Formula Introduces Linea Wheelsets
Formula recently announced the debut of three new wheel sets. The new wheel line has been three years in the making and is dubbed Linea. There's a Linea model for the trail/all-mountain set that comes in both 27.5 and 29-inch variants, a burlier enduro-racing model that also comes in both wheel sizes and, finally, a third model aimed at 27-plus adopters. All three wheels sport lightweight aluminum rims and roll on new Formula 4-pawl (60 engagement point) hubs (both Boost and standard), which the company claims are extremely smooth, reliable and low-maintenance. In fact, the press release actually states that the hubs are "no maintenance", but we're going to chalk that one up to exuberant copywriting. Hyperbole aside, the Linea wheels look promising.
WPD - Wide Position Design
Formula widened the distance between the hub bearings. The wider stance is said to improve stability, and reduce axle flex and resulting hub-bearing wear and tear.
EMS - Easy Maintenance System
Formula also claims that the new hub architecture makes for less headaches when it does come time to dive into the thing's guts and swap out the cartridge bearings. What exactly is going on here with the "Easy Maintenance System"? Details are scant at this point, though I imagine we'll get a closer peek at Eurobike and Interbike.
FCT - Full Contact Technology
Formula also claims that their design more fully encloses the bearings and that "All of the internal parts of the hub are in direct contact with the bearings". Again, we'll need to actually poke and prod the hubs to suss out (1) how the bearing position within the hub shell is different from that of bearings in any other hub, and (2) to understand how that difference actually aids in reducing lateral movements and contamination from dirt and water.
LINEA 2
The Linea 2 is aimed at a broad swath of riders, from cross country/marathon to trail/all mountain. The Linea 2's reportedly weigh in at 1.356 grams (27.5) and 1,518 grams (29), and sport a hookless rim with a width of 27 millimeters. The Linea 2 is available with both Boost or standard hubs and in either 29 or 27.5-inch rims.
LINEA 3
Enduro racing requires a lot from a wheelset, which need to be trailbike-light, yet downhill sturdy. The Linea 3 are said to meet those demands with an inner rim width of 30 millimeters. The Linea 3 is also available in both 27.5 and 29-inch trim and with either Boost or Non-Boost hubs. Weight is 1,636 grams (27.5) and 1,808 grams (29).
LINEA 4
The Linea 4 is Formula's new 27-plus wheelset. Accordingly, it has an inner rim width of 40 millimeters and a weight of 1,994 grams. The Linea 4's also possess the same core features as the other Linea models: a hookless, aluminum rim, wide-posiiion bearings, etc.
For more details head to Formula Website / @rideformula
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What you really wanted to know...
They needed a true every other month and were so flexy they'd ping pong you aroud rock gardens.
They're ok for the money, but there's a lot better out there.
Not really lemons. I just think 20/24 hair thin spokes aren't enough for a 160mm bike.
The hubs aren't great either, people disnt believe me when i told them they were DT hubs with pawls. The engagement sucked.
They were a breeze to seat tires up tubeless with a pump. That's about the only nice thing i have to say about them other than they're cheap and light.