Orange PHASE MX PRO-LINE Review

Shimano has become the biggest component manufacturer for bicycles thanks to its gear, pedal and brake components. It's clear that the Japanese want to shape the E-Bike trend from this dominant market position. Even nasty steep sections are effortlessly climbed by the motor. The Shimano EP801 conveys a riding feeling. The average range can become a problem especially for long mountain bike rides.

At the chassis, Orange were generous and gave the PHASE MX PRO-LINE a golden shine Kashima chassis from the house of Fox with 170 mm of travel at the front and 165 mm at the rear. Setup-Nerds can squeeze out the maximum performance from the chassis thanks to the many setting options. The thick 38mm stanchions on the fork provide an extra dose of steering precision and performance. At the brakes, Orange instals upper class brakes with four pistons and 2 millimeter rotors from SRAM. A nice touch: The gear and components are on a very good level. The moderate head tube angle provides a good compromise between stability and agility when going downhill. The reach is also right there in the middle ground. For additional points in downhill handling, the low bottom bracket integrates the rider well into the bike and pulls the centre of gravity down. Due to the short chainstays and the shallow seat angle , when climbing steep sections, it requires active weight shifting to prevent the front wheel from lifting. Overall, the Orange developers have done a great job with a very god geometry. The deep bottom bracket can however lead to crank strikes in technical uphills and disrupt the climbing flow.