The 2022 Orange Phase MX Team ups the travel – to 170mm front and 165mm rear – and packs a bigger battery than before – 630Wh up from 504Wh.
An e-bike from Orange is quite possibly one of the more polarising mountain bikes out there. E-bikes have haters/preachers. So too do Oranges.
The key thing that both ebikers and Orange have in common is that they don’t really care what anyone else thinks. They know how to have their Type 1 fun and aren’t going to let anything else bother them.
Orange Phase MX Team bullet-pointed for your convenience
- Fork travel: 170mm
- Rear travel: 165mm
- Mixed wheel 29/27.5in
- Designed and built in Britain
- 5 year frame warranty with Limited Lifetime Crash Replacement
- Shimano EP8 motor – everything you need to know about the Shimano EP8
- Shimano 8036 630Wh integrated battery in downtube
- Quick release battery for easy charging
- Price: £7300
- Available: now
It’s fair to say that the whole mixed wheel MX setup kinda started with e-bikes (we reckon the 2018 Canyon Spectral:ON deserves some kudos here) and it shows no sign of abating. The new Phase MX Team is fully mullet and proud.
Sure, there are practical packaging reasons why 29in rear wheels aren’t the de-facto option on e-bikes (chainstay length worries) but there is also something to be said for the way mullet e-bikes turn-in to trail features.
And let’s be honest, you don’t really miss the large rear wheel roll-over momentum when you have a motor. Neither do you lack traction when you’re on an e-bike with its inherently excellent sprung/unsprung ratio and super-grippy performance.
Anyway, back to the new Phase MX we’re supposed to be talking about.
The 2022 Phase MX geometry: 64° head angle, 76° seat angle, healthy reach (483mm on Large), 343mm BB height, 439mm chain stays. Here’s the full geometry gist…
What is new about the 2022 Phase MX then?
New layout of the front triangle designed to integrates the Shimano EP8 motor “more elegantly” into the downtube, which houses the battery.
The swing arm has been strengthened. And back there the Shimano EP8’s wheel speed sensor is now paired into the disc rotor.
The rear mech is attached using a Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH).
The suspension characteristic has been brought over from the latest Orange Alpine 6. Tweaks have been made to the shock mounts to accommodate a 230×65 metric rear shock (230×65).
Orange have also increased the amount of progression – apparently it’s “a substantial increase”
It has also reduced the bike’s anti-squat value and decreased the amount of pedal kickback.
The battery is now removable (4mm Allen key) for easier off-bike charging.
If you rinse a 630Wh battery and you still want more then Orange apparently has a system that means this is possible. Second batteries are available from Orange and come with the protective cover as standard.
We can’t wait to sling a leg over one of these bikes. Stay tuned!
Comments (9)
Comments Closed
‘May not look classically pretty’
Understatement of the year
^^^ what @Blackflag said!
I quite like it.
At least with an Orange you know you’re going to have industrially chunky tubes even on a non e-bike.
‘It’s fair to say that the whole mixed wheel MX setup kinda started with e-bikes (we reckon the 2018 Canyon Spectral:ON deserves some kudos here) and it shows no sign of abating.’
Did it not start with Freeriders in the late 90s/early 00s? 26in up front and 24in at the back? Just no one in the industry took note because ‘these wheels are great for throwing yourself off cliffs while wearing giant trousers’ didn’t have mass market appeal?
Yes. I should have made it clear I was referring to Mullets: The Second Wave.
My god that is brutal.
Mullets: The Second Wave. Now I’m thinking of David Hasselhoff. Is the perm also about to make a comeback?
Photographer: “Oh my! That is very unsightly”.
Orange: “Let’s distract the eyes away from the shapes with some bold colours that don’t match each other, *at all*.”
Photographer: DOUBLE-FACE-PALM. “WHAT HAVE I DONE?!!!”
Never really been a fan of the Orange look, but that is a whole new level of ugly! Maybe they could change the colour scheme to red and black, and call it the ‘Deadpool’?
https://youtu.be/xpTycWYX6No