Focus Izalco Max 8.7 - £2,899 | 8.04kg

Focus’s popular Izalco model gets a radical aero redesign but its quest for speed is thwarted by unresponsive deep-section wheels

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The Izalco has been a mainstay of German big-brand Focus for many years, but this latest iteration of the Izalco has undergone a major design change. Boasting a new integrated front end and an aero-optimised design, the updated Focus Izalco Max is significantly changed from previous versions.

Design updates

When Focus re-designed the Izalco Max, the German brand’s lightweight climbing bike received a major overhaul. Gone were the skinny tubes, replaced by the squared-off Kammtail shapes of a bona fide aero machine.

The new Izalco Max has undergone the same design changes that a slew of lightweight bikes received in 2019 Cannondale’s new SuperSix for example, or the new Scott Addict. These include the same dropped seatstays, squared tubes and sculpted front end. To validate the bike’s aero credentials, Focus has wind tunnel tested the new Izalco Max (with a dummy rider) and claims that the new design will save you one and a half minutes over 50km when riding at 200 watts.

My test bike — the Focus Izalco Max 8.7 — came with a slightly heavier carbon frame than the higher-end 9 series. The top model boasts a frame and fork weight of 1,248g while my 8 series model weighs in at 1,420g, but at 8.04kg for the complete build.

Those higher-end models also come with integrated aero bars and stems — my 8 series test bike came with a round aluminium cockpit. Although it may not offer the same aerodynamic performance, I personally found it useful as I have a round clip-mount for my cycling computer.

Adjusting the front end is also a lot easier than with an integrated model so it was easy to get the correct stack height.