TESTED: Formula 35 suspension fork

The Formula name is best known for lightweight and powerful hydraulic disc brakes. But the Italian company has leveraged R&D from its Moto division to produce several high-end suspension forks as well. Designed for longer travel machines, the Formula 35 is the bigger and badder brother to the 33. It’s available in both 29” and 27.5” versions, and it features up to 160mm of travel. This puts the 35 right into the firing line of the highly revered RockShox PIKE and Fox 34 forks.

Long-legged Italian

Like their disc brake line, each 35 fork is built and assembled in their Prato factory in Italy. There is an emphasis on engineering to exacting tolerances, with complex laser-alignment tools used to accurately measure the inner diameter of the lower’s bushings, and the external diameter of the upper tubes. Once a match is found, they’re paired together to create a snug and seamless fit.

Of course manufacturing precision is one thing, but real-world reliability is another. To that end, Formula employs a drop-in damper cartridge that can be removed and serviced independently of the fork chassis. The whole fork can be stripped down for maintenance with just a 4mm hex key, and Formula includes a bottle of Ballistol in the box for replacing the lubricating oil when necessary.

The 35mm stanchions are made from hard anodized 7075 alloy, while the crown is hollow forged and externally relieved to reduce weight. One-piece magnesium lowers feature a chiselled-out arch and dedicated 15mm dropouts. Damping adjustments come in the way of a red rebound dial, a blue compression dial, a gold lockout lever, and a black dial for adjusting lockout threshold.

Dials are dialled.

The 35 is also equipped with a unique hybrid spring system uses just one dynamic seal. The combination of a positive air spring and a coil negative spring isn’t unique, but the addition of a coil starter spring is. This helps the fork ease into its travel for a smoother feel, while still offering adjustability with a shock pump.

Our 27.5” test fork came out of the box set at 160mm of travel, but the included plastic spacers can easily be added internally to reduce travel in 10mm increments down to 120mm. If you want to go longer, an ‘EX’ model is also available that offers 180mm of travel.

With a chopped steerer tube, our test fork tipped the scales at 1750 grams. This puts it at the same weight as a new Fox 34, and about 100 grams lighter than an equivalent RockShox PIKE.

On the Trail with the Formula 35

Buttery. Plush. Slippery. Whatever adjective you can think of to substitute for the word ‘smooth’, the 35 fork is it. With the coil springs working in tandem, the 35 allows your front tyre to suck up irregularities on the trail surface like a Hoover. I’d say it’s the smoothest fork I’m yet to place between my hands and the trail.

The real beauty about the 35 fork though is that it’s an easy fork to live with for the average rider. Simply adjust the air pressure to the recommended setting, set the rebound dial halfway, and the 35 will remain calm and composed across a wide variety of conditions. For the true fettlers out there however, there’s a lot of further adjustability under the hood.

I started with 55psi in the air spring, but worked my way down to 47psi, which is a tad lower than what Formula recommend for my weight. Adding or subtracting oil from the air chamber can help fine-tune the spring rate, so I took out 2.5cc of oil (leaving 2.5cc inside) to help give me access to a little more travel, while still maintaining sufficient bottom-out protection.

Tweaking the damping setup can offer substantial performance benefits. For riding slow-speed tech trails littered with granite rocks, running the rebound a couple of clicks slower than halfway and leaving the blue compression dial wide open creates glue-like traction.

On steeper descending trails, running the rebound a couple of clicks faster, and positioning the compression adjustment halfway keeps the fork riding higher in its travel, with added resistance to brake dive. There are 14 clicks of compression adjustment, and each one is noticeable. I found there was too much trail feedback through the grips if I set the dial anywhere past halfway, 3-4 clicks was typically the sweet spot.

At the 30-hour mark, I stripped the forks down for a clean and re-lube as recommended by Formula. The forks had begun to feel a little sticky, so it was a good opportunity to see how easy they were to service. I was somewhat surprised to find a small amount of wear on both of the black anodized stanchions. Upon closer inspection, this only appeared to be a cosmetic issue (and more noticeable because of the black finish).

Our Take on the Formula 35

Despite lacking the reputation of its American competition, the Italian slider offers impressively smooth performance on the trail, and plenty of adjustability for those who want to delve into it. It’s got the raw plushness of a PIKE, at the weight of the Fox 34, and its chassis stiffness sits somewhere between the two. Given its ease of service and 2-year manufacturers warranty, I can definitely recommend the 35 to any rider looking for a high performance and lightweight all-mountain fork.

Hits:

• So smooth
• Ease of servicing
• Adjustability

Misses:

• No deal breakers!

RRP: $1449

From: eightyonespices.com.au