Anyone here got the Jam 2 Plus?

[Andy A]

Hi guys is the 27 plus wheel a good ride on this bike and did you compare it with the 29er as my local dealer has a 6.8 plus in stock as he says it is the most popular wheel size and a 29er is an 18 week wait as they don't make as many, and if you have one are the tyres at 2.8 ok or too chunky

Thanks

 

[Bri-72]

Plus here and very happy. My other non ebikes are plus also so was an easy decision to make. I think with the extra weight of the bike, the extra tyre width makes sense. The usual negative of plus tyres can be rolling resistance, not really an issue when you’ve got the motor assist.

 

[Mabman]

If you have a set of 29" wheels laying around they will work on the same bike also. Or mix and match with a 29" front with a b+ rear as some are finding to work for their terrain.

 

[Andy A]

Plus here and very happy. My other non ebikes are plus also so was an easy decision to make. I think with the extra weight of the bike, the extra tyre width makes sense. The usual negative of plus tyres can be rolling resistance, not really an issue when you’ve got the motor assist.

Hi Bri that's good to know, I had put a deposit down on a 29er and was going to have to drive 330 mile round trip this Saturday but with the weather forecast I didn't want to risk it and also my local dealer relented and matched their offer but he only stocks the 27 plus as he says it's more popular, he does have one in stock in my size/colour and I would much prefer to deal locally and I don't know what pushed me to order the 29er as I have never had one but I know I will be happy with a 27 plus I have asked them to swap the tyres for a magic mary front and a eddy current rear.

 

[Bri-72]

I’ve got magic Mary front and rear. Great tyres. Less fun when battery runs out and have to pedal!

 

[highpeakrider]

Depends on what you intend to ride, in summer and dry conditioning they are great. In winter 2.8s float over the mud. For winter I’ve changed to 30mm rims and running 2.5 DHFs front and rear which are much more rideable in winter.

It will be interesting to see if I swap back to the 2.8s in spring, the bike feels more lively on 2.5s but a bit more twitchy on the fast rough sections.

 

[Andy A]

I saw one in the flesh yesterday and wow it was gorgeous I ordered it and it should arrive next week I think I will stick with the 2.8 tyre width that it came with but I am going to put a magic Mary an the front and an eddy current on the rear, am I right in thinking I want the one with the orange stripe in the tread is that the addix compound? I have shwalbe on my current bike and they have the orange stripe on them.

 

[Bri-72]

I have the orange (soft) on the front. Plenty grippy for me. There is a super soft but i decided that was more grip than I needed. I went blue speed grip on the rear being slightly faster rolling and harder wearing.

 

[OldBean]

I saw one in the flesh yesterday and wow it was gorgeous I ordered it and it should arrive next week I think I will stick with the 2.8 .

Welcome to the Focus side.....welldone you will enjoy every ride.
Be sure to go Tubeless asap. My rims needed retapeing as the so called “tubeless ready “ was not !
Otherwise Fantastic EMTB.

 

[Andy A]

Welcome to the Focus side.....welldone you will enjoy every ride.
Be sure to go Tubeless asap. My rims needed retapeing as the so called “tubeless ready “ was not !
Otherwise Fantastic EMTB.

Thanks I am using a LBS a father and son and they are such nice people so hopefully they will get the tubeless right I am excited about getting it and the colour is so nice also the bike feels and looks so solid.

 

[Andy A]

I have the orange (soft) on the front. Plenty grippy for me. There is a super soft but i decided that was more grip than I needed. I went blue speed grip on the rear being slightly faster rolling and harder wearing.

Would I be ok with orange front and rear?

 

[Bri-72]

You could but personally I’m not sure you need or want a soft on the rear. It’s grip where you don’t need it and the softer compound probably won’t wear too well. Up to you of course.

 

[steve_sordy]

You could but personally I’m not sure you need or want a soft on the rear. It’s grip where you don’t need it and the softer compound probably won’t wear too well. Up to you of course.

I have been in two minds about this issue. I'm very new to emtb and before I always had a soft compound up front and a harder one at the back. For example a 3C Maxxis up front and a 1C at the back. This was so that when cornering the rear always let go before the front. Also, it was less drag on the bike when climbing those long fire roads.

But emtb has put me in a different frame of mind. Don't I also need something grippy to put the power down on the rear? I have spun out the rear wheel more on my emtb than any bike ever before. It's probably being new to it all and I'll get the hang of it sooner or later.

But I have been struggling to actually find a combination that I had confidence in. But in the end I ran out of patience as the 29x2.6 Rekons are doing my head in (front and rear!). So I've bought two Maxxis HR II 3C EXO TR 29x 2.5 WT. Overkill on the rear maybe, in which case I'll put something else on and I'l have a spare for the front!

 

[R120]

It all depends on what mode you ride in, if blasting around in turbo then the rear, in current UK conditions, will spin up, and you will want something super grippy/mud spike like. Personally I think base your tyre choice off the conditions you are riding in, but go for the toughest carcass option, with an EMTB.

Perhaps counterintuitively I tend to ride in Eco up stuff, unless its super steep or technical when I use Trail, but then use trail or turbo when riding down. This is because when on a decent trail I like the ability to generate speed that only giving a small pedal stroke gives with an EMTB, so for example I can generate a little more speed into a section I may find myself needing it with only a couple, single, or even half crank turn.

 

[steve_sordy]

Nope, I don't blast around in turbo. In the 4 weeks I've had the bike I reckon I've been in Boost mode for maybe a few minutes only and that was when I was deliberately trying to use up the battery.
I know that I have some particular emtb skills to learn, and they will come in time, but in the meantime, for a start, I just want to ride what I usually ride and get up the climb or around the corner without spinning out or sliding out.
The tyres won't arrive for a few days yet, but I will report back after I've ridden them.

 

[Eckythump]

If you have a set of 29" wheels laying around they will work on the same bike also. Or mix and match with a 29" front with a b+ rear as some are finding to work for their terrain.

Unless they have changed the rear triangle for the newer models a 29” will not fit on the rear of a 27.5+ Jam2 with a reasonable width tyre (2.4 DHR doesn’t clear)

 

[Mabman]

Unless they have changed the rear triangle for the newer models a 29” will not fit on the rear of a 27.5+ Jam2 with a reasonable width tyre (2.4 DHR doesn’t clear)

Ok then, surprising as there is not much difference between those two sizes in diameter but quite a bit in width and that is what I would have suspected to be the limiting factor. My personal bike which fit a 2.4 700c needed some crimping to provide enough clearance for the 650b 2.8 I run on there now.

The original purpose of 27.5+ was to be able to use the plus size, that was introduced by Surly via the 700cKnard 3.0 in 2011, as a retrofit into standard 29"er frames. The theory being a smaller diameter 650b rim with a 3.0 tire would be roughly 29"es or the same diameter as a 2.1 700c. This is of an early proof of concept that was a steel frame not noted for lot's of clearance at the time to begin with.



As seen above that theory wasn't exactly correct and thus the size was reduced until it did fit which resulted in the 2.8.



But thanks for clarifying that it won't work necessarily on the Jam2.

 

[Eckythump]

There is a bigger difference than you think which is compounded by the angled axle slots on the rear triangle of the bike.
It maybe possible to squeeze a wheel & tyre in with the tyre deflated. I didn’t try that.
I was surprised as mine was supplied originally with 3” tyres and I expected the 2.4” 29er to slide straight in.

 

[steve_sordy]

And there was me thinking that the only difference between the NINE and the PLUS was the wheels and tyres! I really believed that the frame and fork were the same.

 

[Andy A]

Up until recently I wouldn't have even considered getting an ebike as I can comfortably do any off road ride on my Whyte, I now find after ordering the Jam2 plus that I can't wait to get the bike and even though I am a bit older at 58 I feel like a kid again as I know this bike will be fab

I am getting the TEC pack as well so out of interest on the first use do I need to drain the battery in both completely or isn't that the case anymore with these batteries.

 

[steve_sordy]

................

I am getting the TEC pack as well so out of interest on the first use do I need to drain the battery in both completely or isn't that the case anymore with these batteries.

I didn't do that, not deliberately - I just didn't read that part of the manual until after a week or so of riding it about. But as Focus and Shimano recommend that you do then it is probably a good idea to do it fairly soon after you take delivery. When you have the TEC pack, it is something you can do on either battery without risk of being left to pedal home without assistance.

 

[highpeakrider]

I didn't do that, not deliberately - I just didn't read that part of the manual until after a week or so of riding it about. But as Focus and Shimano recommend that you do then it is probably a good idea to do it fairly soon after you take delivery. When you have the TEC pack, it is something you can do on either battery without risk of being left to pedal home without assistance.

I've never done mine, charged it and rode it.

 

[steve_sordy]

I've never done mine, charged it and rode it.

I don't believe that your battery is going to fail any time soon because you never did that charging cycle. But over time, according to the Focus/Shimano manual, it helps to preserve the battery capacity long term if you do this every six months or so.

 

[highpeakrider]

I don't believe that your battery is going to fail any time soon because you never did that charging cycle. But over time, according to the Focus/Shimano manual, it helps to preserve the battery capacity long term if you do this every six months or so.

Working on that theory should I drive my Tesla till it stops and get a tow home?

The actual wording is
Perform a ‘learning cycle’: A new, fully charged battery should be
run down once until the motor assist stops and without recharging in between. In that way the battery ‘learns’ its capacity, and the actual capacity will agree with the level indicated on the battery status display. As soon as the battery enters Sleep mode, press the battery button for one second. Then the learn cycle can be continued. Please perform a learn cycle every six months or 5,000 kilometres. When the battery becomes older and you do not repeat the cycle from time totime, the difference between actual battery capacity and charge leveldisplay will become greater and greater.

The battery should not be stored in a fully charged state. A charge level between 50 and 70% is ideal. Since the battery loses charge very slowly, you should recharge it when only one or two segments are lit, but after six months at the latest.

 

[steve_sordy]

Working on that theory should I drive my Tesla till it stops and get a tow home?

Take it up with Focus and/or Shimano.

 

[Andy A]

I've never done mine, charged it and rode it.

Ahh did you all is well I assume, it does seem a faff having to drain both batteries on first use.

 

[highpeakrider]

If you have the TEC pack not much of an issue if you want to do it, just ride on one and switch over. I might try it in the spring time bike will be about 6 months old, i have ridden the internal till i run out of power but didn't follow the process, hard ride home uphill.
It will be a good bike if it gets to the end of the 2 year warrantee period I'm a bit of a serial swapper with bikes.

 

[MattyB]

Take it up with Focus and/or Shimano.

Steve, he’s right - there is absolutely no reason that a full discharge/charge cycle will “preserve” the cycle life or capacity of a lithium chemistry battery. That action is purely to keep the BMS aligned with the actual capacity of the battery at that point in time (i.e. to take into account any loss of capacity due to age and usage). If you didn’t do it at the start it won’t make any difference to the battery health; you just might find there is a slightly larger error between predicted and actual ranges on the display throughout your ride (though since neither are super accurate it probably won’t make much difference; you will soon get a feel for how far you can go in your typical conditions and riding style).

 

[steve_sordy]

@MattyB Alignment with the BMS makes more sense!

 

[Macone]

I have the TEC pack and do plenty of long rides where I deplete at least one battery. I try to alternate which battery I start out on so that they both get a "full cycle" quite regular. problem solved.