JAMES’S FOCUS JAM 6.9
MONTH 1: A DNF for James as Ard Rock lives up to its name and punches a hole in the rear tyre of the Jam on its very first outing
£3,199 / 29in / focus-bikes.com
They say art is subjective and beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this is the introduction to my new longterm test bike, so I’m just going to come out and say it: I think the Focus Jam 6.9 is one damn fine looking bike. OK, there are some ‘interesting’ features that catch the eye, but we’ll get to those in due course.
On paper the Jam looks to be a perfect match for my style of riding and the steep/tech nature of my local trails in South Wales. It’s a 150mm travel 29er that Focus says still sits in the trail bike category, rather than being a super plush enduro racer. It retains the F.O.L.D. linkage driven suspension system, but Focus has changed the orientation from a vertical shock placement to one inline with the top tube to provide a more linear/ progressive suspension rate – think straight line on a graph, rather than the digressive movement of the old system.
Focus has also specced a three position Fox DPS inline shock to aid the Jam’s pedalling prowess even further. This is most definitely a good thing as I like pedalling up hills and around here it’s an instant deal breaker if a bike doesn’t pedal well. One thing that did make me wince though is that this mid-range, aluminium-framed Jam 6.9 is more than a little bit portly at 16.4kg. One of the key areas where the Jam hides that extra weight is in the wheels, so I’d be keen to swap in a lighter set of hoops to see what that does for the ride quality.
With modern angles and a 480mm reach on the size large, the Jam is as close to a perfect set-up for my tastes straight from the off. Granted, it’s not pushing the boundaries of sizing but it should make it a good all-rounder. There’s a flip-chip on the lower shock mount and the first thing I did when I got the bike home was drop it into the low setting on the recommendation from Neal at Focus. This was surprisingly fiddly as the lower mount is tucked under the top tube and nestled in the linkage. Luckily there are no annoying tiny washers, just chunky aluminium parts so it all went back together quite well. Also it’s probably a one-and-done affair.
Remember how I said there were some interesting features? Well, I was referring to the integrated front end. Specifically how the rear brake hose, dropper and shifter cables all run
WHY IT’S HERE The new Jam promises to connect you with your inner child
through an oversized stem and down into the headtube. This looks neat but I’m already finding it a little bit infuriating as it causes a tight radius on the dropper cable which prevents a smooth, light action at the remote. There is an alternative Acros headset top crown which will allow you to run a normal stem, rather than the Focus C.I.S. unit, affectionately named the ‘puking turtle’ by my friend. It’s probably the first thing I’ll change if I can’t get the dropper post working smoothly. In fact, the only part I swapped out straight away were the grips. I like riding without gloves and while the Focus-branded grips feel great in the dry, any moisture and I might as well be holding onto a bar of soap.
Barring a quick shakedown ride to make sure everything was tight, my first proper adventure on the Jam was at the Ard Rock Epic Enduro. Nothing like jumping in at the deep end, eh? Unfortunately a shredded Maxxis Minion DHR II rear tyre on the first stage meant an inauspicious start to our relationship. We both agree it was totally my fault so points to Focus for speccing the tougher EXO+ casing tyre on the rear. Now if only I could find a replacement tyre that’s in stock.