For cross country racers and marathon bikers the "old" Focus Raven already enjoyed great popularity in the past. With the updates for 2023, the 29-inch hardtail is now set to make even more friends on the trails. To achieve this, the developers not only worked on the geometry of the carbon hardtail, but also revised many small details. The modernised Focus Raven should make trails the highlight of every cross-country ride. Nevertheless, the Raven still stands by its race roots in 2023 and promises to make the way to the trail part of the riding pleasure. According to Focus, the Raven mountain bike is set to revolutionise the mountain bike world with the fast gravel world connect.
120 millimetres of suspension travel for the Focus Raven
To make the Raven fit for demanding cross-country trails, Focus is following the current trend and has given the hardtail 20 millimetres more travel. With 120 millimetres of travel on the fork, the new Raven offers more reserves when it gets down to business on the trail. The geometry has also been revised accordingly for 2023. Fokus has now combined a longer top tube with a shorter stem on the Raven. This promises more stability and control on descents. At the same time, the head angle of the 29-inch MTB has also been significantly flattened.
Until now, the steering angle of the "old" Focus Raven was very steep at 69.8 degrees. The new race hardtail for 2023 is much more modern. The highlight: by turning the headset shells, the steering angle can be adjusted from a slack 67.5 degrees to an even slacker 66.5 degrees. The seat angle remains steep at 74 degrees and the reach has been increased in all frame sizes. Overall, the new geometry promises significantly more confidence, especially downhill.
New storage compartment and Vario seatpost for the Raven race hardtail
As part of the complete overhaul, Focus also gave the carbon frame and equipment a makeover. To do justice to the Raven's new trail expertise, two of the three available models come with telescopic seat posts. Their cables are routed in the frame, as are the rear brake cable and the gear cable. The cables are routed inside the frame through an opening in the stem. This type of cable routing through the C.I.S. stem is already familiar from other Focus models, such as the Jam all-mountain bike. Focus is not following the trend towards one-piece carbon cockpits on race bikes. You will also look in vain for a flatmount brake mount on the new carbon frame. Instead, Focus continues to rely on a post mount for 160 millimetre discs.
The new carbon frame of the Focus Raven hardtail comes with the I.C.S storage compartment, a storage space in the down tube that can hold a spare tube, tools or snacks. Unlike other manufacturers, the storage compartment is positioned above the bottle cage on the down tube. This means that the bottle does not have to be removed to access it.
Marathon riders will be pleased to see that there are still two bottle cages in the frame triangle. The new versatility of the Focus Raven should also make it the perfect mountain bike for bikepacking adventures.
Models and prices of the Focus Raven 2023
Focus offers its Raven Race MTB in three different equipment variants. It is pleasing to note that despite all the modernisation of the Trend towards very high prices for cross-country hardtails is left out. However, the Raven line-up has so far also lacked a model with high-end equipment. Whether Focus will present a real top model later in the year remains to be seen. Prices start at 2199 euros for the Focus Raven 8.7. In the mid-range is the Focus Raven 8.8 for 2799 euros. At 3599 euros, the Focus Raven 8.9 marks the top end of the model range.
Patron Plasticfree Peaks Campaign
Focus is combining the launch of the new Raven with a PR campaign for Patron Plasticfree Peaks. This is a project to remove waste from nature. The Focus Raven is intended to be a tool for combining a passion for outdoor activities such as cycling, hiking or climbing with environmental protection. Focus is planning corresponding CleanUP Rides and demonstrating ways to get involved.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
