Focus bike

philjensam

Am looking at buying a Focus Cayo pro, but they have discontinued the 56cm frame, was wondering wether a 58 cm would be the right size for me, I am 5' 11", 32" inside leg and about 93kg, any ideas?

coot

Hi,

I had a 56 on order and they said they'll try and fulfill that order ( ordered before it went to discontinued ) so you might be able to pick that up.

I ended up with a 58 Izalco ( already have a 56 Variado ) and the 58 fits me fine ( 5'11 ish with long legs and arms )

Cheers,

Pete.

coot

Oh, just noticed I joined 5 years ago and that was my first post :oops:

Hello everyone

SteveR_100Milers

I've got a 58 Cayo Expert and im 6ft 1 34" leg and 98 kgs fits perfectly...

biondino

FYI the Cayo Pro 58 is out of stock till mid-July - I ordered one at the beginning of April and after the third postponement I thought sod it and went for a Expert instead, which should be delivered on Monday.

stu99

If you really want a 56cm why don't you source one in Germany and then take a cheap flight or rail trip across the channel to pick it up?

I've found Focus Germany to be really helpful in the past and I'm sure they can put you in touch with a supplier in Germany or France.

http://2007.focus-bikes.de/englisch_neu/slideshow.asp#

doyler78

stu99 wrote:

If you really want a 56cm why don't you source one in Germany and then take a cheap flight or rail trip across the channel to pick it up?

I've found Focus Germany to be really helpful in the past and I'm sure they can put you in touch with a supplier in Germany or France.

http://2007.focus-bikes.de/englisch_neu/slideshow.asp#

I thought about doing this myself as I wanted fitted for my new bike and with Wiggle that wasn't possible however with these bikes being available through LBS in Europe I thought this would be a great way to get round the problem however with the Euro as bad as it is the prices were considerably higher when I checked them out. When you factor in travels costs that just compounded that.

It's certainly an option however don't expect it to be a bargain is all I'm saying.

Rich-Ti

doyler78 wrote:

It's certainly an option however don't expect it to be a bargain is all I'm saying.

And (no offense to Focus owners) better bikes can be had for the same money and less effort.

JC.152

[quoteAnd (no offense to Focus owners) better bikes can be had for the same money and less effort.[/quote]

I think if you have to get one from Germany it takes out the bargain side of them but last year I got a £500 Focus with 105, which with big companies like Specilized would only get you a bike with Sora

SteveR_100Milers

stu99 wrote:

If you really want a 56cm why don't you source one in Germany and then take a cheap flight or rail trip across the channel to pick it up?

I've found Focus Germany to be really helpful in the past and I'm sure they can put you in touch with a supplier in Germany or France.

http://2007.focus-bikes.de/englisch_neu/slideshow.asp#

Hmmm sadly not my experience. I have written to UK twice and Germany once about replacement mech hanger, nd so far no reply from either (been over a month on order with wiggle - if you buy a focus make sure you buy some spares at the same time to avoid major disappointment / annoyance.

bendertherobot

Rich-Ti wrote:

doyler78 wrote:

It's certainly an option however don't expect it to be a bargain is all I'm saying.

And (no offense to Focus owners) better bikes can be had for the same money and less effort.

Sort of. There are certainly better bikes. There are certainly better bikes at similar money. And ones that might be easy to buy. I'm thinking Planet X for example.

However, I don't think "better" in this instance is a significant better or even that much. Marginal as it were.

I've been very very happy with my Variado Expert but I think I will be happier again if I can get a Planet X.

meagain

A 58 sounds on big side for " 5' 11", 32" inside leg " at least for leg length element (are you sure?).

bendertherobot

Aye. I have the 56" Variado at 5 feet 9.5 and a 31 leg. Occasionally I wonder if I'd have been better with the 54.

sibx

Thanks to my stupid disproportionate body (6'1 with 37.5" inside leg and long arms also), I ride a 60cm Cayo Expert. This may also be on the small side for me though, as I have to have my saddle about 4-5 inches above my bars :shock:

huwy

Rich-Ti wrote:

doyler78 wrote:

It's certainly an option however don't expect it to be a bargain is all I'm saying.

And (no offense to Focus owners) better bikes can be had for the same money and less effort.

My Cayo is an excellent bike I would be interested to see what you class a 'better bike' !

SteveR_100Milers

huwy wrote:

Rich-Ti wrote:

doyler78 wrote:

It's certainly an option however don't expect it to be a bargain is all I'm saying.

And (no offense to Focus owners) better bikes can be had for the same money and less effort.

My Cayo is an excellent bike I would be interested to see what you class a 'better bike' !

What he said.

When I bought mine in 2006, I couldnt find a bike for £1300 with an all CF frame and fork, with Ultegra/Dura Ace and half decent FSA bits on it. Plenty of bikes with 105 kit or even Tiagra at the same cost. Also, unless you're a desperate conspiracy theorist then the mag write-ups of them are enough to tell they are least competitive with anything else at the same price points.

biondino

My Expert arrived today! I haven't put the eggbeaters on yet though. I'm baffled as to what to do with the spare set of Fulcrum racing 5s now sitting in my office (long and dull story), though.

bendertherobot

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

What he said.
When I bought mine in 2006, I couldnt find a bike for £1300 with an all CF frame and fork, with Ultegra/Dura Ace and half decent FSA bits on it. Plenty of bikes with 105 kit or even Tiagra at the same cost. Also, unless you're a desperate conspiracy theorist then the mag write-ups of them are enough to tell they are least competitive with anything else at the same price points.

Snap. Though for my alu Variado expert.

Even now I look at stuff like Trek, Spec, Giant, etc and think, Tiagra? You're having a laugh.

The only think that can match the Cayo right now is something like the Planet X

bendertherobot

biondino wrote:

My Expert arrived today! I haven't put the eggbeaters on yet though. I'm baffled as to what to do with the spare set of Fulcrum racing 5s now sitting in my office (long and dull story), though.

Keep them safe. Send them my way

biondino

Well, seriously, I am thinking about selling them purely because I can't get the f***ers home in their enormous box! I'm a bit torn - decent set of spare wheels at £150, or sell them for hopefully a 3-figure sum and write off the difference?

bendertherobot

biondino wrote:

Well, seriously, I am thinking about selling them purely because I can't get the f***ers home in their enormous box! I'm a bit torn - decent set of spare wheels at £150, or sell them for hopefully a 3-figuTrickre sum and write off the difference?

Tricky one. About £137 at Wiggle now I think. Ebay would see you get a good ish figure back.

biondino

Props to Wiggle (not words I've been saying very often lately, I can tell you, grrr) for the decent-quality allen key set that they send out with the bikes - extremely useful! However, negative props for charging me £100 too much for the bike - will have to sort that out....

biondino

Okay, props reinstated - a couple of phone calls and they realised the issue and fixed it. I should wait until I get the cheque in the post but for now I am pleased.

SteveR_100Milers

Have you ridden it yet? What do you think?

biondino

Rode home on it - 7 miles through London traffic.

It's very nice. Stiff but doesn't feel harsh, and having previously ridden a faithful but limited Trek 1200 the ride is a lot different. The speed of the thing, too - I was going up a small but steep hill, one which, by the crest, I'm usually happy to freewheel slowly, get my breath back - and suddenly I realise the crest was upon me and I haven't slowed down yet! I can also accelerate much faster sitting down than before.

Downsides - there are 2 things I reckon may not be quite right about the bike. One is that the rear derailleur cogs are not directly beneath the chain, pointing dead straight ahead, but rather pointing slightly inwards towards the wheel (it's a Dura-Ace 10-speed, I was in a middling gear on the big cog when I noticed). The hanger seems fine so could the cage or another part of the mech be bent? I might take a photo and post it later, see what people think.

Secondly, when the bike is freewheeling, the regular, fast ticking sound of the hub should be constant pitch and volume at a constant speed, right? Mine is ticking higher and louder for 1/2 a revolution, quieter and lower for the other half. Not a massive difference, but noticeable. Any ideas?

I also used my eggbeater pedals for the first time, and I'm sure I'll get used to them, but compared to the SPDs it feels more likely I'll slip out of them (sideways) while putting the hammer down. Expect that's just something to get used to, though, as is the lack of an obvious sharp click when I connect to them.

Other than that, it's all good. Very good. First time I stood up I hugely overcompensated with my upper body and almost ended up horizontal, it's that much lighter! I need to adjust my saddle a bit, and I'm slightly nervous that my standing position is just a little more crouched over than it was before (thanks to a lower headset I guess). I had a bit of lower back pain when I got home - the kind I used to get on my first few rides after the winter when I didn't ride in the cold months - but I think a bit of saddle adjustment and perhaps a tweak of the handlebar angle should mainly sort that.

bendertherobot

My Variado (on Racing 7's) does that variable clicking. Very hard to describe.

biondino

I know everyone knows what a Focus Cayo Expert looks like, but here's mine:

biondino

Okay, another question. I realised that the tension of the spokes would be demonstrable by twanging them gently, with any difference in pitch indicating a different level of tension. They are all within roughly a tone of their neighbours (though obviously the drive side of the rear wheel is tauter), but there is a certain amount of variation. None of this variation is really noticeable purely by feel (though I am sure it would be to an expert), but if anyone has used the same sound method to test their spokes and has any thoughts, can they let me know what they suggest?

[Deleted User]

biondino wrote:

Downsides - there are 2 things I reckon may not be quite right about the bike. One is that the rear derailleur cogs are not directly beneath the chain, pointing dead straight ahead, but rather pointing slightly inwards towards the wheel (it's a Dura-Ace 10-speed, I was in a middling gear on the big cog when I noticed). The hanger seems fine so could the cage or another part of the mech be bent? I might take a photo and post it later, see what people think.

I have a similar issue with my Cayo. It manifests itself as significant noise as the chain runs onto the tension wheel of the rear derailleur at quite an angle, when in certain gears (13th and 14th are the main culprits [Ultegra 20 speed compact double]).

RidinTukker

Hey Biondino
Just noticed that you live in Putney. I do as well. Am seriously considering getting either Cayo Expert or Pro - depending on avl. I am 6'4" at noticed that Wiggle does not carry the XXL size (62) in either version. Am actually in Germany this week-end and plan to stop by a dealer there, as I have never seen the bike in the flesh.

I may be interested in stopping by one day, your bike if that is something that is ok? If yes, my email is bosch60@hotmail.com.

Have fun

SteveR_100Milers

Do you any problems with the shifting? Its very very unlikely you have bent the mech, most likley if at al the hanger. If ther hanger is bent, no amount of adjustment will get the shifting accurate - the chain will jump or hunt between ratios. If its running smoothly then its fine. Have to say white bar tape suits te frame better then black I got on mine. Looks nice, glad your pleased with it.
I woldnt worry about the spoke tension - so long as the wheels are and stay true then again they are fine.