New bike - Jam2, Genius or even Turbo Levo?

[MrPBruun]

Hey everybody

New member to the forums, but joined looking for help!
I’m searching for my first eMTB and can’t really decide witch one..
I haven’t ridden for many years, so I’ll basically start from scratch learning again. The bike just need to tackle the local trails, without a lot of commuting. Will be riding with other eMTB riders as well as some wery fit riders on analogue bikes sometimes.

Right now it’s, more or less, between the Focus Jam2 6.9 Nine and the Scott Genius eRide 920.
The only thing is, one of my local dealers highly recommended me to get a Turbo Levo Gen. 3 (He could’ve just sold me the Gen. 2 he had in stock, but recommended me to get the Gen. 3).
There's also a wildcard, witch is the Moustache Samedi 29 Trail 8, but I'm not sure about this one. Don't know the brand at all.

The Jam2 looks like a better spec’ed bike than the Genius 920 for just about the same price, but will the new Turbo Levo be that much better, considering the huge jump in price over the Jam2 and the Genius 920?

- MrPBruun

 

[Zimmerframe]

No two people are going to have the same experiences or feelings on bikes, but for what it's worth.

I have a Gen1 Kenevo which I've always loved and hated. Loved the way it went, loved the motor compared to the E8000 in terms of the noise levels and the power on Turbo. Hated that it's always had half the range I'd expect and unless you have a really good spesh dealer, you're screwed on sorting anything out warranty wise as it's really your dealer rather than Spesh who do the bending over backwards to give you that warranty.

A few weeks ago I hit my limit and gave up on the Kenevo, looked at various options and eventually came to similar choices to you. The Scott was unavailable anywhere and the Focus came highly recommended after discussions.

Couldn't get the 6.9 from any local dealers, but found a couple on line so bought one of those. My only concern was the weight. Spec wise out of the box it's excellent. I was also slightly concerned about the Fox 36 with Grip, but didn't need to be. The build quality and attention to detail is top notch and more importantly it rides fantastically, be it on some boring injury recovering road/track/fireroads or gnarly DH. I get twice the range with more assistance. Have done 80km's with 1500m climbing on it in EMTB mode (average 22kph) and 40+k's and 1600m climbing in EMTB on steeper more horrible stuff. The whole bike performs faultlessly the fork is amazing and you don't notice the weight. If there's one thing the Kenevo does better it's the TTX22 shock on the rear - I've still not got the Focus shock dialed in the same.

The Jam2 is a big bike. It's chunky ! My Kenevo is "L" the Jam "M".

Despite what things say on paper, they're pretty much identical on geometry and virtually every other measurement:

I really like it. Visually, I thought the saddle would cripple me, but seems to work fine for my arse.

 

[steve_sordy]

It's not just the bike, how it fits and how it looks. What also matters is the motor and how you access its power, the mode shifters etc. I just could not get on with the Levo, never ridden a Genius, rode loads of other bikes. The Moustache Samedi was a fantastic bike to look at (admired by everyone I met on the 4 hour test ride) but when I rode it the Bosch motor put me right off. I now suspect that i was being unfair. I didn't like Cubes, or Haibikes. The Giants came close, but not keen on the mode shifters or how the motor delivered its power. Then I found the Focus! That was the first emtb I had ridden where I stopped thinking of it as an electrically assisted mtb, what mode I was in etc and just enjoyed the ride. I bought one and 2.5 years later I still have it, still without flaw* and still being enjoyed enormously.

If you cannot test ride them, then get the Focus.

Edit:* The charger had a batch flaw and was replaced.
Edit 2: Shimano motor, E8000

 

[Afly]

I cant comment on the other bikes. I do have a Jam 6.9 2021 model. Just owned if for the last month as it replaced my Vitus Esommet. I can say that the Focus is a really good bike. Well specked for the price. Handles really well and the bosch motor is very good. I have just taken it round torridon with lots of abuse and not a single problem. I am really impressed by the way this bike handles compared to the previous vitus I had, it really is a different beast for the better. The jam2 is more trail orientated and it feels better to ride around trails than the vitus. The focus is slightly heavier but feels lighter on the trails (hard to explain but it does). Also climbs really well and the battery lasts for a long time. The XT running gear is very good. Removable battery for me was a must and thankfully can be removed from the Jam2.
I can highly recommend the Jam2.

 

[wagonrd]

No two people are going to have the same experiences or feelings on bikes, but for what it's worth.

I have a Gen1 Kenevo which I've always loved and hated. Loved the way it went, loved the motor compared to the E8000 in terms of the noise levels and the power on Turbo. Hated that it's always had half the range I'd expect and unless you have a really good spesh dealer, you're screwed on sorting anything out warranty wise as it's really your dealer rather than Spesh who do the bending over backwards to give you that warranty.

A few weeks ago I hit my limit and gave up on the Kenevo, looked at various options and eventually came to similar choices to you. The Scott was unavailable anywhere and the Focus came highly recommended after discussions.

Couldn't get the 6.9 from any local dealers, but found a couple on line so bought one of those. My only concern was the weight. Spec wise out of the box it's excellent. I was also slightly concerned about the Fox 36 with Grip, but didn't need to be. The build quality and attention to detail is top notch and more importantly it rides fantastically, be it on some boring injury recovering road/track/fireroads or gnarly DH. I get twice the range with more assistance. Have done 80km's with 1500m climbing on it in EMTB mode (average 22kph) and 40+k's and 1600m climbing in EMTB on steeper more horrible stuff. The whole bike performs faultlessly the fork is amazing and you don't notice the weight. If there's one thing the Kenevo does better it's the TTX22 shock on the rear - I've still not got the Focus shock dialed in the same.

The Jam2 is a big bike. It's chunky ! My Kenevo is "L" the Jam "M".

View attachment 65915

Despite what things say on paper, they're pretty much identical on geometry and virtually every other measurement:



View attachment 65919

I really like it. Visually, I thought the saddle would cripple me, but seems to work fine for my arse.

View attachment 65917

I've been down the road you're traveling many times, and kept building and buying ebikes based on cost and the outrageous claims made by makers and sellers. In every case I struggled with lead sleds that either malfunctioned or were suitable only for level pavement. Finally, I bit the financial bullet and bought the 2021 Specialized Turbo Levo Comp. I love it, but am now salivating over the Specialized Turbo Levo Sl; for weight is an enemy on the trail, and money limits my ability to upgrade.

 

[StevoKickstart]

Have you considered the Orbea Wild FS M10? I moved from a 2019 Carbon Comp Levo. very similar bikes in many ways, the Wild is better value though