Tough aluminum frame, built like an old-school CX Bike. Tough wheelset also.Front and Rear rack mounts.

Mediocre spec'd components, but on par for the price point

I purchased this bike mail-order through O2 Gear Shop as a closeout, I think it's a 2011 model. Important to note that the bike was fully tuned in the box, I was up and riding with almost zero adjustment after quick assembly.

The Focus Arriba is a good bike at the price point, with a tough aluminum frame and decent bombproof wheelset. Although I wouldn't call it light, it's lighter than many similarly priced hybrids I looked at. I purchased this as a light/trail tourer to ride the Great Allegheny Passage. The fram is equipped with front and rear rack mounts, tough to find on lower-end hybrids.

The 'Black' Focus in-house cockpit and seat are fairly cheesy, I swapped the flat bar with a low-rise Easton I had laying around, put my trusty WTB saddle on and rode the GAP in three days, with the stock 30mm Schwalbe tires-- which worked OK, great for hard surfaces but not so much on soft or wet gravel.

The lower-end Shimano spec drivetrain provides reasonable gear ratios for trail riding, with a useable low gear for steep off-river climbs. Got her up to 42 MPH (fully loaded with panniers front and rear) on a steep downhill toward the trail, the handling is rock-solid. The brakes, although in-house brand, did an adequate job stopping but I did swap the pads for Kool-Stop before the trip. The bike is now limited to rail-trail and occasional coffee shop trips with my better half, who always wants to ride no more than 8mph, LOL. As an around-town bike again it is a willing companion.

Overall i wasn't looking to spend much money and I'm happy I got a decent value. I have aspirations to mount an old drop bar setup and race this in the local CX series, who knows. I think the frame and wheels would be up to the task.

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