This dual wheel makes mountain biking accessible to everyone.
English manufacturer Orange Bikes is launching a new electric mountain bike called the Phase AD3. Designed for people with disabilities, it took 6 years to develop.
A victim of a serious head injury in 2015, professional mountain biker Lorraine Truong remains partially paralyzed today. At the same time, the Swiss champion thought that she would never be able to reproach her sports discipline.
After the accident, Truong, who is also an engineer at the Swiss two-wheeled vehicle manufacturer BMC, was looking for a bike suitable for her disability. This request reached the ears of the English engineer Alex Desmond, who worked for prestigious firms such as Jaguar Land Rover. After developing various prototypes of adaptive bicycles, Desmond asked Lorraine Truong to try one of them. The tests carried out in Switzerland were very successful. Upon learning of this, Orange Bikes Switzerland, in turn, sent it to its head office in Halifax, England. The British company immediately offered Desmond a job so that he could build his prototype. The engineer apparently agreed. This is how Phase AD3 was born.
6 years of development
The Phase AD3 is an all-mountain/enduro bike. Its two 27,5-inch front wheels are mounted on Fox 38 forks with 170mm of travel. These two forks are independently controlled by an ingenious leverage system that took 6 long years to develop. This system, patented by Alex Desmond, can be adapted to all electric mountain bike frames. It also allows the bike's wheels to lean up to 40% when turning to prevent it from tipping over and provide optimal stability.
Sitting on a bucket seat, Lorraine Truong can use her upper body to keep her bike balanced. According to Desmond, the Swiss champion thus manages to catch up with the best riders in the World Enduro Series!
The Phase AD3 is powered by a Paradox Kinetics engine delivering 150 Nm of torque. Its Box One transmission has 9 speeds. The battery with a capacity of 504 Wh allows for 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
Phase AD3 production will be on request. The modular electric mountain bike can be personalized according to the needs of the buyers.
As for its price, it is still unknown. Alex Desmond gave only the total cost of the materials used in his design: 20 euros.
