Focus Merluza 2008 Reviews

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Good Points: So, you are looking to buy a mid-range bike for city/commuter riding, hauling panniers and child seats/trailers around, perhaps a bit of light touring (but God knows when), and the odd pseudo-sporty ride into the countryside when you're allowed out - what are your options?I agonized for a long time over what to buy - finding just the right bike to fit all of the above requirements, on a limited budget, without greatly compromising any of them individually, is a tough task - and there are not that many options on offer. I had to select from a Dawes Audax/Galaxy/Super Galaxy/Ultra Galaxy, a Cannondale tourer, a Trek 520, or the Focus Merluza 2008 - and as is the norm for most of us, I had no possibility of getting close to any or all of them for a proper feel in my local bike shops - not even to order one in, unless I foreswore that I would buy it anyway. Having grown weary of watching bike-shop owners staring at their own shoes, and after a lot of soul-searching, I took a leap in the dark and opted for the Focus Merluza 2008. In the UK, you can only buy the Focus Merluza 2008 by mail order through Wiggle - so, no possibility of test riding before buying (something I knew I should do, of course). Fortunately, Wiggle offer a full refund and return option if you're not happy with the bike (just don't throw away the packaging). As a gold member at Wiggle, I got an additional discount on the price taking it down to just over £730 GBP. Here are my thoughts on my Merluza after a couple of months riding it in.Overall, I'm pleased. It arrived from Wiggle well set up, and in good order. The nicely finished frame and forks feel stiff, tight and responsive, and perhaps aided by the limited range of sizes on offer, the bike fits me nicely. Under weight of panniers/child seats, the bike still feels nicely balanced and stable - perhaps even more so than when 'riding light'. The Concept handlebars and stem are rigid, roomy and comfortable. It's a relatively light bike at under 11.5kg, and feels very good going uphill, aided by the abundant gear ratios the triple chainset offers. The Fulcrum Racing wheelset is sporty and has proved reliably 'true' so far, and the 28mm Schwalbe tyres, while adding greater rolling resistance than I'm used to, are hard wearing and will surely ward off all manner of city puncture hazards over their lifetime. The 27-speed drivetrain feels OK (FSA Gossamer cranks and Shimano 105 derailleur) - though I've noted that very occasional disconcerting 'snap/ping' you hear from Shimano gearing under strain, which makes my mind wander to the smooth, rock-solid delight of my ancient Campagnolo Athena-equipped road bike. The Shimano 105 STI brake levers have been around a while, and are well covered in other reviews - and were a major influencing factor in my buying this competitively priced bike.

Bad Points: As appears to be the norm for mid-range bikes, the manufacturers have saved a bit of money on minor components to keep the overall price down. I'll list those discovered to date in turn:(1) Seat post bolt. This is made from very flimsy aluminium, and the bolt exploded during set up. I replaced mine with a Hope one, much more robust, and even matches the black frame now.(2) Bottle cage holes. There's only room for one cage on the frame (two would be nice), and while installing mine the taper on the frame thread got chewed up. Luckily, I just managed to get the bolt to stick without retapering the thread in the frame - but my advice is to take extra care when installing and no to over-torque the bolts. (3) The Tektro V-brakes. The general mechanisms are fine, but the pads are really cheap - resulting in appalling rim squealing in all conditions and with the lightest of touches - plain horrid. I upgraded the pads (Kool Stop make good ones) and that solved the problem, but I'd advise you to change all four brake arms - as the bolt holes on the Tektro arms are of poor quality, resulting in the allen key female sockets easily becoming gouged out. Otherwise you may end up paying twice, for the pads, and then the arms with more pads.(4) The Fizik Pave CX Sport saddle looks nice, but I found it a little uncomfortable for town riding - which I do without padded shorts. I put my old, trusty leather Trans Am saddle back on. Note, however, that the Fizik saddle has the rear light installed in it in a special holder, so you'll need to buy another rear light if you do this. I wasn't impressed with the built-in Fizik Blink Rear rear light: it turns itself on with the lightest of touches - and if like me you tend to carry it around in your pocket or pannier, the battery will be dead in no time. The front light Wiggle supply (Sigma Supra LED) has a powerful beam, but takes 5 AAA batteries - apparently you can buy an adaptor that turns the light into a recharger, but since it is made in Germany, it doesn't tell you how to obtain one of these for the UK. I find charging five (as opposed to four) batteries a pain - and you end up buying two packs of four instead of one - and rechargeables are not cheap.(5) The freewheel is noisiest I've ever heard, drier than a camel's tongue - pedestrians' heads turn as you approach (perhaps not a bad thing) - but I'm going to pour a lot of oil into it when I get a moment, to quieten it down a bit and smooth the action.

General comments: I'd give the Focus Merluza 2008 the thumbs up. Compared to the other bikes on offer, it gives excellent value for money at the price, and you get some nice components (notably the Shimano 105 items, which swung it for me). However, budget for at least another £50 GBP of upgrades, to fix the above issues (and remember you'll need to sort out the pedals, the ones supplied are very basic). I'm hoping my Focus will be a good 'pack horse' for many years to come, allowing me to nip around town at speed whilst also allowing me to use it for longer leisure rides. Otherwise, you'll find me crying into my Dawes catalogue...