JAMES’S FOCUS JAM 6.9
MONTH 10: The devil is in the detail – so this month James sings the praises of some easily missed components
£3,199 / 29in / focus-bikes.com
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It’s time to rejoice in the Bracey household. The Valleys are echoing to the sounds of buzzing tyres, the sun has been rearing its head over the hills and the trails are coated with a perfect ratio of hero dirt. Plus, with Covid-19 in my rear view, I’m back to brutalising myself on the Jam – all in the name of fun of course.
I’m not going to bore you with my ongoing pursuit of suspension perfection at the moment; suffice to say I think I’m close to cracking it. No, what I want to focus on are some of the real positives of the Jam and other things that have been making me smile.
Firstly, hats off to Focus for jumping on the
SRAM UDH wagon. The Universal Derailleur Hanger is SRAM’S recent, almost altruistic contribution to mountain biking. This unassuming lump of metal is helping to reduce one of the biggest pain points of modern cycling – the proprietary derailleur hanger. Damage a hanger and unless you’re near a dealer of your particular brand of bike it can be a nightmare getting a new one. The UDH means that, if like me, you’ve bent your hanger you can pick one up from any reputable bike shop. And they are pretty cheap. Bonus!
I’m also incredibly impressed with the reliable performance of the Shimano XT brakes. I’ve had some bad experiences with XTS in the past, but the ones on the Jam have been 100% consistent. The durability of the pads is also impressive, but once they are worn out, I’ll be replacing them for ones without the cooling fins. Not only are they cheaper, they also rattle less.
Finally, you might recall that I lost the chainstay protector on a ride a couple of months ago.
I’ve since decided to plump for some VHS 2.0 Slapper Tape as an alternative and I’ve been really impressed. Not only does it conform perfectly to oddly shaped chainstays, clinging on tenaciously, but it delivers exactly what it promises; a perfectly quiet bike. It’s a complete winner for me.
WHY IT’S HERE The new Jam promises to connect you with your inner child
Just a little update on the derailleur damage I talked about last month. I said that the SRAM UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) on the Giant Reign E+ 1 was still intact, turns out it wasn’t. It had failed inside the frame, but I only noticed this when I removed it to replace it. And it’s good that it bent, it’s a sacrificial part after all. The problem is the derailleur still got bent, so I had to replace two parts instead of one. The good news is UDHS are all the same, so I just got the cheapest one, which was £6.99.
The Shimano Deore replacement derailleur is a downgrade from XT, but it was working OK. The problem? I’ve had another stick jump up into the rear wheel and now the steel backplate on the Deore derailleur is bent and the jockey wheels don’t line up and the shifting is out. To alleviate my stick anxiety, I’ve ordered a SRAM GX AXS electric rear derailleur and shifter pod for the Reign E+ 1, and yes I know, it’s £500 but it has a breakaway feature that I’m keen to try.
Obviously with a full complement of electric components you’re going to have to charge them and, like most folks, I’ve been worried about the cost of living crisis and how energy prices have doubled. Charging an e-bike has gone up from a whopping 20p to about 40p, which is peanuts when you’re getting about three hours run time. The Panasonic is quick charging too, it’s around 2hrs 45min from fully drained to fully charged.
To eke out more life from the 625Wh battery, I’ve been running the bike in Smart Assist mode, which is the default setting when you turn it on. The problem with that is, I don’t think it’s that smart because when you’re coming onto a climb from a slow start it sort of stalls. Giant hinted that the Smart Assist protects the motor, so maybe it thought I was in too hard a gear and backed the power off accordingly. Once I start spinning the pedals faster the bike picks up again, but I have better success in these situations when I switch to a constant mode because I can read the terrain and know when to hit the gas. So it’s definitely not as intuitive as EMTB mode on the Bosch system.
Size tested Head angle Seat angle BB height Chainstay Front centre Wheelbase Down tube Seat tube Top tube Reach
WHY IT’S HERE Race-ready e-bike with alternative motor & battery technology
“Do women have different heads to men?” Alice asks. Apparently they need dedicated, single-sex helmets, according to Giro.
Bought an old hearse to cart his cadaverous old bikes around in, took it to a never-seen 35mph and it broke down in protest. Fiat Multipla next.
Thumbs of steel, after reviewing 10 tyres for the grouptest.
Last seen heading to Beccles, Suffolk, for the Thumb Wrestling Champs in August.
ALICE BURWELL
PAUL BURWELL
MICK KIRKMAN