Zwift’s November update included a new frame in the Drop Shop: the Izalco Max 2020 from Focus Bikes. Rolled out in style with the three-day “Colours of PARI” event series, thousands of Zwifters now have this frame in their garage. (If you didn’t unlock the frame in the Colours of PARI series, it is available at level 8+, for 426,000 Drops.)
So how does it perform? And if you haven’t already unlocked the Izalco Max, should you drop some Drops and pick it up?
Performance Details
Comparatively speaking, the Izalco is more slippery than lightweight. It ranks in the top 83% in our flat (aero) tests, while only ranking in the top 58% for our climbing tests.
It is currently ranked 11th in our combined percentile chart, which ranks frames based on their combined aero + climb performance:
The Izalco performs almost exactly like the Pinarello Dogma F12, but is available at only level 8 and for less than half the drops of the F12! And it just edges out the Factor One which is available at the same level and price as the Izalco.
Held up against the gold standard of the Tron bike, the Izalco Max with disc wheels would be ~3 seconds slower on a 50-minute flat test. Throw some Lightweight Meilensteins on the Izalco, though, and it will be 3 seconds faster up the Alpe than the Tron bike. Still, the Tron is the better all-around performer by a good margin.
Who Should Use It?
This is a frame for beginners, and/or fans of Focus Bikes. It’s not as fast as some frames available at higher levels, but it’s the second-fastest frame available to Zwifters at level 15 and below, beating other popular beginner frames like the Zwift Aero, Specialized Tarmac SL7, Factor One, and Specialized Allez Sprint.
The Canyon Aeroad 2021 is still a better performer both on flats and climbs, so that’s still our recommend race frame for beginners. But the Focus Izalco Max 2020 would be our #2 recommendation. Use it in flat and mixed races, but go with something lighter in a pure climbing race.
Updated Posts
Given our speed test results, we’ve updated various posts today to include the Focus Izalco Max 2020:
- Fastest Beginner Frames
- Frame Performance Charts
- Shopping Guide: What To Buy at Each Zwift Level
- Fastest Bikes at Each Zwift Level
Questions or Comments?
Share below!
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
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