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Today’s Fast Bike Friday feature takes a closer look at the Atlas 6.7, a versatile mile-munching gravel bike from German brand Focus which, thanks to some clever geometry tweaks and intelligent equipment specification, is equally at home flying through tight singletrack at speed as it is taking on endless miles of gravel, fully laden with bike-packing equipment.
When we joined Focus in the public launch of the Atlas way back in January we flagged their marketing headline ‘made to lose’. What were they getting at? A German brand with a rich racing heritage stating their new bike was made to lose? Expanding on their headline Focus describe the Atlas as the bike that you reach for when you want to ‘escape the world of appointments and smartphones, of project deadlines, racing-performance stats and feeling you have to compete and win every aspect of your life’. They go on… ‘The ATLAS Gravel Bike is made to lose, taking your attention away from competition and helping you to feel free from the modern world and all its hassles for as little or as long as you want’.
The Focus Atlas 6.7 sports a tough but light alloy chassis paired with a comfortable carbon fork.
Nicely put Focus and yes, that’s how a lot of riders feel about gravel riding which is why it has quickly proved such a popular and fast-growing genre of modern cycling. As we’ve mentioned before in these features, gravel bikes and gravel biking continue to diversify; much in the same way as mountain biking did in the early years we’re seeing the gravel discipline starting to divide into slightly different sub-genres. As riders move over to gravel from road racing, mountain biking, cyclocross and cycle-touring each group brings their own demands and expectations. There’s sturdy rigs designed to carry a full load of bike-packing equipment over vast distances, there’s super-light race bikes that look almost the same as a modern road bike, with aero-profiled frames; there’s more playful gravel bikes with relaxed head angles, longer top tubes and short, compact rear ends and then there’s bikes that sit somewhere in between these more specific models with a general approach to doing everything well. The Focus Atlas 6.7 sits firmly in this camp, it’s a truly versatile machine.
The frame geometry of the Atlas 6.7 is nice and progressive with a long top tube and short chainstays.
When it comes to frame geometry Focus have gone for the sort of angles that have found favour in recent years; leaning towards the more playful approach to gravel there’s a longer top tube combined with a shorter stem to keep steering sharp and responsive while providing a stable ride at speed; the Atlas 6.7 also features super-short chainstays to keep the bike agile on tight singletrack. So while the Atlas is playful, this versatile gravel bike can quickly change modes to be a dependable work-horse. The alloy frame and carbon fork provides a reliable chassis that can handle epic multi-day adventures with both the frame and fork featuring multiple bolt-on-bosses allowing you to run a large amount of bags and accessories including extra bottle cages, pannier racks and even mudguards.
A long top tube, short stem and a slightly more relaxed head angle keeps your ride stable but agile when it needs to be.
Note the clean, clutter-free front end with no exposed cables.
The Focus Atlas 6.7 features their own C.I.S. cockpit design; basically their internal cable routing system which helps keep the front of the bike clean and clutter-free of gear cables and hydraulic brake hoses. With routing from the bars directly into head tube seamless gear shifting is ensured and there’s plenty of space below the handlebar and stem to allow for running a large bar bag without cables getting in the way of your set up.
The Focus integrated C.I.S. system runs the cables directly through the headtube and into the frame and fork.
Neat details like the mounts for a top tube pack are a welcome addition.
The Focus Atlas 6.7 features dropped seatstays for added comfort and includes loads of clearance between tyre and frame.
The paint job on the Atlas 6.7 is suitably understated for gravel duties.
From its competitive Mountain Bike racing roots, German brand Focus has been making brilliant bikes for nearly 30 years.
Focus have spec’d the Atlas 6.7 with a pair of lightweight, robust carbon forks.
Those carbon forks with internal brake hose routing have clearance for tyres up to 45mm.
Designed specifically for gravel the Atlas 6.7 fork features multiple mounting points for luggage-carrying bikepacking duties.
Focus have spec’d their Atlas 6.7 gravel bike with a carefully-selected groupset from Shimano’s GRX sub-range. These gravel-specific groupsets provide smooth shifting performance on all terrains and in any conditions. The 6.7 features Shimano’s 10-speed GRX 400 drivetrain with a double chainring chainset up front combined with a wide-ratio cassette out back to give you a very generous spread of gears, helping you negotiate steep, loose off-road climbs and fast, flat, smooth roads equally well.
Focus have spec’d the Atlas 6.7 with Shimano’s dependable Shimano GRX gravel-specific groupset.
A 10-speed long-cage Shimano GRX rear derailleur provides flawless gear selection in all conditions.
Shimano’s neat GRX 400 mechanical gear shifter and hydraulic brake lever unit is comfortable and easy to use on the hoods or on the drops.
The GRX groupset includes Shimano’s excellent hydraulic brakes which provide consistent, powerful braking on any terrain. The GRX 400 brake levers / gear shifters are also brilliantly engineered, with a slightly different pivot point to Shimano’s other road-focused groupsets, allowing for more effective braking when you’re riding with your hands positioned on the brake hoods as well as a special matt-finish rubberised texture to the brake levers to enhance your grip even in wet, muddy conditions.
Shimano GRX 400 flat-mount hydraulic brakes provide powerful, easy to modulate braking.
Thru-axle Novatec hubs are smooth-rolling and durable, standing up well to the elements.
Thanks to the generous design of the frame and fork the Atlas 6.7 provides space for up to 47 mm wide tyres (it comes with capable 45mm wide WTB Riddler gravel tyres) opening up a wide range of options regarding the choice of gravel tyres that you can run; you certainly won’t be limited to a narrower width like you may be on some rival brand bikes. Focus have also stated that the Atlas can be run with 650B wheels and tyres, freeing you up to run a combination of a slightly smaller circumference wheel with an even fatter tyre if you find yourself increasingly seeking out ever-more-rowdy gravel riding fun.
The 45c wide WTB Riddler tyres feature a tread that rolls fast on road and grips well off-road.
Since its launch we’ve had tons of interest in the Focus Atlas and rightfully so; it’s a great example of a really versatile gravel bike that’s been built to bring the fun to your gravel riding, encouraging you to push the limits more and more and stray further away from groomed gravel to more challenging singletrack segments. Thanks to its progressive geometry and capacity to run a larger volume tyre it’s ready for more aggressive trail riding when you’re tempted. Equally though, thanks to its durable alloy chassis, comfortable carbon fork and multiple luggage mounts the Atlas is able to quickly turn its hand to the demands of multi-day rides and bike-packing adventures; with the ability to fit mudguards too you can even justify the Atlas 6.7 as a reliable weekly commuter bike. The proven, precise-shifting Shimano GRX gravel-specific groupset won’t let you down even when your rides get really muddy and unpleasant while GRX flat-mount hydraulic disc brakes keep you in control when you really push the limits. How do we sum up the Atlas 6.7? Fun, dependable, VERSATILE!
The Focus Atlas 6.7 is a versatile gravel bike that will excel as a fast & fun singletrack shredder or a bikepacking workhorse.
The Focus Atlas is available in-store and online now.
Full Specification:
- Frame: Aluminium, disc, BSA, 148×12 mm thru axle, flat mount 160/160 mm, internal cable routing
- Fork: Carbon, disc, 110×12 mm thru axle, flat mount 160/160 mm, internal brake cable routing, multiple mounting points
- Headset: Acros IS 52/286-IS52/40, FOCUS integrated C.I.S.
- Shifters: Shimano GRX 400
- Rear Derailleur: Shimano GRX 400
- Front Derailleur: Shimano GRX 400
- Cassette : Shimano CS-HG5010, 10-speed
- Chainset: Shimano GRX 600
- Brakes: Shimano GRX 400
- Rotors: Shimano F 160mm / R 160mm
- Wheelset: WTB ST i23 TCS tubeless ready rims, Novatec D982TSB Disc, 12×148 mm r/hub, Novatec D041, 12×110 mm f/hub
- Tyres: WTB Riddler, 700 x 45C
- Stem: Aluminium, 31,8 mm, 6°
- Handlebar: FOCUS JD RA85, 31,8 mm, drop: 116 mm, reach: 74 mm, flare: 10°
- Seat Post: Aluminium, 27,2 mm, 350 mm, 0 mm set-back
- Saddle: WTB SL8
Written by Johnny Dodgin
Photos by James Vincent
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