What appears to be a brand new Focus gravel race bike has appeared six months ahead of its advertised launch date. The new bike boasts space for 55mm tyres, features minimal frame mounts and generally looks to be on-trend for a modern gravel race bike.

Sea Otter Europe isn’t as big as its North American big brother, but the bike show, which is held in the cycling hub of Girona, still had some interesting new tech on display.

One of the show’s surprises came from German brand Focus, who teased a new M_ _ _ _  M_ _ for 2027. With a little knowledge of the brand’s old model, we’ll assume that the first word is ‘Mares’, which the second word could be something such as ‘Max’.

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Who remembers when cyclocross bikes were a thing? (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

Last seen in 2021, the move would see Focus revive and develop the Mares line, which for most of its life was the brand’s cyclocross bike. 

While professional cyclocross racing remains very popular with spectators, the rise of gravel bikes has largely consigned CX bikes to the history books. That said, specialist brands such as Stevens still make proper CX bikes, and brands such as Canyon and Cervelo will continue to make bikes for their star cyclocross racers.

And while the pros and very keen privateers are beholden to the UCI’s strict upper limit of 33mm tyres, local league races rarely enforce a tyre size limit. As a result, many racers now opt for gravel bikes for their greater versatility.

The all new ‘Mares’

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You can squeeze a bit more tyre in, according to Focus, but the space looked pretty tight to me (Image Credit: Liam Cahill)

The new Mares looks set to jump right into the deep end of modern gravel bike design thinking. The brand told us that the new bike would offer 55mm tyre clearance, allowing riders to fit XC MTB tyres.

A white frame gave little way, but the camera could still pick up what looks to be some subtle aero tube shaping. 

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(Image Credit: Liam Cahill)

The frame also looks to be set up to take 1x drivetrains only, though given the time until launch, this could change. In place of a front derailleur, Focus has fitted a very sleek chain keeper.

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(Image Credit: Liam Cahill)

The bike’s racing intentions are best highlighted by a distinct lack of mounting points on the frame. You only get a holes for a top tube bag.

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(Image Credit: Liam Cahill)

Tucked away on the non drive-side, however, was one sensible feature. A simple mount point for a mini pump or C02 cannister sat beside the bottle cage.

With most gravel racers opting for electrical tape to attach emergency ride spares to their bikes, this might be a feature saved for training rides.

Focus Mares Max 2027
(Image Credit: Liam Cahill)

Focus looks to have considered rear end compliance, with the seatpost featuring a curved cutout. We’ll be waiting a while to see if it works.

The bike on show was finished with a Sram Force AXS XPLR groupset, though prices and weights remain to be seen.