[ianjenn]

Ok I can get a screaming deal on ORO brakes. I have had the Saints on order awhile but they will cost about $75 dollars more each! So I could save $150 and roll the Formulas. The problem is I dont have fast access to 203mm Formula rotors just Shimano.

So assuming there is enough clearance to run the Shimano rotors on the Formulas which system would yoy go for? Saint pads are STUPID expensive and I have some ride time on them. My Hayes Mags had more modulation so that is another concern for me.

 

[bullcrew]

Love the formulas ran oro biancos which are pimped out k24s and loved em..... tons of power great modulation not as monsterous as say the saints but I'm 235lbs nd they stopped me on some LONG runs super steep.... so save the coin and the oros are a solid performer...

 

[al-irl]

the oros work well but the suffer from a problem with the internals which causes the lever to get sticky and not return. The plastic inside reacts with the brake fluid and swell. The biancos didn't have that problem as they have alloy internals. The formula rotors are slightly thicker than the shimano ones. While it will work with the shimano rotors you will have slightly more lever throw than with the formula rotors

 

[slowitdown]

the oros work well but the suffer from a problem with the internals which causes the lever to get sticky and not return. The plastic inside reacts with the brake fluid and swell. The biancos didn't have that problem as they have alloy internals. The formula rotors are slightly thicker than the shimano ones. While it will work with the shimano rotors you will have slightly more lever throw than with the formula rotors

I have K24s on two bikes. Out of the 4 levers, one of them had the sticky piston return in the lever pump. Chris @ FormulaUSA sent me the parts to fix the sticky piston return, and strangely, the sticky piston went away all on its own by the time the parts arrived.

I have said many times around the InterWebToobz that the Formula K24 is the best brake I've ever used. I've used Magura, Hope, Hayes, Avid and Formula and this is the best of the bunch. Haven't used the Saints so I don't know how they compare but I can't imagine wanting more power than the K24s give me.

 

[frorider]

the oros work well but the suffer from a problem with the internals which causes the lever to get sticky and not return. The plastic inside reacts with the brake fluid and swell. The biancos didn't have that problem as they have alloy internals. The formula rotors are slightly thicker than the shimano ones. While it will work with the shimano rotors you will have slightly more lever throw than with the formula rotors

? hmmm Never heard that theory. I talk to formula usa semi-regularly and they have talked about how the Oro series has a lever pivot designed to be less sloppy than some of the competition ... i.e. tight tolerance ... which explained why one oro lever I had (I have 4 sets of formula brakes) was a bit sticky when new.

The fix was simple. some light lube. two rides later, it had broken in and was smooth.

there are no issues with rotor thickness. i have used thinner rotors on some bikes. like any hydraulic brake, just insert a piece of metal that's thinner than the rotor, pump the lever until the pad separation is closer, then reinsert the wheel/rotor. i.e. i've had no issues with lever throw with various rotors, once i did the above.

 

[Sandwich]

I vote saints. I started questioning them after a weekend at plattekill, then bled them with some fresh pentosin and they're amazing again. EBC pads can be had for $15, and a quick googling suggests 25-30 for the stock metal pads. Doesn't seem unreasonable. I'm also on my second season on the same pads.

 

[profro]

I have a set of K18s on my 6" bike and they have been the most solid brakes I have ever had. They have never been bled in 2+ years.

I have a set of K24s on my jump bike and they are very similar to the K18s but with a better feeling lever.

I have The Ones on my DH bike. I have run the same set for going on 3 years.

I had Saints on my DH bike before The Ones. I really liked the Saints. They were easy to bleed and had a nice feel.

All that being said I prefer the Formulas. The K series are hard to beat.

 

[jekyll991]

K18's came on my Supreme and I was very impressed with them. I believe the main difference is you have to use tools to adjust the K18's vs 24s which isn't a big deal to me.

The tolerance between the pads is pretty tight though, I had to pry the pads apart to get my rear one to clear at first.

Only problem I see is they deliver a lot of their stopping power with very little effort instead of gradually. This is good for slow, steep, and techy stuff, really helps with arm pump when you have to be all over the brakes, but can make coming into a corner from a wide open straight a bit sketchy until you get used to how they grab.

But basically with these kind of threads you're just going to get people praising the brakes/product they use and nothing else could come close.

 

[miuan]

But basically with these kind of threads you're just going to get people praising the brakes/product they use and nothing else could come close.

Not quite agreed here. It's clear many people tend to do that, but brakes are the kind of stuff that creates a lot of anger and frustration if not working well.
That being said, both my Saint and RX setups are fine so far, with enough power (more than enough on the Saints).

 

[bullcrew]

But basically with these kind of threads you're just going to get people praising the brakes/product they use and nothing else could come close.

I ran Hayes , avid 7s and codes, hope mono 4s and 6 s, formulas etc... had some really bad experiences with Hayes and loved the hopes but the formulas have been the best brake I've ran to date.

 

[al-irl]

I had k24s and had loads of problems with the sticky levers. They did stop amazingly i just got pissed off with having to strip and rebuild the levers every 3 weeks and having to keep a spare set of brakes in my car for races. When a rebuild wasn't an option. I got the new saints to replace them and they are amazing power wise. Ive since switched back to formula for this years bike and i have the ones on the dh bike and rx on the trail bike. Both get a big thumbs up and can't fault them. However given my experiences of the oro v the saint. The saint wins hands down