First ride review: 2021 FOCUS SAM² 6.9 – An eMTB bike for one purpose: riding downhill!

The brand-new FOCUS SAM² 6.9 2021 features a Bosch motor, a big 625 Wh battery and was designed to deliver uncompromised downhill performance. While putting the bike through the wringer on the challenging trails around Freiburg, hitting huge road gaps, nasty rock gardens and fast berms all day long, we also had a chance to test the bike’s uphill credentials between runs.

Why are we riding uphill? For many riders, the climb is just a means to an end and the real fun begins when gravity turns in their favour. Now, the new long-travel SAM² 2021 with Bosch Performance Line CX motor, was created exactly for those riders. With its 170 mm travel, wide 29 “x 2.6” tires, coil shock and robust tires, the new SAM² 6.9 hits the scales at a whopping 25 kg.

The FOCUS SAM² 6.9 in detail

It’s clearly a FOCUS! Like the JAM², which was launched last year, the new SAM² bears all the typical design features that characterise the bikes of the German brand. Particularly striking are the slim silhouette with the F.O.L.D swing-arm and FOCUS’ in-house C.I.S. stem, where all cables and wires run internally from the stem into the headset and directly into the frame. This makes for a tidy look, both in the frame- and cockpit-area. Unfortunately, FOCUS didn’t quite follow through with the concept and didn’t bother removing the old cable ports from the down tube. These are totally superfluous because even with a traditional stem, you could still run the cables through the headset. While the Purion display might be a little outdated in terms of functions, it’s still the most minimalist option in Bosch’s display-range and therefore the most sensible option for the area of application of the SAM². The minimalist concept of the Purion ensures a tidy cockpit but has a compatibility issue with the latest Shimano brake levers, which push it far inwards on the handlebars and thus make it hard to reach.
But the integration doesn’t stop in the cockpit area. Although Bosch didn’t design it to be used this way, FOCUS cleverly integrated the speed sensor into the dropout and attached the magnet directly to the brake rotor, where it’s protected against impacts. The internal 625 Wh battery can be removed from the downtube quickly and easily or charged directly on the bike via the charging socket, which is also well protected from dirt and mud.

Specs, weight and technical data of the FOCUS SAM² 6.9

Since the new SAM² was designed for uncompromising downhill performance, FOCUS didn’t even try to save weight and opted for a robust, downhill-oriented spec instead: nice one! The chassis includes an eMTB-specific 170 mm FOX 38 Factory fork at the front and a 170 mm VAN Performance coil shock out back – we would have expected a new FOX DHX2, to be honest. The cheaper coil-shock doesn’t have an externally adjustable high-speed compression setting, which means if you are in between spring-rates you should opt for the harder one to prevent hard bottom outs. A clever mix of Shimano XT and SLX components transfers the motor’s 85 Nm torque to the rear wheel. The XT rear-derailleur, and especially the multi-release shifter, ensure fast and reliable gear shifts, both up and down. The good news is that you can replace all wear parts with cheaper SLX spares. Four-piston Shimano XT brakes with 200 mm rotors provide reliable and powerful deceleration, which is exactly what a heavy, 25 kg-bike needs. For the 2021 season, FOCUS rely on 2.6″ Schwalbe Magic Mary tires with ADDIX Soft Rubber compound and Super Gravity casing on the rear and the new, lighter Super Trail casing up front.

Other FOCUS SAM² models

For exactly € 1,000 less, you can get the SAM² 6.8, which also comes in a well thought-out package. The entry model relies on the same motor, battery, frame and display of the high-end version of our test. In terms of riding behaviour, the biggest difference is in the suspension. The cheaper 6.8 model features a RockShox Super Deluxe air shock and ZEB Charger R fork. The latter doesn’t have an externally-adjustable high speed setting, which can be a setback for some riders. Unlike Shimano, SRAM have already released 220 mm brake rotors, which come as standard on the SAM² 6.8 in combination with SRAM CODE R brakes. So far, we didn’t have the opportunity to ride the SAM² 6.8, but it looks like a great alternative to the top-spec version we tested – at least on paper.

The geometry of the FOCUS SAM²

In all four sizes (S to XL), the SAM² rolls out of the factory on 29” wheels as standard but a flip-chip in the dropout allows you to run 27.5” wheels or a even mullet setup, with a 29” wheel up front and 27.5” out back. That being said, the flip chip shouldn’t be used to adapt the geometry of the bike with the standard 29” wheels – the balanced geometry of the SAM² 2021 doesn’t require any changes. With its 65° head angle and 480 mm reach (size L), the bike is neither radically long and slack, nor too conservative or nervous. What does stick out, though, is the high front-end across all sizes, which underlines the rowdy, downhill-oriented character of the bike.

Size	S	M	L	XL
Seat tube	410 mm	420 mm	450 mm	490 mm
Top tube	587 mm	608 mm	642 mm	676 mm
Head tube	110 mm	115 mm	130 mm	150 mm
Head angle	65°	65°	65°	65°
Seat angle	76°	76°	76°	76°
Chainstay	450 mm	450 mm	450 mm	450 mm
BB Drop	20 mm	20 mm	20 mm	20 mm
Wheelbase	1215 mm	1236 mm	1273 mm	1311 mm
Reach	430 mm	450 mm	480 mm	510 mm
Stack	629 mm	634 mm	648 mm	666 mm

First ride review: FOCUS SAM² 6.9 2021

Oh yes, the FOCUS SAM² 6.9 does ride uphill – and surprisingly well, considering what it was designed for. Thanks to the high front-end and moderately steep seat angle, the riding position is very comfortable, with the weight evenly distributed between the handlebars and saddle. The FOX VAN coil-shock and wide tires generate good traction and provide a good level of comfort too. Even without a lock-out lever, which you get on the Super Deluxe shock of the 6.8 model, the rear-end of our top–spec model always sits high in its travel, even when tackling steep climbs. The powerful Turbo mode – the only one you should use to “shuttle” in our opinion – is easy to modulate, even on technical climbs. Once you get to the top, you’ll have to deal with the fiddly remote of the 170 mm FOX-Transfer dropper. Why? Because FOCUS released the first models of the new SAM² with a Kind Shock remote, which is ergonomically awkward and makes no sense whatsoever. However, FOCUS have promised to change the remote later on this year.

Given that the SAM² was designed to descend, it climbs surprisingly well.

Once you turn its nose downhill, the SAM² 6.9 shines with its well-balanced character. The 480 mm reach (size L) and generous seatpost travel guarantee good freedom of movement in all directions and the high front-end inspires confidence even on steep trails. Nonetheless, on flatter trails the SAM² 6.9 doesn’t feel rear-heavy, because the coil shock sits high in its travel and the long, heavy battery puts pressure on the front wheel. Both the fork and the shock smooth out nasty rock gardens, and despite the coil setup, the rear-end only bottoms out with very nasty hits.

Massive berms, huge jumps and nasty drops: The FOCUS SAM² 6.9 really comes to life on rough, man-made trails.

While the chassis makes for a smooth ride even on the nastiest root-carpets and brake bumps, the SAM² is still not a quiet ride, because the Bosch motor produces a loud clunking noise whenever you hit a rough descent – there’s nothing FOCUS could do about this. On the trail, the SAM² 6.9 feels lighter than expected in most situations and encourages you to play with the trail features – and handles even bigger jumps and massive drops without breaking a sweat. Even on less challenging trails, the weight of the bike doesn’t get in the way. However, on moderate trails, the SAM² gets easily bored and requires more physical effort for quick direction changes.

FOCUS SAM² 6.9 – Our conclusions

With the new SAM² 6.9, FOCUS have expanded their portfolio with a powerful long-travel eMTB. The German manufacturer successfully integrated the Bosch system into their platform and rounded off the successful concept with a consequent, high-quality spec. The harder and faster the trail, the more comfortable the SAM² feels. On flowy trails and long rides, on the other hand, it gets easily bored – but that’s where the smaller JAM² feels at home.

More info at focus-bikes.com

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Words: Photos: Manuel Sulzer, Felix Stix