Bike Check: Focus Mares CX – Rapha-Focus Team Edition
It may be the mid-Summer, but it’s never to early to start thinking about Cross season, especially with Victoria hosting Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships this fall! This Focus Mares CX may decked out with full Dura-Ace gearing now, but a quick conversion and it’d be ready to slay the Speedway for SSCXWC15 then get right back to the front of the pack the next weekend’s COTR race.
This Focus Mares CX is the Rapha-Focus Team Edition from a couple years ago when Jeremy Powers was still flying their colours. While it’s not this newest edition of the Mares CX, Focus’s German engineering combined Rapha’s stylistic sensibility is a pairing that’ll never go out of style. The neopolitan and navy blue colourway gives a more modern look to the Euro styling of canti brakes and double chainrings. There’s a reason Euro pro’s are stubbornly holding on the classic Cross set-up: they’ve proven it works over years of racing. And set up with the Dura-Ace build on this Mares CX, it’ll work really, really well.
Rapha and Focus have combined their relative strengths to make this Mares CX an amazing bike, and write their names on it everywhere possible
Double rings and Canti’s: the Rapha-Focus Mares in full team regalia before that meant discs and 1x setups
SRAM Force shifters, leather bar wrap, and Deda bars on a Ritchey World Cup stem
Focus has a canti arch built into their burly looking fork. Plenty of clearance, and strong enough to handle the abuse of Cross on the Rocks distinctly ‘west coast’ take on cross
Focus has the details down on the CX version of the Mares, like running the cables on top of the frame so there’s no pointy bits digging in when you shoulder the bike for a set of barriers, stairs, or whatever the evil genius’s behind SSCXWC15 have waiting for you at Western Speedway this fall
Focus sheds weight off the Mares’ wherever possible, and still leaves gobs of room to keep you running smooth in the muddiest of conditions. And hey, why not write ‘Focus’ on the frame a couple more times?
Rapha’s put enough detail into the Mares’ look to give you a reason to wash this bike after every race
While this Mares is built up with SRAM hoods, it’s a mix of Dura-Ace and Force in the drivetrain
SRAM Force derailleur to match the SRAM hoods. Oversized pulley wheels prevent jamming up with mud
Shimano RS10 wheels, stopped by Shimano Dura-Ace canti’s. ‘Old’ technology that still works really well
Prologo’s X10 gives you enough surface and padding to save that not-quite-perfect remount late in the race
