Cycling Plus editor Rob Spedding spent a lot of time on a 2008 Cayo Pro and he detected a lot of that excellent bike’s qualities in this updated model during our Bike Of The Year showdown.
It feels beefier, possibly thanks to the fact that it now has a BB30 bottom bracket, which certainly keeps your pedalling efficient.
The Cayo is proud of its German roots and boasts of it on its frame. There seems to be a definite trend for German bikes to err on the side of firmness rather than comfort.
Maybe the roads are better maintained, perhaps the German roadie is more interested in speed than distance, or maybe we Brits are just a bunch of wimps …
Whatever the reason, the Cayo isn’t best suited to hours in the saddle and you get plenty of feedback through the FSA Vero Comp bar. The positives, though, are the direct, stable steering it offers.
Put the power down and the Cayo responds well. You can point it in the right direction and it’ll go there without drama – Focus say this is thanks to the new, tapered head tube. For fast, shorter rides the Cayo is a blast.
It’s also decent value, with a compact Shimano Ultegra drivetrain and brakes, Mavic Aksium wheels and FSA Energy crankset – though perhaps not as competitive as when Focus first landed on UK shores.