Test: E-MTBs are sluggish and don't get out of the quark on the trail? The Focus Jam² 6.8 Nine proves the opposite. With its extremely agile handling and the lively rear end, it awakens the play instinct in e-mountain bikers.
Focus Jam² 6.8 Nine: The facts
Suspension travel: 150mm / 150mm
wheel size: 29 inch
Drive: Bosch Performance CX
Display / control unit: Bosch Kiox
Battery capacity (test bike): 625Wh
Frame material: Alu
Weight complete bike (size L without pedals): 24,18kg
Maximum weight allowed: 120kg
Price: € 4.799
A separate test video is currently being produced for each E-MTB test 2020 and will be added here in the coming days and weeks.
| Frame | 7005 hydroformed |
| Fork | Fox 34Rhythm |
| Drive | Bosch Performance CX |
| Battery | 625Wh |
| Suspension shocks | Fox Float DPS Performance |
| Wheels | Novatec hubs / RaceFace AR30 rims |
| Tire VR | Maxxis Rekon Exo 2,6" |
| Tire HR | Maxxis Rekon Exo 2,6" |
| Derailleur | Shimano XT M8100 |
| Shifter | Shimano SLX M7100 |
| Crank | FSA CK-320 |
| Front derailleur | Without |
| Brake | Shimano M520 |
| Brake discs | Shimano RT66 203/180mm |
| Seatpost | Kind Shock E30i 120mm (M) |
| Saddle | Proxim W350 |
| Stem | BBB Jumper BHS-138 |
| Handlebar | BBB Ascension BHB-110 |
Even if e-mountain bikes are a comparatively new phenomenon on the bike market, they have already come a fairly steep development curve: modern e-MTBs no longer have much in common with the heavy "junk" of the early days. However, one characteristic has remained the same – the comparatively high weight. Many bikes now take advantage of this characteristic and with powerful chassis and thick tires they lie on the trail like the proverbial tank. Focus takes a completely different approach with the Jam² 6.8 Nine: Extremely short chainstays are combined with a lively rear end and overall rather light attachments. This concept does not fully work everywhere. Despite this – or precisely because of this – it is a bike that many bikers would recommend, as it occupies a truly special position with its lively, agile and lively handling.
Similar e-mountain bikes on test
[blog posts_per_page=”3″ taxonomy=”post_tag” tax_term=”43565″ order=”desc” orderby=”rand”]Agile handling and lively rear end
Even inexperienced riders should be able to tell the difference between the Jam² and most other current eMTBs after just a few meters. The FOLD rear end with 150mm travel is extremely lively and agile even when you are sitting down. It sensitively absorbs even small bumps, but at the same time offers a pleasant counter pressure. In connection with the extremely short chainstays, even flat forest paths become a playground and are a lot of fun. If you take it easy, the successful overall ergonomics and a comfortable seating position are also convincing.
Geometry Focus Jam² 6.8 Nine
| S | M | L | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seat tube (in mm) | 400 | 420 | 450 | 490 |
| Top tube horizontal (in mm) | 573 | 600 | 630 | 661 |
| head tube (in mm) | 110 | 115 | 130 | 150 |
| chainstay (in mm) | 427 | 427 | 427 | 427 |
| Wheelbase (in mm) | 1163 | 1190 | 1221 | 1254 |
| Steering angle (in °) | 66 | 66 | 66 | 66 |
| Seat angle (in °) | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 |
| Reach (mm) | 420 | 445 | 470 | 495 |
| Stacks (in mm) | 607 | 612 | 625 | 644 |
Deficits in technical terrain
The fourth-generation Bosch CX motor delivers more than enough power to tackle steep and technical climbs with the Focus. Here the geometry, which is so successful on the flat, slows you down noticeably. Although the steering angle is quite steep, the rear-heavy seating position and the high front mean that the front wheel keeps threatening to lose contact with the ground. The only thing that helps is to shift your weight far forward and hope that the restrainedly profiled rear tire doesn't spin. But: The Jam² handles moderate climbs absolutely reliably.
A similar picture emerges on the descent: if it's not too steep, the terrain isn't too difficult and the speed isn't too high, the Focus is a real fun machine. Every stone invites you to pull it off, in every bump you want to pull the E-MTB onto the rear wheel. However, if you then dare to tackle demanding trails, it will reach its limits: The agility here turns into nervousness and the rear end offers too little counter pressure in the limit area. The Fox 34 Performance fork works well, but is noticeably less stiff than the Fox 36, which is often used in this travel range. The Maxxis Rekon tire on the front wheel works well in hard soil and in dry conditions, but would not be our first choice for a bike in this class. The groupless 4-piston brakes from Shimano, on the other hand, are top notch and they always brought us to a standstill quickly enough with the large discs.
The big Velomotion E-MTB test 2020: test fields, individual tests and background information
We set ourselves the daunting task of conscientiously and objectively testing 57 eMTBs. With our two large test fields "Highend" and "Bestseller" we had a huge range of different bikes.
Our test conclusion
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Our test candidates in the bestseller category: BH AtomX Lynx 6 Pro | BMC Trailfox AMP SX two | Bottechia proton | Bulls E-Stream Evo AM 3 | Canyon Neuron: ON 9.0 | Centurion No Pogo E R2600i | Corratec E-Power RS 160 Pro | Cube Stereo Hybrid 140 HPC™ | Ducati MIG-S | Flyer Uproc 3 6.50 | Focus Jam² 6.8 Nine | Fuji Blackhill Evo 27,5+ 1.3 | Ghost Hybrid ASX 6.7+ | Giant Stance E Pro 0 | GT Force AMP | Haibike XDURO AllMtn 3.5 | Hercules Nos Pro FS 1.1 | Kettler Scarpia FS 2.0 | Kona Remote CTRL | KTM Macina Chacana 291 | Lapierre Overvolt AM 7.6 | Nox Hybrid All-MTN 5.9 Comp Sachs | Radon Render 8.0 | R Rayom FullRay E-Seven 9.0 | Scott Strike and Ride 910 | Specialized Turbo Levo | Stevens E-Pordoi | Stevens E-Sledge ES | Thok Mig 2.0 | TrekRail 7
You can also find this at the kiosk Velomotion E-MTB test yearbook 2020. There you will find all 57 individual tests of the bikes, exciting stories and advice on everything to do with e-mountain bikes on over 160 pages.
Here you can also order the E-MTB yearbook 2020 directly from us.
