That's More Like It

• For most of my racing career, I was fortunate enough to have someone else footing the bill for my primary racing machine. And as a poverty-stricken cyclist, I was happy to humbly accept whatever the sponsors sent my way, and as Richard Sachs would say, "give good brand". But more often than not, I would shake a hidden fist at my team manager's decision. From early (bone-rattling) Cannondales to heavy Nishikis to my beloved-but-flexy Vitus 979, I usually had a gripe or three about the choice.

  Bikes and bike racing has changed a lot in twenty years, but I often wonder what my twenty year old self would think about today's machines. It's a sad fact that I am no longer able to push a bike past (or even to) its limits -- something that was effortless as a young (and rather stupid) Merckx wannabe. Last year, I began riding a carbon Storck. It was a bike I wanted to hate, but was shocked to find that its long-and-low geometry, limited rake forks, impossible vertical compliance somehow added up to the ideal century ride. This year, I'm going to give Focus a shot. Two old friends have been fans of the brand for a few years, thanks to the combination of uncompromising performance, unique engineering, and mail-order-class pricing. I'll be putting an Izalco Team edition through the paces and report how it stacks up against the Storck.

  Thankfully, I have a few crash test dummies around to *really* see how Focus performs as a legitimate racing bike. While it's a little bit of a thrill to see your frame at the Tour of California or Paris Roubaix, I give a lot more credence to the honest feedback I'm likely to get from folks who actually have to pay for their bikes.

  In any case, the first few Focus road bikes that have come through the shop (Culebro, Cayo 105) have been impressive for sure, but not particularly sexy. They are simply better alternative to big brand entry-and-mid level offerings. But JW's Izalco, shown above... well, it kind of brings a tear to the eye, no?