Two new alloy Focus JAM & THRON mountain bikes hope to make you feel like a kid again, bringing playtime back to trail rides. Stretching out what had been their previous generation trail bikes, the two affordable aluminum 29ers – 130mm trail Thron and 150mm all-mountain Jam – both promise playful riding from local singletrack loops to bigger mountain trips.
All-new 2021 Focus THRON & JAM alloy all-mountain bikes
Both new THRON & JAM bikes build on the same core single-pivot FOLD suspension of the original JAM, with revised linkage-driven shock layouts for improved single-phase suspension progression & bottom-out control through both new shorter & longer travel options. Several side benefits to the updated FOLD layout include more standover clearance, space for full-sized water bottles, and room for a new integrated tool pack.
While the previous all-mountain bikes had a myriad of carbon & aluminum configurations, now Focus is keeping it simple…
Full alloy framesets only, which also keeps bike costs affordable.
And even though the result looks to be complete bikes that are about a kilo heavier than before, thanks to more aggressive geometry, new flip-chip adjustability for the Jam, bigger wheels & tires… there’s no arguing that both of these new bikes are much more capable than ever!
The new Focus JAM all-mountain bike
Thanks to the addition of a new smaller sibling, the new Jam is able to shift towards more aggressive riding as an All-Mountain bike. Up from 140mm and 27.5 wheels of the original Jam of the past, this new JAM is now more truly all-mountain ready with 29″ wheels and 150mm of travel front & rear.
The new Jam gets more modern long & much slacker geometry for technical riding, built around a 65°/65.5° headtube, new 44mm offset forks, and a more forward position on the bike for stable, but playful descending.
Then, a new steep 76/76.5° effective seat angle means you can still pedal back uphill better too (frame reaches grow 10-45mm accordingly, depending on frame size.)
And lastly, the small flip-chip in the linkage at the lower shock mount gives riders a bit of fine-tuning possibility.
Jam – Tech details
One standout tech feature is Focus’ C.I.S. integrated cockpit cable routing, which brings all cables in through the stem faceplates and into the frame “through the headset”. Presumably, that means an oversized upper bearing that actually routes the cables in front of the steerer of the fork, so it can work with standard 1.5″ tapered steerer MTB forks.
The hydroformed 7005 alloy frame gets 3D-forged shock links, Boost 148 spacing, sealed bearings at all suspension & shock pivots, a BSA threaded bottom bracket, ISCG tabs, 31.6mm dropper seatposts, post mount 180mm rear brake, and clearance for 29 x 2.4″ tires.
The direct-mount integrated tool bag fits just above the upper shock mount, with a velcro strap inside to keep a tube, tool & CO2 inflator from rattling around inside.
New Jam bike build options, pricing & availability
Three complete bikes are available now from your local Focus dealer, although the limited edition Jam 6.0 LTD will only make it to a shortlist of select dealers. The Jam 6.0 LTD gets a SRAM GX AXS Eagle build and RockShox Lyric Ultimate & Super Deluxe Select+ suspension.
The standard £3000 / 3000€ Jam 6.9 picks Shimano XT 1×12, 4-piston XT brakes, and Fox 36 Performance & DPS suspension, at a claimed 15.9kg.
And the £2400 / 2400€ Jam 6.8 opts for mechanical SRAM NX Eagle and RockShox Revelation & Deluxe Select suspension, at 15.8kg.
UPDATE: Now available in carbon too for 2022!
The all-new Focus THRON trail mountain bike
What was All-Mountain before gets reclassified as Trail in the new Thron. While the new JAM is bigger than ever, the all-new THRON is like a dialed-back version, kind of a reworking of the original JAM now with 29″ wheels and 130mm of trail-taming travel.
Geometry on the Thron is quite similar to the old Jam and steeper than the new one, well-suited to all-around trail riding with a 66.5° head angle, 75° seat angle, and now 435mm chainstays to fit the bigger wheels. Reach is ~10mm shorter than the new Jam.
Thron – Tech details
The Thron gets the same FOLD suspension update, new internal routing & tool bag, plus it adds a set of discrete rear rack mounts on the one-piece rear triangle (& thru-axle kickstand mount) that lets Focus turn it into a super-commuter all-terrain touring bike, too.
The 130mm bikes also build off a virtually identical hydroformed 7005 alloy frameset with Boost spacing, sealed bearings, threaded BB, ISCG tabs, 31.6mm post, post mount 180 rear brake, and clearance for 29 x 2.4″ tires.
New Thron bike build options, pricing & availability
The top tier £2900 / 2800€ Thron 6.9 gets a Shimano XT 12sp drivetrain 4/2-pistion XT brake setup, and Fox 34 Float Rythm & DPS suspension, at a claims 15.5kg.
The £2200 / 2200€ Thron 6.8 features a Shimano Deore 1×12 plus RockShox Recon Gold RL & Deluxe Select suspension, at 15.7kg.
The £2200 / 2200€ Thron 6.8 EQP gets a SR Suntour suspension, a Shimano Deore 1×12, and equipped with a complete touring package of full-coverage fenders, rear rack, lights & kickstand.
2021 Focus THRON 130mm trail & JAM150mm all-mountain bikes, affordable alloy MTB trail bike,
2021 Focus THRON JAM affordable alloy trail MTB all-mountain bikes_
As Focus says, “We might grow up, but we never stop playing. Although, our playground may have changed…”
