Bigger discount or latest kit?

[Spreaders]

Hi all, followed the forum and Robs reviews for some time but first post as after a long time on the sidelines I am pretty much ready to pull the trigger on my first emtb now.

Have always liked the idea of the two battery system on the Focus Jam2, lighter bike with some assist or bolt on the big battery for the longer heavily boosted ride. Not got the wallet for a Levo SL so seems my best bet.

Only real deals I have seen are from german online discounter and available on both the 2020 and 2019 Carbon Jam2.

Focus JAM² C Plus Exclusive Model | E-Bike Fully Shop
Focus JAM² 9.8 NINE | E-Bike Fully Shop

Whilst 2020 has flip chip so can run both wheel sizes it also has longer rear stays (470 vs 457). I may try 29 up front sometime but otherwise not bothered so can see no advantage to this for me.

New black looks smart and 2020 has x12 and potentially better wheelset (?). Apart from these can anyone find a reason to make the additional cost of the 2020 worthwile?

Ta.

 

[MartinW148]

Hi all, followed the forum and Robs reviews for some time but first post as after a long time on the sidelines I am pretty much ready to pull the trigger on my first emtb now.

Have always liked the idea of the two battery system on the Focus Jam2, lighter bike with some assist or bolt on the big battery for the longer heavily boosted ride. Not got the wallet for a Levo SL so seems my best bet.

Only real deals I have seen are from german online discounter and available on both the 2020 and 2019 Carbon Jam2.

Focus JAM² C Plus Exclusive Model | E-Bike Fully Shop
Focus JAM² 9.8 NINE | E-Bike Fully Shop

Whilst 2020 has flip chip so can run both wheel sizes it also has longer rear stays (470 vs 457). I may try 29 up front sometime but otherwise not bothered so can see no advantage to this for me.

New black looks smart and 2020 has x12 and potentially better wheelset (?). Apart from these can anyone find a reason to make the additional cost of the 2020 worthwile?

Ta.

I have the 2018 Carbon, great bike and for my short(ish) rides, never had an issue battery wise. I would say battery suffers more with climbing, but I guess this is standard across all e-bikes, but might show up more on the smaller battery.

I think the upgrades are probably worth the extra money, but you probably don't need either, so if money is an issue, buy the cheaper (older) one and tec-pack for the same money.

As an aside, I've never liked the look of the tec pack, why buy a nice looking bike and bolt that on to it. If I could get a 250w battery like the trail watts, then I would go for it.

 

[stiv674]

I've had my 2018 Jam2 for nearly eighteen months and I'm currently looking at what my next bike will be, partly to ease the boredom...

This time I'll definitely sacrifice a few kg's for a bigger internal battery, the TEC pack is a good idea but poorly executed in my opinion, looks big and chunky when on the bike, as above, a water bottle shaped one would have been much better.

Unfortunately @TrailwattsUK couldn't source a tec pack to test and make one to work with the Focus system, doubt it would be cost effective for him either.

So personally I'd go for the newer bosch model.

 

[Spreaders]

Thanks MartinW148 for the reply and confirming what my wallet is already saying.

I agree, lovely looking bike but add the TEC pack and not so pretty. I would take the bike alone for £400 less but that is not on offer. As I am likely to be needing some kind of expansion pack when I go exploring locally, North Cornwall coast offers lots of space but mostly steep climbs and short descents, this deal seems good for me.

Have you had any other issues with your bike? Do they all suffer with water ingress causing headset issues that I have seen on here?

 

[Spreaders]

I've had my 2018 Jam2 for nearly eighteen months and I'm currently looking at what my next bike will be, partly to ease the boredom...

This time I'll definitely sacrifice a few kg's for a bigger internal battery, the TEC pack is a good idea but poorly executed in my opinion, looks big and chunky when on the bike, as above, a water bottle shaped one would have been much better.

Unfortunately @TrailwattsUK couldn't source a tec pack to test and make one to work with the Focus system, doubt it would be cost effective for him either.

So personally I'd go for the newer bosch model.

I suppose it comes down to how often I am really going to ride without the TEC pack.

Wifes new bosch powered Thron2 arrived last week. I was very impressed with the way power applied, that said I have not really ridden much else (e powered) to compare.

Would you stay Focus or are your thoughts elsewhere? Similar price band to where I am shopping is the Radon Render 8.0. Great kit with new Bosch and the 625w. Not sure if I fancy having a brand new design of bike so far from any real support though.

 

[stiv674]

I suppose it comes down to how often I am really going to ride without the TEC pack.

Wifes new bosch powered Thron2 arrived last week. I was very impressed with the way power applied, that said I have not really ridden much else (e powered) to compare.

Would you stay Focus or are your thoughts elsewhere? Similar price band to where I am shopping is the Radon Render 8.0. Great kit with new Bosch and the 625w. Not sure if I fancy having a brand new design of bike so far from any real support though.

I used my tec pack virtually every time I went out, I didn't think I would initially but most Saturdays are around 40 mile rides, hindsight eh

Nothing against the bike to be honest, I'd keep it if it wasn't for the battery issue. I've spent money on changing the brakes and gears as well...

As for my next bike, it will definitely be from a fairly local bike shop, unfortunately I can't find any decent Focus dealers nearby, so I'm looking at either Whyte E150s(rs), Trek Rail 9.7 or Specialized Levo Comp.

Just need to get back to work to pay for it now...

 

[MartinW148]

Thanks MartinW148 for the reply and confirming what my wallet is already saying.

I agree, lovely looking bike but add the TEC pack and not so pretty. I would take the bike alone for £400 less but that is not on offer. As I am likely to be needing some kind of expansion pack when I go exploring locally, North Cornwall coast offers lots of space but mostly steep climbs and short descents, this deal seems good for me.

Have you had any other issues with your bike? Do they all suffer with water ingress causing headset issues that I have seen on here?

No water ingress issues for me, but to be fair, I don't do a lot of wet riding. Had one charging issue post washing the bike upside down, so buy a stand.

The only other issue was caused by me knocking the magnet off (well moving it), so I superglued the magnet to the hanger.

 

[MartinW148]

I've had my 2018 Jam2 for nearly eighteen months and I'm currently looking at what my next bike will be, partly to ease the boredom...

This time I'll definitely sacrifice a few kg's for a bigger internal battery, the TEC pack is a good idea but poorly executed in my opinion, looks big and chunky when on the bike, as above, a water bottle shaped one would have been much better.

Unfortunately @TrailwattsUK couldn't source a tec pack to test and make one to work with the Focus system, doubt it would be cost effective for him either.

So personally I'd go for the newer bosch model.

I think my next model will be the bosch powered Focus, for me the weight is a big issue as I am only 68kg

 

[Spreaders]

Stuck the saddle up high and went for a longer ride on my wife's Thron2. Blasted around for over an hour and barely touched the battery (only 500wh as lower model). Went off exploring local byways and bridleways, couple of fairly tough climbs I would not have fancied on my acoustic bikes. The new Bosch in EMTB mode was great, wondering if the Shimano can really live up to it!

 

[GrahamPaul]

Wife's got the Thron². I've got a Jam². Both are with the new Bosch Gen 4 motors.

I tried Shimano and Yamaha motors. I bought the Bosch.

(You'll hear about the supposed "rattle". Bosch say that it disappears with use. I've now ridden mine for nearly 2000km. On some really long, downhill rough stuff today, I realised that there is now no rattle. Don't know when it disappeared. It never really bothered me anyway because there was too much to do hanging on )

 

[Spreaders]

Thanks for all your advice and experience, these have helped educate me and also added to the current state of purchase paralysis!

Whilst I love the idea of riding the bike light, using the motor for gentle assist on the tough bits, odds are in favour of me being seduced by the available power and ability to go further and longer.

I feel pretty fortunate to be able to be making a purchase at this time so apologise for this public agonising. Currently in favour of going for what seems a good price for plenty of bike that I can ride light or long. Whilst I accept there is a dramatic aesthetic impact of the TEC pack I suppose I should ask if it unbalances the bike terribly given its mounting height and weight?

 

[stiv674]

Thanks for all your advice and experience, these have helped educate me and also added to the current state of purchase paralysis!

Whilst I love the idea of riding the bike light, using the motor for gentle assist on the tough bits, odds are in favour of me being seduced by the available power and ability to go further and longer.

I feel pretty fortunate to be able to be making a purchase at this time so apologise for this public agonising. Currently in favour of going for what seems a good price for plenty of bike that I can ride light or long. Whilst I accept there is a dramatic aesthetic impact of the TEC pack I suppose I should ask if it unbalances the bike terribly given its mounting height and weight?

That was what I experienced when I first got mine, expecting to do 20 miles or so each time and just have the TEC pack for the odd longer ride, then every ride turned in to a long ride...

Regarding the extra weight of it, for general riding cross country etc I don't notice any difference really, I havent used it during any of my bike park days though so don't know if it would make a difference there.

I have managed to get 45 miles out the the internal battery a few times, it was hard work though, longest ride was 65 with about 25 on the TEC pack.

My Jam2 weighs 21.8 kg without the TEC pack, most new bosch bikes (non carbon) weigh around 23/24 kg so there's not a huge difference really.

 

[highpeakrider]

I’m on a 2018 which is great, and have the TEC pack which is rarely used.
If you go TEC pack you have to commit to a long ride.

If you go for a standard ride, then think I’d like to do more miles you don’t have that option.

Next bike I’m going for a bigger battery.
I’m thinking a Whyte 150 or another Jam.

People seem to have to many issues with the Levo, maybe because it’s very popular, and seems over priced for the spec.

 

[steve_sordy]

I bought the Jam2 9.6 Niner in Jan'19 and I have covered just under 1500 miles. I paid extra for the carbon frame (20.4kg) because I wanted it to be lighter as I have intermittent issues with my back. I liked the look of the bike from first sight, which is why it was on my test list. By the time I'd done 30 mins on the bike I was hooked!

I too thought I would only be doing short rides because on my analogue bike I was only physically able to do 10 miles in the woods every 3-4 days. But once I got going on it I found that I could go further (and faster). What I didn't expect was to be able to ride more frequently and that frequency has improved substantially in the last year. Depending upon where I rode, and how I rode, the mileage I got on a trip would vary from 15 miles and dead (!) to just over 30 miles with 9 miles in Eco left. So I'm super glad that I accepted the deal of a TEC pack at cost as part of the deal. I have hardly used it, but I will be using it for real tomorrow when I go out on a hilly route of a planned 32 miles.

I too dislike the look of the TEC pack; it's like a wart and harks back to the early designs of emtbs that appeared to be nothing more than a beefed up analogue bike with a wart on the down tube. But when ever I actually ride with it, not only can I not see it, but I can't say that I have noticed any impact upon the ride characteristics. But then I'm not popping wheelies or doing big jumps where I guess the extra weight (2238gm with the rubber bumpers fitted) may matter. It is certain to raise the centre of gravity of bike and rider, but the heavier you are the less it will matter. I am 92kg in my riding gear.

Ref the Focus overall. I have had the bike for two winters now and had zero problems with water, ingress with the motor or battery. I have some condensation in the display that appears intermittently. But I have cracked the screen, so that is probably how it got in. As regards ingress of muck and rubbish around the motor that seems to trouble many bikes, I had kept my eye on it but couldn't see anything untoward, so I'd left it alone. Two weeks ago I removed the motor guard for the first time and I was astonished at how clean it was in there. There was some dried mud and a few signs of where other mud had dried and fallen out, but so little that I could easily have just replaced the guard without cleaning it out! The air vents point backwards, so as long as you don't submerge them in water I suspect that there will be no problem. No problems with the motor at all.

What other problems:
A few problems with loose fastenings. At 575 miles, the Novatec rear axle bolt kept coming loose despite the correct torque, until I used Loctite. I suspect that was an assembly error. At 745 miles, the lower shock mounting bolt came loose and then fractured once the start of the thread got to the shear point. That was fixed under warranty. At 845 miles, one of the motor bolts came loose and entirely through my own fault, machined away the spider.
Problem with charging. There was a huge thread on this. But basically some of the 4.5Amp chargers scattered around the world would not charge the battery, (nor the TEC pack) under certain conditions of charge (low) and temperature (cold). The older 4Amp charger fixed this. Big problem in the winter of purchase Jan-Feb'19, but nothing since.
Sundry: At 800 miles the headset bearings were grumbling and were replaced. At 830 miles, the pistons on one side of the rear caliper cracked and jammed. The caliper was replaced under warranty. At 1050 miles the Di2 mode shifters started to stick, that was just muck in there and was OK after it was blasted out with an air line.
At 1380 miles, the pistons on one side of the front caliper were stuck and needed freeing off. At 1385 miles the dropper cable needed replacing. At 1447 miles the chain was removed and checked for length with a metal tape measure it had only 0.375% wear. No signs of wear other than scuffing on the chain ring or 11s cassette. That is the sum total and apart from the charging issue, I'm happy with that. Not too different from any other bike I've had.

Would I buy again? I would happily buy another Focus, but this time with a bigger frame battery.

 

[Spreaders]

Great feedback folks, thank you very much for the time and care put in to all these replies, has helped a lot.

Decision made and order placed, Jam2 C plus exclusive model (Looks like 2019 bike and spec despite sellers website suggesting it is 2020), Carbon front end, rockshox 35mm gold forks, shimano 8000, 378wh internal + tec pac, 4 pot brakes, xt/slx 11 speed, dropper, for just under £3400 delivered.

For the cash and majority of my predicted riding I think its a great solution.

Stay safe and well and happy riding.

 

[steve_sordy]

@Spreaders Great choice and a good deal, you will have a great time with the bike!
What colour is it?
Oh and by the way, buy some helicopter tape and protect the usual places.

 

[Spreaders]

I always forget the Heli tape or invisi wrap until after I have rushed off for first rides and scuffed my new bike but will try harder to do it right this time.

Was tempted by the blue but it would clash with all my riding gear so went grey!

 

[an12dyw]

i have a focus jam 2 and very rarely use the tec pack, thee only reason i can see for massive hardly any miles battery use is having it in constant boost mode, im 73kg have had my bike over 2 years, i have had 45 miles out of thee internal battery before i de restricted the bike, and still with the bike been de restricted it still does 33-35 miles and that is sometimes riding the bike in boost mode, i have done a 70 mile ride using both thee internal battery as well as the tec pack and still had 3 bars left on the tec pack, you will not find many bikes that have over 700wh on the market, theres a few 1125wh bikes out there, haibike, reiss and muller, new scott bikes, as well as the simplon rapcon pmax as well as a few hard tail focuses to name a few

 

[MartinW148]

i have a focus jam 2 and very rarely use the tec pack, thee only reason i can see for massive hardly any miles battery use is having it in constant boost mode, im 73kg have had my bike over 2 years, i have had 45 miles out of thee internal battery before i de restricted the bike, and still with the bike been de restricted it still does 33-35 miles and that is sometimes riding the bike in boost mode, i have done a 70 mile ride using both thee internal battery as well as the tec pack and still had 3 bars left on the tec pack, you will not find many bikes that have over 700wh on the market, theres a few 1125wh bikes out there, haibike, reiss and muller, new scott bikes, as well as the simplon rapcon pmax as well as a few hard tail focuses to name a few

Just curious, how did you de-restrict the bike?

 

[an12dyw]

Just curious, how did you de-restrict the bike?

i used an app called stunlocker available via apple and play store, you have to bluetooth it upto the bike, once stunlocker has read information on the bike it then asks if you want to send the code to stunlocker so it can write tuning software for the bike, send it off and stunlocker sends the re map back, costs 32 quid i think, only problem you have to reset the bikes firmware to an earlier version for it to work, stunlocker send you information how to do it, it has a max speed of 38mph, providing you have more than a bigger 34t chainring on it, i havent i have the 34t chain ring on, still does 30mph, but i usually potter about at 18-20 mph which i nice and nicer known you wont hit that 15.5 mph brick wall

 

[MartinW148]

i used an app called stunlocker available via apple and play store, you have to bluetooth it upto the bike, once stunlocker has read information on the bike it then asks if you want to send the code to stunlocker so it can write tuning software for the bike, send it off and stunlocker sends the re map back, costs 32 quid i think, only problem you have to reset the bikes firmware to an earlier version for it to work, stunlocker send you information how to do it, it has a max speed of 38mph, providing you have more than a bigger 34t chainring on it, i havent i have the 34t chain ring on, still does 30mph, but i usually potter about at 18-20 mph which i nice and nicer known you wont hit that 15.5 mph brick wall

Thanks

I have consider stunlocker to get a bit more freedom with the motor settings, but I always get a bit nervous with electronics, going away from factory. I did see there was a US setting which would give 20mph maximum, which as you say, more than enough.

Any adverse effects besides having to re-install older firmware?

 

[steve_sordy]

i used an app called stunlocker available via apple and play store, you have to bluetooth it upto the bike, once stunlocker has read information on the bike it then asks if you want to send the code to stunlocker so it can write tuning software for the bike, send it off and stunlocker sends the re map back, costs 32 quid i think, only problem you have to reset the bikes firmware to an earlier version for it to work, stunlocker send you information how to do it, it has a max speed of 38mph, providing you have more than a bigger 34t chainring on it, i havent i have the 34t chain ring on, still does 30mph, but i usually potter about at 18-20 mph which i nice and nicer known you wont hit that 15.5 mph brick wall

That is the first time I have seen a description of how Stunlocker works. Thank you!
despite the lure of not having the 25kph (15.5mph) cut off, I have not really been tempted. For two reasons: The first is that I don't actually find it that restricting. The second is that I am concerned about having a warranty claim rejected. But there is only 9 months before that concern disappears!

 

[Killswitch73]

I always forget the Heli tape or invisi wrap until after I have rushed off for first rides and scuffed my new bike but will try harder to do it right this time.

Was tempted by the blue but it would clash with all my riding gear so went grey!

How is the bike ? I have a Levo Sl for my longer days and looking for a more powerful bike but for shorter rides with the missis as she has the gen4 Bosch motor and keeping up with her on a 12 mile
Trial ride is a bit of a mission on the SL .. the bike seems a bit more pricier than the £3400 you paid as buying it in euros on my starling bank account it still comes in at £3560 .