First Look: Formula's Prototype Dual Crown Enduro Fork & New Lightweight Brakes
Formula have a new dual crown fork in the works, an unnamed model that's designed for enduro and e-bike usage. Although it's not a new concept, the Italian manufacturer firmly believes a dual crown design is superior to a long travel single crown for those applications due to the increased precision and steering control that it delivers.
The challenge was to keep the weight to a reasonable level, and to accomplish that Formula are using double butted 35mm stanchions and heavily machined crowns. Of course, turning radius was a large constraint, so the crowns use just one pinch bolt per clamp to minimize any interference in steering. The design weighs in at 2300g with a target weight of 2270g, which would place it in line, or under, some other heavy hitting single crown forks on the market.
Formula also took a conservative approach when constructing the fork using existing parts, such as the lowers from the Selva and Nero single crown forks, 2Air technology and CTS damper system. Like the current Selva, you can choose to run both Boost axle standards; 15mm or 20mm. The axle will also have material trimmed away. A tapered steer tube is a sign that the crowns and stanchions are engineered to share loads and save as much weight as possible. The 29" wheeled fork be released first with a 43mm offset, followed by a 27.5" version with a shorter offset of 37mm.
Formula manufacturers the majority of their parts, like the enduro dual crown fork crowns, in Italy.
The damper is the same as what you'd find in the Selva R fork, which is highly tuneable thanks to the Compression Tuning System (CTS). The preassembled shim stacks can be quickly changed with minimal tools and without removing the fork from the bike. They adapt the fork to a variety of riders demanding different attributes depending on their regions and skill levels. The rebound tune is slightly altered from the Selva to be a slightly more open, but still have a useable range for all weights.
Different shim stacks can be swapped out to alter the fork's compression tune.
Formula have equipped the new fork with a lockout lever.
One feature you might not have expected to see is a lockout switch. Formula chose to add this feature because a 180mm fork has significantly more pedal-bob than shorter travel forks. It's meant to be used on surfaced road climbs, not technical up-tracks.
The fork is set to launch in early 2022, with a price still to be determined, as the fork is still being refined.
The next version of the Selva will be called the Selve MKII
Selva MKII
The flagship Selva R for will be replaced under the moniker: Selva MKll. Available later this year, the single crown fork will receive new crown architecture and the travel bumped up to 170mm. The updated, lightweight axle will be utilized on this fork as well. The color of the crown will be a darker shade than pictured above
Updated Cura 4 & New Cura X Brakes
The Cura 4 brake set will see a small, but mighty update with the lever now having more mechanical advantage and tool free reach and bite-point adjustments. In their manufacturing process of new equipment, they keep retrofits in mind, choosing not to be wasteful or turn away current customers. Formula have built the lever to have a stronger bite, plus more modulation, purely from a mechanical operation. The hydraulic system remains the same.
The Cura X is said to be a cross-country brake with a competitive weight to deliver serious power. It will use a 2 piston caliper and have the same feeling as the Cura. The lever is carbon with titanium hardware and has a material removed wherever possible, even including the lever clamp and the brake pad backing.
Both the new Cura 4 and Cura X are set to be released in early 2022 with pricing undetermined at this time.
All photos courtesy of Roo Fowler and Bike Connection Agency.
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This would allow greater steering angle, for what reason I don't know.
Turn downs?
For what?
The alternative would be an USD fork. Maverick indeed had the axle in line with the stanchions (which are below). But the uppers of an USD fork need to be thicker so they need some space. That said, I haven't heard anyone complain about the turning radius of their dual crown Cannondale Lefty forks, so maybe that's indeed the way.
My suggestion, move the legs in front of the axle. You can still have a conventional upside up construction with all the adjustments easily within reach. And yes, it will look horrible.
coresites-cdn-adm.imgix.net/dirt_new/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/zzyxx.jpg
I think it was the Cambria ad?
All this said, one issue of most current carbon and aluminium enduro frames is that the headtube area is fairly wide. That's how you make something stiff and strong out of these materials, increase diameters. As Cotic already mentioned on their Geek pages, if room is limited, steel may actually be the lighter solution to reach the required strength and stiffness. On the Cotic Geek page, this was mentioned in the context of seat tube area (where room is limited because of suspension stuff going on there). But if a dual crown fork is desired but steering angle becomes limited because the frame/fork interference, making the frame narrower could be a solution. Making the frame out of steel could be a way to realize that.
My biggest issue has been customer support, however. It’s almost non existent in the US.
That said, I would love to be able to get a Selva at a reasonable price. I've seen a couple for sale on FB for 500 pounds, which is less than Fox 36 Performance (not even Elite!) forks fetch. Very strange. i do feel they are overpriced at retail price. If you were going to spend 1300 sheets on a fork, wouldn't you just pony up the extra 200 and get an EXT Era? I would. It's shame one of the online discount places hasn't got hold of them.
Also, I had Selva R with 160 mm travel, so impressive over roots and maintaining speed. Highly tuneable.
Basically, it seems every brand of brakes has gone through a bad time. For many of them, it seems like it has been a bit over ten years ago when the aftermarket sales plummeted as more brands already equipped their bikes with OEM hydraulic disc brakes. Hayes already had that market before that, but then SRAM and Shimano took that position as they could offer it along with the gearing complete bikes needed anyway. (Hayes only holds the B1 PeteSpeed gearbox patent but doesn't seem to be doing anything with it.) So for all these disc brake manufacturers to survive, they needed to be able to offer more affordable brakes to be spec'd OEM. And for many of them, apparently it was hard to uphold the quality and durability. Better/more accurate CNC equipment probably solved that in more recent years. Either way, I'm still using relatively old brakes at the moment. The masters are from the last batch of 2006 Magura Louise, the slaves are 2007 Louise (as I need PM calipers on my current fork and frame). They still work.
rideformula.co.uk
www.mojo.co.uk/mojo-morc-crowns-3-c.asp
A 170-190 dual crown with a 15mm TA and a low A to C. C'mon PB. What gives? Crickets on the Bartlett
But their damping is primitive particularly the way the hsc is activated and blown off.
Its just a plastic plunger with a spring behind it.
The spring is non adjustable and pretty heavy too heavy for alot of riders.
I think where MRP could use some updates is with their bushings (they can be tight and a little sticky) and the air springs- mine have had a habit of sitting down in their travel.
Its not a bad fork if you are the right weight. If not you are screwed.
I actually went as far as to try and source a lighter gauge spring for the "high speed circuit" but then it was too light also tried different damper oil weight.
At around the same time I got a deal on a Trust Shout which I love and now the Ribbon is leaned against the wall in the garage...
But ya open it up and look at the top cap on the damper side..see that plastic bobber wit a spring behind it?
That is your hsc.
What? The tubes are the things that get bumpers. They are what limit steering. What does one bolt or two have to do with anything?
Also barspin and x-up not possible on dc fork, so not one size fit it all;
Returning to 1,5 or larger steer will address the issue I believe
You say this as if nobody ever had a creaky threaded bottom bracket.
Creaky CSUs are a VERY common problem.
Wish this fork had the same damper and air spring cause they are great
Technically one could have a Selva 20, Nero 15, or a Nero with the Selva DC tree.
Lets hope for the silver/polished crowns on Selva SC/DC.
Stoked to get my paws on some Formula squish in the near future.
My nero is 52 offset i think, it has a great turning radius. As much as i like lower total offset number. I think the offset should be reduced at the lowers Rather than crown to retain turning radius.
I agree to an extend. I don't know how much more the front axle can be reigned in before running out of room at the bottom of the fork lowers. The Kabolt on my GRIP2 is pretty close. DC turning radius reduction is likely a greater liming factor on big tubed carb0n frames. And this 1.8" HT likely wont help matters. Saying that I can't really recall doing any lock to lock turns on my DH bike. But I've seldom if ever tech climbed with it.
I wonder if the Selva DC will be 43mm or something else haha.
I enquired with that guy making offset crowns in PNW if his crowns would work with a Nero but he was unsure at the time. I figured the BoXXer ones might if both it and the Nero use 35mm stanchions
But here is also a long travel single crown fork anyway!
m.youtube.com/watch?v=5LxYM8IOI3Q
Is thorough long-term testing proved some benefits.
However happy customer and always recommend their products to friends;
With fork, i did not get adjustability thing, for mid level joe, since set and forget is the best, never tried their shock tho
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/264/200/acb.jpg
This DC fork has a lot going for it. You could also do some interesting stuff like one-off crowns, different 35mm lowers, etc.
Have 2 36s that's both been creaking (29" 170mm). I was considering a boxxer 180 (same AC). But can't... So I let some Loctite 290 seep in at the stanchion-csu and csu-steerer interfaces and it seems to have gotten rid of the creaking on one of them. Forks seems to feel more "stout" too (though probably a placebo effect of the now silenced csu).
If you’re going to use loctite, dribbling it around won’t do anything. Even a creaky steerer will still be a gas tight connection. You need press it out and apply, let it dry, then press it back in. A local machine shop will be able to do it for you and probably not charge more than a few beers.
And as for Cura 4, love mine, they are awesome.
Stiff, no more CSU creaking, (like every singlecrown I've owed in past decade)
If I owned one I had trouble focusing on the trail
Profit = sanity
Looks or results, results every time
20mm axles ARE stiffer
With many axles having these tiny preload levers that isnt happening though. Then you take these axles out you can sometimes see wear from where the hub contacts the axle and transfers loads. On my bikes, I only use axles with a hex key, so I can tighten them to around 25Nm. This Is more than the manufacturer recommends, but the large threads can take it no problem. I dont know, maybe I am the idiot in the equasion, since technically youre not getting an ideal connection with lower preload, but It also doesnt seem to be an issue, since people dont break axles.
When you really want your enduro bike to look like a session.