Matt Page's Focus First Extreme - Bike Magic

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Matt Page’s Focus First Extreme

Matt’s Focus First Extreme ready to race
Ergon grips for 24-hour comfort

Matt Page is sponsored by Wiggle/Focus/Exposure and is the current Mountain Mayhem Champion, current European Singlespeed Champion, Dusk ’til Dawn Champion 2008, Sleepless in the Saddle Champion 2008 and Bontrager 12-Hour Solo Champion in 2008.

The Focus First frame offers 110mm of travel, but most importantly it is incredible to ride, being very efficient on the climbs and laterally very stiff, making it a superb descender.

When planning and building this bike (I have two with identical specs) there were a few main goals. First of all it needed to be comfortable enough to ride for 24-hours: last year’s bikes were very comfortable, but I’ve made a few changes to make them more comfortable, such as handlebars with 10 degrees of sweep – they put my hands in a more comfortable position and are slightly wider at 620mm giving plenty of confidence on the downhills.

The next big goal was achieving a lightweight build while making sure that it will be strong enough to go the distance. I am very lucky in that I am a light rider (57kg) so I can get away with some parts that other riders would not. I have managed to drop 4lb from the weight of last year’s bikes through careful planning.

Major areas that save weight are the wheels, which weigh an incredible 1.2kg (2.64lbs) and run tubeless. SRAM XX is an incredible drivetrain and definitely the way forwardL lightweight and very smooth and intuitive. The saddle may not look comfortable to many people, but I can honestly say that it is comfortable for me and I can ride 24-hours without any discomfort. Crank Brother 4Ti are the ultimate pedals, easy to engage and disengage, unaffected by mud and super lightweight.

There are a few exceptions in the desire to shed weight, one being the Ergon grips. There are far lighter grips out there but none that offer the levels of support and comfort that the Ergon grips do. I also run a Neoguard all the time, having suffered before when not running a mudguard with getting grit in my eyes, so I keep it on to be safe. And when it only weighs 18g even I can live with that. The Garmin 500 is a very important training tool for me, but in races it also allows me to keep track of my heart rate, laps and timings.

My choice of lighting for 2010 was very straightforward, Exposure Lights offer the best combination of light weight and brightness with the added bonus of being self contained. I have enough lighting to keep all lights on full power all through the night.

Full spec

Frame: Focus First Extreme, 110mm travel with Fox RP23 shock.
Fork: Magura Durin Marathon, 120mm travel
Drivetrain: SRAM XX, with 42/28 chainrings and 11-36 cassette. 170mm cranks are a little different to what most people run, this is due to my height (5’7″).
Brakes: SRAM XX, 160/140 rotors
Wheels: American Classic hubs, No Tubes Podium MMX, DT revolution spokes with USE Ti spinstix
Controls: Ritchey Superlogic 10 degree bars, Truvativ World Cup stem, Ergon GX1 grips, 3T Doric team seatpost and Selle Italia SLR Kit carbino flow saddle.
Pedals: Crank Brothers 4Ti
Tyres: Schwalbe Rocket Ron/Racing Ralphs
Misc: Garmin 500, Neoguard, Lifeline Ti bottle cage
Lighting: Exposure lights Maxx-D and Diablos

Total weight: 21.5lbs

www.wiggle.co.uk

Matt’s wiggle blog

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