My Bikes

The bikes that stayed.

Not every bike gets sold. These are the ones that earned a permanent spot in the garage.

About This Bike

The Radon Slide 140 Carbon has been my main mountain bike since September 2021, when I bought it second-hand for around €2,000.

The first warning sign appeared during the inspection. The moment I pressed the dropper remote, the RockShox Reverb decided to empty itself all over my legs. A classic Reverb moment.

Even so, the bike felt right from the very first ride and I brought it home.

The 2022 season became its first full year in service. Since then, it has carried me through local trails, bike parks, long mountain adventures and endurance events such as Vitosha 100 and Tryavna Ultra.

Over the years, the bike has evolved through upgrades, maintenance and countless kilometers, becoming the benchmark against which I compare every other mountain bike I ride.

If I could keep only one bike, this would be it.

Life in pictures

The Setup

The bike have 2 setups – trail and XC. See details below.

Trail Setup

Frame: Radon Slide 140 Carbon

Seatpost: RockShox Reverb Stealth 150mm;

Fork: RockShox Pike RC 140

Rear Shock: RockShox Monarch RT3 Debonair, 200mm x 57mm

Wheelset: DT Swiss 1700 Spline 2

Drivetrain: 1×12 SRAM X01 RD ; SRAM GX Shifter; SRAM 1295 10-50 Cassette; Zrace Hardrock 170mm crankset with 32T 6mm offset SRAM steel chainring; SRAM GX chain;

Brakes: MAGURA MT5 levers with MT5 rear caliper and MT7 pro front caliper;

Tyres: Schwalbe Nobby nic 27.5 x 2.35

Weight: 13.5 kg

XC Setup

TBD

Where It Has Been

The Story

I originally bought this Focus Izalco Race AL 2018 from eBay in 2023 as a simple flip-bike project. The plan was straightforward: clean it up, make a few improvements, and sell it.

On paper, it should have been easy. In reality, nobody seemed interested. The bike came with a Shimano Sora R3000 groupset, which worked perfectly well but wasn’t exactly exciting enough to attract buyers. Weeks turned into months, and the bike never found a new owner.

So it stayed.

What started as an unsold project slowly became one of the most useful bikes I’ve ever owned. Instead of selling it, I began experimenting with upgrades, testing components, and filming reviews. Different wheels, tires, drivetrains, handlebars, accessories—you name it. Over time, the Izalco became my rolling test platform for countless PM Bikes projects.

Somewhere along the way, it stopped being a bike I owned and started becoming a bike I actually relied on.

Today, the Focus serves as my summer commuter, training bike, occasional race machine, and go-to choice whenever mountain biking conditions are less than ideal. While my MTB gets most of the attention, the Izalco has quietly accumulated thousands of kilometers and has proven itself to be one of the most dependable bikes in my collection.

Funny enough, the bike that nobody wanted to buy ended up becoming one of the bikes I’ll probably keep the longest.

Built as a flip-bike. Kept by accident. Ridden by choice.

Life in pictures

The Setup

Frame set: Focus Izalco Race AL 2018 rim brake , Size 57cm;

Seatpost: Deda Zero Al 27.2mm , 0mm setback;

Handlebar: Deda Zero Al 380mm;

Wheelset: front – Alexrims ALX 210 / Rear – unbranded carbon rim with Novatec hub;

Drivetrain: 2×11 with Shimano Ultegra 6800 RD and Shimano Ultegra r8000 FD; Micronew R11 Shifters; ZTTO 11-28 Cassette; Shimano Ultegra 6650 crankset, 34-50, 172.5mm; Shimano HG chain;

Brakes: Shimano 105 r7000 rim brakes;

Tyres: Vittoria Zaffiro Pro V 700x28c for training and commuting and Schwalbe One performance 700x28c for racing;

Weight: 8 kg

Where It Has Been