Izalco Max Disc x ENVE: Bladerunner Ed.
Is this actually a Bladerunner edition Izalco? No. As far as I know, the German folks at Focus adhere quite strictly to all their cultural stereotypes and, as such, have no time for the frivolous imaginings that let us all glimpse into the world of Rick Deckard. But, and I’m pretty sure this is what’s important, the minute I look at this Izalco Max, decked out with deep ENVE SES 5.6 Discs, I think Bladerunner. For fear of slipping up and spoiling the movie for any uninitiated readers, I won’t go into any details as to why. I also haven’t seen the movie in years, and can’t really remember any details. So maybe it’s more of a general, futuristic, spacey vibe? Maybe I’m off base with Bladerunner, but no matter what specific scenario is called to mind for you when you look at the bike, I’m willing to wager it involves speed and, if not necessarily space, some sort of heedless acceleration into the future.
Aside from any aspirations towards the final frontier, the Izalco Max Disc is a bit of a novel bike. As a through axle road disc bike, it’s the newest of the new. But Focus is selective in it’s use of new technologies, running external cable routing (with internal hydro lines), beautiful straight tubes in place of any wild, purportedly ‘aero’ shaping, and not even a hint of ‘gravel’ and ‘adventure’ marketing. Looks like we’re back at that stereotypical German efficiency again: this bike is focused on everything you need to go as fast as possible, without any unnecessary flashy bits. The rest of the build sticks to that theme, with Shimano’s performance-as-aesthetic tradition delivering a mechanical Dura-Ace drivetrain and flat mount hydro disc brakes. ENVE jumps in with an array of matte black parts and the stunning, super wide, aero shaping of their SES 5.6 Disc wheelset – which combine ‘radical concepts’ with a good portion of American showmanship. All together, this Izalco Max is a stunning build that launches the timeless look of a classic road bike into the future of road cycling technology. To infinity and beyond… via the local Strava leaderboards.
Straight tubes and external cables contribute to the Izalco Max’s surprisingly low weight
We can’t get over how clean the Izalco Max’s back end looks without a brake arch
ENVE SES 5.6 Disc’s are disc specific rims optimized for 23-28mm tires
Focus has set up the Izalco Max Disc with flat mount hydro discs for 2017
Proven on their cx and xc bikes, the RAT through axle system makes it’s way over to the road
Shimano’s top tier Dura-Ace always works, and always looks great
Yeah, Di2 exists, but mech Dura-Ace still works flawlessly
Vittoria’s venerable Open Pave no longer exists outside of devotees caches
EVNE’s integrated stem-bolt mounted Garmin mount takes the ENVE parts up another notch
ENVE’s very wide looking SES 5.6 Disc’s are, like all their parts, made in the USA
