The Focus Thron is an all new platform. Well, not all new if you count the Thron2 e-bike, an unusual touring-come-trail-bike that’s designed to take on an adventure or a stretch of singletrack.

Read more: Best short-travel ‘down-country’ mountain bikes

Focus Thron need to know

• Short travel trail bike (Down-country if you will) meets bikepacking rig for adventurous times.
• FOLD suspension layout for both bikes has changed to a more progressive rate and horizontal shock mount
• Thron comes in three models, one with mudguards, kickstand and pannier rack as standard, from £2,199 to £2,899

Thron is designed to be fun on flowy singletrack, as your first foray into full sus

The new Thron is purely pedal powered, rolls on 29in wheels and delivers 130mm suspension travel. There’s no flip chip in this bike, despite it looking very much like its new Focus Jam sibling, the head angle is fixed at a modest 66.5°. Just like the e-bike version it’ll also take a rack for your panniers, full size mudguards on the back, and there’s even a mount for a kickstand if you want it.

Who exactly is the Thron for though? Bikepackers or singletrack riders? Focus reckons it’s both. Or more precisely, riders making the first step up to a full suspension bike from a trusty hardtail, a solid bike at a fair price, they say. Focus could well be right, as most brands have priced their bikes steadily higher over the past few years a market has surely opened up below them.

Focus Thron range

The Throns will come with 7005 alloy frames only at the moment, with Focus dropping some unsubtle hints that a carbon option will be next.

The Thron is built up into three models, the 6.9 (£2,899), 6.8 (£2,199) and 6.8 EQP (£2,199). The first two are conventional trail bikes, the 6.9 using a Fox Float 34 Rhythm fork und Float DPS, while the 6.8 opts for a  RockShox Judy Gold fork and Deluxe Select shock. It’s the 6.8 EQP that’s very different though, it comes built with mudguards, a pannier rack, kickstand and lights.

The CIS stem swallows the internal cable routing, but we can’t stomach how complicated it makes swapping out a stem

Infernal cable routing

Focus had an interesting idea with its new Focus Sam2 e-bike last year, it routed the cabling inside the 50mm stem for a cleaner look. The idea has popped up again now on the Thron, your cables enter into a slot on the faceplate of the stem and don’t emerge until they’re needed at the rear disc brake caliper, dropper post, or derailleur.

I didn’t like the idea on the Sam2 and I don’t like it now. Here’s why: say you’re not happy with the stem length at 50mm. To change it you have to source your own stem as Focus only makes one size, then unpick the cable routing from the headset and rebleed your brakes. I also felt shifting was impinged on the Sam2 thanks to the tortuous path the cable had to make. Focus reckons it’s the future of mountain bikes, road bikes are already there and mountain bikes will follow suit and build in more bespoke parts. I hope they’re wrong.