The Selva is a Boost version of their existing 120-180mm ’35’ forks. Selva forks will come in 27.5, 27.5+ or 29″ versions. The travel is 120-160mm apart from an Extended version of the 27.5 fork which is 170-180mm.

Read more: Formula Selva R suspension fork review

Formula Selva

The lower legs and the crown are entirely new. The internals remain broadly the same aside from a wider range of compression adjustment potential. The stanchions remain at 35mm diameter.

Formula are known in mountain bike circles for the pretty disc brakes they’ve been making for over twenty years. In a parallel industry, Formula have also been making motorbike forks.

It was somewhat inevitable that Formula would make mountain bike forks, which they began to a couple of years ago.

The Formula Selva couldn’t be any more Italian if it tried. Formula are like the Alfa Romeo of mountain biking. Undoubtedly pretty and with some unique handling features all combined with a just-so quirkiness that secures them plenty of fans. Especially riders who like to tinker.

Adjustment dial

What can you tinker with on a Selva? Well, what CAN’T you tinker with? There’s loads of stuff to get tweaky with here. Essentially Formula have really focussed on compression damping and spring rate adjustment.

You’ve got 12 clicks of high and low speed compression adjustment. You’ve got 21 clicks of rebound adjustment.

You can also tune the volume of the sir spring space but not by inserting plastic spacers in there (such as Bottomless Tokens), Formula prefer to offer you the ability to adjust how much oil sits in there. Anywhere from 5cc to 25cc is recommended. More oil for more progressive feel. It’s a very ‘happy tinker’ way to do it that offers unrivalled adjustment.

Different valve heads

If that’s not enough for you, you can even swap out the valve head and replace it with another that offers a different compression feel. You can opt from soft, medium or firm. All this is via an extra €99 kit by the way.

Remote Cartridge Control

If you STILL want to scratch your tinkering itch during a ride there is also a optional Remote Cartridge Control adjuster that goes on your handlebar and allows you to adjust compression damping on-the-fly.

Air spring cap

The air spring tinkering options almost feel like a disappointment after all of that. Although there’s not as many valves and dials to play with, Formula’s spring is actually three springs. The main air spring, a coil negative spring and a third additional start-up spring that’s a bit like a negative spring but different, apparently.

Hexagonal-ised lower legs

These new lower legs then. To counter the extra flex of going to a wider-legged Boost fork, Formula have reshaped the lower legs. On the outside of the legs you can see a slight hexagonal-ing of the leg. Combined with the wider crown, the Selva is some 200g heavier than the 35 fork.

The claimed weights are 1,940g for the 27.5 Selva and 1,980g for the 29″/27.5+ Selva.

Integrated Locking System 15mm thru axle QR

The Integrated Locking System – that’s the front quick release to you and me – is another fully featured bit of Formula-ness. Basically, it’s a like any 15mm bolt thru QR except you can remove the QR lever once it’s done up. You don’t have to but you can.

Why would you remove the QR and leave it home? To save weight of course. And, more importantly, to make you feel especially enduro.

ILS Key Tool

You can still get the front wheel out of the fork by using a 5mm Allen key. Unsurprisingly Formula also sell an ILS Key Tool that has a 5mm Allen key on it and a 2mm Allen key (for adjusting the lockout threshold on the crown dial).