To replace my broken 2009 Trek Madone 6.9 Astana team edition, I was able to pick up a pretty sweet replacement: 2011 Focus Izalco Team – European Edition (specs below)
Like most, I’ve heard of Trek, Cervélo, Specialized, BMC, Pinarello, Cannondale, but I’ve never really heard of Focus, so I was not sure what to expect. So far, I am pretty impressed, even though this is only my second ride on it. Let’s get down to my initial review.
General
I wanted to preface this review with a few items:
- I’ve only ridden 2 bikes before this one
- 2000 Cannondale R2000
- 2009 Trek Madone 6.9
- I’ve never “official” reviewed a bike before
- I am a normal, work-by-day, ride-by-night kind of guy
- 2012 will be my 3rd race season
I’ll do my best to answer your initial questions, but if you have something specific you want to know about, feel free to leave me a comment.
Specs
 | Frame | Focus Izalco Team |
 | Fork | 3T Funda Team |
 | Wheelset | DT Swiss RRC 600/880 |
 | Drivetrain | SRAM Red |
 | Gear ratio | 53/39; 11/23 |
 | Number of Gears | 20 |
 | Shifter | SRAM Red |
 | Crankset | Quarq CinQo Saturn S975 (sold separately) |
 | Brakes | SRAM Red Carbon |
 | Handlebar | FSA Wing Pro |
 | Stem | FSA Carbon |
 | Seatpost | FSA K- Force 27,2 |
 | Saddle | fi’zi:k Antares K:ium |
Source: www.focus-bikes.com (2011 Izalco Team)
Looks
As you can tell from the above picture, this is one sweet looking machine! The frame is painted in a unique, flat black and glossy white paint scheme, typically only available in Europe. It has nice red accents on the rims, cable casings, SRAM Red cassette & shifters, and my new Garmin 500.
Here are some more sweet shots:
Comfort
In comparison with the Trek, this bike feels a little rougher and I could definitely feel the road underneath me; however, it is no where near the roughness of my Cannondale. My first ride was on the DT Swiss wheels and the carbon wheels helped reduce the vibration and bumps from the road, making it a very fast and enjoyable ride. Today’s ride was on some aluminum Bontrager wheels, and there were a few times that my teeth rattled.
Stiffness
I had a few chances to really stomp on the pedals and I got immediate feedback. The bike just took off forward, no hesitation at all. This was one area where I felt the Trek was a little squishy, especially after 2 years worth of racing and riding. This will definitely be an area I’ll revisit after my first race.
Overall
Overall this is a pretty sweet bike, well worth every penny I spent. Although it is a heavier bike, it is a good balance between comfort, speed, and stiffness. I’d place this in the Best Bang For Your Buck category. I’ll definitely keep you posted as I continue to log more miles and report back on the race worthy performance.
Purchased
I purchased the bike from my local bike shop here in Tucson, ProBike Tucson. I ordered it on Thursday and since I previous had a Level 1 fit done by Tim, he was able to set my bike up perfectly and they had me ready to rock come Saturday morning. Nice work boys!