German bike manufacturer FOCUS has been around about 30 years. The FOCUS SAM² 6.9 was put out to be its showstopper in the downhill market. On paper, it reads well: big travel and some gnarly features that the Germans say will take on the wildest of trails.
With the downhill market packed full of great bikes these days, pulling eyeballs this way in the e-MTB market is no small thing. Do FOCUS manage to do that? It’s time to put in the elbow grease and bomb down in this FOCUS SAM² 6.9 review…
FOCUS SAM² 6.9 Review
Price: $8,764
Peaks:
- Suspension
- Robust
- Can take the big impacts
- Motor
- Battery
Troughs:
- Weight
- Lack of versatility
- Handling
- Struggles uphill
Weight/Frame
The FOCUS SAM² 6.9 features a heavy weight, 7005 hydroformed aluminum frame. Care has been given to all the connecting points so that the bike turns into as stiff of a construction as possible to stand even the largest impacts on the trail.
And it does give a super-smooth finish, but all this hard work comes at a price: the bike tippity-tops in at a hefty 26.6kg. Heavy it ain’t exactly news on downhill and jump bikes – although even by most downhill folk’s standards, this is heavy-going.
All that weight certainly makes the bike tough, it can launch off absolutely anything and feel stable on impact – however, it can feel a bit of a beast to manipulate in the really twisty stuff. It comes with a slack head tube angle and a long old wheelbase to help with that stability and the battery is placed very low in the downtube to ensure you get a decent centre of gravity.
It’s built for the big hits and you feel composed when tackling some of the toughest terrain out there, but the handling is pretty weighty, which means when things get narrower it can feel laboured. That weight also makes it a sluggish climber and not the most versatile.
The frame comes in 4 sizes: small, medium, large and extra-large-all with the same geometry.
Battery
The FOCUS SAM² 6.9 is equipped with an excellent 750Wh Bosch PowerTube battery. We know what to expect from Bosch electrical components by now – reliability, great usability and an intelligent mode of power delivery.
That chunky 750Wh battery sure packs up a pretty big weight for the bike, but having it down in the downtube makes you feel glued into place, planted on the trail. The Bosch PowerTube usually provides huge range, but owing to the weight of the FOCUS SAM² 6.9 you don’t get the usual large figures you sometimes see.
We can get in around 2,000m of climbing in around 75km-it ain’t surprising but is pretty good. You have a robust outer casing around the battery, to safeguard it from damage on those wild downhill routes, which is needed considering the gnarly capabilities of the bike.
It takes nearly two and a half hours to charge up the 750Wh Bosch PowerTube to 50 percent and about 6 hours to bring it all fully back into life.
Motor
It comes mounted with the Bosch Performance CX Smart System motor, one of the best in the game, which punches out up to 85Nm of torque. Sigh, due to the weight, you really need that amount of kick in the motor, and it goes a long way in elevating the pain of the heavy frame.
The bike will never be the most adept climber, simply down to weight and also size – it’s designed this way to excel on the descents and it does. However, in steeper climbs, especially technical, twisty, the FOCUS SAM² 6.9 struggles at times.
But on a straighter route the bike handles comfortably and you’ve got enough fuel in the tank to drag your heavy frame back up to the start of the next wild downhill run. The power is delivered in a natural way and you feel composed out on the trail – you need that because if you had any overshoot or jerk with that heavy frame it could be pretty hard to handle.
You are given a number of support versions- Eco, Tour, Tour+, e-MTB and Sport.
ℹ️ Be cautious with your assistance use on hazardous technical sections – the bike’s heavyweight, combined with its immense power, could lead to a nasty accident if you aren’t careful or don’t have the strength to cope with it.
Motor Display
The FOCUS SAM² 6.9 has come accompanied by a Bosch Kiox 300 – fantastically designed display. Not only will you get your battery health displayed as a percentage figure, but you will also be able to change the view options with quite ease.
Available is a lot of data, including distance traveled, speed, RPM, mapping information, time, and much more. Quite handy to have at one’s disposal, it really makes for a better day out on the trails.
It’s all on the handlebars, of course, for visibility, and you have a small mini controller to switch between the modes of assist too. A very worthwhile display to have.
Suspension
The FOCUS SAM² 6.9 is for wild stuff, and the suspension setup reflects this: You get a monster 180mm of travel at the front end and 170mm at the rear, with FOX 38 Factory Float forks and FOX DHX Performance Coil shocks.
This is singingly capable of being taken to the rough stuff and it performs majestically out on the trail. The forks are also highly adjustable, to help you tweak the suspension setup for the day’s riding requirements, or to the specifications of your body weight.
The shocks aren’t quite as adjustible, which is a bit of an oversight, but they still did the trick for us while riding. The setup is capable of taking the wildest drops and the gnarliest impacts, without so much as a whimper.
It’s absolutely geared up for the terrain the bike was made for and when you’re heading downhill it’s a complete shredder.
Wheels/Tyres
The FOCUS SAM² 6.9 comes with 29in wheels at the front and the rear, supplied by Mavic with the manufacturer’s e-Deemax 30s. They’re heavy-duty wheels, which have extra strengthening properties inside to take the big impacts that you are likely to throw this bike into.
They’re shod in Schwalbe Magic Mary tyres at 2.6 inch wide – again, this is designed to offer stability out on the trail and you have a seriously toothy tread to grip firm into the dirt.
Brakes
These Shimano XT M8120 hydraulic disc brakes for the FOCUS SAM² 6.9 are the largest, burliest of old beasts, one made to fight hard in the toughest situations. Absolutely spot on for this downhill beast.
Drivetrain
The 12-speed Shimano Deore XT M8100 drivetrain on the FOCUS SAM² 6.9 hasn’t left us in awe by any stretch, but frankly, most of this bike’s work will be done courtesy of gravity’s pull, so realistically, you don’t need an all-singing, all-dancing drivetrain. By then accounting for that, we suspect it does the job.
Price: $8,764
Well, it’s not a bad price for an absolute shredder of a downhill bike. Yeah, definitely has areas to improve; we feel this is a bit too heavy, and you can easily find even lighter downhill bikes for your money. But you’re getting top-of-the-line electrical bits, a belter of a suspension, and it rides very comfortably.
FOCUS SAM² 6.9 Facts & Figures
Size Configurations
GEOMETRY | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
S | M | L | XL | |
SIZE (mm) | 390 | 420 | 440 | 460 |
HANDLEBAR WIDTH (mm) | 820 | 820 | 820 | 820 |
STEM LENGTH | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
CRANKARM LENGTH (mm) | 165 | 165 | 165 | 165 |
SEAT POST LENGTH | 390 | 440 | 480 | 480 |
SEAT TUBE LENGTH | 390 | 420 | 440 | 460 |
EFFECTIVE TOP TUBE | 578 | 608 | 637 | 671 |
HEAD TUBE ANGLE (mm) | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 |
EFFECTIVE SEAT TUBE ANGLE (mm) | 77.5 | 77.5 | 77.5 | 77.5 |
CHAINSTAY LENGTH | 450 | 450 | 450 | 450 |
BOTTOM BRACKET DROP | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
HEAD TUBE LENGTH | 100 | 100 | 120 | 100 |
WHEELBASE LENGTH | 1229 | 1259 | 1293 | 1332 |
STACK | 623 | 623 | 641 | 659 |
REACH | 440 | 470 | 495 | 525 |
Full Specs
| FRAMESET | ||
|---|---|---|
| Frame | Rear Shock | Suspension Fork |
| 7005 hydroformed aluminium, 3D forging, 170 mm F.O.L.D. Gen2, 148×12 mm thru axle, internal cable routing, USB-C port, post mount 203 mm Material: Aluminium (AL) | FOX DHX Performance Coil, 230/65 mm, hardware: 20,0 x 8.0 mm Travel: 180 mm | FOX 38 Factory Float 29, Grip 2, E-Bike+, 110×15 mm, 44 mm rake |
DRIVETRAIN
| Motor | Battery | Rear Derailleur |
| Bosch Performance CX Smart, 85 Nm, 250 W | 750 Wh 20.8 Ah | Shimano Deore XT M8100, 12-speed |
| Shift Lever | Cassette | Crank |
| Shimano Deore XT M8100, 12-speed | Shimano SLX M7100, 12-speed | RaceFace Aeffect R e-Optimized Bosch G4 |
How Does it Compare?
There are some downright tremendous downhill e-MTBs out there, so how does the FOCUS SAM² 6.9 position itself? Time for some comparisons: it’s going to come up against the Specialized Turbo Kenevo Expert.
I think first off we can toss the weight factor out of the window, at least when it comes to the two of us, because on the Turbo Kenevo Expert, I weigh in at 23.9kg – that’s 2.7kg less than our FOCUS SAM² 6.9.
That makes a huge difference to the handling quality of the bikes, the Turbo Kenevo Expert is much nimbler and can be tossed through the more technical stuff much more easily.
Just like that, the Specialized also climbs so much better as a result and that makes it much more versatile than our FOCUS SAM².
On the other hand, our FOCUS SAM² has a bigger and better battery – Specialized has its custom 700Wh, while ours has a 750Wh unit from Bosch, which comes to just a very slightly improved range.
The Specialized has a custom 2.2 motor, which can throw out a punchy 90Nm of torque – that’s 5Nm more than our Bosch Performance Line CX, and when you factor in the lighter weight, it means the Specialized climbs much better indeed.
The Turbo Kenevo Expert’s display is more advanced, too, but the suspension setups are on par – both offer tremendous performance on the gnarly trails.
The Turbo Kenevo Expert also packs far superior SRAM brakes and an SRAM drivetrain. Now down to price – the Specialized comes in at $9,000, $236 more than our FOCUS SAM² 6.9.
Handling and Control: Precision at Its Best
The Focus SAM² 6.9 is easy to ride on, thanks to its well-adjusted geometry and high-end components. The 29-inch wheels give great rollover ability; it is easier to maintain speed and control obstacles when riding. Together with Maxxis Minion tires, the bike grips well on any given surface-the loose gravel to compact dirt.
There is also an adjustable seat post with a handlebar remote, so on-the-fly adjustments mean not having to stop and fidget with the post when getting into your ideal climbing or descending position. The handlebar width and length of stem offer a balanced feel for longer comfort rides, even precision when navigating tight switchbacks.
Final Thoughts
The FOCUS SAM² 6.9 shows flashes of brilliance but is restrained by the whole bike’s weight. In all seriousness, the bike truly flies with the flow of gravity: you have a plush suspension setup that’s really built for the nasty stuff – be it huge jump lines, big drops, or razor-sharp singletracks.
The bike feels absolutely very sluggish uphill and if the terrain gets very twisty between the trees, you don’t feel like the bike has the agility to comfortably dance through the obstacles. You have tremendous electrical components, which help with the climbing, but overall, the whole bike just feels a bit too bulky for us.
Sure, a respectable entry to the downhill market, but you can get much better for just a slice more cash. That’s our thoughts on this FOCUS SAM 6.9. Now your chance to give this bike a dance downhill.
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