Orange Launches the Phase Evo E.P.O. 1

If you’ve been giving ebikes the side-eye for a while, we totally understand. But here’s an ebike that we think will change your mind. Welcome to the ebike that does it all – imagine the feeling of being at your best on every climb AND every descent. The lightweight Phase Evo E.P.O. is here to give you just that; super legs on the way up, perfect pop and handling on the way down.

Using Bosch’s revolutionary Performance Line SX drive system, built into a sleek Orange suspension chassis, brings the perfect combination of power, efficiency and finesse into a lightweight high-performance mountain bike. With specs from 19.5kg (L frame), the Phase Evo is still built for that robust performance you expect to find in an Orange hardcore 160mm travel mountain bike. Riding more like an ‘analogue’ mountain bike than any other E.P.O. model in our range, the Phase Evo feels agile, quick to turn and floats & launches like the bikes you know and love. You'll forget it’s even got a motor until you point the front wheel back uphill and smash the climb like a superhero.

The Phase Evo is an MX wheeled E.P.O. mountain bike, 160mm travel front and rear. 'Evo' means that the geometry is tuned to be aggressive and deliver the feeling of a big travel bike in a compact chassis, making the bike fast and stable with a bottomless suspension feel (Full geometry below).

To help keep that ride super-plush the Phase Evo uses a 205x65 trunnion shock with a revised lower shock mount, which allows for a bearing eyelet to be used. This has been done to achieve a lower break away force, providing incredible sensitivity to the initial part of the shock's stroke, while maintaining the performance and feel of our renowned single-pivot chassis.

All the features you would expect on the latest Orange frames are there; iconic monocoque frame construction, optimised pivot position; and asymmetric swingarm to increase the bike's vertical stiffness while tuning its lateral compliance, producing a bike with a direct feel under power but still maintaining buckets of grip. Always looking for gains in reliability, we've used our new tapered head tube to improve stiffness and increase strength and we've also revised our sizing with shorter seat tube lengths to allow for longer dropper posts.

There’s even room on the Phase Evo to include a small S.A.F.E. compartment (Stores Accessories Food & Equipment) meaning you don't have to strap so much to the outside of your bike, letting you keep it hidden but readily available. It also gives you handy access to the additional power button on the integrated downtube battery should it be required.

Handbuilt in Britain

The frame fabrication of the Phase Evo is founded on our iconic aircraft grade aluminium folded monocoque construction technique that we pride ourselves on. With state-of-the-art aluminium craftsmen who boast many years of experience, we think that the frames we produce today are the very best we've ever made and indeed probably the finest in the world. Manufactured from flat sheets of aerospace grade aluminium into individually custom-fabricated tubes, then seam-welded for each specific application, working in harmony with CNC machined components from aluminium billet, all meticulously modelled and analysed. All produced, manufactured and tested in the UK at our own facility. It means we have a product that's strong, durable and fully recyclable at the end-of-life cycle.

Bosch Performance Line SX – Light and Powerful

The lightweight Bosch Performance Line SX drive unit differs significantly from the power assistance on our other E.P.O. models. This drive unit responds more dynamically to rider input. Pedal fast and you’ll go faster. Effectively, the 55Nm Performance Line SX unit will match your input and then deliver more watts to your drive-train. This is extremely effective and in use feels more powerful than its number suggest, the higher your cadence, the more support it will give you – up to a peak of 600 watts. It is the perfect ebike for riders that feel like they still want to ‘ride’ and feel the benefit of a work-out while getting the most out of the trail.

The Bosch Performance Line SX motor weighs in at a svelte 2kg, yet packs a proper punch with it’s power delivery. It is quieter, has minimal pedal resistance and coupled with the CompactTube 400 integrated battery makes for a lightweight bike that rides and feels like your analogue trail bike, but giving you an added superpower. While the battery may be lighter and smaller than a full-fat ebike, the Performance Line SX’s energy-saving power use and the overall light bike weight means that the range is on a par with the heavy hitters.

When it comes to technical climbs the dynamic eMTB system detects input power and cadence to modulate the assistance to perfectly match the trail. The eMTB intelligent mode is impressive to say the least, standing starts on steep climbs are easy and you don’t get overpowering slip-ups on loose terrain while its extended boost gives that extra kick of power when you need it most to get you up-and-over roots and stepped rocky sections. From the hardware through to the software the Bosch system shows its class leading maturity. Their experience and know how really shines through. The system is accessed through the compact yet extensive Purion 200 bar mounted computer. It is surprisingly powerful and will give just about anything you need to know to control your bike’s power right at your fingertips. It couldn’t be easier.

The new Flow eMTB app is an essential part of the system which offers a staggering number of features along with constant updates and improvements. The Performance Line SX, like its big CX brother, features four ride modes – Eco, Tour, eMTB and Turbo. These are all customisable through the Flow app. The app also brings features like ebike Lock, a navigation system, a Ride Screen (if you’re a Quad-lock kind of rider) and a pocket full of other features.

The Orange Phase Evo also has the capability to take on board the Bosch PowerMore 250 range extender. An extra 250Wh battery to give you more options on big days out. In the rare event that you have an issue with the Performance Line SX system, the customer service at Bosch is second to none, they will soon get you back on the trail. Very much matching our own philosophy.

GEOMETRY

Model Info and Pricing

The first model available will be the Phase Evo LE.

Front: 160mm | Rear: 160mm | Wheelset: MX F:29/R:27.5

Priced at  £7900.00 GBP | €8900 EUR | $8700 USD

________________________________________

Sizes and Colour

Sizes: S, M, L, XL
Colour: Gloss Wasabi Green

________________________________________

Frame and Fork

6061-T6 Monocoque UK Formed Custom Aluminium Tubing
Wheel Size: MX - 29/27.5
Rear wheel travel: 160
Swingarm: Bolt Type Allen Key Head (Boost 12 x 148mm Hub)
Rear Shock: Fox Float X2 Factory 205x65
Headset: FPD 49mm / 56mm ZeroStack
Fork: Fox Factory 36 Float 160mm 29 (black)

________________________________________

Drivetrain

Chain Device: Strange Pivot guide
Bottom Bracket: Bosch Performance Line SX DU Integrated
Crankset: Race Face Aeffect R E-MTB 32t
Rear Mech: Shimano SLX 12spd
Chain: SRAM NX Eagle
Shifters: Shimano SLX 12spd
Cassette: Shimano SLX 10-51T 12spd

________________________________________

Wheel and Tyres

Wheelset: Stans Flow Mk4 + Hope Pro 5 (Black) 29 + 27
Tyres: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5 3c EXO+ 29 / DHR II 2.4 3c EXO+ 27.5

________________________________________

Braking

Brakes: Shimano SLX Trail 203/203

________________________________________

Finishing Kit

Seatpost: Fox Factory Transfer 150/175mm Drop
Seat Clamp: Strange Bolted
Stem: Burgtec Enduro Black 42.5mm
Saddle: SDG Strange Bel Air III
Handlebars: Burgtec RideWide Enduro 800mm
Grips: Strange Grappler Lock-On

________________________________________

Power Assist

Control Switch:  Bosch Purion 200
Drive Display:  Bosch Purion 200
Battery:  Bosch Compact Tube 400Wh
Drive Unit:  Bosch Performance Line SX

For more information, head on over to https://www.orangebikes.com/us/.