Bike Check: Brad Head’s Focus Mares CX
Brad’s been around the Cross on the Rocks scene pretty consistently, until this year when an early September injury (ask him about it, it’s a good story!) left him on the sidelines all season. While we missed Brad at the races, he did still show up when he could to cheer and take some amazing pictures. He was on hand to document SSCXWC15Vic, and even wrote some words too. You know, to help remind the rest of us what actually happened. Now that he’s finally allowed back on the bike, Brad brought in his Focus Mares CX to add some fancy new bits to it. Most notable would be the addition of Shimano’s RS685 hydro discs for drastically improved stopping power. But, since Brad also runs Zed Wheelworks out of his very nicely appointed garage, and by ‘nicely appointed’ we mean ‘full of crazy wheel building tools,’ there some other tricky parts hanging around the bike as well. Check it out:
A mostly normal looking Focus Mares CX from afar – which is already a pretty good start
Personalized, so there’s no risk of someone grabbing your pit bike when they flat
Zed Wheelworks is Brad’s enterprise, which makes custom matching orange spoke nipples easy
Built up on some very nice H Plus Son rims, Schwalbe’s gumwall Rocket Ron’s look fantastic
Those Shimano full-hydro RS 685 discs. Large hoods, but not ‘Rhinoceros horn’ large. Just comfy
Shimano’s not the first company to release cx discs, but these ones work, and work well
Focus’ RAT through-axle system, and 160mm Avid rotors
The Mares front end leaves plenty of clearance around a sort-of-worn set of Rocket Rons
Out back is looking much fresher. As the seat-stays say, the Mares “ooze clearance”
Hey Brad, U R A Ace! Shimano all around, mixed Ultegra, XTR, and Dura-Ace
Colour matched Fi’zi:k, held up by a Thomson Masterpiece
