Focus labels its road frames with letters, XXS to XXL, and prints a nominal size in millimetres beside each letter. That second number is the one worth learning. It runs 470 to 610 mm on the Izalco Max and 480 to 600 mm on the Paralane. It is not the seat tube length: the Izalco Max seat tubes measure 455 to 585 mm. The current road range is short and clear, with the aero Izalco Max and the endurance Paralane, plus the Izalco Chrono family for time trial. Browse all Focus bikes at Bikeroom.
Please note. The sizes below are indicative. They are a starting point built on official Focus geometry and average body proportions, not a guarantee of fit. Focus does not publish a recommended rider height per size, so the height and inseam bands in this guide are our estimate rather than manufacturer data. Confirm your size with a professional bike fit, or ask our team, before you buy.
Quick size finder
Find your height row, cross check the leg length column, then read across to the model. The Izalco Max has seven sizes and the Paralane five, so the Paralane bands are wider.
| Rider height | Leg length (inseam) | Izalco Max | Paralane |
|---|---|---|---|
| under 163 cm | under 75 cm | XXS | not offered |
| 163 to 170 cm | 75 to 79 cm | XS | XS |
| 170 to 175 cm | 79 to 82 cm | S | S |
| 175 to 180 cm | 82 to 85 cm | M | M |
| 180 to 185 cm | 85 to 88 cm | L | L |
| 185 to 190 cm | 88 to 91 cm | XL | L |
| 190 to 196 cm | 91 to 95 cm | XXL | XL |
| 196 cm and up | 95 cm and up | XXL | XL |
Leg length is the more reliable of the two figures, because it drives saddle height and standover. Where height and inseam disagree, follow the inseam and then check stack and reach.
How to measure yourself
Height. Stand barefoot against a wall, heels together, looking straight ahead. Rest a book flat on your head, level against the wall, mark the underside and measure from the floor.
Leg length (inseam). Barefoot, feet about 15 cm apart, press a book spine up between your legs as if it were a saddle. Hold it level against the wall, mark the top edge and measure down to the floor.
The quick formula. Multiply your inseam in centimetres by 0.66 and read the result as a frame size in centimetres. An 82 cm inseam gives about 54, which points to the 540 mm size, so a Focus M on either platform. Treat it as a cross check on the table, not a verdict. For the method behind the numbers, see our guide on how to measure a bike frame.
Izalco Max (aero race platform)
The Izalco Max is the race bike, sold as builds 8.7 through 9.9. Geometry is long and low, with a 410 mm chainstay at every size and a head angle that opens from 70 degrees on the XXS to 73 degrees on the XL and XXL. Seven sizes cover a wide span. Figures below are the official Focus chart published on the Izalco Max 9.9 page.
| Size | Stack (mm) | Reach (mm) | Rider height |
|---|---|---|---|
| XXS (470) | 500 | 370 | under 163 cm |
| XS (500) | 513 | 375 | 163 to 170 cm |
| S (520) | 531 | 378 | 170 to 175 cm |
| M (540) | 552 | 380 | 175 to 180 cm |
| L (560) | 571 | 399 | 180 to 185 cm |
| XL (580) | 592 | 401 | 185 to 190 cm |
| XXL (610) | 611 | 420 | 190 cm and up |
Long and low, with one awkward step. Reach grows only 2 mm from S to M, then 19 mm from M to L.
That reach jump matters. A rider who finds the M a little short cannot simply move up, because the L adds 19 mm of reach and 19 mm of stack at once. Focus absorbs some of this through the cockpit. The stock bar and stem go 380 mm by 80 mm on the XXS to 420 mm by 120 mm on the XXL, with the M and L both on 400 mm by 110 mm. From model year 2026 Focus also fits the 0 mm offset seatpost as standard on XXS to L, and the 15 mm offset post on XL and XXL.
Paralane (endurance platform)
The Paralane is the long day bike, currently sold as the 8.7, 8.8 and 8.9. It shares the aerofoil tube language of the Izalco Max but sits taller, with a 415 mm chainstay, a 50 mm fork offset and a 75 mm bottom bracket drop. Focus claims 1,130 g for the frame in size M. BikeRadar reported at the launch on 6 December 2023 that stack rose across every size and the wheelbase lengthened. Focus also claims six stem options, from 70 to 120 mm, cover 95 per cent of riders.
| Size | Stack (mm) | Reach (mm) | Rider height |
|---|---|---|---|
| XS (480) | 535 | 368 | 163 to 170 cm |
| S (510) | 556 | 376 | 170 to 176 cm |
| M (540) | 579 | 383 | 176 to 182 cm |
| L (570) | 603 | 389 | 182 to 189 cm |
| XL (600) | 633 | 403 | 189 cm and up |
Taller and slightly longer at the same nominal size. At 540 mm the Paralane gives 27 mm more stack than the Izalco Max and 3 mm more reach.
That 27 mm is the whole argument between the two bikes. It is roughly a 30 mm spacer stack you do not have to run. That is why riders who size down on an Izalco Max to get the bars low often size across to a Paralane instead.
What riders say about Focus sizing
Published feedback on Focus fit is thinner than for the big brands, so here is only what we could read.
The race fit is long and low, but not extreme. Reviewing the Izalco Max 9.8 on 11 May 2024, BikeRadar's Simon von Bromley measured his size L test bike at 571 mm of stack and 399 mm of reach. He wrote that the geometry is relatively long and low, with an emphasis on quick handling. He also noted that, against its peers, the frameset averages slightly higher and longer.
Check the stock bar width before you commit. Von Bromley is 183 cm, rode the size L, and found the 42 cm bar specced on it too wide for his taste. On builds with the one piece cockpit, that is a purchase decision, not a workshop tweak.
Endurance Focus bikes fit like their rivals. Reviewing the first generation Paralane on 1 March 2017, road.cc's David Arthur put its fit alongside the Specialized Roubaix and Canyon Endurace, and recorded a 72 degree head angle. The platform has changed since, but the intent has not.
Between two sizes?
Take the smaller size for a lower front end, quicker steering and a racier position. Take the larger one for stability and less strain on long rides. A long torso and long arms push you up a size, a short torso and long legs push you down.
Two Focus details narrow the usual advice. First, the one piece cockpit on the higher builds is chosen at purchase, so a stem swap is not a cheap fix. Second, the reach steps are uneven on the Izalco Max, so compare the actual stack and reach numbers rather than trusting the letter. If the M reach suits you but the stack does not, the Paralane in the same 540 mm size is often the better answer.
Shop Focus at Bikeroom
- All Focus bikes for the full range, road, gravel and e-bike
- Road bikes to compare the Izalco Max against other race platforms
- Pre-owned road bikes if you would rather buy a previous model year
Going off road as well? Our Focus gravel size guide covers the Atlas, and our colleague's draft on the Focus Mares gravel comeback looks at what is coming next.
If you are unsure whether an Izalco Max M or a Paralane M suits the position you actually ride, talk to our concierge with your height, inseam and current saddle height to hand.
Disclaimer: the size suggestions here are indicative and offered as general guidance only. Stack and reach are official Focus figures taken from the Izalco Max 9.9 and Paralane 8.9 geometry charts published on focus-bikes.com and read on 21 September 2026. Focus does not publish rider height per size, so those bands are our estimate. Geometry changes between model years, so confirm against the exact bike you are buying and, where possible, with a professional fit.
Sources: Focus Izalco Max 9.9 geometry, focus-bikes.com; Focus Paralane 8.9 geometry, focus-bikes.com; BikeRadar, Focus Izalco Max 9.8 review, 11 May 2024; BikeRadar, new Focus Paralane, 6 December 2023; road.cc, Focus Paralane Ultegra review, 1 March 2017.
