Introducing the new Focus Jam2 and Sam2 – your perfect match?

Motor
Bosch Performance CX and CX Race
Battery
625 and 750 Wh
Price
€5.499-8.899
This is the new Focus Jam2 and Sam2. Rob has ridden the bike, so make sure you check out his video before reading on.



It seems Focus is branching out. Not only do they make bikes, now they’ve started match-making too. They’re trying to match two of their riders, Olly and Iven. Not to each other though. I don’t think they’re allowed to do that, even though it’s their riders. Also, they’re matching Steffie too, even though she’s taken, I believe.

2023 Focus Jam2 6 series​

Focus is matching them with their new bikes. Olly likes to settle it seems, so he picked the entry level aluminium Jam2 6 series. I too am always excited to check out the cheaper bikes in the line-up. How cheap is a sufficiently specced bike?

Olly Wilkins and the new 2023 Focus Jam2

I’m not making this up, not all of it. The match making thing is actually in the press release!

The 150/160 mm travel 29er Focus Jam2 6.7 is €5.499. That’s not too bad considering it comes with a well performing DVO Diamond E3 fork, Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain and 625 Wh battery. All the new bikes get the Bosch Performance CX motor, and the more expensive models comes with the 750 Wh battery. Claimed weight ranges between 24.9 and 25.7 kg. The 6.7 is the lightest much because of the smaller battery.

Focus Jam2 6.7
Focus Jam2 6.8
Focus Jam2 6.9
Focus Jam2 6.7
Focus Jam2 6.8
Focus Jam2 6.9

Focus Jam2 8 series​

Steffie aims higher and picks the Jam2 8 series with a carbon frame. The cheapest Jam2 8.7 has similar specs to the 6.7. This too is a 150/160 mm travel 29er. The 8.7 is listed at €5.999 with a claimed weight of 23.7 kg. Weight is between 23.4 and 24 kg for the 8 series.

Steffie and her 2023 Focus Jam2 8 series carbon


The most expensive one, the Jam2 8.0 Limited Edition gets the Bosch Performance CX Race motor. Bosch make a limited number of this motor, so it’s no wonder the 8.0 is a limited-edition bike.

Focus JAM2 8.7
Focus JAM2 8.8
Focus JAM2 8.9
Focus JAM2 8.0
Focus JAM2 8.7
Focus JAM2 8.8
Focus JAM2 8.9
Focus JAM2 8.8

Jam2 geometry​

Frame geometry is the same for both the 6 and 8 series. I think it’s a nice surprise that Focus set the chainstay length to 450 mm. My experience is it improves agility over the almost standard 455 mm length. It’s cool to see that Focus thinks a more all-round oriented bike needs a slack 64.5* head angle. But the bike has an adjustable headset cup that can be set to 65.5*. Frame seems nice and long with a Reach of 460 mm and a wheelbase of 1.230 mm for size M.

Jam2 6 and 8 series geometry


Focus Sam2 6 series​

It appears Iven likes long legs, so he picked the 170/180 mm travel 29er Sam2 . Where the Jam2 is more of an all-round emtb, the Sam2 is more about descending hard. Still, it looks a lot like the Jam2 and it’s got the same detachable battery integration. The Sam2 only comes with an aluminium frame.

Iven and the new 2023 Focus Sam2 6 series

Matching people with bikes, cool or cringy?

Once again, I find the entry-level model interesting. The Sam2 6.7 has a Rockshox Deluxe coil shock, and I’m happy to see the Suntour Durolux 38 fork. I’ve only ridden the Durolux 36. That’s a great fork and I expect the 38 is too. The 6.7 gets the smaller 625 Wh battery and has a claimed weight of 25.4 kg. Price for this bike too is €5.499. Weight is between 25.4 and 26.7 kg for the Sam2 lineup.

The most expensive model, the Sam2 6.0 comes in at €8.699. This too is a limited-edition model that gets the Bosch Performance CX Race motor. Much thanks to the big 750 Wh battery, the bike has a claimed weight of a healthy 26.4 kg.


Focus SAM2 6.7
Focus SAM2 6.8
Focus SAM2 6.9
Focus SAM2 6.0
Focus SAM2 6.7
Focus SAM2 6.8
Focus SAM2 6.9
Focus SAM2 6.0

Sam2 geometry​

The Sam2 also has 450 mm long chainstays, everything else is upped by one. Head tube angle can be altered between 63.5 and 64.5*. Reach is 470 mm and wheelbase is 1.259 mm for size M. This all looks promising, quite burly with a nice rear end length.

Sam2 geo.metry


More details about the bikes​

All bikes have detachable batteries, that’s not a given for bikes running the 750 Wh battery. There are a few challenges implementing this big battery, such as weight and space. Focus decided to tilt the front of the motor upwards, making room for the battery in front of the motor. I like this solution, it allows for a detachable battery through a small opening at the bottom of the frame. This opening requires less reinforcement to maintain frame rigidity, thus reducing frame weight.


FOCUS-JAM2-SAM2-Iven-Olly-Spain
FOCUS-JAM2-SAM2-Staffie-Marjam-Karenza-Spain
The battery is removable through a hole in the bottom of the downtube

Some would argue there is a downside to tilting the motor upwards though. It makes the bottom bracket area quite chunky. If you’re paying a five digits figure for a new bike, you of course want it to be sleek, skinny, shiny and whatnot.

The upwards tilted motor plus the battery makes the bottom bracket area look chunky.
The Bosch display
Cable routing looks clean
An USB-C port

But you’re not, this bike can be had for much less. My impression is Focus has put function, and value, over form with the new Jam2 and Sam2. To some degree. Just the way I like it.
About author
knut7
Started mountainbiking in the 90s. Moved to emtbs in 2014 and have been reviewing them since 2016. Contact me here https://emtb.no/contact/

Comments

OK, So this Sam2 ticks a few boxes.
Big battery
Bosch Motor
Carbon frame
Relatively light
29er

Negatives,
Looks a bit agricultural??
Weird arse stem cable routing.
Spazzy display
 
What is with that wacky cable routing? On paper seems nice and tidy for the cockpit...in reality it's a friggin nightmare. How do you manage the cabling if you want to switch out the bars and mount or if you simply break the bars? You will be stuck with getting stock Focus bars, if they even available. There must be a hole/slot in the stock bars in order to accommodate this. They fixed a problem that never existed.
 
Massive shame you can’t mullet the new sam, I’ve changed my 2022 model to mullet and it completely changed the bike for the better for how I ride
 
We're you possibly captivated by the colour otherwise known as "Dragon's Barf" ?

1677685391285.png


I was quite wary of the stem at first, but it's been problem free. There are numerous story's of peoples failing in various ways though. I generally squirt some silicone in there on a regular basis in the hope that things are sliding around over each other and not rubbing.

I really didn't like the look of the 7 series bikes with the Shimano motors and this has taken a few styling clues from there. The longer I look at it though, the more I get used to it, especially after seeming it in Rob's Video.

The BB area still reminds me of something a bit like this though :

1677685883336.png


Still, if it rides anything like the existing bike - or better, then it should be pretty capable !
 
Looks like they took the path of the Levo by the motor and battery position, I think this is the right direction. I feel that the huge 750w 5kg battery in Rail is located too high.
 
Another Brand designing with 90% Speci Turbo features 😆
- Yoke-Horstlink with Asymmetric Shock Position
- TCU in frame
- And the Painting

They should offer an Upgrade bolt-on Sidearm Kit to get full Kenevo/Levo Level
 
Looks like they took the path of the Levo by the motor and battery position, I think this is the right direction. I feel that the huge 750w 5kg battery in Rail is located too high.
they took the colours
but that bulge! is even worse ! c'mon, it's not mtb compatible....
 
Gotta agree with rzr...the leading angle of the bottom of the bike is really sharp and squared off. Definitely not a smooth transition from frame to motor bottom. The more I look at this bike, the less I like it.
 
Gotta agree with rzr...the leading angle of the bottom of the bike is really sharp and squared off. Definitely not a smooth transition from frame to motor bottom. The more I look at this bike, the less I like it.
I can already hear the sound when that part hit the rocks 😬
 
What is with that wacky cable routing? On paper seems nice and tidy for the cockpit...in reality it's a friggin nightmare. How do you manage the cabling if you want to switch out the bars and mount or if you simply break the bars? You will be stuck with getting stock Focus bars, if they even available. There must be a hole/slot in the stock bars in order to accommodate this. They fixed a problem that never existed.
I own a the "old" Sam² that have the internal cable headset. The problem is not the bars it's the stem/ headset.
The cables go over the bars and along the side of fork tube into the frame. So you can change the bars but not the stem on this new model because there aren't any external passage on the frame.
I got rid of the CIS on mine took about 3 hours and new headset, frame grommets and stem. I personally don't like this new fad of internal cable routing on new bikes. Yes it may look tidy and clean but is a nightmare if you have to any kind of maintenance/repair in that area. 🤯🤮
 
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