Trek Trek Powerfly 9 FS LT 2017 vs Powerfly 7 FS plus vs Focus Jam2

[jatich]

12 years ago, circumstances made me quit sport from one day to another and it was the start of a very unhealthy lifestyle.
In an attempted to rekindle my love for biking again I desided to start this winter with a daily 2x10km commute to work with the goal to build my condition back up from scratch to good enough for weekend trips to the Ardennes in Belgium.

I found two deals from Trek : a 2017 Powerfly 9 FS LT 2017 for 3.99 and a 2018 Trek Powerfly 7 FS Plus for the same price.
The main differences are the Powerfly 7 RockShox Recon RL 130mm fork vs RockShox Pike RC Solo Air 150mm and the Shimano SLX 11-speed vs SRAM EX1 8-speed groupset.
As I understand it the biggest change from 2017 to 2019 model is the respectively not- semi- and full integrated battery. Geometry didn’t change, so it is more an esthetic thing and maybe a slightly lower center of gravity, right?

Another option is a focus JAM2 29 with RockShox Revelation RC, 140 mm travel and Shimano SLX groupset (rear derailleur is XT) for 3500 euros.

I guess the choise to make will be between the Powerfly 9 2017 and the Focus Jam 2018...

Who can help me out of this dilemma?
Every opinion will be very much appreciated, I’m a bit lost ?‍

 

[checkerzsnr]

Hi,
I purchased a 2018 TREK Powerfly 9 FS LT in the summer and can confirm it is a great bike... I am overweight, 6'1 and also getting back in to mtbing after many years living on a couch!
I have not ridden the Jam ebike so cannot offer a comparision however would highly recommend riding both and decide which suits your riding style best. The TREK has (relative) high spec which is never a bad thing

 

[BJep]

I have ridden both, and both are fantastic bikes. The smaller watt/hours of the battery on the Jam2 will hurt if you dont have the extra battery pack. That bike is really exciting on steep uphills (maybe the lower weight?) but that does mean that smaller battery gets a hammering. I was down to 1 bar battery power within 2 very fun hours of riding

The Trek is a great all rounder.

I dont think you can make 'wrong' choice!

 

[jatich]

Hi Bjep,
I can't test ride the bike. The reach of both bikes is about the same. Was one of the bikes more relaxed in terms of riding position and feeling? They both have flat handlebars so I can swap them for handlebars with a rise between 20 and 40mm and a backsweep if needed.

 

[BJep]

Actually both feel pretty relaxed, and both have good front contact for steering and control. I thought about it a lot and I couldn't say one bike is better than the other, although they are different. I think the Trek is probably a bit more exciting for flats and downhill, and the motor has more of a kick in turbo, but they Focus is the best bike I have ridden for tackling techy uphills and general fun going uphill, and the lighter weight is a noticeable pleasure. But the price in terms of lower battery duration is considerable.

 

[Osprey]

I have just chosen the Focus Jam2 because they have a deal on the 2018 bikes ... €3.5k will get you a much higher spec Focus if they are in stock.

My reason is that although I live 1/2 way between two world class MTB centres I want something that will push me to improve my fitness = fun uphill and enough not to make me bottle it on the way down! ?

Having ridden both as others have said neither is a bad bike or will cause too much buyer regret - in my opinion!