The Cayo Evo sits below Focus’s Izalco (the Cycling Plus Bike of the Year) in the German company’s range. Although that hierarchy has been blurred somewhat recently, as the Evo is now the bike of choice for Team Acqua & Sapone’s star rider, Danilo Di Luca.
The Evo has an all-new frame for 2012, its tapered head tube having an angular geometric design to maximise the rigidity at the junction between the two main tubes.
The standard Evo features internal routing for the mechanical gear cables, and neatly integrates the cable adjusters. The Di2 version’s head tube has one internal port for the rear brake cable and a single entry for the electric wiring.
It’s impressive to see that Focus have created a dedicated Di2 frame rather than adapting an existing design, and great care has also been taken with the routing. The front mech exit is on the front of the seat tube, just in front of the mech, resulting in a straight run with minimal exposed wiring – all very neat. The same is true of the battery. This is mounted under the non-driveside chainstay and the exit for the wiring is very close, so very little cable is exposed.
But it’s the rear triangle where the Evo really excels, the deep chainstays quickly tapering and flattening towards the rear axle with a kick upwards to the dropout. This extra angle lengthens the slim and flattened seatstays, the shape allowing them to flex vertically for increased comfort. The rear driveside dropout is also where the rear wiring exits, the last link in a frame that does an excellent job protecting the wiring from the elements.
Get aboard the Evo and you’ll find a frameset that really delivers in ride quality – the front end is taut and rigid, resulting in a brilliant point-and-shoot nature. But thanks to a fork that tapers into a raked and slim pair of legs it’s not overly rigid, and there’s plenty of buzz-killing smoothness.
Stamp on the pedals with venom and the Evo is highly responsive though, the press-fit bottom bracket holding firm and flex free. The clever rear end cushions your in-the-saddle efforts wonderfully well.
Kit choice is good too. Fulcrum’s mid-range Racing 5s are shod with 24mm Conti Grand Prix tyres, and there’s a well-shaped FSA Wing bar and a quality Prologo saddle. There’s little to criticise, and at £2,799 we think the price is pretty much spot-on.