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Sep 07, 2023

Pro bike: Jeremy Powers’ prototype Focus Mares Disc

SRAM Red equipped cyclocross bike By Josh Patterson

SRAM Red equipped cyclocross bike

By Josh Patterson

Published: October 24, 2012 at 5:30 pm

Reigning US Cyclocross Champion Jeremy Powers has been on a tear this season, winning US event CrossVegas, racking up numerous USGP (US Grand Prix of Cyclocross) wins and finishing seventh at the first stop on this season's UCI cyclocross World Cup in Tábor, Czech Republic. That's the best World Cup finish for an elite American cyclocross racer to date.

Powers is one of a growing number of elite riders making the switch to disc brakes this season. The 27-year-old, from Niantic, Connecticut, first raced his prototype Focus Mares Disc at the recent USGP in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he won in both the Saturday and Sunday races.

The bike's geometry is identical to that of its cantilever counterpart. Focus breaks from the cookie-cutter geometry of many other ’cross bikes with a slack 70-degree head tube angle, a low bottom bracket with 70mm of drop, and short, 425mm chainstays. You can read more about Jeremy Powers’ cantilever-equipped race bike here.

Component spec is identical between the disc and cantilever bikes, save for the brakes and wheels. Avid's recently released BB7 Road SL brakes replace Avid's extremely capable – by cantilever standards – Shorty Ultimate brakes.

Powers’ wheels are a mash-up of top-shelf Easton road and mountain parts. The rims are custom 38mm-deep, 24-hole EA90 tubular rims laced to the M1 disc hubs found on the company's EC90 XC wheelset.

Powers’ national colours adorn the front of the bike

As for tires, Powers alternates between various Dugast treads, depending on conditions. When we caught up with Powers in Fort Collins his wheels were clad in Typhoon rubber for the relatively dry, hardpacked course.

Race mechanic Thomas Hopper noted that Powers generally runs 26psi at the front and 27psi on the rear for dry conditions, and drops the pressure ever so slightly to 25.5psi on the front and 26psi at the rear for wet races.

While the carbon frameset and wheels are certainly lightweight and lust worthy, the cockpit is a no-frills combination of EA70 handlebar and seatpost with EA90 stem. "We spend a lot of time traveling across the United States and Europe," said Hopper. "The reliability and durability of aluminum components is very important."

The latest iteration of SRAM Red is more cyclocross friendly

No word yet on pricing or availability of the production version of the carbon Mares Disc.

Complete bike specification

Critical measurements

Contributor

Josh Patterson is a BikeRadar contributor and former technical editor. He has spent most of his career working in the cycling industry as an athlete, mechanic and journalist. He holds a master's degree in journalism and has more than 20 years of experience as a cyclist and 12 years of experience riding and writing for BikeRadar, Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Dirt Rag, RoadBikeReview and Outside Magazine. A native of the Flint Hills of Kansas, Josh was a pioneer in the gravel cycling movement, having raced the first Unbound 200 and many other gravel events around the globe. He considers himself a cycling generalist and enjoys road, gravel and mountain biking in equal measure. When not traveling for work, he can be found exploring the singletrack and lonely gravel roads that surround his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to his love of cycling, Josh is an enthusiastic supporter of brunch, voting rights and the right to repair movement.

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