With frames and builds like these, Focus should be on bike shoppers’ radar. Alongside some incredibly-well-spec’d road and ‘cross bikes, the German brand showed some very cool 29er hardtails at Interbike this year. Though it was the carbon-framed Raven 29r that initially caught my eye, it’s the sub-$1,000 Black Forest that is ultimately most impressive. Hit the jump for the dirty details.
Hey Marc, did you get to see the Super Bud 29R? Very curious about that bike, and similar (same?) geometry as the Raven. Just wondering how you think these bikes would handle out here compared to an Epic 29 or Edict Nine given those have ~ 71 deg head tube and a 73 deg seat tube vs the Focus at 69.5 HT at a steep 74 ST. They sound like very different bikes, and I wonder what would be better here in NM on something like 3 Bottles trail. I’m working on filing all the necessary domestic permits to get a dually 29er in the not too distant future, and I want something suited to all-day enduro riding (just did Taos DBT on a Lynskey Pro 29).
Was gonna post a link to the Super Bud
http://www.focus-bikes.com/int/en/bikes/bikes-2013/category/mtb-fullsuspension-21/subcategory/29r-fs/model/super-bud-29r-10-30-g.html
the slacker head angle (69.5 as opposed to 71 or 70 ) should be fine for smaller bikes. ,at 5’3 i find 29 er’s simply to tall at the head tube . running a negative stem makes it more difficult to loft the front wheel but anything else is chopper like and ridiculous feeling . i’m all for 650b .
