Silver - 160mm Rotor

We are very sorry for this shortfall and for disappointing you.
No T1s for me I guess. The very few times I've ordered from CRC there's been some fuck-up. How do they stay in business?
 

csermonet

Monkey
Mar 5, 2010
942
127
No T1s for me I guess. The very few times I've ordered from CRC there's been some fuck-up. How do they stay in business?
shit, when did you get that email? the only fuckup ive had ordering from them is getting a HR2 I didnt pay for :cheers:
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
Interesting. I have the regular T1 on my DH bike and have never felt like they were under-powered. I haven't ridden anything more powerful for any appreciable amount of time though, perhaps I am just used to the way they perform. As per the Formula rep, the T1S should perform exactly the same as the T1, so i'll test that theory and post my experience back here. I am upgrading Oro Bianco's though with the T1S so it should be night and day when compared to those. For what it's worth I currently weigh 195 ready to ride. 3 months ago I was 215+ ready to ride though. Broken dominant arm makes it harder to shovel food into the orifice on my face

I'll probably try bleeding them before I really pass judgement. Maybe they just haven't been bled since being on the showroom floor, but I bought the bike new. It's less a problem of sheer power, and more of lack of reliability. Remember, I'm a fat, cat2 hack, so I drag the brakes like a champ. They simply didn't resist fade and pump like my shimanos of yore.
 

csermonet

Monkey
Mar 5, 2010
942
127
I'll probably try bleeding them before I really pass judgement. Maybe they just haven't been bled since being on the showroom floor, but I bought the bike new. It's less a problem of sheer power, and more of lack of reliability. Remember, I'm a fat, cat2 hack, so I drag the brakes like a champ. They simply didn't resist fade and pump like my shimanos of yore.
A good bleed with fresh fluid might help. I take mine off the bike and sit down and spend a good amount of time making sure I can get the bleed as perfect as I can. Having proper bleeding syringes would really help too, which I do not have. The Avid Pro bleed kit with the swiveling tip and clamps on the hoses would really be handy, I ghetto rigged a clamp on my bleed hose but the swiveling tips would really make it easier to get a perfect bleed.
 

csermonet

Monkey
Mar 5, 2010
942
127
Just arrived this am. Ordered on Friday i think.

I exchanged emails back and forth with CRC and they ended up taking 10% off of a T1 brakeset, costing me $250 in the end. It is a full T1 brakeset so no RX levers. Included are Formula caliper adapters, and a 180mm and 203mm rotor. The T1S set did not come with adapters, and was only available with 160mm rotors(which I do not use). I also would have had to buy a hose kit to convert one of the T1S(was only available in rear brake hose length) to a front brake. Also, the T1 set comes with FCS and Toolfree upgrades which the T1S did not. So for $120 more I got T1 levers, the FCS and Tool-free reach adjustments, rotors that I can use, Formula caliper adapters, and hoses that I will not need to modify /replace. A little more than I wanted to spend, but still a good deal IMO for $250. Link for the brakes below, you can specify if you want 180mm FR/160mm RR or 203mm FR/180mm RR

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/formula-t1-disc-brakeset/rp-prod120826
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089
Strange. When I ordered 180 mm F and R were available, including rotors and adaptors. At least that is what they confirmed. I will see when they arrive.
 

csermonet

Monkey
Mar 5, 2010
942
127
I quoted what the Formula rep told me about the T1S in a earlier post. Basically it is the exact same T1 caliper with an RX master cylinder. The T1S that chainreaction was closing out did not have the tool free reach adjust and bite point feature, both of which don't really matter to me.

Strange. When I ordered 180 mm F and R were available, including rotors and adaptors. At least that is what they confirmed. I will see when they arrive.
Hm, did you use the link that I provided in the thread origin post? When did you order?
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
they are, however, not very strong. I easily fade and overheat them on long, extended downhills. I weigh about 205 now and it's only on the steepest, most maniacal trails that it happens
i found my 2012 T1's to be just as powerful as the M820's i have but they did fade on super long descents too. the overall lever feel was much better on the Formulas then with the Shimanos. if someone made aftermarket levers similar to the Formulas for the M820's, id be happy
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
That sounds about right. I don't find them lacking power, they just fade. The modulation is fantastic.

Apparently the magura MT5s don't suck, you may be able to try their lever (which has no cam-action) with the shimano calipers.
 

frgeoff

Chimp
Feb 3, 2009
60
6
does anyone else dislike the formula levers? calipers are sweet, but i need to frankenbrake these things. avid juicy levers? shimano levers?
 

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
does anyone else dislike the formula levers? calipers are sweet, but i need to frankenbrake these things. avid juicy levers? shimano levers?
They have had updated levers for a while now on the top-end brakes, they're lighter/stronger, and have substantially improved ergonomics. The pivot is closer to the bar, and the reach adjustment has a large increase in range. Compatible with R1/T1/RO, new lever on right:


They're cold forged (as usual with the top-end Formula master cylinders) and have an increased fluid capacity.

Both Shimano and Sram/Avid levers are substantially lower in quality/reliability, so that kind of combination nullifies the point of running Formula in my book. They won't be cheap unfortunately, but the price does reflect their construction.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
I didn't like mine. Had to crank them all the way in and adjust the bite point out to get the actual lever bite point to where I liked it. The lever feel is mostly fine, I think I prefer shimano's actual blade, but the positioning of lever was mediocre, like an old hayes from 2003.
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,862
4,160
Copenhagen, Denmark
My lever is the one on the right. I could not get them close enough to the bar as I like so my gentle mechanic bend them a little. We have done this before on another brake without problems and they have been fine that way the last 3 years.