FOCUS SAM² 6.9
£5,999 How does the SAM² square up?
Focus say they’ve created their latest SAM2 e-bike to maximise fun on the descents, with the pedalling assistance used as a tool to get you back to the top for more gravityfuelled action. That’s not to say it’s a downhill bike with a motor, but it does have the credentials for some pretty burly riding.
The frame
The SAM2 uses the same FOLD (Focus Optimized Linkage Design) suspension platform found across the brand’s range – a single-pivot set-up with linkage-driven shock. Here, it has a regressive leverage rate for the first 30 per cent of the travel, meaning it’s most supple around the sag point. After that it ramps up progressively to increase mid- and end-stroke support.
Sizing is where you find the biggest updates to the frame. While the old SAM2 maxed out at a 455mm reach, the same measurement on the new model spans from 430mm (small) to 510mm (XL) – numbers in line with the latest gravity-biased MTBs. The bike will take 29in or 650b wheels, thanks to a flip-chip that adjusts the geometry to work with a high or low axle position. This changes the chainstay length too, from 430mm to 450mm. With a 29in rear wheel, the ‘high’ setting with longer rear centre has to be used. If you fit a 650b wheel you can go ‘low’, with shorter stays and geometry in line with the 29in set-up, or ‘high’, with a longer rear centre, 10mm lower BB and 0.9-degree slacker head angle.
As standard, the head angle is 65 degrees. The 76-degree effective seat tube angle shows Focus haven’t overlooked getting the rider into a comfy position on the climbs. Seat tubes are short enough that you can run a long dropper post, or size up if you’re looking for a more stretched-out ride.
The kit
This top-model SAM2 6.9 features some wise spec choices. Highlights include the burly, 170mm-travel Fox 38 Factory fork and Vanilla Performance coil shock. The latter forgoes some of the adjustability of the more expensive Fox DHX2 coil, so getting the correct spring rate is even more important. Shimano XT four-pot brakes provide strong stopping power, and gear shifts are taken care of by an XT shifter and mech mated with their SLX 12-speed cassette.
The bike rolls on 2.6in Schwalbe Magic Mary tyres, with a tougher Super Gravity casing on the rear and a Super Trail up front, both in the grippy ADDIX Soft compound. Focus’s CIS (Cockpit Integration System) stem gives a clean look, with cables entering at the bottom of the faceplate and running through the headset and into the frame.
The ride
This bike is built for the downhills, but it does have a motor and battery to get you back to the top again, so let’s get that business out of the way first. The moderately steep seat tube angle puts you in a comfortable seated position whether the ground