First impression: Man, it's heavy. The "Variado" weighs in at 10.4 kilos - hefty! Apart from this shortcoming, the red and white speedster with its durable paintwork is a trouble-free companion with an unshakeably smooth ride and a surprisingly good impression of quality considering the price. The brakes and gears from Shimano's Tiagra groupset work almost as well as on more expensive groupsets; the fact that there are only nine sprockets available at the rear is not a problem. Subjectively, the Conti clincher tyres roll slightly worse than the Schwalbe tyres on the equally expensive Cube racer, but they do their job. The comfortable saddle deserves special praise, and the handlebars are also comfortable to hold. There is some criticism for the loose cone of the front hub - a mishap that the dealer normally fixes before handing the bike over to the buyer.
Web: www.focus-bikes.de
*Weighted weights; **Test frame size greased; ***Frame height: projected measurement from centre of bottom bracket to upper edge of head tube; cant: saddle-headtube cant at 75 cm seat height (centre of saddle frame - upper edge of headset cap).
