Formula Oro - Long term owners opinions required

stevieboy

I gather that the Oro's are highly rated given the constant plugging on here, and from my own experience of a few brief rides with my gf's K18's I can feel the power is exceptional. However, seeing as her Meta doesnt get the mileage that I do on both my bikes, i've yet to see what they are like in terms of reliability. I'm getting tired of having to fettle my Juicy's on the Scale, and I know it's only a matter of time before my Hayes 9's seize on the Kona. So....

Aside from the MC issue's they suffered a while back (now been sorted), do the Oro's suffer from any 'typical' issues - i.e. Juicy's seem to seize very easily?

Everyone I ride in Derbyshire with uses Hope M4's with no issues, but they don't seem to have a good rep from some - again, why specifically?

realnumber 1

I've been using the K24's since March and they have performed very well so far. I've had them smelling a few times but never had a bit of fade with them yet and the power they have is superb.

All I have had to do is readjust the calliper once because it must have got knocked and the lever popped out of its socket when I fell off once. It was a little fiddly to put back in but 5 min later I was away and its better than them just snapping.

They're the first set of disks I've had and i think i made a great choice getting them. Pretty much just fit and forget and faultless performance.

Anonymous

i had some k18s for about a yr and in that time they performed well enough but no where near as good as any of the juicys i have/have used (3, 5, 7 and ultimates)

the formulas developed a problem where by after about half of the pads were worn in the rear, the pistons wouldn self adjust and would return to there original positions meaning that as the pads wore, the lever would travel further and further and the power became less and less.

i might be lucky with my juicies though as there looks to have been loads of folk with problms recently.

iloper

sheepsteeth

that problem was solved by formula. it afected a lot of K18...

maximus69

ive got k18 on my new bike, juicy 3 on other bike and yes you do have to fiddle around with the juicys. but not touched the oros yet. not done many miles with them yet but cant notice any difference in power. in fact i think my 3s are a bit more powerfull. a mate of mine has had k18s for about 7 months and thinks the same. he hasnt done anything to his either, but i think master seals went and he had to send them away. think that might of been just bad luck though because lbs where he got the bike from said that they were the first oros they have had problems with. hope this helps

smackmypitchupǃ

I wouldn't overlook the Hayes Stroker Trails. They are dirt cheap, neat, and have big (22mm I think?) piston diameters and stopping power is at least equal to most of what Formula offer.

Just my 2 cents.

Chaka Ping

I've been using K18s for a year. They're the only disc brakes I've had that have been fault free.

They don't have the modulation of Juicies, but they do come close and they have a lovely solid feel.

stevieboy

Excellent, been reading reviews all day long. So far they're the only brake i've read about that doesn't have a list of typical problems.

Thanks for the feedback so far, might try them on my Kona first

realnumber 1

stevieboy wrote:

Excellent, been reading reviews all day long. So far they're the only brake i've read about that doesn't have a list of typical problems.

Thanks for the feedback so far, might try them on my Kona first

How much have you seen them for. I got my K24's new off the Bay for £170 delivered back in March.

stevieboy

£160-170 from ebay without rotors or mounts

£200-250 everywhere else with all the gear (roughly)

realnumber 1

Crikey, I got mine with mounts and 160mm rotors for £170 from Velosave. Just had a look for you but they aren't selling at the moment
Looks like I got a bargin at the time

stevieboy

Yeah, hard to get hold of at the mo.

I'm guessing that for the scale 160/160 would be ok - currently 185/160 on Avids and the kona 180/180 or 180/160 - currently 180/180 on Hayes 9's

realnumber 1

Well I've given mine some good stick, they always stop me quickly and they haven't faded yet. But I only weigh 10 stone so that might have a bit to do with it.
I did read when i was looking what to get that they seem to perform as well as other brakes using the next disk size up though.

stevieboy

cool, well i'm roughly the same weight (9st 10lb) so i'll try down sizing where I can

Just need to find a set for sale...... :twisted:

dryburger_3.0

Have a look on ukbikestore.com. It's where I got mine and they seem to be cheapest around for formula. (bout 190 quid total, for 160 rotors(f/r) and calipers + levers (f/r)).

viper77

I have bought Oro K18 recently, had to shop around for them as most shops are out of stock on the rotor and adaptors. I have been told by most shops that they won't see them before the end of this month! Uk bike store is the cheapest for single sets but Merlin did have both back and front with rotors etc for about £140, they are now out of stock as well.

I have gone up a rotor size on both back and front from 160mm to 180mm as my old brakes used to boil quite easily. I am about 15.5 stone and 6"1.

I have done a few rides recently and they have been very wet and muddy. I have the original pads in and I don't rate them in these conditions, nearly gone through the pads in first two rides out I will be changing these to the sintered version to see if they are any better. If anyone has any suggestions on which pads, please let me know.

I also managed to get the back smelling a bit on a steepish downhill section but it is not very long, again I was surprised after reports I had read. The pad was rubbing slightly on the ride so this may have made it worse. I have since adjusted the caliper so will see on next ride out.

The front lever is nearly pulling all the way in before any braking so I think it needs a little bleeding to cure this problem. They did come pre-bleed!

Overall when they do work they are very effective and I think once I get these little issues sorted then they will be a good set of brakes. They look good on the bar, very neat.

dan45a

I went from Avid Juicy 5's to Oro K18's with 160/180 rotors. My first impression was that they were very strong brakes and couldn’t believe how much better they felt than the juicy 5's.

However the stock pads only lasted me about 1 month as they worn down really quickly as did the performance. So I fitted replacement sintered pads and am now happy to report that the K18 performance is amazing, I think better than when new. IMO superior to the Juicy 5’s.

I've just ordered a DH bike with Avid code 7's will be insterested to see how they compare when it arives.

viper77

Since going through the rear pads in 3 rides!!, I have since put some sintered EBC ones in and tweaked the calipers the brakes are working very well now. Happy days.

maximus69

what did you do to tweak the callipers?

rd350lc

I think me and you need to buy some ebc sintered pads mark,just checked my pads and after 4 rides they are all but down to the bone!!!.

Rich

maximus69

rd350lc wrote:

I think me and you need to buy some ebc sintered pads mark,just checked my pads and after 4 rides they are all but down to the bone!!!.

Rich

yeah i will when their shot. mine will probably last longer than yours though cause i dont ride around with them on all day

viper77

I centered them. Easier with someone holding the brake on and you tightening the bolts at the same time.

viper77

Th eproblems just keep on coming :evil:

I was out on a ride 2 weeks ago now and I put yet another set of pads in the back. On the first real downhill the rear was boiled up, after a few miles I took the pads out and noticed 1 was still like new and the other was nearly gone. It was dry and cold so very suprised to see this. When I got the bike home I took the pads out and sqeezed the lever. One piston was moving freely and the other not. I contacted the shop where I bought them and they told me I had a sticky piston and to spray them with a some silicone lub (Is this not a warranty issue?). I did this but one of them came out the seal. So I now have to bleed them.

However, you cannot get hold of any Formula stuff for love nor money at the moment as Formula are not importing to the Uk or so all the shops have told me. I have contacted Propel (Formula Uk Importer) this morning by email to see when stock level will return to normal. I will let you all know what they say. Is anyone one else having issues of getting hold of parts etc? Does anyone have any ideas on how to bleed them without taking them to a shop and getting charged £10-20 per brake?

At the moment I wish I had bought Shimano or Hope.

Dazzza

Shame that, propel are just 16miles away maybe i should drive up there and give him a kick up the arse.

My oro's have been near faultless, yes formulas do indeed like their pads i find quad pads or bike fridge 3x ceramic both work great and last a decent amount of time as pads go.

I find bleeding them improves lever feel and the pistons retract that bit quicker, i certainly can't fault them, i've had them about 18 months now.

nicklouse

viper77
buy a bleed kit.

and yours must have been in poor condition or you drag your brakes alot.

we have used the K 24´s for a few years.
the first lot had a seal issue (replaced under warrenty).
then they have seen a 2 week stint in the alps and a full DH race season.

and mineral brake fluid boils at a lower temp than DOT so dont get the shimano as you will have no hope.

viper77

nicklouse Thats the problem there is none available in the uk. I have one on order but it has not arrived.

The Formula manuals say that the oro's use Dot 4. I have bought some Dot 5.1 for when the bleed kit arrives.

Dragging brakes! Didn't have this problem with my old Giant MPH's and they were crap!!

Dazzza

Have a look at avid juicy bleed kits, they work with formulas.

viper77

Propel have been in touch already, I wasn't expecting a reply until monday. Some stock should be back to normal levels in the next 1-2 weeks!

marika

i had a lot of trouble with my k18's eating pads in a couple of rides,everyone said it was my fault but my hope pads on my m4's last months[got rid of the k18's and bought the m4's}in fact i can't remember the last time i changed my pads

Slo rider

I use goodridge sintered with my k18 and pad life is very good, as with any brake though you must get them bedded in properly for them to last.
I had bleed issues from new, the power was poor and spongy, three bleeds later and they performed as they should, no reliability issues so far in over a year...
They are decent brakes, but the lever design/function is awful and the power and general modulation not as good as my juicy fives on t'other bike, though I have had real trouble in the past with the fives, but since then I have had two years no problems, until a few months ago when the reservoir top cap seals went and air got in, but swapped 'em, bled 'em and straight back to normal.