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Focus Izalco Pro Review
Light, Sturdy and Fast ~ Tour de France Racer

You may or may not be ready to compete in le Tour de France just yet but that doesn't mean that you can't own, train and race on a popular Tour de France bike. The German bicycle company, Focus, has been tested and proven in some of the world's most demanding bike races including le Tour de France.

Some advantages that you get with Focus bikes, including the carbon frame Focus Izalco Pro, are that you can select from a variety of component levels (including Shimano and SRAM) and that many models are available online giving you a better selection and often lower prices.

One of the difficulties that I have found with Focus bikes is that, since there are so many models and component/price levels, it can be hard to determine which models are the best and which one is the perfect match for your style, level and personal preferences.

There are quite a few Izalco models in the Road/Racing and Triathlon categories. For 2012 the Focus Izalco Road Bike category includes the Team, Pro, Ergoride and Donna and the Triathlon category includes the Chrono series.

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Focus Izalco Pro Model Comparisons:

The Focus Izalco Pro has 4 component/price levels for 2012 including the Izalco Pro 1.0 with Shimano Dura-Ace components, the Izalco Pro 2.0 with SRAM Red Black components, the Izalco Pro 3.0 with SRAM Force components, the Izalco Pro 4.0 with Shimano Ultegra grey components.

All Focus Izalco Pro models have the same Izalco Team carbon frames and carbon forks with some differences on the Pro-4 fork. There are differences in the wheel sets, handlebars and other components on the 4 Izalco Pro models which you will need to review for your own specific wants and needs (see the RealCyclist link above for additional specifications and for the models that are for sale online).

For a high level comparison summary since each Izalco Pro level has the same carbon frame and comparable forks, the biggest decision comes down to which component brand and level you prefer:

For Shimano Components you have:

• Izalco Pro 1.0 with Shimano Dura-Ace and
  
• Izalco Pro 4.0 with Shimano Ultegra grey.

For SRAM Components you have:

• Izalco Pro 2.0 with SRAM Red Black and
  
• Izalco Pro 3.0 with SRAM Force.

About-Bicycles Review:

I had the opportunity to check out Focus road bikes recently at our LBS and what stood out for me was how light these bikes are. I also liked the clean look of the bike with the mostly internally routed cables.

Although I did not have a chance to see all of the Focus Izalco Pro models, I did notice that the most obvious difference was with the component sets that came on the different models.

This is definitely a serious racing bike. I would recommend the Focus Izalco Pro for a sturdy yet light weight, high quality fast and responsive racing bike.

Customer Reviews:

The Focus Izalco Pro has been around for a few years now and there are plenty of professional reviews of this bike online but unfortunately I have had a hard time finding many customer or owner reviews on the Pro. It is easy to see that most customers consistently rate Focus bikes very high. For example the Focus customer reviews (not the Pro) that I saw at RealCyclist were all (5 of 5 stars).

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