Orange bikes has added to the E.P.O program and has launched the new Phase MX Team. It's built with a tonne of travel, mullet wheels, and a Shimano EP8 motor, as Orange claims it's the brand's most versatile e-bike to date. We've got all of the details.

The new Phase MX Team promises boosted agility and stability, along with a confident geometry. For this year, the brand has upped its suspension travel to 165mm at the rear and 170mm at the front as Orange reckons that long travel makes total sense on an ebike. That's because the bike needs to take big hits at potentially faster speeds well within it's stride.

Those geometry figures come in with a 64° head angle, a 76° seat tube angle and a large frame gets a reasonable 483mm reach. That 165mm of travel comes from a 230x65 metric shock and the fork gets a reduced offset.

For those who are familiar with Orange's E.P.O bikes, you'll notice that the frame has been rearranged to fit the Shimano EP8 motor more elegantly within the downtube, which is also home to the 630Wh integrated battery (that's removable using a 4mm Allen). The rear end has also seen some fettling to make it stronger and the EP8's wheel speed sensor has been moved onto the brake rotor.

The Phase MX Team benefits from a UDH mech hanger which is universal, meaning that you could (hopefully) pick one of these up in any shop, perfect if you mangle one out on your ride. It also comes with a feature built-in that'll allow it to slip slightly and re-rail the chain back onto the small cog if things go really wrong.

As for the suspension kinematic, it's been heavily inspired by the recent Alpine 6. The shock mount has been revised to accommodate that metric shock and it's designed to be a bit more progressive. Then, the anti-squat has been reduced and Orange says there's less pedal kickback in the system.

Moving onto what the Team build actually includes, the Orange Phase MX Team's alloy frame comes sorted with a Formula Selva S fork paired with a Formula MOD Coil Shock. Shiting is provided by a Shimano XT drivetrain with an e*thirteen Helix E-spec crank and e*thirteen Helix R 9-50t cassette. Like the suspension, the brakes come from Formula in the form of the Cura 4s with 203mm rotors at both ends. The bike's wheels are supplied by e*thirteen with the LG1 EN Plus E-Spec wheelset and it's shod with Michelin DH 22 and DH 34 2.4" tyres. Finally, the finishing kit comes from Burgtech.

The new Orange Phase MX Team is available now and will set you back £7,300.

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Deputy Tech Editor here at off.road.cc Liam can also be found photographing bikes as well as riding them. He's not shy of an enduro here or there and he's equally happy in the winter slop as he is ripping up the summer's dust.

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