German brand Focus gave its burliest e-MTB, the Sam², a refresh in late 2025. There’s an updated motor package, improved adjustability, and a mixed wheel platform, all the right ingredients for a rowdy time.
Spoiler alert: it’s heavy, but it’s almost refreshing to see a brand seemingly throw weight to the wind, stick to its guns, and offer a rig in the lineup for the bike-destroyers amongst us.
A sleek new frame, party-sized rear wheel, updated geometry and a new motor.
Watch the video review of the Focus Sam² here:
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What’s new with the Focus Sam²?
The biggest news with the updated Sam² is the swap to a mixed wheel-only platform. The previous iteration rolled on a pair of 29in hoops, with no adjustability for the party-sized wheel out back.
The frame’s overall aesthetic has been refined, too, and we must admit it’s a sleek-looking rig. It’s no secret that the older generation Sam² was a bit of a tank, and this newer bike looks and feels much more refined overall.
The frame is only available in 7005 Aluminium, with no carbon fibre options in the lineup. Up at the headtube, the welds appear almost non-existent, and we’d wager that some folks might even mistake it for carbon fibre at first glance.
Excuse me, is this carbon?
Suspension-wise, there is 165mm of rear wheel travel out back, a 5mm decrease from the previous iteration. This is paired with a 170mm fork up front on all models; Focus doesn’t recommend jumping up to 180mm.
The cables still go through the headset, but the brand has ditched the in-stem routing, which, bluntly put, was a pain to work on. The older-style battery cover, down near the motor, has been given the flick and replaced with a more conventional option that runs the length of the downtube. Other frame protection details include a soft rubber flap at the chainstay bridge and a super-soft, gooey chainstay protector to quieten chain slap.
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Yep, the cables still go through the headset, but at least they don’t route through the stem this time around.
Motor & Battery
Similar to the previous iteration of the Sam², this one is powered by the Bosch CX motor system, albeit the updated Gen5 version. It punches out 100Nm of torque and 750W of peak power, and the motor characteristics can be fine-tuned in the Bosch Flow app.
There is a charging port on the seat tube, with a swinging cover that keeps the dirt and muck out. The top tube houses the Bosch LED System Controller to manage battery levels, but unlike many other frames with the Gen 5 CX motor, the Sam² is not compatible with the new LED Kiox 400C display.
Controllers aside, the Sam² is compatible with both the 600Wh and 800Wh Bosch PowerTube batteries, but in Australia, folks will only be able to buy the 600Wh flavour. The battery is removable via the hatch on the underside of the downtube, but you’ll need the provided ABUS key to unlock it first. The frame is compatible with the Bosch 250Wh range extender, which boosts the total capacity up to 850Wh, but it is an aftermarket purchase.
The mighty Bosch CX Gen5 motor powers the Sam² up the hills.
Geometry & Sizing
There are four sizes in the Sam² lineup, ranging from Small to Extra-Large, and they seem to be on the longer end for each given size. A size Large sports a 490mm reach, which would be closer to an Extra-Large in some brands. We should point out that this is 5mm shorter than a size Large of the previous iteration, but it’s still worth riders having a detailed look at the geometry chart.
Focus has developed a pretty neat solution to incorporate an adjustable rear centre length, which is typically a little tricky with UDH-compatible frames. There are two pairs of flip clips on the chainstay and rocker link, allowing 7mm of adjustability, with rear centre lengths ranging from 441mm to 448mm. There’s also a two-position angle-adjust headset, offering adjustability from 63.5° to 64.5°.
Price & Specs
There are three models available in the Sam² lineup, with prices starting at $8,499 AUD and jumping to $12,499 AUD. We have received the middle-tier offering, the Sam² 6.9, which retails for $10,499 AUD.
It’s running a top-tier Fox Factory 38 fork with a GRIP X2 damper, paired with a Fox DHX shock in the rear. Slowing you down is a set of TRP’s newest-generation DH-R EVO brakes with the updated lever design and 220mm rotors front and rear. Other specs include an SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission drivetrain, DT Swiss HF1900 wheels, and a OneUp V3 dropper post and OneUp 35mm rise bar.
The 6.0 is the top-tier model in the lineup, retailing for $12,499 AUD.
Focus Sam² 6.0
Frame | 7005 Aluminium, 165mm F.O.L.D Suspension, 148x12mm Axle Spacing
Motor | Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5, 100Nm, 750W
Battery | Bosch PowerTube 600Wh
Fork | RockShox ZEB Ultimate, Charger 3.1 Damper, 170mm Travel
Shock | RockShox Vivid Ultimate Coil, 230×62.5mm
Wheels | DT Swiss HFR1700 Aluminium, 29in Front, 27.5in Rear, Boost Spacing
Tyres | Schwalbe Magic Mary, Super DH Casing, ADDIX Ultra Soft Compound, 29×2.4in Front, 27.5×2.4in rear
Drivetrain | SRAM GX AXS Transmission w/ SRAM GX 165mm Cranks
Brakes | SRAM Maven Silver, SRAM HS2 220mm Rotors
Bar | OneUp Alloy, 800mm Wide, 35mm Rise
Stem | Focus C.I.S. 2.0, 40mm Length
Seatpost | OneUp V3, 34.9mm Diameter, 150mm (S), 180mm (M), 210mm (L), 210mm (XL)
Claimed Weight | 25.8kg
RRP | $12,499 AUD
Our test bike is the 6.9 model, which retails for $10,499 AUD.
Focus Sam² 6.9
Frame | 7005 Aluminium, 165mm F.O.L.D Suspension, 148x12mm Axle Spacing
Motor | Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5, 100Nm, 750W
Battery | Bosch PowerTube 600Wh
Fork | Fox Factory 38, GRIP X2 Damper, 170mm Travel
Shock | Fox DHX Performance Coil, 230×62.5mm
Wheels | DT Swiss HF1900 Aluminium, 29in Front, 27.5in Rear, Boost Spacing
Tyres | Schwalbe Magic Mary, Super DH Casing, ADDIX Ultra Soft Compound, 29×2.4in Front, 27.5×2.4in rear
Drivetrain | SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission w/ Samox 165mm Cranks
Brakes | TRP DH-R EVO, TRP RS01E 220mm Rotors
Bar | OneUp Alloy, 800mm Wide, 35mm Rise
Stem | Focus C.I.S. 2.0, 40mm Length
Seatpost | OneUp V3, 34.9mm Diameter, 150mm (S), 180mm (M), 210mm (L), 210mm (XL)
Confirmed Weight | 26.44kg (L)
RRP | $10,499 AUD
The 6.8 model is the cheapest in the lineup, retailing for $8,499 AUD.
Focus Sam² 6.8
Frame | 7005 Aluminium, 165mm F.O.L.D Suspension, 148x12mm Axle Spacing
Motor | Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5, 100Nm, 750W
Battery | Bosch PowerTube 600Wh
Fork | Fox 38 Rhythm, GRIP 3-Pos Damper, 170mm Travel
Shock | Fox DHX Performance Coil, 230×62.5mm
Wheels | WTB STi30 Rims w/ Formula Hubs, 29in Front, 27.5in Rear, Boost Spacing
Tyres | Maxxis Assegai DoubleDown MaxxGrip 29×2.5in Front, Maxxis DHRII DH Casing MaxxGrip 27.5×2.5in Rear
Drivetrain | Shimano Deore M6100 1x12spd w/ Samox 165mm Cranks
Brakes | Shimano Deore M6120 4-piston, Shimano SM-RT66 220mm Rotors
Bar | Focus Alloy, 800mm Wide, 30mm Rise
Stem | Focus C.I.S. 2.0, 40mm Length
Seatpost | Post Moderne DP-212, 34.9mm Diameter, 125mm (S), 170mm (M), 200mm (L), 200mm (XL)
Claimed Weight | 26.5kg (L)
RRP | $8,499 AUD
Focus Sam² Sizing & Fit
I opted for a size Large, which, at 188cm, felt comfortable straight away. I do tend to prefer a slightly smaller eMTB due to the additional weight, and the 490mm reach on the Sam² is around 10mm shorter than what I typically opt for in an analogue bike of this stature.
I’d highly recommend taking a good look at the geometry chart or taking one for a spin, as generally speaking, I ride XL-sized bikes, but the 520mm reach of the XL Sam², when combined with the hefty weight, would be a tall order to move around.
The stock 500lbs spring is a little stiff for my 80kg-ish rider weight, resulting in around 24% sag. The trouble with coil shocks is that they are inherently a bit more work to adjust, requiring sourcing a lighter spring-rate coil. While I initially thought I’d find myself chasing down a lighter 450lb spring, I ended up liking the stiffer, more supportive feel of the stock spring, which helped prevent the bike from riding too much like a tractor.
Fork Setup
Pressure | 86 psi
Tokens | 1 token (3 installed from stock)
Low Speed Rebound | 13 clicks
High Speed Rebound | 6 clicks
Low Speed Compression | 12 clicks
High Speed Compression | 8 clicks
Shock Setup
Spring Rate| 500lbs
Rebound | 7 clicks
Compression Mode | Open
I tend to prefer e-MTBs on the smaller side, and the size Large was spot on for my 188cm height.
Focus Sam² Weight
Hold your breath, people.
On the FlowHQ scales, the Sam², in size Large, set up tubeless and without pedals, weighed 26.44kg. That takes the crows as the heaviest e-MTB we’ve ever tested. Ouch.
The previous 29in version of the Sam² weighed in at 26.01kg, so somewhere throughout the process, the Sam² has added some heft.
I do think you could put the Sam² on a diet. These wheels are particularly heavy, and a much lighter set of aluminium or even carbon hoops would drop a fair amount of weight. It’s also rolling on DH casing tyres, which, if you aren’t smashing jagged rock gardens, could potentially be swapped for lighter casing rubber, at the very least on the front.
As it sits, there isn’t a single piece of carbon fibre on the bike, and maybe that’s even the appeal here?
At 26.44kg without pedals, there’s no doubt that it is a handful to move around, and you really need to exaggerate each movement.
What do we dig about the Focus Sam²?
While on paper and on the scales, the Sam² is a heavy bike, the low centre of mass and smaller 27.5in rear wheel do work in its favour. I think this is likely the most significant improvement over the previous version, which was 29in only.
Thanks to its weight, the Sam² has a muted, planted ride feel. The coil shock out back is sensitive and supple, and paired with the Fox 38 up front, it wants to hug the ground and motor over everything. With the long travel, stable geometry and hefty weight, the Sam² has quite the buffer zone for when things get rowdy. Get spat off line? No worries. The Sam² will cop whatever is in its way and keep you from falling flat on your face.
Planted by nature, it’s a bike that prefers being glued to the ground.
The package as a whole is near silent when hammering downhill, even the freehub has a muted, subtle buzz. Apart from a headset creak from day dot, which was sorted with a dab of grease, it’s a tight, tidy package.
The execution and finishing details are impressive, and the chainstay protection would rank among the best we have seen. The gooey, rubber blobs are super soft and soak up any impacts from the chain, keeping things nearly silent.
Some older-generation Focus e-MTBs were plagued by battery-mount issues, particularly fragile latches or loose mounting points. I can pleasantly report that these seem all but resolved on this newer generation, provided you give the battery a solid push when locking it into place. I found it was worth triple-checking that the battery was fully secured before closing the hatch, as it was easy for it to sit in an unlocked limbo state.
The punchy Bosch CX drive unit was an excellent pairing, and the fact that it’s compatible with both battery sizes will make it an appealing choice.
The Bosch CX Gen 5 system as a whole is superb, delivering a natural yet boosted level of power and best-in-class response, especially under softer pedalling inputs. We’ve taken an in-depth look at the latest Bosch CX e-Bike system. You can read more below.
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The overall integration of the Bosch system is well refined, the charger port is neat, and the cable management in the downtube is well secured. The fact that it’s compatible with both the 600Wh and 800Wh batteries is great to see, and while it’s a shame Aussie folks will only be able to buy the 600Wh variant, there is always the option to source an 800Wh aftermarket battery.
What does it struggle with?
Let’s address the elephant in the room. It’s heavy.
26.44kg for an e-MTB is hefty, and you can feel it. It’s a bit of a handful in tight terrain, even with the smaller back wheel, and the words ‘playful’ or ‘side-hit’ aren’t really in the Sam²’s vocabulary. You need to plan each movement, each turn, each line, as it’s not that easy to make any last-second adjustments. Thankfully, it does have a pretty large get-out-of-trouble zone to soak up any mistakes, so if you do end up off line, it might just save you.
You really have to rely on the motor to navigate through techy climbs, as nimble is not the word we’d use to describe the Sam².
While the shorter chainstay setting did add some liveliness, I ended up preferring the more balanced, longer 448mm chainstay. For me, this felt better suited to the bike, leaning into its strengths, rather than trying to turn it into something that it’s not and likely never will be: a zippy, nimble machine.
While it doesn’t affect the ride characteristics, it’s a shame to see Focus stick with a headset cable routing. That being said, they have ditched the horrid stems, which had cables routed through the faceplate, so that’s a win.
Yep, it has the dreaded headset cable routing.
Component Highs & Lows
TRP DH-R EVO Brakes | I’ve gotten along well with these brakes in the past, and the same goes with the ones fitted here. They are plenty powerful and have a featherlight lever feel, which will appeal to a wide range of users. These are the newer variants with the updated lever design, and I must admit, I might be in the minority that prefers the older design.
DT Swiss HF1900 Wheels | A bit of a mixed bag here. Burly, thick-flanged hubs, paired with straight-gauge spokes, allude to a solid wheel build, but aluminium nipples and a pinned rim construction let the team down a little. The person who rode this before me, and I gave the rear rim a knock right on the join, which created a gap between the rim halves and wouldn’t hold air.
OneUp Dropper & Bars | We aren’t alone in saying that OneUp’s droppers and handlebars are some of the nicest on the market, and Focus nailed the spec choice here.
ODI Elite Pro Grips | I think these are the only grips I haven’t swapped off a test bike in recent memory. Not that grips are expensive to swap, but it’s nice to have them dialled straight out of the shop.
Focus Sam² vs Cube Stereo Hybrid One77
These bikes fall into a similar category: long-travel value propositions powered by the Bosch CX Gen 5 motor system.
The most obvious difference between the two is frame construction—Focus has stuck with aluminium, whereas the Cube sports a carbon front end. This likely has a lot to do with the weight difference, with a 2.5kg variance between the two.
Both bikes integrate the Bosch CX system well, though there are minor differences between them. The Cube can only accept the heavier 800Wh battery, whereas the Focus can accept either battery size. As I’ve said, it is only available in Australia in the 600Wh configuration, though. The Cube can also accept the new Kiox 400C top tube display, whereas the Focus can’t, but it would need to be purchased separately, regardless.
The ride feel of the two bikes is quite similar. The Cube likely gets the edge for suspension suppleness, with the rear end feeling glued to the ground, whereas the Focus felt like it had a more supportive platform. I do prefer the longer 448mm chainstays on the Focus over the shorter 443mm stays on the Cube, but both felt balanced and stable.
In terms of value, they are relatively similar, landing at $10,499 AUD and $10,999 AUD, respectively. The Focus gets a nicer suspension package, whereas the Cube gets a carbon front end and a wireless GX AXS drivetrain, so it really depends on where your priorities and preferences lie.
Flows Verdict
Folks will quickly jump to conclusions based on the weight, but the Sam² isn’t designed to compete with the 20-22kg trail e-MTBs. It’s for smashing rowdy descents and ripping back up them, in a low fuss, highly reliable package. It’s composed and confident, and, despite the weight, I think it suits beginner-to-intermediate riders looking to tackle gnarlier terrain who are searching for a rig that will help them, rather than punish them for mistakes.
Similar to the previous generation, the Sam² is well-suited to bike destroyers looking for a reliable, long-travel e-MTB. It’s also worth noting that the maximum rider weight is listed as 150kg, which is more than the 115-125kg limit we often see.
In a nutshell, the mullet configuration and refinements throughout have made the Sam² a far more complete package overall. Folks who prioritise reliability and stability and don’t mind the added weight will be more than happy living with the Sam², and with an entry price of $8,499 AUD, it’s one of the most affordable rigs powered by the popular Bosch CX system.
The Focus Sam² is unapologetically burly and is most at home smashing through steep, deep and rough terrain.
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