The Orange Patriot is reborn once more, rising from the ashes as a linkage-driven single-pivot for the first time in its long history. Even bigger news; it is now an eBike.
Orange has given its OG DH bike the E. P. O. treatment (Electric Powered Orange). Packing the Bosch Performance Line CX motor, this 170mm travel MX eMTB gains 85 Nm of extra torque, with a 750 Wh battery housed inside the downtube.
Orange Patriot
The Orange Patriot is, in essence, an eMTB version of the Switch 7 enduro bike. And, like all Orange bicycles, this one is designed, manufactured and finished in Halifax, England. It runs the very same linkage-driven single-pivot layout as the Switch 7 and Stage 7 enduro bikes, with the shock-driving link nested in between the folded sheets of aluminum that make up the swingarm.
- Bike: 2023 Orange Patriot LE
- Frame: 6061-T6 Monocoque UK Formed Custom Aluminium Tubing
- Intention: E-Enduro
- Fork Travel: 170mm
- Rear Wheel Travel: 170mm
- Motor: Bosch Performance Line CX
- Battery: 750 Wh
- Price: £8800 GBP | €9500 EUR | $9900 USD
The so-called Strange Powerlink delivers increased progression over a basic single-pivot arrangement. In regard to shock force, Orange quote the “working” progression as 25.2%. The actual ratio falls from 2.86 to 2.14 at bottom-out. As such, Orange says the Patriot will work well with both high-volume air shocks and coil shocks. The Patriot LE launched today is spec’d with a 205mm x 65mm Trunnion mount air shock in the form of the Fox Float X Performance.
Patriot Geometry
As the eMTB equivalent to the Switch 7, geometry numbers are relatively closely matched. So, the Patriot’s head angle is slack at 63°, and the chainstays reasonably lengthy at 448mm – consistent across the S-XL size range. The effective seat tube angle is quoted as a consistent 76°.
The Patriot sees slightly shorter reach figures than the Switch 7; it starts at 444mm in Small, increasing to 464mm in Medium, to 481mm in Large, and topping out at 500mm in XL. Importantly, the BB height is 8mm higher at 343mm, and all frames get 165mm cranks to improve ground clearance further.
Frame & Motor System Details
The Patriot is home to the Bosch Performance Line CX Motor (more on the Smart System here), the Purion 200 display for which is bar-mounted. Briefly, the motor has four main riding modes; Eco, Tour, eMTB and Turbo. Each of them can be customized through the Bosch Flow App. There’s also a Walk mode that will provide assistance off-the-bike.
Accessed via a door on the downtube is a 750 Wh PowerTube battery. It can be charged both on or off the bike. As far as we’re aware, there is no range extender battery.
Other notables…
Bosses on the underside of the top tube allow for the mounting of a water bottle. Cable routing ins internal. The Boost rear-end is designed to accept the SRAM UDH standard for derailleur mounting, which should make sourcing a replacement hanger a doddle. Finally, the Patriot runs an FPD 49mm / 56mm Zero Stack headset. Orange says this allowed them improve both strength and stiffness at the front end of the bike.
Pricing & Availability
Orange launch the Patriot with a single model – the Patriot LE. It is sold with a 5 year warranty on the frame and its bearings.
Orange Patriot LE – £8800 GBP | €9500 EUR | $9900 USD
- Fork: Fox Performance 38 Float 170mm 29
- Rear Shock: Fox Float X Performance 205×65
- Derailleur: Shimano SLX 12 Speed
- Chain: SRAM NX Eagle
- Shifter: Shimano SLX 12 Speed
- Cassette: Shimano SLX 10-51T 12 Speed
- Chain Device: E13 Vario Compact Guide
- Crankset: Race Face Aeffect R E-MTB 34t 165mm
- Wheelset: Stans Flow Mk4 + Hope Pro 5 Hubs
- Tyres: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5″ EXO+ / DHR II 2.4″ EXO+
- Brakes: SRAM Guide RE with 200mm rotors
- Stem: Burgtec Enduro Black 42.5mm
- Saddle: SDG Strange Bel Air III
- Handlebars: Burgtec RideWide Enduro 800mm
- Grips: Strange Grappler Lock-On
- Seatpost: SDG Tellis 150/170mm
