Today, Formula announces its latest suspension fork, the all-mountain and enduro-focused Selva V. Building off the established Selva platform, the brand claims the new Selva V “is a product of the long, rocky, and technical trails found in Tuscany and around the Mediterranean.” Pairing the Selva’s proven damper architecture with a new air spring and revised chassis, Formula claims this is the lowest friction and most responsive fork it has ever made.
Formula has been producing Selva forks for years. From the Selva Coil and the Selva S to the prototype Selva double crown fork, Formula has been tweaking its formula (get it?) to continually improve its front suspension offerings. Let’s check out the details to find out what’s new with the Selva V.
Formula Selva V Details
The Selva V comes in three longer travel lengths, 160, 170, and 180 mm. It uses 35 mm hard-anodized black stanchions made from 7075 aluminum attached to a hollow forged aluminum crown. The stanchions slide in and out of an updated chassis with a new lower leg design and increased distance between bushings. Formula claims this makes the Selva V stiffer than previous versions of the Selva.
It has standard 15 x 110 mm Boost axle spacing and comes with an ILS (Integrated Locking System) axle. Formula claims it works with brake rotors up to 220 mm. The Selva V has a typical tapered 1 ⅛” – 1 ½” steerer and a close-to-typical 43 mm offset. Formula also states that the axle-to-crown lengths have been increased by 8 mm (583 mm on a 170 mm travel) to bring them in line with other brands. An integrated mudguard attaches cleanly to the arch for streamlined looks and splatter protection.
The claimed weight of the Selva V is 2,030 grams in a 170 mm length (w/o axle lever or fender).
New Air Spring
Formula claims its new air spring results in the lowest friction fork it has ever made. According to Formula, “small imperfections inherent in metal can cause friction at the main seal on the piston.” To combat this, Formula uses a floating piston with an elastic mount. “By using an elastic mount which allows the piston to move both radially and axially, it can naturally compensate for these imperfections, reducing friction and providing a more consistent feel.”
Additionally, the new air spring has a single air valve to inflate both the positive and negative air chambers, and it uses a concentric bypass valve design to balance pressures between the two chambers. In addition to making it straightforward to set your air pressure, Formula says this design “allows us to ditch bypass grooves and reduce friction even more.”
Proven Damper
Formula says it is sticking with its time-tested damper architecture because “Change for change’s sake isn’t what we do.” The brand says it has been using its Internal Floating Technology (IFT) for the past 10 years, a system that “helps eliminate the harshness caused by binding and allows the fork to absorb impacts more effectively.”
For tuning, the Selva V offers 19 clicks of rebound along with 12 clicks of compression damping adjustment. Taking it further, Formula’s Compression Tuning System (CTS) involves interchangeable valves to alter compression damping. Swapping out the CTS valves is a quick and easy alternative to re-shimming to find the right compression tune. Formula includes two CTS valves with the fork, with six additional options available.
What’s Included?
While Formula’s suspension products aren’t exactly inexpensive, the brand does include everything most people need to set up and maintain the Selva V in the box. This includes a shock pump, mudguard, air cap tool, 250 ml of fork oil, and 2 CTS valves (blue and gold) for compression tuning. This could save you a few trips to the shop and a bit of money compared to forks that don’t include all these goodies.
Formula backs the new Selva V, and all products made after 2017, with its 10-year support promise, saying, “every product we make will have parts, spares, and support available for at least ten years.” On top of that, all Formula products come with a two-year transferable warranty.
The brand also states that the new V air spring is “compatible with some previous generation Selva forks with air systems, offering riders a simple upgrade solution without the need to replace the entire fork.”
Formula Selva V: Pricing and Availability
The new Formula Selva V officially launches today. It comes with matte black or matte ultraviolet (purple) lowers and retails for $1,250 €. To learn more about the new fork to find a dealer near you, check out the Formula website.
