Formula Cura Brake
Up until now, every single one of Formula's mountain bike brakes has employed DOT fluid. Not so with their new Cura brake, however, with the Italian company making the move to mineral oil for their new offering. The Cura may be one of their least expensive brakes, but Formula's Vittorio Platania was also quick to point out that an earlier prototype version of the brake, one that he says actually had less power than the production model shown here, was ridden to a junior World Cup victory last season. The Cura retails for $150 USD, and will be available this coming September.
Formula Cura Details:
• Intended use: XC / EN / DH
• Fluid: mineral oil
• Two-piston caliper
• Two-piece caliper
• Speed Lock hose attachment stock
• Ships with organic pads
• Accepts previous Formula brake pads
• Ambidextrous lever
• Colors: polished or black
• Weight: 359 grams (160mm one-piece rotor, mounting hardware)
• MSRP: $150 USD
Brake manufacturers don't often, or ever, switch from DOT to mineral oil or vice versa, and especially not when they have decades upon decades of history with one or the other. So why has Formula gone with mineral oil for the Cura when the rest of their brakes all use DOT fluid? Part of it came down to consumer demand, Platania explained, with mineral oil certainly having a more environmentally friendly image going for it. It's friendlier on any surface it makes contact with, be it bike or skin, and a lot of consumers are probably less intimidated by the idea of working with mineral oil.
The switch means that all-new seals are used throughout on the Cura, of course, and Formula will also recommend a revised but still simple bleeding procedure compared to their DOT systems.
The majority of Formula's brakes feature a radial-style master cylinder, be it push or pull, but the Cura's top end sees the master cylinder oriented to be in line with the handlebar, much in the same way that Shimano or SRAM position there's, and that Formula has themselves done with their older C1 offering. Formula says that they were aiming for a more traditional lever feel for the Cura and that the brake's layout is key for this.
The inline design that sees the brake's master cylinder on the same plane as the perch also allows Formula to efficiently forge the entire assembly rather than cast it, with the latter technique being most common for a brake in this price range. Forging makes a stronger final product, and Formula claims that this allows them to manufacture a lighter assembly - more strength means that less material is required.
Downstairs, the Cura calls on a two-piece caliper that Formula says is easier to work on, and no doubt easier and less expensive to manufacture, and two 24mm diameter pistons clamp down on the rotor. Thankfully, Formula has stuck with the same pad shape, thereby making it easy to get ahold of pads that you'll eventually require. They've also included their nifty tool-free Speed Lock hydraulic hose attachment system down at the caliper, making it simple to disconnect and reconnect the line (without having to perform a bleed) if you need to feed it through your frame
MENTIONS:
@rideformula
also i used to have the one on my ex-enduro (stolen ), they were great and i only had to bleed them once in 4 years. power was impressive, modulation only okay-ish though. cant say anything about newer models than 2011.
They're pretty fantastic. Super light and loads of feel. The only issue I have with them is that they squeal like a scalded pig the first time you squeeze them on a cold or wet day. Beyond the noise they're pretty great, and they look waaaay better than Shimano brakes.
Havent ridden any other Formula brakes though
www.mtb-mag.com/en/tested-formula-ro-racing-brakes
They had a very positive experience, and this lines up with my experience on said brake. The RO-R has more power than the T1, I own both (having previously owned Saint M810, M820, XT M785, Zee M640, you name it). I think Mike Levy is either on the Shimano payroll (since he slams every non-Shimano brake, even though they are riddled with reliability issues in the real world) or had contaminated rotors or something for the RO test, since otherwise the reviews couldn't be the polar opposites they are. Levy also used the brakes on an XC bike by the look, which those brakes *should* have excessive power on.
I'm not sponsored by Formula and honestly at their (exorbitant) price I would very happily run Shimano instead if the reliability and lever throw consistency was of a similar standard under bikepark use - but it isn't - so there is a real benefit to Formula brakes. Most people who rip on them haven't owned the latest items which are of substantially higher quality than most of the competition and once bled correctly will run for years without needing to be touched again.
Modulation is something you do with your fingers, a lack of braking force is usually the cause if you think a brake is doing that for you. Of course you can have the power come on more gradually and still have the same peak power, but I really don't think this is somewhere where Formula struggles - and as I said - I don't think that power coming on 'gradually' is a good thing anyway personally. I suspect what you've ridden is some very fresh Formulas, believe it or not most brakes feel like that when just-bedded-in.
I definitely don't think they have an on-off feel (to say it yet again, I actually wish they had more of that / maintained that after some long brake-draggy runs), but if you think they are too bitey then I'd suggest riding a set that have been ridden for a while and re-evaluate if you think they are still excessively bitey.
I have nothing to gain from you "checking them out" by the way - honestly if you are happy with Shimano and SRAM keep running them. I had problems in the long term with both brands which is why I switched. I genuinely think Shimano actually make the bitiest and most powerful brakes (mostly because of a very aggressive leverage change at bite point via servo wave) and that's something I like about them. If locking up in slippery conditions I think the solution is a combination of better technique and better tyres.
Finally, as for ball-sucking, Levy rips on everything non-Shimano, and unlike him I've actually owned the RO-Racing for a long period of time (including a full season of chairlift riding on both the Saint and RO-Racing brakes). No one pays me anything so my opinion is just a function of my experience. Shimano brakes are much cheaper so I'd very happily switch back to them if there weren't long-term issues under heavy use (i.e. chairlift seasons).
So for my local XC... as soon as it rains, the R1 makes it very hard to brake on steeper wet bits like roots and rock slabs. I rode T1 with 203mm rotors here and it is virtually impossible to ride a bike with them, wheels lock up and bike slides all over the place with minimal input.
Riding R1 has postponed my learning of wheelies, stoppies and manuals since it is extremely hard to feather them.
That is not only my opinion, most people I ride with say the same things including a guy who was sponsored by them. All the best guys in town ride Guides. Sorry.
Honestly put some cantilevers on your bike and suddenly no hydraulic formula brakes will feel like they suck
In the 4th paragraph you said... "much in the same way that Shimano or SRAM position there's"
While you mean to say: "much in the same way that Shimano or SRAM position theirs"
You're welcome
[Reply]
Funny I did a little research on the boiling point, just a simple google search and my findings were opposite even with a dry boiling temp of DOT brake fluid standards were considerably lower than Shimano mineral oil. I know manufacturers of DOT brake fluid don't always list a boiling point of their particular brake fluid just the minimum standards that it passes, however I was surprised to learn that the Shimano mineral oil and possibly others have as high as it does. So i guess it depends on the manufacturers but i would not say mineral oil has a low boiling temp. anymore.
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-Sam Blenkinsop