This double wheel makes the practice of electric mountain biking accessible to all

The English manufacturer Orange Bikes is launching a new electric mountain bike named Phase AD3. Designed for people with disabilities, it took 6 years to develop.

Victim of a serious brain injury in 2015, professional mountain biker Lorraine Truong remains partially paralyzed today. While the Swiss champion thought she could never reproach her sporting discipline.

After her accident, Truong, who is also an engineer with the Swiss two-wheeler manufacturer BMC, was looking for a bike suitable for her handicap. This request reached the ears of the English engineer Alex Desmond, who worked for prestigious firms such as Jaguar Land Rover. Having designed various prototypes of adaptive bikes, Desmond had Lorraine Truong try one. Carried out in Switzerland, the test was very successful. On hearing the news, Orange Bikes Switzerland in turn forwarded it to its head office based in Halifax, England. The British company immediately offered Desmond a job so that he could produce his prototype. The engineer obviously accepted. Thus was born the Phase AD3.

6 years of development

The Phase AD3 is an “all mountain / enduro” type bike. Its two 27.5-inch front wheels are mounted on a Fox 38 fork with 170mm of travel. The independent steering of these two forks is carried out via an ingenious linkage system which required 6 long years of development. This system patented by Alex Desmond is adaptable to all electric mountain bike frames. It also allows the wheels of the bike to tilt up to 40% when cornering to prevent it from tipping over and provide optimal stability.

Sitting in a bucket seat, Lorraine Truong can use her upper body to keep the bike balanced. According to Desmond, the Swiss champion thus manages to equal the best riders of the Enduro World Series!

The Phase AD3 has a Paradox Kinetics engine developing 150 Nm of torque. Its Box One transmission has 9 speeds. With a capacity of 504 Wh, the battery allows technical ascents of 700 m or hikes of 25 km. Thanks to the aluminum frame, the set does not exceed 30 kg.

Production on demand

The production of Phase AD3 will be carried out on demand. Modular, the electric mountain bike can be personalized according to the needs of its buyers.

As for its price, it is still unknown. Alex Desmond has only revealed the total cost of the materials used in its design: 20,000 euros.