formula oro upgrade help

dudge

Just returned from 6 weeks in the alps doing xc, downhill and climbing and thought i would seek advice as well as warning ORO users of potential problems. I have Formula ORO K18 with 180mm rotors on my bike (bionicon golden willow) and they are not up to the job of stopping a hustling 100kg bloke downhill at speed! The internals of the master cylinder defomed and , though not expensive to replace, caused me no end of problems. I took them to my local shop in France to be greeted with a knowing nod and a "They all do that if they get hot" comment..aparantly they are used a fair ammount on Lapierre bikes and this problem is commonly known to my guy.."you are the 8th this season"...so 40 euros lighter they are sorted...not. They simply have not been the same and having lost all faith in them, as they dont actually stop me on red/black runs, I am looking to junk them and the rotors and go for a good upgrade. Oh and they have been bled and the oil replaced to spec with no difference..I even managed to blue the rear rotor when the front brakes failed...not a lot of fun on a black downhill section!

So here is my problem...what to get? While in the future I will be doing more downhill and steep descents now I am back in the Uk I want as lightweight a set up for XC as I can get. Hope, Avid, XTR or maybe better Formula.. god its a mine field..so help please if you can. For now lets say money is no object..that way it makes it easier to see all options. Also what size rotor do you think I should up grade to?? If it makes a difference I have Double Agent front forks.

Many thanks in advance...

warrerj

For what it's worth I'm about your weight and my K24's were fine in France, Austria & Italy with 180mm F & R.

What pads were you using ???

Anyway ........

You could try bigger rotas when you head for big down hill trips.

WMB rates Formula R1 as the best high-performance brakes and at 314g (180mm rota) are light. 2nd are Hope X2 3rd are Avid Elixir Carbon.

Don't know if they would be any better with the same size rotas ???

all i can say is my K24's are the best I've used.

nicklouse

dudge


was it the plastic piston? or the metal one?

seems to be variable problem as mine have done a few seasons DH racing and other "things".

shame you did not keep the bits.

HandjobDan

With the word Downhill in the op I'd go for the Ones from Formula they look badass and have Downhill stopping power for XC weight. So much so that they recommend using smaller rotor's on them.

dudge

Thanks for your response. I have to say when they were working well at the begining of my trip they seem to have good feel and bite but the downhill seemed to highlight their weakness. They normally get good reviews although the 24s might be better. I did wonder whether the k24 or The one levers and m/cylinder might be compatible with my calipers and rotors.

Anyway pads are the standard formula pads. Direct replacement for OEM ones. As I understand it the internal diaphragm inside the M/cylinder is a plastic item hence the deformation.

I will have a look for formula R1s, and a friend runs hope on his yeti and they do feel solid so I might check them out as well. Cheers.

sirichmond

No problems with my Formula K18's, performing better than my Shimano XT's on other bike.

vikingboy

ive got r1s and just upgraded to the ones - im a 100kg lump of meat that likes ot hurtle downhill at speed and theyve done a great job of stopping me without issue.
I didnt like lever feel on the ones at first as it does tend to ride closer to the bar than the r1s but does make it easier to hold and modulate for longer periods downhill.
Both the r1s and the ones are awesome IMHO.
The weight penalty for the ones isnt that much given the dramatically increased stopping power