The Return of the Patriot

The Patriot is a legendary name, that goes a long way back in the Orange Bike history books. Used by the now legendary Team Animal at the turn of the millennium, the Patriot is arguably one of the DH World Cup's OG iconic bikes. Versatile, hard-hitting and incredibly capable, it was the bike of choice for many gravity riders, either racing DH or just finding the best Alpine technical trails in a sport that was rapidly finding its way. All those attributes apply to the brand new E.P.O. (Electric Powered Orange) model from Orange - it became obvious that this has to be the new Patriot.

The frame is built around the Strange powerlink driven shock system that we use to great effect on the Stage 7 and Switch 7 frames. The performance of this system is perfectly suited to powerful e-bike assisted drivetrains where grip is paramount.

The new Patriot also features another first for us. This is the first E.P.O. model to feature a Bosch drive unit – The Performance Line CX. One of the most advanced power units out there and we’re really excited about the features it brings and how well it complements the Orange ride philosophy.

First things first: - The "Ride"

The Patriot combines agile handling and incredible confidence on big mountain terrain. If you're thinking gravity bike with built-in uplift, then we're on the same page. The Patriot is designed on a mixed (MX) size wheelset: 29” front & 27.5" rear, with 170 mm of suspension travel front and rear. The MX wheelset has now settled in well with its combination of the fast rolling, bump absorbing 29" front wheel combined with the agility of the 27.5 big-travel rear end makes a winning set-up that works well for riders of all disciplines and is fast becoming a standard. We now have popular MX models from hardtail to EPO eBikes throughout our range.

The ride geometry for the Patriot follows the Switch 7’s lead to give that sure-footed trail hugging grip that is so characteristic of the powerlink chassis.

The Patriot geometry is perfectly on point with its performance orientated slack 63° head angle, forward looking 76° seat tube angle combined with a roomy reach (481mm Large) and lengthy chainstays, putting the rider front & centre and balanced on the contact points for perfect control, climbing or descending.

One difference from the analogue Switch 7, for the E.P.O. version is that we have lifted the bottom bracket by 5mm, which combined with the 165mm crankarms, gives just a little more ground clearance to reduce pedal strikes that can occur when climbing technical trails under power.