The Orange Crush 29 isn’t the only new hardcore hardtail from the British bike maker at Eurobike, they also have this prototype Crush-E on display too.
If you hadn’t already guessed it, the ‘E’ in Crush-E means that this hardtail comes with a motor attached in this case, a Shimano STEPS E8000 just like the one fitted to the Orange Alpine 6E full-suspension e-MTB. The new frame is designed by Orange in the UK for British riding conditions but manufactured in Taiwan like the rest of the Orange hardtail range.
This is the first time that the Prototype bike has been shown to the public and is so fresh that even the guys at Orange haven’t had time to ride it, it’s also so new that it still wears a ‘Strange’ badge and the decision to put it in to final production hasn’t been made yet.
Geometry is similar to the current Orange Crush with a slightly slacker 64 head angle and slightly longer reach. What’s impressive though is the chainstay length remains very short at just 430mm, not bad considering a motor has been squeezed in there.
The Crush-E Prototype is designed around a 27.5in wheel platform and can handle chunkier 2.8in tyres compared to the standard Crush’s 2.6in limit. Other frame features include internal cable routing for a dropper post, bolt through 148 x 12mm rear axle and a 5-year warranty
If Orange were to pull the trigger on the Crush-E we won’t see them on the trail before early 2020, which gives you plenty of time to save up £3900 to buy one.
Let us know what you think of the Orange Crush-E in the comments below.
