The elegant carbon frame with marathon geometry, the low weight and the gently assisted motor make the Focus a pioneer in its own sporty e-bike class. But is the concept also reliable? To date, there has been no long-term experience with the Bavarian motor. In December 2018, I received my long-term test model in size M. Right after the first tour, I realised that the riding position was too upright. At only 1.72 metres tall, I lacked saddle cant; the 0° standard stem had to make way for a negatively offset Syntace Flatforce 88+. The Raven² Pro was then used alternately on flowing trail tours south of Munich and on the daily gravel trip to work. This added up to almost 250 kilometres per week. There was a break for a few months due to holidays and classic (organic) bike tours. Nevertheless, in the end it was a meaningful 2025 test kilometres.
I kept maintenance to a minimum: clean the chain, check the tyre pressure, that's it. One battery charge was enough for an average distance of 80 kilometres, as I was often travelling above the maximum assisted speed of 25 km/h because the system resistance felt like zero. Except when accelerating, the motor had little to do. In the course of the test, the Fox 32 had to make way. Tuned softly, it dipped away when braking, with more pressure it was insensitive. I also felt a lot of flex - perhaps also due to the higher bike weight. A stiff Enve carbon fork pulled the weight down by almost 700 grams. With wider rims and low air pressure of around 1.4 bar (tubeless), the Focus mutated into a tight athlete. The surprise: apart from a single failure due to dirt on the contact point between the motor unit and bottom bracket, the system worked perfectly over the entire test distance. The problem occurred after an extreme bad weather tour - a better seal would still do no harm here. Top: hardly any loss of battery capacity in the before/after test on the roller dynamometer.
Conclusion on the Focus Raven² Pro by Chris Schleker, EMTB test rider
The Raven² Pro is a sporty and high-quality dream e-bike. The Fazua motor is reliable and quiet. Focus could work on the lower seal, but otherwise the red racer is worth the money. Unfortunately, the successor costs 1000 euros more!
DEFECTS / WEAR
- 820 km: Chain already quite worn, replacement
- 1050 km: Rear brake pads worn, replacement
- 1170 km: System error. Engine does not work. Contacts cleaned
GETUNT
- 30 km: Stem exchanged for Syntace Flatforce 88+
- 50 km: Engine control button relocated under the handlebars using an adapter
- 480 km: Fox 32 swapped for carbon rigid fork Enve Mountain Fork
- 480 km: Wheels swapped for Syntace W28i and change to Schwalbe Rocket Ron (tubeless)
Price / weight 5999 Euro / 15.3 kg
Spring travel 100 mm
Wheel size 29"
Mileage 2025 km
Reach height new condition 816 hm
Reach height end of test 784 hm
