JAMES’S FOCUS JAM 6.9

MONTH 9: James heads to Bikepark Wales to dial in the Fox DHX2 coil shock, just before Covid puts a damper on his testing

£3,199 / 29in / focus-bikes.com

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It hasn’t been the best month of riding for me. I finally succumbed to Covid and unfortunately it has meant I have been off the bike for a few weeks. Which sucks. Especially as the weather and trails have both looked primo.

Fingers crossed I’m back to some form of fitness soon.

Before Covid struck, I did manage to squeeze in a full day of testing at Bikepark Wales which provided me with a pretty good benchmark as to how the Fox DHX2 coil shock performs on the Jam. I had already upped the spring rate from 500lb to 550lb, as I couldn’t get the correct sag within the recommended preload window with the suggested spring rate. Worth noting, as the Fox SLS (super light steel) springs cost about £150 a pop, so you really want to get it right the first time.

Starting with Fox’s recommended damping settings left the Jam feeling overwhelmed when it came to hitting Rimdinger, my standard test track at BPW. It felt like it was far harsher than it should have been. Backing off the high-speed compression two clicks from the recommended, as well as reducing highspeed rebound by the same amount, brought things back into check and the 150mm-travel rear suspension on the Jam felt far better at dealing with the harsh, square-edged hits.

I also added a couple of clicks of low-speed compression damping to gain some extra support when moving around the bike and pushing through slower corners. With all of the adjustments, I was able to retain the lively feel that I love about the Jam, without the harsh ramp-up I was experiencing with the stock Fox DPS air shock. With more tweaking to do, I’m looking forward to getting back out and playing very soon.

WHY IT’S HERE The new Jam promises to connect you with your inner child

SPECIFICATION Frame 7005 aluminium, 150mm travel Shock Fox Float DPS Performance, 210x55mm Fork Fox 36 Float Performance, 150mm travel, 44mm offset Wheels Novatec 110/148mm hubs, Rodi TRYP30 rims, Maxxis Minion DHF EXO/DHR II EXO+ 29x2.5/2.4in tyres Drivetrain Shimano Deore XT 32t chainset, Shimano XT r-mech and shifter, Shimano Deore 10-51t cassette Brakes Shimano XT M8120 four-piston, 200/180mm Components Race Face 35mm Riser 780mm bar, Focus C.I.S. Integrated 50mm stem, KS Lev 150mm post, Focus Trail SL saddle Sizes S, M, L, XL Weight: 16.4kg (36.15lb) GEOMETRY Size tested L Head angle 64.8° Seat angle 70.2° Effective SA 77.7° BB height 345mm Chainstay 434mm Front centre 803mm Wheelbase 1,237mm Down tube 744mm Top tube 605mm Reach 480mm

THE RIDER JAMES BRACEY Position Freelance writer Mostly rides South Wales Height 6ft 1in Weight 75kg THE BIKE ■ New Jam platform ups travel to 150mm with 29in wheels Same linkagedriven single-pivot suspension of the old Jam but changes the shock position and kinematics to make it more progressive ■ Integrated cable routing where the cables pass through the 50mm C.I.S. stem and into the frame ■ The mid-range Jam 6.9 features an XT groupset and Maxxis Minion tyres