Focus Bikes Drops The Fancy JAM² SL Electric Mountain Bike

This sleek and athletic 29er has a carbon frame and a Fazua Drive 60 system.

By: Enrico Punsalang

Nov 16, 2022 at 7:39am ET

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In contrast to commuter and cargo-focused electric bikes, for-sport electric mountain and road bikes aren’t as powerful and punchy. As opposed to maximum assist, these kinds of bikes focus on a more natural pedal feel, and as such, prioritize lightweight motors and batteries, and sophisticated electronics. One of the best examples of a powertrain geared towards this purpose is the Porsche-owned Fazua system.

The Fazua e-bike system is available in multiple options and comes standard in a lot of premium electric mountain bikes of today. A good example of this is the newly released Focus JAM² SL, which sets itself apart from the standard JAM² in a number of ways. The standard bike features a Shimano drive system, whereas the SL, which has a penchant for keeping things lightweight, gets the Fazua Ride 60 system. On top of that, it’s packing a carbon fiber frame. The result is that the SL is 30 percent lighter than the standard JAM².

Having a bike that’s 30 percent lighter will certainly pay dividends on the trail, and make for a much more nimble bike that’s capable of tackling technical sections of trail at a blistering pace. On top of that, the bike has a solid 150 millimeters of suspension travel, making enduro trails all-mountain courses a walk in the park. As for the battery, the JAM² SL packs a 430-Wh battery pack that’s concealed beautifully in the downtube, and slides out from the bottom for charging. There’s also an optional 210-Wh range-extender that fits conveniently in the external bottle holder.

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At a glance, it can be easy to miss the fact that the JAM² SL is actually an e-bike. This sleek and athletic carbon 29er does a great job of concealing all the electronic components thanks to internal cable routing and the incredibly compact Fazua Ride 60 system. That being said, all this kit comes at a price, and it’s quite a hefty price.

The base model JAM² SL 8.7, equipped with a SRAM NX Eagle drivetrain carries a steep 6,200-Euro price tag, which translates to around $6,404 USD. Up the ladder, the 8.8, which gets a Shimano XT drivetrain, retails for 7,000 Euros, or $7,231 USD. If you want even fancier kit, you’ll have to drop 8,500 Euros ($8,780 USD) for the 9.9, and 11,500 Euros ($11,879 USD) for the range-topping 9.0, with a wireless SRAM X01 AXS and Fox Factory suspension.