Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from Winnipeg, MB, Canada Date Reviewed: January 18, 2005
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
came with bike
Strengths:
It came on my bike. Light. I like the feel and modulation. Decently durable.
Weaknesses:
Only decently durable. Little to no support due to it not being a common product.
Similar Products Used:
None, just V brakes.
Bike Setup:
Norco Nitro, currently undergoing a remake :)
Bottom Line:
Great brakes if you're handy and don't mind waiting for parts or the squeeling. I like ther modulation and power, everything I need for XC. Have been working for 3 years (2 racing) will little to no maintenance. I don't mind the squeeling as I don't need to shout to slower riders as I come up on them ;)
Little story about the infamous dogbone. I finally lost mine at the most in opportune time. Race the Rockies adventure race in Canmore. At the top of a mountain. First the piece of plastic the dog bone fits into on the lever broke (age I guess) so teh lever kept falling away. Then it happened to fall away on a rocky section at the top of a mountain and the dogbone fell out and was gone forever. The net result....20 minutes of downhill with the rear brake only, white knuckles, praying to make switchbacks and a right forearm 20% larger by the time I hit the bottom.
Do I recommend these brakes, only if you get a good deal on them, the service network just isn't there. Replacement parts took 4 weeks which is unacceptable. I plan on buying XT hyrdos, hope minis, something to go dual hydro in the next couple months.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bryan
a Weekend Warrior
from North Shore Date Reviewed: August 18, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Boogieman
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$25.00
Strengths:
Good power
Weaknesses:
Plastic parts break
Similar Products Used:
Avid mechs, Hayes hydros
Bike Setup:
Banshee Scirocco w/B4's on the front and Avid mechs on the back
Bottom Line:
I paid only $40 for these brakes. Was it a good deal? Not too sure. At least the rotors are good. After about a month, I took a tumble (sometimes that happens when DH'ing) and popped the lever out. I looked at the mechanics of the lever and found that there are two ball joints (one in the lever and one in the brake body) which are both plastic. They are connected by a metal "dogbone". In the fall, the housing ball joint shattered. This caused the brake arm to wander out of the housing when not under pressure. I fixed this by adding the tried and true rubber band technique. After another couple of weeks, and more falls, the other ball joint shattered. The brake still works, but the rubber band isn't impressing anyone. I have give this brake 1 flamin' chili for overall since it shouldn't brake so easily. Since it only cost me 40 bucks, it gets thee for value. BTW, I also got one for my girlfriend's bike. It broke while loading it onto the bike rack. Stay away unless you get an unbelievable deal and need a spare rotor.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
tom
a Racer
from frisco CO Date Reviewed: July 28, 2004
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$330.00
Purchased At:
thorusa.com
Strengths:
Good XC design- balance of weight and power, great modulation, durable- yes I said durable, excellent support from thorusa.com- the only support option, value is excellent compared to XTR/Juicy/Marta (price is dropping)
Weaknesses:
Bike shops suck at support so figure on your own wrenching, old models needed a better bleed than they came with, mechanical aptitude helpful, 200 lbs. weight limit is common sense, breakaway lever design misunderstood
Similar Products Used:
Avid mechs, Hayes hydros
Bike Setup:
DeVinci with 2 wheels stopped by 2002 Formula B4s
Bottom Line:
These get a lot of crap reviews cuz a)bike shops don't support em b)owners don't know where to get parts/info/advice they need c)they came from the factory with air in the lines d)not used for XC. My B4s came low on power and I was disappointed. They worked OK, not well, even after break-in. A full bleed per directions at thorusa.com gave totally solid levers, and impressive brakes. If they don't have better than v-brake power you haven't got the air out. I won't trust my LBS to this, so yeah buying/using a bleed kit sucks. But lessee here, I bleed these once a year, and I've replaced one pair of pads with EBC green (more power again). Now on my 3rd year of use, they are totally dependable and with 2004 upgrade kit, better than ever. 1-finger brakes that feather or lock up at will. Trails aren't flat in this part of the world either. What gives? The Hayes I've tried were not very powerful, and the Avids I've ridden were on/off lockers. One of my buddies has XT 4-pucks, those things are nothing but trouble for him. All discs have potential to suck. B4s are sweet.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jason
a Racer
from beckley, wv, us Date Reviewed: July 6, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
came on bike
Strengths:
light
Weaknesses:
hard to bleed, easy to break levers, no stopping power with front brake
Similar Products Used:
avid, hayes
Bike Setup:
k2 razorback sl
Bottom Line:
This brake is by far the worst brake I have ever tried to use. My front brake does not have any stopping power on steep down hills, I have broke both levers (not actual lever but parts inside or working with the levers made of plastic). In my opinion these brakes should be taken off the market until formula can produce something worthwhile. Stick with hayes, they weight more but you will have no service or stopping power.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
marTy
a Weekend Warrior
from Adelaide, Australia Date Reviewed: March 18, 2004
Favorite Trail:
kuitpo
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
superlight, looks killer. Thorsten service.
Weaknesses:
difficulty dumb-ass bikeshop mechanics have in bleeding them. difficulty getting spares from a bikeshop (tho this is fixed by simply getting the stuff over the web).
All the bikeshops i spoke to had no idea about bleeding these brakes. my bike went back 3 times, they ended up stripping out the little torx screw (plastic version) and inserting a water bottle bolt of all things - like i wasnt going to notice?!. F*ckwits. Bought the upgrade kit from thor in the US to metal screw, new reservoir cap etc, got the bleed nipples etc and did it myself. piece of cake. I'm 85 kg and use my bike for freeride - have absolutely no trouble with power, drag, fade etc - even on long technical downhills, and even with the 4" rear rotor. Anyone who is having trouble should try working on it themselves. The other reviews suggesting these brakes are crap havent put in the effort: besides the formula site; also consider the following sites. http://www.windwave.co.uk/Pages/newsiteformulab4bleedinstructions.htm get the upgrade kit to metal torx screw: http://www.thorusa.com/ if it gives you any perspective - after the bike shop debacle i bought some xt fourpistons from ebay, but after getting the thor kit and bleeding the B4's up, i havent even taken the xt's out of the box. back to ebay for them! PS formula service is crap, never got a reply from them - go to thor
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a
from Calgarty, Alberta, Canada Date Reviewed: January 2, 2004
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Bow Cycle
Strengths:
Light, powerful (when set up right) Fairly quiet after bedded in
Weaknesses:
Tough to bleed properly small parts on levers easy to break or lose
Similar Products Used:
hayes mech discs (skweeeeeek)
Bike Setup:
'01 Stumpy FSR XC ~4" travel F&R trailbike setup
Bottom Line:
Couldn't get the levers firm enough, went almost to bar like lots of folks have said here before. I purchased the Formula bleed kit (syringe etc) and used that, but levers were still a bit soft. Saw someone mention using two syringes to bleed these brakes, so I bought a second (connect one on lever, second down at caliper, pump fluid back and forth and get all the air bubbles out), and now lever feel is firm, with lots of power and good modulation.
(Torsten has been very helpful to me too)
There are some small parts on the levers that seem to break easily, so I'll only give them 4 flamers...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jan
a
from Århus, Denmark Date Reviewed: June 23, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Weight. Works a littel better when wet, maybe due to better cooling.
Weaknesses:
Brake power equal to wet canti brakes. Fades a lot. Needs bleeding often.
Similar Products Used:
Magura Louise 2001
Bike Setup:
Commencal Doctor, Psylo SL
Bottom Line:
Yes these are very light, but as told they are very weak no braking power at all. I weigh 80 kg, maybe if you are a 60 kg flat trail XC dude these might be the ones for you.
Function before weight, when you start riding you have 1 kg liquid on the bike so why care of 100 g pr brake.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
stevo jackwallop
a Downhiller
from somerset, england Date Reviewed: March 22, 2003
Favorite Trail:
kingscliff woods
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
light weight, pimpy gold, cute looks
Weaknesses:
dont use for downhill, because of the light weight build strength starts to dissapear after a while even with new pads
Bike Setup:
cute little gold hardtail frame, z1 wedges, xt mech, manacle chain device, fsa alpha drive cranks and ultimax pro bb
Bottom Line:
these brakes are ideal for xc but as i have been getting faster at dh and doing higher and faster drops and decents they have been too weak. they have taken a couple of knocks though not bad for an xc brake.
i work in a bike shop (bicyclechain.co.uk) and one of my collegues has successfully mated a b4 caliper with an old hope sport lever WHAT A DIFFERENCE! this improved the power by 200% they now feel like hayes...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Durango, CO Date Reviewed: February 25, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Came on bike
Strengths:
Weight? Handlebar clamps
Weaknesses:
Cheap plastic parts, lack of US service
Bike Setup:
Yeti AS-R
Bottom Line:
In general: They rubbed from when I got the bike - never could get them tuned. When they heated up after short downhills (1-2min) they would squeal for the next 1/2 hour.
Now - about the plastic in the parts: First - there is some plastic lever retention thing that broke off, so I was running a ghetto-lever with a rubber band keeping it from extending too far. Then - Hanging it for the winter, all the fluid leaks from another plastic part - the resevoir lid. Finally - the plastic bleeder screw twisted apart from minimal torque with a torx bit.
I ordered a set of Avid mechanicals today.
Avoid these if you don't have your own personal Itallian mechanic to tune them. I would rather have an extra 50 grams and some metal parts instead of plastic bits.
In all fairness, even though they are junk if they worked when I left for a ride, they still worked at the end of the ride. I was never stranded brakeless, and they always stopped me. For that they get 2 chillis instead of snake-eyes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ricardo Rosado
a Weekend Warrior
from Lisbon, Portugal Date Reviewed: February 23, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$260.00
Strengths:
not bad....
Weaknesses:
overheating, is a factor....
Bottom Line:
well, when i first used the brakes ..there where very nice and seamd not to have any kind of problems, but, when i started to do some hard braking i realised that i had to pull the lever almost til the end to stop. i cleaned the brakes ..i put more braking fluid but nothing..she just kept on going when i tried to stop...BUT it was when i went to a bike store and changed the original pads to a fibrax ones...and everything changed NOW i have a massive stoping power i just keep on liking much and much more my brakes.
If someone would like to have massive stoping power and small weait..well these are the brakes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark DRUMMOND
a Cross Country Rider
from London, England Date Reviewed: December 23, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Lookout
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
e-bay
Strengths:
Light, powerful, good value
Weaknesses:
Like all discs need careful set up and 'running in'
Similar Products Used:
only Vs
Bike Setup:
Merlin frame, Xt group, zocchis
Bottom Line:
Many of the gripes indicate some 'set up' issues, take the time to do it right (same as all discs) and they will reward you with good performance. They are damn light and poweful.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
laurence creighton
a Cross Country Rider
from england Date Reviewed: December 11, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$354.00
Purchased At:
saddington cycles
Strengths:
The disks wear in pretty quick with some light squeaks but overall quite good
Weaknesses:
The pins in the brake fall out easily and i actully lost one, I have been looking for spares everywhere and if you can find one email me at creightz105@hotmail.com
Bottom Line:
they are overall good brakes but hard to find spares
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nonoy
a Weekend Warrior
from Philippines Date Reviewed: December 11, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$240.00
Purchased At:
YKK
Strengths:
Lightweight, cool looks!!
Weaknesses:
price!
Similar Products Used:
Avid Mech discs, Shimano XT
Bike Setup:
C'dale F/S, UST tires, Fox float RL rear shox.......
Bottom Line:
This discs rocks!! they squeal a lot at the beginning but its normal when breaking in... still good enough for the weight @ 700 grams (f/r set)...quality built, encountered little probs at 1st but the shop had good service and was able to help me and set the discs perfectly!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Adelaide, South Australia Date Reviewed: November 20, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$240.00
Purchased At:
LifeCycle Bicycles
Strengths:
..ummmm...they look good, oh and you never have to replace a rear tire again, (you may have to when the casing rots)I've not been able to lock the rear in a year! Bleeding service intervals have gotten me out of the weekly shopping expeditions with the wife! (5 chilli's). The modulation experience is unforgetable....and sharpens your braking distance 'senses' to new levels.
Weaknesses:
...this product is used for stopping...seriously? Do not expect to get the same stopping performance from these as your old v-brakes, or get out of trouble quickly on them. Never in my life have I had a rear tire last so long, and when you are able to actually lock a wheel...tell all your friends (or make sure they are there)! 1. The levers and their travel design have been engineered by someone who obviously had too much spare time in the factory downloading porn. I'm sick of pulling a u-turn to fetch those pins. 2. Do not use these in hot weather, they boil way too easy. 3. If you do use these when it's hot...expect the piston seals to start leaking. 4. I did all the research and read the reviews before purchasing these so I expected a 'bedding in' period...still waiting for something (anything!) to happen. 5. The stopping power of these brakes is NON-EXISTENT. If you have way too much confidence in your trail riding abilities purchase these brakes to re-introduce a challenge back into your riding.
Similar Products Used:
..wedged four mars bars between the frame and rims to compare the stopping power....mars wins hands down...and leaves less damage than dot 4...
Bike Setup:
KHS FXT Rage
Bottom Line:
....these would make a great 'gag' gift...do not throw out your old v-brakes...you'll be putting them back on.
Seriously though never before in my life have I been so sh!t scared of trying to stop....ever.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rob
a Cross Country Rider
from London UK Date Reviewed: October 22, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
moose cycles
Strengths:
lightweight, looks saucy, lightweight, better than v's, oh, and lightweight too.
Weaknesses:
flimsy rotors, gay reservoir covers.
Similar Products Used:
hope minis
Bike Setup:
commencal normal (stock except panaracer fire xc's) .Riser bars ,sus.s/post (or anything else gives me the horn )to be added soon.
Bottom Line:
Nice brakes, good power after break in although not as sharp as Hope's. I haven't had the noise other people have complained about but then I do try to keep them clean (that means keeping your mate's dick beaters off the rotors as well) The rear seems better set up than the front, strangely, and also during a rather tough ride the front rotor warped and began squeaking on the pads when pedalling (it was still ok to stop with though) I couldn't / didn't want to mess with it :as it looked bent as a boxing day turd (or thanksgiving doody if you're in the US) but the bike shop sorted it for me on the first service. Overall I would still choose these over anything else (just) Hope's are great looking but seem a bit snatchy on my mates bike.. a cross between these two at the price of Clark's mechanicals would be ideal.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Douglas Shearer
a
from Stirling, Scotland Date Reviewed: October 15, 2002
Superb brakes that are easy to set up and maintain. If you want brakes that work well all the time, these are the ones.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
simon cox
a Weekend Warrior
from Farnham, England Date Reviewed: August 25, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
bonthrone bikes
Strengths:
Its a matter of fact that these brakes are light. Callipers look nice.
Weaknesses:
The brake levers/mechanism is just too weak. Its far too plasticy and I've already broke mine without even crashing (did a big jump and the force of landing impact caused the lever ball joint to unattach - a common problem I hear. Unaware I reach for the brakes, pull them and the whole mechanism snaps. I don't find these brakes particularly powerful. They're very awkward to bleed (Its not just me being useless before I bought the bleed kit myself I'd had it into two different bike shops and neither did a perfect job). When you do bleed them yourself and get to see the little rubber membrane that you have to purge of air you do wonder just how long that will last without bursting - I mean, yor cars brakes don't have such rubbish components, so why do these brakes have to ?
Similar Products Used:
V brakes
Bike Setup:
Came as standard on GT I-drive 2.0
Bottom Line:
I won't be spending any more time or money on these brakes. The next time there's a problem I'm going to replace with Avid mechanical brakes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
RICHARD OLDFIELD
a Weekend Warrior
from EASTBOURNE, East Sussex, United Kingdom Date Reviewed: August 3, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
GREAT STOPPING POWER. EASE UF USE AND SET-UP. PLEASING TO THE EYE
Weaknesses:
AFTER A VERY LONG BEDDING IN PERIOD, STILL COULDN'T STOP THE SQUEAL WHEN BRAKING. VERY SLIGHT WARP IN FRONT DISC.
Similar Products Used:
NONE
Bike Setup:
BARRACUDA NEMESIS 2001 FULL SUPENSION BIKE. DNM FORKS AND REAR COIL SHOCK,SHIMANO DEORE COMPONENTRY, SCHUMANN RIMS WITH KENDA KINECTICS TYRES
Bottom Line:
DIFFICULT. SUPERB STOPPING POWER BUT SQUEAL AND WARPED DISC WAS ANNOYING. IF MY PROBLEMS WERE A ONE OFF THAN BUY A PAIR. OTHERWISE, CHOOSE SOMETHING ELSE. JUST BOUGHT A SCOTT EXPERT RACING AND IT'S DIFFICULT TO GO BACK TO V BRAKES AFTER USING DISCS EVEN WITH MINOR ANNOYANCES.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
sterling heise
a Racer
from des moines,ia 50313 Date Reviewed: July 15, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
rasmussen bike shop
Strengths:
-ease of installation -light weight -full hydraullic -looks
Weaknesses:
-squeel when wet -rotors slightly warped out of box -stopping power (see below)
never having used disc brakes before i can honestly say these rock. installation and setup took me less than 20 minutes from box to bike. the ability to cut tubing down to a desired length is extremely easy due to the supplied banjo fittings. thorsten at formula is the epitome of what customer service is all about. the only real downside is that the stopping power isnt quite up to hayes standards, but ill take the 100 gram difference in weight any day. i was for many years totally anti-disc and i can now say i am 100% a convert!!!!! if your a xc rider/racer i would strongly consider these brakes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington, DC Date Reviewed: July 12, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$90.00
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
Light weight, lots of power, reliable
Weaknesses:
It's very easy to pop the lever out of the master cylinder - see below for full discussion
Similar Products Used:
XT Discs, Grimeca Sys.8s, Hayes
Bike Setup:
160mm front, 140mm rear on a Giant MCM Team, Race Face, XTR, King, you know the drill.
Bottom Line:
Awesome. I got them dirt cheap on Ebay - full set brand new in box for $90. They're worth twice that much and more. The power is all there; I weigh 195 and ride very aggressively (I do a lot of DH, but not on this bike!), and they've always had enough power. I wouldn't put these on a DH bike, like some rather simple-minded folks below have apparently done, but for an XC bike they're great. They've got as much power up front as Hayes, etc, and the back has plenty to lock up my rear wheel with one finger. Endo's are no problem.
It took me approximately TWO MINUTES to bed these things in - I rode around the parking lot putting some good pressure on them and after 2min on each wheel, I could lock up with one finger.
I have taken these on some VERY long descents and haven't had any problems with overheating and such.
Downsides: they shriek like crazy when they're wet. I think most, if not all, discs do that, but it's still a PITA.
The lever has a little mechanism which attaches it to the master cylinder (inside the lever body). It's designed as a breakaway, so in a crash, the lever pops off the master cylinder and swings away, so it won't bend/break. You just pop it back in, and continue with your ride, unless you've actually broken or lost the pop-out linkage (hasn't happened yet, thankfully).
These brakes are on my XC race bike, so I don't fall much - I've fallen off one time, and the lever popped off. It was dark, so it was a royal pain trying to pop it back in. Also, the other day, I shouldered the bike up a hill where everyone was packing up in front. The brake lever banged against my top tube, and popped out. I had to take a few seconds to put it back in, and got passed by several people. That's a pisser.
Bottom line: THIS IS AN XC BRAKE!!! Do not use it on a DH bike, for fuxsake. If you fall a lot, do not use it. Other than that, it's got tons of power, seems to be very reliable (6months, NO problems whatsoever). Five flamin' turds.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alex Normandin
a Downhiller
from Chelsea, Quebec, Canada Date Reviewed: June 23, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Greg Crystie ski Cycle
Strengths:
alright stopping power. dot 4 fluid ??
Weaknesses:
the lever broke and that pissed me off. they could have made the lever out of cro mo and be 200 grams heaver and i would still have a fron disc. so now i'm riding some old vee's that work about as well. save your money.
Similar Products Used:
vee's
Bike Setup:
norco nitro
Bottom Line:
well they do a good job of braking.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Soren Laursen
a Cross Country Rider
from Holstebro Date Reviewed: June 22, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Marselisborg, Aarhus
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$190.00
Purchased At:
HiBike.de
Strengths:
Cool looks, light weight
Weaknesses:
Pump leaks, not enough brake power
Similar Products Used:
Magura Louise
Bike Setup:
2000 C-dale Jekyll 1000sl pretty much standard set-up, Easton Monkey Bar, Hügi 240 Hubs, Fi´zi:k cow saddle.
Bottom Line:
I had great expactations to these brakes, they looked cool (still do), light weight = perfect for my XC-setup. However, I got disappointed: the right side pump has been leaking ever since I got them. Got a new one from the Danish agent (had to lay down 20$), but this one leaked instantly. The screws holding the lever will not stay put which at some point, if you don't pay attention, will cause the lever to snap off.
Staying put while waiting for repairs and replacements sucks! - and buying a product of relatively high quality, and paying for it, should not cause problems like this.
The brakes has not got that much power, but they are fine for XC (I am 155 pounds) - if they work properly. In my case they have never worked for more than a few weeks during the past months.
I can not recommend buying these brakes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Fabrizio
a Weekend Warrior
from Turin Italy Date Reviewed: May 25, 2002
Favorite Trail:
single tracks
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
130
Strengths:
light weight, progressive powerness, look good
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
avid sd1
Bike Setup:
kona muni-mula, xt-xtr, rst aerosa aet.
Bottom Line:
I've muonted only the front brake, it go very well, good power, easy to mount. I hope that they continue as is.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario Date Reviewed: May 18, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
Manufacture Trade In
Strengths:
Light, Nice To Look At.
Weaknesses:
None that i know of
Similar Products Used:
Formula MD1 Mechanican Disc
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo
Bottom Line:
I have to say these brakes are just fine by me. My bike came with a Formula MD1 Mechanical Disc which had good braking power but squeeked like crazy. I read all kinds of complaints about it and found that the American distributor was allowing trade ins for the new version.
I took it a step further and Thorsten at Formula Brakes let me upgrade to the B4 Brake system. So essentially I got the brakes at cost. At that price I can't go wrong. I love em.
If i had to pay full price... i dont know. They feel fine to me and I do some hard riding. They even survived my being a bike courier in Toronto for 3 months.
Anyways... try em out... Any disc is better than any V brake... and any Hydraulic Disc is better than a mechanical disc.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
luca gervasoni
a Weekend Warrior
from brescia Date Reviewed: May 17, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Longoni sport
Strengths:
Actually this is a review of FORMULA 4 RACING. (I have requested two times mtbr to open a review without success). Very light, powerfull (dia 185mm front, dia 160mm rear)
Weaknesses:
I do not like color (dark bronze)
Similar Products Used:
Shimano M515, magura luise y 2000.
Bike Setup:
Specialized enduro expert
Bottom Line:
Great brakes, very light but very strong at the same time. Great feeling of control even in panic situations. They do not overheat even after long downhill. Great for freeriding.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave the barbarian
a
from Darlington, England Date Reviewed: May 13, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Bonthrone Bikes
Strengths:
Light
Weaknesses:
Weak leavers, Bent and cracked disc, loses fluid(pressure)
Similar Products Used:
Hope minis (replaced the B4's)
Bike Setup:
GT i-drive 2.0, psylo sl's, lx/xt/xtr chain set, Syncros finishing kit, formula b4's (now replaced with hope minis)
Bottom Line:
they are very poor, local bike dealer says many leavers are snapped and the brakes are generally very weak. i found this after 3days hard riding.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
baz fairweather
a Cross Country Rider
from scotland Date Reviewed: May 6, 2002
Favorite Trail:
glen dol , callender
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
came with cycle
Strengths:
quite lightweight, looked nice alongside my continental traction pro tyres .......... thats it im afraid.
Weaknesses:
does not lock up the wheel, pads scrape , fluid leakage at resovoir
$
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating: