Focus Atlas 8.7 gravel bike: Tested
Founded in 1991 in Stuttgart Germany, the Focus bike brand pretty much covers all disciplines of cycling. Reflective of the fashion in the early ’90s, the birth of the company centred its efforts around mountain bikes, but in recent years has found other success, especially on the road. The trends now are constantly tempting us to push ourselves towards new bike experiences, such as the growing global trends of ‘bikepacking’. So, every global bike brand needs to have a fleet of gravel bikes in its portfolio to meet this demand in 2025. Enter the Focus Atlas 8.7.
With its rich cyclocross heritage, thanks to Focus founder and three-time world champion Michael Kluge, the Atlas range of bikes has a lot to live up to. So, it felt exciting to get my hands on this sweet carbon-fibre offering and throw myself wheels first, down, and around my home hunting grounds of the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.
Design
The 8.7 sits around the middle of the Altas gravel bike family, the bike’s main points of difference from its top of the range stablemate is the Shimano GRX ST-RX600 11-speed manual shifting. The top-tier 8.9 has electronic shifting and runs a 1x chainring, giving it that pedigree of a cross-racing machine. I’m happy to say the Atlas 8.7 runs a double front chain ring (46/30) which gives you an indication of who the bike is aimed at, the adventurous (and less serious) rider.
The bike’s frame and fork are certainly a standout feature on this bike. The quality of the carbon finish shouts confidence, with its smooth carbon tube shapes, a BB85 pressfit bottom bracket and distinctive sloping geometry which gave me a longer reach. In addition, all the bike’s cabling has been routed internally, which not only gives the bike a clean finish, but also protects the cables from dirt and debris – a big win for gravel and off-road durability.
The fork has plenty of clearance for the WTB Riddler 700 x 45C off-road tyre and easily has room to take larger options in the future. Focus has gone all-in on adventure readiness, equipping the fork with three mounting points on each side, which is extended to multiple bottle cage mounting points on the frame.
There’s also an optional mounting frame over and around the back tyre and rear of the bike (dubbed the Adventure Rack, by Focus). And with the handlebar and cockpit’s cable system being completely internally routed, you have plenty of room to fit any front bikepacking bag with no hassles.
The bike also comes with what I’m calling a small essential top tube bag. I must admit, it felt a little loose and not the highest of quality, so I tended not to use this specific bag after a few rides.
In the field
Over the last five months I’ve shown this bike many a Blue Mountains lookout and fire trail. Overall, three words are easy to write down within this review: comfort, fun and reliable. On first impression, with regards to the ride, you generally feel the front end of the bike comes across quite boxy. Almost like my shoulders are a little more upright and open – this is completely down to the geometry of the bike and frame.
The point of difference means my lungs fill up more, and my body position gives and creates more control and comfort on the ride. It’s so easy to ride all day and have that feeling of spinning the legs utilising the gear ratios and finding freedom.
It’s encouraging to see research from Focus influencing the bike design. It would be useless, for example, to throw yourself into a multi-day overnight adventure feeling broken and in discomfort at the end of a long day in the saddle. With the light weight of the bike and its carefully selected components, it’s made to comfortably overcome challenging days.
In cycling circles, some would argue your wheel and tyre setup is where a lot of gains and decisions are made. In the gravel community, you’ll hear talk of the 650b smaller wheel size favoured over the larger 700c, mainly because on a 650b you could potentially add a 50mm tyre which in turn should equal a more comfortable experience. I personally favour a 700c wheel.
The Novatec 25 Elite 700 wheelset (note: the 2025 model comes with DTSwiss G1800 rims) comfortably holds the 45mm WTB Riddler tyre (tubeless setup optional) that, on sight, fills you with confidence. Its knobbly deep tread is straight out of the mountain bike world. One trip out in the Blueys was along the highly popular Andersons trail which, historically, was created for our MTB community. Riding south from Wentworth Falls towards Woodford, the much needed 45mm tyre provided amazing support, smoothing out the ride and easily coping with the mixture of rough, sandy, and hilly, terrain.
Winding back the clock a little, I was (initially) slightly disappointed when I first saw the twin chainring setup on this bike. This was mainly due to my existing Grove gravel bike experience revolving around a 1x chainring. I was questioning if the 8.7’s 2x setup was a step backwards. Did I need the extra complication of front derailleur – and the additional cables? Plus, no-one really needs an untimely dropped chain whilst changing gear going up a steep climb when clipped into cleats.
Five months later, I’m not looking back; the double front chainring has changed my approach and enjoyment of riding in the mountains which, let’s be honest, is very challenging at times – after all, you are either climbing uphill or flying down the other side. The wide spread of gear ratios on offer has been very welcome, and the shifting has been smooth and precise. I can honestly say, to this day, not one chain has been dropped – which I still find hard to believe – but is testament to Shimano’s excellent gravel-optimised GRX drivetrain.
The final word on the Focus Atlas 8.7
It’s safe to say the Focus Atlas 8.7 has won me over. This is a bike that lives up to its promise, whether you’re grinding out climbs, comfortably taking on descents or loading up and embarking on multi-day adventures. At around $4.5K, it’s a relatively significant investment, but one that pays dividends in capability, quality and fun.
Who is this bike for? Anyone who loves the idea of going further, exploring rougher terrain and embracing the unexpected. Its blend of comfort, performance and adventure-ready features makes it a standout in the gravel category. And, would I recommend it? Yes, without hesitation. The Atlas 8.7 embodies the spirit of gravel riding: freedom, exploration and the sheer joy of being on two wheels.
RRP: $4499 See Focus Bikes for more info.
