Focus Jarifa2 6.7

If your ride to work has a hill in it, this is the electric mountain bike for it. The 2023 Focus Jarifa2 6.7 has a Bosch Performance Line CX motor that makes 85 Nm of torque, so the climb stops deciding whether you ride.

It is a hardtail with mounting points for a rack, mudguards, a kickstand and lights, so Monday's commute and Saturday's fire road are one bike. On Saturday the same bike takes you along fire roads, gravel and smooth trails. Book a test ride in Ivanhoe and ride your usual route.

Focus Jarifa2 6.7 electric mountain bike

Ride to work without arriving worn out. In a Queensland University of Technology survey of e-bike owners, 68 to 78 per cent rode for transport, and 58 per cent said they would have driven for their work trips. This bike is set up for it: mounting points for a rack, mudguards, a kickstand and lights, so with a rack fitted the bag rides on the bike and not on your back.

The hill on your route is the job the motor is built for. The motor sits at the bottom bracket, where a mid-drive helps most on the climb, and it is the type Australian riders favour for hills. They judge a climb in newton metres, not watts. One owner's rule of thumb on a long-running e-bike forum: 40 Nm for a city bike, 60 Nm for a touring bike, 80 Nm for a mountain bike. This Bosch Performance Line CX makes 85 Nm on the Bosch Smart System at 36 V. Focus rates the motor at 250 W, with assistance to 25 km/h. As one owner of a Bosch Performance Line CX mountain bike put it:

"Bosch mid drive will smash the hills."

a member of the Whirlpool e-bike forum

On Saturday the same bike goes where the road ends: fire roads, gravel and smooth trails. A 625 Wh Bosch PowerTube sits in the down tube, and reviewers single out its capacity as a strength for longer days out. It unlocks and lifts out, so you charge it at a power point indoors. The frame is a hardtail with a 100 mm SR Suntour coil fork, so there is no rear shock or pivot bearings to service. That suits fire roads, gravel and smooth trails. For big rocks and jumps, choose a full-suspension model.

How far will it go?

Bosch's Range Assistant gives these estimates for this drive and the 625 Wh battery set up as an e-mountain bike, at 100 kg total weight, 18 km/h average, 60 rpm, with some inclines, mostly good asphalt, light breezes and summer conditions:

• ECO: about 127 to 131 km
• TOUR+: about 106 to 109 km
• eMTB: about 96 to 98 km
• TURBO: about 83 to 85 km

Bosch states these are estimates and that they vary with the type of use and outside influences. Steeper hills and a heavier load take distance off, so choose your mode around the day ahead.

Who the Jarifa2 6.7 suits

One bike for Monday's commute and Saturday's fire road. The maximum system weight is 150 kg, counting rider, gear and bike, and Focus approves it for most trailers, so a rack and panniers for the work run and a load for a weekend tour both fit the same bike.

If your partner or mates ride faster, the climbs are where the gap opens. With 85 Nm doing the work there, you ride at their pace and stay in the conversation.

If your knees or heart have kept you off a normal bike, this is a way back onto the fire roads you know, with the motor taking the climbs. The frame is a leg-over diamond. If you would rather step through to get on, ask us about our step-through range.

The frame is 7005 hydroformed aluminium, in the classic mountain-bike shape you swing a leg over to get on. It comes in five sizes, XS to XL, and we size you on the showroom floor at your test ride. Focus is a German bike brand, founded in 1993 by cyclocross world champion Mike Kluge. The bike you test is the 2023 build, with the parts listed below.

Best for

• A 10 to 20 km ride to work with a hill in it
• Saturday loops on fire roads, gravel and smooth trails
• One-bike households that want a rack-ready hardtail
• Riders who are happy to swing a leg over the frame

Made for roads, fire roads, gravel and smooth trails. For big rocks and jumps, choose a full-suspension model, and if you want a low step to get on, ask about our step-through range.

Full specification for the 2023 build

The rest of the specification, as the maker lists it for the 2023 build:

Drivetrain

• Shimano Deore 1x10, 10 gears
• Rear derailleur Shimano Deore M4120, shifter Shimano Deore M4100
• Cassette Shimano Deore M4100, 11-42T; 36T chainring
• FSA CK-320 aluminium crankset, KMC X10 chain

Motor and battery

• Bosch Performance Line CX mid-drive, 85 Nm, 250 W, integrated at the bottom bracket
• Bosch PowerTube 625 Wh (17.4 Ah), integrated in the down tube, removable and lockable

Brakes

• Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc brakes, 2-piston, with Shimano MT200 levers
• Post mount, 180 mm

Wheels and fork

• 29 in wheels on sizes S to XL; size XS rolls on 27.5 in wheels
• Schwalbe Smart Sam 2.25 in tyres on RODI TRYP25 alloy rims
• Shimano Alivio MT400 hubs, 15x110 mm front and 12x148 mm rear thru axles
• SR Suntour XCR 34 LO coil fork, 100 mm of travel

Cockpit and contact points

• Aluminium flatbar, 760 mm, 9 degree backsweep
• FOCUS C.I.S. integrated stem, 60 mm, and ACROS headset
• Selle Royal HRN 4007 saddle, rigid aluminium seatpost, 31.6 mm
• Herrmans Click grips

Questions people ask

Can you use a mountain bike for commuting?

Yes, if it has the mounts for it. This one has mounting points for a rack, mudguards, a kickstand and lights, and an 85 Nm motor for the hill.

Should I get full suspension instead?

Choose by where you ride. A hardtail suits the commute, fire roads, gravel and smooth trails, and has less to maintain. For big rocks and jumps, choose a full-suspension model, and ask to ride one when you test this bike.

Is a hardtail comfortable?

The 100 mm coil fork takes the edge off fire roads and gravel. Ride your usual route on a test ride and judge it for yourself.

Is it legal to ride here?

Focus rates the motor at 250 W, with assistance to 25 km/h. Road rules are set by each state, so check the e-bike rules for where you ride.

Can I lift it onto a car rack or up the stairs?

The battery unlocks and lifts out, which takes weight off the bike for the rack. Lift it yourself in the showroom before you decide.

Can I charge and lock the battery?

Yes. It locks into the frame with a key and lifts out, so it comes inside with you. It is a Bosch PowerTube on the Bosch Smart System: charge it with the original Bosch charger, as Bosch instructs.

I've never heard of Focus. What if something goes wrong?

Focus has made bikes since 1993, founded by cyclocross world champion Mike Kluge. This one runs on Bosch's drive, Dolomiti backs it with a two-year parts warranty, and we service it in our Ivanhoe workshop.

Where is it serviced, and what about the battery as it ages?

It is Bosch's own PowerTube, and the shop that sold it services it in Ivanhoe. Your first service is included at 300 km.

What do I get, and why buy new instead of used?

You get the Bosch Performance Line CX, a 625 Wh PowerTube, a two-year parts warranty and your first service included, sized to you in Ivanhoe and looked after in our workshop.

Which Jarifa2 6.7 is this?

This is the 2023 build: Bosch Performance Line CX at 85 Nm, 625 Wh, Shimano Deore 10-speed. Later model years under the same name use different parts, so compare the specification, not just the name.

Book a test ride at Dolomiti Electric Bikes in Ivanhoe, or call 03 9982 1440.