Matt Page’s Focus on BikeMagic
Matt is our sponsored super-star MTBer and has recently topped the podium at both the Endura Sleepless in the Saddle solo and the Bontrager Twentyfour12 12-hour race solo.
He has been out meeting and greeting and recently met up with the guys from BikeMagic to give them a rundown of his ride - his carbon full suspension Focus First Expert…
August 24th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
hi
been looking at both bikes you ride to buy and cannot make my mind up.(can only afford one:))
better spec on HT and because of its nature lighter/probably stiffer rear end etc. However luxury on the dual but with lower spec and weight gain.
in honesty i’ve 90% made my mind up on HT spec/wgt, but seeing you race-ride dual has made me re-think!!!!damn.
no pop-lock is this -ve?
u train on HT is it purely comfort/duration that you go for the dual? if races were shorter would you go lean towards HT?
any f-back would be welcome.
cheers
barry
August 26th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Hi Barry.
In all honesty I train and race on both bikes.
At the start of the season I used the Raven mainly for racing, but recently I have really loved riding the First and it is now my bike of choice for most races.
I thought the extra weight of the First would be an issue, but after the last few races I know thats not the case. I appear to be faster on the First dispite a slight weight difference.
Both are fantastic bikes, and I would happily ride and race either. They both have a great spec for the money and either way you will have a great bike. It really depends on where you ride and how long for and without knowing details it would be hard to suggest one or the other.
Both bikes have lockouts on the suspension, Raven on the forks, First on forks and shock. Poploc is just Rockshox’s name for thier lockout, but the Fox forks have an identical function.
I hope this helps!
Matt
August 27th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Hi I have just ordered the first expert to replace my spec epic. I have tried to hunt down a review of the wheels but could not even find a single reference to them, i even mailed Focus but had no reply. When i saw that i could mail someone who actually rides them i thought you could help.
How do they compare to my epic setup of front 717 hope pro 2, rear 719 xt (could swap them b4 selling epic)
cheers for any help you can give me
August 29th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Hi Paul,
I’ve been very pleased with the wheels on the First Expert.
The shimano XT hubs are very durable and have needed no maintenance, the Alex rims are proving strong as are still 100% true. The tyre pops onto the bead nicely and feels secure. Spokes I believe are double butted DT, probably competitions.
I would say they are about equal to the wheels you currently have, weight wise perhaps a little less if anything. I’d stick with what the First has, as the white rims really stand out and look the part.
Matt