Seasoned mountain bikers are already well aware of that 'happy place' out on the trails, but finding it can be tricky for new riders. Focus believes the best electric mountain bikes, with the motor offering pedal assistance up the hill e-MTB's allow more riders to access and enjoy the trails.
The brand's new 7 series uses a full alloy frame that shares a lot of the same design DNA and priorities as the Focus Jam 6 series bikes released earlier this year.
That means a full alloy frame with an oversized 1.8in head tube, a much higher-than-average rider weight limit of 150kg and ample room for 29 x 2.6in tires. A modified version of Focus' long-running FOLD single pivot, linkage-driven suspension set up gives 150mm of rear travel with a more linear progression to the spring rate that works with either air shocks or coil. Moving the shock to a horizontal position under the dropped, kinked top tube also leaves space for both a water bottle mount and a two-bolt accessory mount (neat internally strapped pouch provided) on top of the down tube.
This contains a custom, slimmer version of Shimano's 720Wh battery which can be removed from underneath by loosening a single bolt or charged in situ. Power is provided by Shimano’s latest EP8 motor with a Power button and handy USB-C charger port sitting on the top tube just behind the CIS integrated stem. This routes the shift and rear brake cables up over the top of the bar and down into the frame but is only available in a 50mm length so you’ll need to unplug everything and re-route through an aftermarket headset cap if you want to change. Other detailing includes double seals on the main pivot, a SRAM UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) gear hanger, a kickstand mount on the offside dropout, molded chain stay protection and a fork bumper on the down tube to fend off full lock damage.
While Focus says "we don’t make them to win races, to be faster than everyone else - we make them because they make people smile," the geometry is clearly designed to be perfectly happy at speed with a 65-degree head angle, 76-degree seat angle and 480mm reach on a large. This can be steepened 0.5-degree with a shock mount ‘flip-chip’ which also alters effective chainstay length from 446.5 to 448mm and BB drop from 19.5 to 20mm. The seat tube is oversized to help posts comply with the 150kg rider weight requirements and also allow longer stroke posts to be fitted to each size.
Three Jam2 7 bikes cover a price range up to £7,299 for the top end 7.0 with RockShox Zeb fork, Fox Float X fork shock and SRAM GX AXS wireless gears. The £5,699 7.9 with a Fox 36 Performance Elite fork, Fox Float X shock and Shimano XT/SLX mix and the £4,899 7.8 which has a RockShox 35 fork, Deluxe rear shock and Shimano SLX/Deore go/stop mix. All three bikes are available in either a turquoise blue or a dark grey and should be in shops immediately.
We have already had a chance to hit the trails on the Focus Jam2 7 so stay tuned for a review in the near future.
