Formula R1 Disc Brake Review - BikeRadar

gets my vote - very good brakes

Absolutely amazing brakes. Loads of power, amazing modulation and they weigh nothing at all.

definatly need bedding in i forgot and raced them, pads wore out in no time (weather was orrible also). Got Oro puros and biancos on my other steeds... best brake company out there...

The plus side to these is they are feather weights and work well when there working properly. However for me there was some notable problems. First problem I had was a broken lever blade. The lever blades are probably the the most fragile out of any brake I have used. The next problem I got was the first time I tried to change the pads the retaining pin was stuck. The pin is made out light weight ally but they rounds off all to easily. Up to now I have also had two leaver bolts snap even though they where torqued up to factory settings. I think possibly the brakes are just a little on the light side. I have also noticed that as the pads run down the brakes very quickly loose there performance. They appear very critical on pad thickness. Parts are also quite expensive and can be a little tricky to get hold of at times as I found out first hand.

These brakes came standard on my Cube Stereo and there is only one word to describe them - AWESOME!!

I was running Avid Ultimates on my last bike and i thought they were powerful but the R1's blow them out of the water.

The good:

Best brakes I have ever had. (2 different Magura, Shimano Deora, XT, XTR)

203 disk front, 180 rears on an Ibis Mojo.

Even a long downhill with heavy braking now and then is no problem for these brakes.

I use them with XO shifters and they are mounted with a nice little piece of metal so both are taking only one place on the handlebar making it look neat and clean.

The bad:

After 3 month I noticed the rear brake does not release fully after being engaged.

On a closer look I noticed the metal inside where you can not see it without pointing a flashlight in there was quite rusty and the rubber seal did bent in a funny way, it did not return to be straight after the brake had been engaged.

I looked at the front brake and even though this one still works like it should and releases completely there was corrosion on this in the same place as on the rear brake (just behind the lever).

I sprayed with lubricant both and waited till next day.

The rear brake does now almost release and the pads do not touch the disk after use like before, but I am surprised that this can happen to rather new brakes.

The bike has not been ridden in rain (it rarely rains here) and I have maintained this bike better than my previous bikes and the Shimano XT I had for several years still function without ever having received anything else than new pads.

Its normal to clean pistons every time you change the pad. Heavy rust in there means they havent seen much use.

The R1 is definitely one of the best brakes available. I know 4 people who purchased in our riding group after trying out mine and all are totally satisfied. One minor problem I've noticed with mine is that one of the two cylinders on each side does not retract fully when the brake is released such that the pad rubs very lightly on the rotor. It does not actually cause resistance but you can hear it rub if you put your ear close tot he rotor. Both front and rear brakes have this problem. Any suggestions?

euisokkim: do not put your ear close to the rotor. Problem solved.

Same problem like mojo - lever got "stuck" in new brakes after no use for 2 month - this problem is probably due to corrosion in humid air. Plus the aluminum screws are awful to use.

Very fiddly the whole thing.

So while the brakes perform great, I wonder if the high price and high maintenance is worth it.

I never had a problem with my Magura brakes despite lot's of abuse over years and they were pretty close in terms of performance.

Awesome brakes, light weight and very powerfull!

The photo is Formula The Ones, not R1s.

bad brakes. they leak, pistons get stuck, they need constant rebleeding. aviod them.