First Ride: Formula 35 fork and Cura brakes
No more wondering whether there is more to Formula than big, burly disc brakes: the answer is yes. Over the past few years the expert Italian team have been fine-tuning their forks, leading to the launch of their revised 35 fork as well as new Cura disc brakes.
Formula 35
With roots in motorsport, the developers at Formula set about creating a high-end lightweight yet potent fork, one that would be fully fit for racing. Working with 35 mm stanchions, the fork is compatible with 27.5″ and 29″ wheels and currently comes fitted with a 15 x 100 mm thru-axle. Later this year, a Boost standard version is due to be launched. According to Formula, every fork suffers a certain about of lateral stress that comes at the cost of the internal parts over time. Its USP is the so-called Internal Floating Technology (IFT), which they’ve painstakingly designed to reduce friction on the internals while being under stress, so that the fork performs exceptionally well in every situation.
Formula have stated that the revised Formula 35 fork is easy to set-up and tune, with 5–30 ml of Ballistol oil provided for fine-tuning the progression and replacing fluid. The alternatives for compression adjustment are vast and dubbed the Compression Tuning System (CTS): essentially a system with three valve heads (soft, medium and form), which can be swapped in less than five minutes with an allen key and a simple tool that Formula provide. Consequently, you can adjust the forks yourself, as well as switching between the 13 settings of the low speed compression damping using the bar-mounted control.
We jumped at the opportunity to exclusively test the new Formula 35 on the trails around Lake Garda. Compared to their predecessor, there was a palpable improvement in sensitivity and Formula’s sophisticated development seems to have paid off as the fork nailed the balance between stability and flex as well as keeping us upright with ample grip on gnarly off-camber sections. Before we’d even attempted to really get to grips with the setup options, they’d already proven capable of great support. Now we’re stoked to carry out a more extensive test, as we can already see the Formula 35 playing with the big boys.
Available from September 2016, the fork will come black, white and ultraviolet with various decals. Check out the Formula website for all the info: rideformula.com
Formula Cura
Formula goes mineral! The new Cura is Formula’s first mineral oil model to spring from their new collection. And despite its seemingly entry-level price of just € 124, these brakes are anything but basic: with 24 mm diameter pistons, they’re designed to firmly bring any modern and potent trail bike to a halt. What’s more, the team at Formula are adamant that these brakes have the capacity for high-end performance across other disciplines too.
With multiple bleed ports, their speed lock valve for the hose and a clamp compatible with various levers, the Cura has caught everyone’s attention. Down in Italy’s Riva, we tried out the Cura disc brakes and came away raving about braking power, which was both predictable and easy to modulate yet super aggressive with their classic sintered pads when desired. However, the lever set-up wasn’t the broadest, and you have issues if you’re used to riding with the brake lever ultra close the bars. Only a longer-term test will reveal a real conclusion, so we’re excited to see how they fare.
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Words: Photos: Noah Haxel, Formula
