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..it's now an eeb.
Get your 'how much for a filing cabinet?' gags in now.
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/orange-patriot/
I get that coming up with a name that isn't copywrited, makes sense, and isn't offensive or stupid in any language is hard.
But re-using names never ends well.
From the Lyric to the Heckler there is always a nutty loud voiced minority who remember liking a decade old product with rose tinted glasses and are personally offended when the name is reused on a slightly different product that does not perfectly align with their riding.
As a vocal Orange critic, I don't know what to say. Maybe I'm just desensitised to the horror but it doesn't look 'that bad*'.
*For an Orange/Pregnant E-bike
Ah, this is the bike that was rumoured then and the reason there was some ace deals on their other Shimano motored e-bike?
the Heckler
Yeah I was gonna mention SC relaunching the Bullit as an eeb.
I wasn't expecting them to bring the Patriot back at all, or they'd have used the name for the Switch 7. Didn't think about eebs, but I suppose it makes sense - and might even appeal to the older riders who will be able to afford these.
I like the "non e bike" look
letmetalktomark
Full Member
I like the “non e bike” look
hhmmm...
There's a definite trend of companies ditching Shimano motors
Canyon have their new Strive on Bosch, Commencal are doing Bosch now, Nukeproof gone to SRAM/Brose
Until you look at the bottom bracket, it just looks like a standard Orange...
Yep. The big girder down tube doesn't look out as of place on an Orange as it does on other brands.
Pretty weak spec for a nine grand aluminium bike, but that's Orange.
Patr-E-ot.
Missed a trick there.
Good components though they are, Guide RE and SLX on a bike costing £8800? Crazy.
Yep. The big girder down tube doesn’t look out as of place on an Orange as it does on other brands.
Played the long game obviously.
That actually looks significantly less janky than the Switch 6 that was in #FGF last week. I quite like it in an industrial way! Unfortunately I'm not interested in buying an eBike for a significant number of years yet so my opinion doesn't matter too much on this one..
Most people who fondly remember the original Patriots will by now be fat and old.
As such, reusing the name for an e-bike makes perfect sense.
*hides*
I get that coming up with a name that isn’t copywrited, makes sense, and isn’t offensive or stupid in any language is hard.
But re-using names never ends well.
From the Lyric to the Heckler there is always a nutty loud voiced minority who remember liking a decade old product with rose tinted glasses and are personally offended when the name is reused on a slightly different product that does not perfectly align with their riding.
I just assumed they reused the name because it's a bit bulkier in the middle, and thus compliments the physiques of the target market who still remember the original 😉
I like the “non e bike” look
Eye of the beholder and all, I guess eeebs were always going to suit the recycled sheet metal enthusiasts.
Perhaps it's more accurate to say 'Oranges managed to look like E-bikes long before E-bikes were a thing'...
Each to their own, I've seen far worse looking ebikes, but £9,000 will buy you a brand new high spec Enduro Motorbike!
That'll need an industrial size pivot to stop the rear end flexing
Each to their own, I’ve seen far worse looking ebikes, but £9,000 will buy you a brand new high spec Enduro Motorbike!
Amazing no one has noticed this before really.
Okay, that does it. If they're bringing them back then this is the winter that I'm going to rebuild Ermintrude, my c. 2001 model Patriot. I loved that bike from the day I bought it from a riding buddy. It's only recently, with my big 29'er Levo that I've managed to recapture that feeling of security and indestructibility from being in, rather than on a bike!
Most people who fondly remember the original Patriots will by now be fat and old.
It looks a small and dated now, but I bloody loved this bike...
Would look pretty sweet still if it wasn't for the white bits eh?
It does look particularly girder-like in the white, but I really don't see that it's uglier than other full-fat ebikes (there are hardly any I actually like).
I've liked the look of most of their split swing-arm bikes, and this isn't bad either.
I really don't like the ones with the stash box thing though, they'd have been better doing something to allow for another set of bottle mounts specifically for small bags or straps.
If Irn Bru built bikes.
BeagleboyFull Member
Okay, that does it. If they’re bringing them back then this is the winter that I’m going to rebuild Ermintrude, my c. 2001 model Patriot. I loved that bike from the day I bought it from a riding buddy. It’s only recently, with my big 29’er Levo that I’ve managed to recapture that feeling of security and indestructibility from being in, rather than on a bike!
I'd suggest not. It'll only be a disappointment. I rebuilt my once epic Keewee DH bike over lockdown and it's just a weird shape now compared to my (longer) trail bike.
Looks like orange threw some wheels at a shipping container and said “that’ll do”, bet it weighs closer to 30kg than 25kg
I actually like how that looks. As above, apart from BB area it looks like any other Orange.
It looks a small and dated now, but I bloody loved this bike…
That's a good 10 years too young to be an original Patriot. Some of the first ones even had a v-brake mount on the back! (not included for the long travel version as the cable would hit the seat tube)
This is a real Orange Patriot. I'm just old enough to remember them coming out.
Land one big jump and blast that front shock mount straight through the downtube.
That’s a good 10 years too young to be an original Patriot
It was a 2012 I think, the last version of the Patriot, 180mm front and rear.
Rode brilliantly and surprisingly light.
Of the dozens of bikes I've been through, it's one of only two that I regretted getting rid of.
Wish they just update the blood i loved that bike!
Looks spot on to me. As Orange usually kick off with an LE that's at a premium hopefully they'll do a cheaper spec too. Not that I have the cash to splash on any eBike sadly...
Pinkbike comments are absolutely on the money today. Got an actual chuckle at some of them
Oi @kenneththecurtain . . . old? OK, yes but still svelte(ish) 😉 and @mashr . . . that original is bloody lovely - Patriots freakin' rock. Always wanted one and finally scratched that itch earlier this year 😀
I see you’ve gone for the traditional “ah **** this” hose routing for the rear brake there 😉 I may have run similar
I've never seen a full suspension orange on the trails - plenty of hard tails though.
I do wonder how they stay in business sometimes.
Loyal hardcore fanbase that only buy orange perhaps.
Do they come with “The Donald’s” face as a head tube badge?
NX chain (on a Shimano cassette) on a nine grand bike is such a tight fisted move.
mashr
Full Member
I see you’ve gone for the traditional “ah **** this” hose routing for the rear brake there 😉
Ha ha, yup!
Noice! Good to see Orange have moved from filing cabinets to rotisserie chicken carousels.
The document storage is strong in these bikes!
I’ve never seen a full suspension orange on the trails – plenty of hard tails though
Loads down here. Because a big local shop is a dealer.
Time to list mine on the classifieds on the back of this thread...
Oooooh, if it was just a real bike without all the electric motor bollox...
I actually really like that. With so many ebikes it's like they're trying to hide a box in a thing made of tubes, here they just had to hide it in a pre-existing box. It looks muscular and industrial to me. Only thing I don't like is the shock location/angle, it looks like it's falling off.
(anyone else remember the launch of the last model Patriot? Sent a racer off to the endurance downhill at fort william with the first production frame and he wrote it off twice in 6 hours, cracked the mainframe and bent the rear triangle so much that when he took the rear wheel out it couldn't be put back in. This one's probably better)
I’ve never seen a full suspension orange on the trails – plenty of hard tails though.
I'm just across the Pennines from Orange and there are quite a few on the trails here, one of the most-popular brands for sure.
Seeing more Orange eebs lately as well. I think they look alright IRL, compared to a lot of other eebs.
Orange line choice bulldozer with a CX motor. Where do I sign?
Me wanty folded skip!
In blue please, with orange bits.
I’ve never seen a full suspension orange on the trails – plenty of hard tails though.
I remember when every other bike on the trail was an Orange Five. I remember when every other DH bike was a 223. They were literally unavoidable.
I still see them but they're a rare sight these days.
Still see plenty around North Yorks.
I’ve never seen a full suspension orange on the trail
Where do you ride, the moon? Every single ride I see multiple people on them...
Absolutely love my Alpine 6! Once it's pointed downhill it's absolutely crazy 😁
I'm just struggling to come to terms with the weight of a full-fat E.... Waiting to see what the light Whyte E 140 will look like when it's released.
“I’m just struggling to come to terms with the weight of a full-fat E”
It’s definitely a personal thing but I love how the extra mass makes my Levo handle. I’d go so far as to say I’d like a normal full-sus which gains 20lbs of ballast for the downhills but is still normal weight for the climbs.
I hope the back end doesn't flex as much as my Patriot 66 did - it used to change gear all on its own ...
used to change gear all on its own …
Pretty sure that's one of the main selling points of the new srambrosia motor
I hope the back end doesn’t flex as much as my Patriot 66 did – it used to change gear all on its own …
Speaking as an ex Marin Quake/b-17/Team DH/Alpine Trail* owner, HA! Only 1 gear? You don't know how good you had it 😀
*In order of warranty replacement
Absolutely love my Alpine 6! Once it’s pointed downhill it’s absolutely crazy 😁
I’m just struggling to come to terms with the weight of a full-fat E…. Waiting to see what the light Whyte E 140 will look like when it’s released.
Hmm, I adore my alpine 6 - it pushes all the right buttons, riding it is a partnership. Now my whyte e180 is amazingly capable, but emotionally it lacks a connection. Clinical is probably the best way to describe it.
That is the point I'm trying to articulate. I don't want a full-fat E (Whyte e-180, Patriot) that ride so capably that they detract from the fun that a biker like the alpine offers. Otherwise I'd be very interested in an Orange E bike.
I basically don't want all the extra weight.
Hmm, I adore my alpine 6 – it pushes all the right buttons, riding it is a partnership.
The haters don't get how fun and engaging Oranges are to ride. Or how light the frames are now.
I reckon they'd be a great basis for something in the lightweight eeb category.
I’m a massive Orange fan and loved how my Alpine 160 rode, but that and my friend’s Five were reasonably light. But I am interested to find out how an Orange ebike rides with all that extra heft. Does it lose it’s fun when it’s over 45lb?
Where do you ride, the moon? Every single ride I see multiple people on them…
I think they're quite regional. I used to see loads up in Lancashire and Yorkshire, a handful around the Midlands, rarely see any these days round the Chilterns/South.
I guess the Dales/N-Y. Moors/Lakes are quite forgiving of a less efficient winch and plummet style bike as most of the riding is spinning up a hill then smashing down it. Whereas down here you really want something light and efficient otherwise flatter trails are purgatory.
“ rarely see any these days round the Chilterns/South.”
Still see quite a few around Brighton, all eras too!
“ Whereas down here you really want something light and efficient otherwise flatter trails are purgatory.”
Everything I’ve read about recent Orange full-sus bikes suggests that for their travel/geometry they’re light and pedal well.
Yeah, I don't think Spoon has ridden one for a good 20 years tbh.
South east - surrey hills etc.
I'd say the most common full sus I see is either a Specialized Status or a YT something. Likely due to the many Specialized dealers locally, and the YT mill.
Yeah, I don’t think Spoon has ridden one for a good 20 years tbh.
No, the last one would have been the first of the 29er "Five" or whatever it was named on a demo at Guisborough Woods.
It was great, but only in a spiny up the hills, don't stand up and pedal at the same time sort of way. It suited the tracks there (ludicrously steep fire road, then fly back down with the occasional XC yomp across the moorland tracks).
Conversely I can't recall the last one I saw on a Swinley ride.
No, the last one would have been the first of the 29er “Five” or whatever it was named on a demo at Guisborough Woods.
Nearly ten years ago then? I had one of those and it was decent but had the CTD shock which blew through it's travel far too easily. Modern shocks have greatly reduced the problems associated with single pivot bikes.
Every time I’ve ridden an Orange I’ve enjoyed it and quite fancied owning one.
The Alpine 6 is a great bike.
9k? I guess I could buy one.... or a pretty decent car.
Let us know how you get on driving round the trails.
I suppose that regularly taking your Orange back for new swingarms, breaks you in gently for the whole ebike motor/warranty thing 😉
I think apart from the swatbox debacle, Orange's look great these days. I've loads of mates that ride them, or at least did until they bought eebs. I guess that this might see them back on Caldedale's finest 🙂