New Focus Atlas 8 for gravel

Faced with a trend of increasingly sporty gravel bikes, the new Atlas 8 that Focus has just introduced in its catalog is a gravel bike oriented to long distances, ideal for those bikepacking routes in which we seek to isolate ourselves from the world regardless of the route that lies ahead.

As far as your legs will carry you

The versatility of uses that gravel bikes allow has led brands, as expected, to the beginning of the segmentation of the bikes of this modality. Something that once occurred among the different styles of mountain bikes, later reached the road and now comes to this young discipline that is the gravel.

On the more daring side of the scale we find the adventure gravel in which its riders take the house on their shoulders to cover long distances with self-sufficiency as a mantra. Bikes that have to prioritize comfort and reliability over any other parameter in addition, of course, to the ability to carry a large volume of cargo.

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The lightweight carbon frame of the new Atlas 8 just introduced by Focus has all that, a bike that relies on a very peculiar geometry with ample length between axles and plenty of space in the riding position. An aspect that is contrasted with short chainstays to compensate for the increase in other measures and thus maintain a reasonable riding agility.

Also, with stability and riding comfort in mind, this Atlas 8 is equipped with wider handlebars, which also improves control of the bike when we are loaded with what we need for several days.

The next important point is, of course, load capacity. For this purpose, the Atlas 8 has threads for attaching various bikepacking bag mechanisms practically all over the frame. A top tube bag is included as standard. There are three pairs of threads on the frame, two in the usual bottle cage position plus an extra one on the down tube in front of the bottom bracket.

There are also three bolts on each side on the outer face of the fork legs allowing up to 3 kilos on each side and, for the rear, following the same concept of fork rack, Focus has created a similar system with its Adventure Rack, which allows adding another 3 kilos on each side in a very compact way and lowering the center of gravity compared to a typical bikepacking saddle bag, which results in a more stable ride.

In total, the Atlas 8 accepts a maximum overall weight, i.e. taking into account the weight of the rider, bike and luggage, of up to 120 kg.

Going into more technical aspects, the Atlas 8 draws attention for the curious detail of using a Boost rear axle, usual in mountain bikes and totally new in this type of bikes. Gravel bikes normally use a 142 mm dropout, however, on this bike this space is 148 mm, with the aim of achieving greater stability, although it is an aspect that limits the choice when it comes to replacing the wheels.

The Atlas 8 does not renounce the now customary totally internal cable routing, in this bike, more than for aerodynamics, with the excuse of having a cleaner control box in which to be able to locate without problem, for example, a handlebar bag.

Focus Atlas 8: Setups and prices

Atlas 8.9

• Price: 4,299 €
• Weight: 8.7 kg
• Frame/Fork: Carbon
• Groupset: SRAM Rival AXS XPLR
• Handlebar: Easton EC70 AX
• Stem: Focus C.I.S.
• Wheels: DT Swiss GR1600
• Tyres: WTB Riddler 700x45c
• Seatpost: Easton EC70 Carbon
• Saddle: fi’zi:k Taiga

Atlas 8.8

• Price: 3,499 €
• Weight: 9.1 kg
• Frame/Fork: Carbon
• Groupset: Shimano GRX RX-810
• Handlebar: Easton EC70 AX
• Stem: Focus C.I.S.
• Wheels: DT Swiss X1900
• Tyres: WTB Riddler 700x45c
• Seatpost: BBB FlyPost SP-135
• Saddle: fi’zi:k Taiga

Atlas 8.7

• Price: 2,999 €
• Weight: 9.6 kg
• Frame/Fork: Carbon
• Groupset: Shimano GRX RX-600
• Handlebar: Focus JD RA85
• Stem: Focus C.I.S.
• Wheels: Novatec 25 Elite
• Tyres: WTB Riddler 700x45c
• Seatpost: Aluminum
• Saddle: fi’zi:k Taiga