The Return Of The Orange Patriot

The Patriot makes a return to the Orange Mountain Bikes lineup for 2012. Taking up a position between the Alpine 160 and 224, the new bike delivers 180mm of balanced single pivot suspension. The original was responsible for much of our direction in design, the 2012 bike more than lives up to the name… The Patriot is for the mega pinner, the rider needing something different for how they hit the trails. A downhill bike too big and slow but six inches not capable enough? The Patriot provides the midpoint. The new frame uses a monocoque top and down tube to maximise strength and stiffness but keep weight low. The 1.5" headtube houses a tapered fork, the perfect solution for fitting angle-adjust headsets and future proofing design. The low profile swingarm features the Maxle as standard with the maintenance-free pivot assembly keeping things tight. The single pivot setup is lowered for a more active suspension feel, plush but controlled, efficient on the pedals and light enough to earn your turns. Optimised for 180mm travel front and rear, the Patriot is a slack angled big mountain ripper. The Patriot is where it all began, from the Animal Orange days through to Global Racing, the bike that influenced a whole generation of riders. See it as a UK downhill bike, a lightweight freeride bike or something to pedal around the Alps. The Patriot is bred tough, the only limits are your nerves… The 2012 Patriot will be available as a complete build or frame only package. The standard bike retails at £2999.99 with a Fox Van RC shock, Marzocchi 66 RCV 180mm fork, Hope hubs, Avid Elixir brakes, Truvativ finishing kit and a RaceFace/Shimano transmission. The usual array of upgrade options will be offered including the Cane Creek Double Barrel, Hope Tech V2 brakes, RockShox Reverb seat post, Gammut chain device and new for 2012, the Renthal Fatboy bar and Duo stem. Full spec details, pricing and all the available upgrade options will be added to the website on the July 1st launch date. Curious how it's meant to be ridden, take a look at Joe's testing video, it's all about data-logging and technology... www.orangebikes.co.uk