Normally I would not be impressed with an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) disguised as a mountain bike. Rungu makes one and I feel they mislead consumers by hyping their ATV as an e-bike (it’s not). The Rungu is an electric-powered ATV (that uses a lot of mountain bike components). It is way too powerful to be classified an e-bike. When a Rungu was involved in a traffic collision, the rider was cited for operating an “unlicensed motor vehicle” by the California Highway Patrol.
So when I saw photos of Orange Bikes’ Phase AD3, I figured, “here we go again.” That was until I read the bike’s backstory. The Phase AD3 is not a model that Orange is planning to mass produce and there is little chance you’ll see one on the trail (unless you live close to Lorraine Truong). This was a labor of love for a rider who could no longer ride her conventional mountain bike. You can read the story here.
Old guys worry too much: It is awesome that the Orange Bikes’ brain trust could build a vehicle for Lorraine Truong so she could get to ride again. Still, the old-man apprehension in me feels that putting Lorraine back on the trail is not the best course for someone who suffered her injuries. A modified tandem seems to make more sense safety-wise.
