Shame its not my size, I'm after something like this for the winter. Can I ask for an honest opinion on how you got on with it? I'm looking for a fast gravel/trail riding bike - I have a 29'er but find it big/cumbersome and heavy, I love my road bike which is a Focus.
Sure!
Its my first "real" bike so my comparisons are limited to the other bikes that I took out on shortish test rides so take my opinions with that in mind!
The first thing I noticed compared to the Cannondale CAADX105, Bianchi Zurigo and Genesis CdF was that the Focus felt much more "planted" than the others, it really inspires a lot of confidence and I'm really happy throwing it round and knowing that the frame will let me know before anything gets too out of hand. Disks are really great and I've had the (dis)pleasure of using them in all sorts of weather and the only time theyve been a problem is when some clever so and so sprayed them with GT85!
Gears are super crisp, my housemate has a full 2015 105 setup on his Focus Culebro and there is literally no difference in the shifting. I suppose if I was to be really picky his shifters have a slightly lighter action but thats about it. The Tiagra/105 setup on this hasnt skipped a beat.
Downsides, quite an aggressive geometry for the long distances I've decided I want to cover. I never intended to be doing C2C etc but i've been bitten and I'll be replacing it with something that I can also use for bikepacking. There's no provision for mudguards on the front and due to the asymetric front forks fitting clip ons has proven to be a bit of a pain. Through Axles probably go a long way in making the bike feel as good as it does, but I feel they also limit upgradeability (at the moment, at least).
Good luck, and if you're ever in Liverpool and want a blast, please feel free to let me know!
