My Focus Mares was shipped to me yesterday! I built it up and took it for a quick spin before the sun went down, and I really like it.
Some thoughts...
Initial Quality
As I unwrapped the packing material, I was like a kid unwrapping a Christmas present. You know, the big ones that you tear off section by section and it gets more and more exciting until all the wrapping is off. The Mares looks great! I am really impressed with the color scheme, paint and overall quality of the frame and fork. There are a lot of accents that you don't see on many other bikes, namely the "Made in Germany" and "German Lightweight Engineering" type under the clearcoat. Very cool.
I believe Concept may be Focus' house-brand parts, and the saddle, post and rims bear the name. They seem to be of good quality, but I replaced the saddle immediately with a Specialized Phenom 143. The rear rim is slightly out of true, but that's an easy fix. Spoke tension is good overall.
First Ride Impressions
The bike isn't a lightweight, that's for sure. I'm guessing it's around 21-22 lbs. But, it does have a beefy wheelset, mid-range components and a 62cm frame, so you can't expect it to be on par with a carbon road bike.
I adjusted the saddle and bars to a good position, pumped the tires up to 75 psi (remember they are 35c cross tires) and took off down the road. Within the first 10 pedal strokes I knew I had made a good purchase. The bike felt rigid and the initial ride position I set up felt pretty comfortable. The 35c tires roll better than I expected on pavement. The Mares felt nice around around corners, although it is a bit more sluggish than I am used to. Might be a geometry/ride position thing, but it's not a big deal at the moment.
I made sure to have some fun though on my quick ride, blasting through a couple of fields and dirt paths. This is what cross bikes are made for, right?
Overall, I'm really happy. It's a genuinely fun bike that you don't see everyday. And its a great deal for the money. I usually wouldn't write so much about a bike I just got, but I guess I am just really happy with the purchase. I will try and get a few pics up over the weekend.
