[Closed] Orange Five - WTF makes it so special?

I had some spare cash & fancied a new bike. The 1st bike I demo'd was the 2011 5. I didn't try any others cos I just knew there was no point.
I've had my 5 since September & ****ing love it.

esselgruntfuttock

I had some spare cash & fancied a new bike. The 1st bike I demo'd was the 2011 5. I didn't try any others cos I just knew there was no point.

Perhaps if had demo'd some other bikes you might have found a better one?

.
I've had my 5 since September & ****ing love it.

But is it any good?

only read the 1st page of this .. I own a Tracer VP, 10 months old, riding a 2.35 rear tyre ... I love it, soaks up everything (I love in the Lake District), the bike has never let me down (touch wood) and I totally abuse her 5 days a week. Obviously having only read the 1st page I don't know if u have purchased the Intense, but seeing as though every man and his dog owns a Orange it would be nice to see more Intense riders on the trails

Gary Lake - "What makes the Five so special is the fact that it simply does exactly what you ask of it. Nothing more, nothing less"

If you rode something other than a single pivot you would find that it actually DOESNT do everything what you ask of it.

"The rest is up to you!"
It certainly is,thank god i have a choice!

"And you can spin it's weak points however you want."
I cant be arsed repeating what a lot of folk are talking about thats making this thread so long.

sailor74 - "There are two things that make a Five so special.
The second thing that makes it so special is its UK proof-ness. The frame, bearings and paint job will still be tip top long after other bikes have had to have bearings replaced and are starting to look tired from all the paint chips. Basically these things will generally out last everything out there."
If a measly pair of 2rs bearings is the do all and end all of how good a bike is,then i dont know.As for the paint being a factor in how special the five is,thats one of the last things i look for in a mountain bike.who cares if it chips or scratches easily if its one of the best riding bikes on the planet?! A company owner/frame designer once replied to one of the customers that bought a very high end,expensive,niche custom build from a shop i used to work at.."Its a mountain bike for christsakes..just ride it!" in reply to his gripe over the finish of the paint.Great riding bike-shit paint.who cares.

Flow - "It goes to show how good the Five is when people who own other brands feel the need to comment on the thread defending their bikes and justifying their purchase."
Just because something is talked about,doesnt mean its the best thing since sliced bread,Flow.Take Katie Price as an example.

To finish up.Why have Santa Cruz and Orange decided to move on from their single pivots over the years? If their single pivots did everything it says on the tin,they wouldnt have bothered.

Why have they kept their single pivots? Because they are cheaper,easier to maintain,will accelerate and climb better than some (most?) brands more intricate designs but will never,EVER be the best overall design for going up and down a mountain.

Trolling is so much fun!

esselgruntfuttock - Member

The 1st bike I demo'd was the 2011 5. I didn't try any others cos I just knew there was no point.

Textbook "I know it's the best bike for me by virtue of having tried nothing else"

What this thread really needs is a bit of Grantway- "My Orange Five is best, it can do 3 foot drops, no other bike can do that, I rode it round the red at Climachx once lololol"

I had a hardtail with a good fork on it but found that braking into loose, rocky corners at speed a bit unnerving, as the back end skipped about a lot. (Compared to friends on full suss)

I decided it would be better to use full suss in such places as a result. I didn't chose a single pivot bike as I didn't want the suspension lock-out effect (brake jack) which supposedly would arise in these situations.

I would be interested to know how you guys on single pivots find situations like that or if it's just BS.

[b]martinxyz[/b]

One word, marketing. If companies didn't have the latest amazing multi pivot suspension technology to talk about, how else do you think they tempt people to buy one, especially if it doesn't ride as well as a
"useless" single pivot?

Why do you think that people who have ridden multi pivot bikes for years who try a single pivot like the Five or Heckler are amazed how well they ride compared to multi pivot bikes? Its not an inferior design, people are made to think it is through marketing of "better" products.

Orange haven't moved away from single pivot, the Blood and ST4 are linkage driven single pivot. Orange have stuck with what works, and why not.

It sounds to me like you need to try one, you have obviously been brainwashed with marketing so much you think you know it all.

[b]Northwind[/b]

I know exactly what esselgruntfuttock is on about, I did the same thing. Obviously I haven't spent the last 16 years riding the same bike, I know what works and feels right.

[b]Duntstick[/b]

Its not BS, single pivot bikes do suffer from brake jack, but they are't the only design that do, Dw link and four bar also suffer.
Put it this way, after owning an EX9 for just over a year, I found very little difference between that and the Five in terms of brake jack, even though the EX has all sorts of supposed "advantages" such as ABP. I didn't just test the Five round a car park either, I rode it for 7 hours at GT.

people who have ridden multi pivot bikes for years who try a single pivot like the Five or Heckler are amazed how well they ride

A sweeping generalisation! Compared with the Maestro system, I was underwhelmed by the suspension on the Five I demoed in a head-to-head test. Uphill its sucked up a lot of pedal energy. Downhill it didn't feel active or grip well; if you like the feel of a hardtail, ride a hardtail.

Admittedly, I only rode it around Triscombe for a few hours, and I cant rule out that the shop set it up badly or it was the wrong size. So I'll give the benefit of the doubt.

A few years ago a fancied a single pivot bike.

Couldnt afford an orange 5 so chose a Commencal Meta.

After 6 months all the bearings were shot and the frame cracked. Sold the Warranty replacement and moved on . Should I have saved for the 5?

*(for the record, bought another meta frame since. Had it welded, fitted heavy coil shock and some tough bombers - completely different to my original meta and actually ACE )

My brother had a Trance 2 years, this is why I said Heckler as he just bought one and prefers it muchly. The Trance felt dead in comparison with hardly any feedback whatsoever through the rear. Fine if you want a magic carpet feel, not so good if you want to know what the rear of the bike is doing round corners, like losing traction etc

I suppose people want different things, some people want super plush and to not feel any bumps at all, others like some feedback.

WTF

Orange 5 frame £1429

Santa Cruz (with RP23) £1023

these bikes are essentially the identical, but that 5 frame is soo expensive

my money would be on the proven Heckler, then you can spend a bit more on fork, wheels etc.

yes i know the Heckler has a slightly steeper HA, but the Heckler is a proven single pivot (as is the 5) but £400 cheaper.

The geometry is totally different, therefore they don't ride anything like each other.

Heckler a has steeper HA, shorter wheelbase, shorter rear end, higher BB, shorter TT.

The only thing thats the same is they are single pivot, and even the position of that is different.

I know what you are saying though, you are essentially paying £400 for it being handmade in the UK, some Reynolds tubing and sorted geometry.

how many folk on here own both a single pivot and a complex pivot one?
I have a single pivot Orange 5 and a VPP Intenses Spider [they have different trave - so not like for like
I agree you need to pedal differently uphill - no standing up and stomping on the Orange which you can do on the VPP - the VPP makes it feel like the cranks are Biospace /egg shaped when you first ride them uphill with some pressure. Orange needs nice smooth pedalling. if you watch someone ride uphill on an Orange it does not seem to bob much tbh and it is hard to tell whether it is crank bob or bump absorbtion.
Not sure which I would describe as better tbh but they are different. The Orange is much more forgiving on descents [ I am not sure this is just due to mor etravel but cannot be sure]
Re brake Jack not sure how much of an issue this is - never noticed on any bike tbh just brake better surely?

Its nice to have an opinion from someone who has experience of single and multi pivot bikes instead of someone "thinking" they know what they are on about.

I must say my EX didn't bob as much as the Five I tested, but again it has less travel. The EX also had a firmer compression tune on the shock which probably made quite a difference.

The Five absolutely blew the EX away downhill though which is what I'm more interested in 😀

i have owned a Heckler, now have a Butcher - essentially they are both single pivots but the Butcher is a linkage driven single pivot and the difference is very noticeable.

Orange 5's are great bikes in terms of performance, it is just down to personal preference I guess and I just prefer the Heckler over the 5, And this 'buy british' lark is just hype - sorry but the majority of stuff we buy in this country is not british-made, it a shame but just a reality and a sign of the manufactiuring demise in this country.

Why is buying British hype?

I think supporting a decent product and keeping a British business in business is a good thing surely?

my opinion mate, 'im buying an overpriced damn ugly bike that was built in a shed' cos its british!

lol

if the Orange had the 5's made in the far east.... would they be as good???? YES of course they would but cheaper!

good advertising (again) is this old thread 😀

Opinions don't really count when you don't even know the difference between the geometry of two bikes

😆

I think supporting a decent product and keeping a British business in business is a good thing surely?

Yes I agree, but they could just have the outsource the frames in the far east, then finish paint/decals in Halifax - surely from a business aspect they must of looked at this?

The upshot of this that the customer benefits.... £1429 for a single pivot frame is too much!

And for the record the 5 is a great bike, Im not disputing that.

Opinions don't really count when you don't even know the difference between the geometry of two bikes

The biggest difference is the HA on the 5 is slacker, the other differences are negligible. Im not purporting to dismiss the 5 - it is overpriced and does not need to be!

And yes I have ridden a 5 and I enjoyed it, but I enjoyed the Heckler more.

Some guys have had dozens of different types of bikes and talk of the different characteristics of each and their perceived benefits and drawbacks. They are usually last down the hill*. Sometimes they find a bike that flatters them and it becomes the best bike ever. Doesn't mean it actually is.

* It doesn't matter if you are a riding gawd or bimbler, but if you're gonna talk the talk...

.....and who really gives a toss about geometry, if say you only have £2 - 2.5k to spend, which will still give you multiple options on a number of great bikes.

I would go as far as to say that 85% of this forum cant ride as good as the reviewers, the experts and the Rowan Sorrel types of this world, oh and those who constantly bang on about gemetry. Therefore geometry, single pivoting etc....is of complete irrelevance if you cant drop anything bigger than 1.5` and you ride through the middle of a berm with the brakes rammed on.

I do like 5s, as above I had one, I am also from Halifax but I am concerned over the way forward for them, people have less cash to spend, and will have for the next 5 years!. The en mass purchasing of the 5s was partly due to the great reviews from the MBR over 20 editions but now the prices have significantly increased people will surely start looking past this as a reason to buy.

There are still people with cash to spend who want to make a statement rather than look at the performance of the machine.
I know of 3 people who live close to me who all bought brand new Orange 5's,and 2 of them had never ridden an mtb before.None of them are even average riders and one is disabled and walks with the aid of a stick.
But it gives them an air of a little bit of superiority outside the cafe as people will look at a strange shaped bike with Union Jacks on it.
I've had a 5,didn't like it,and i think there are better specced bikes out there for a lot less money.
Any of the Orange brand loyalists ready for a road bike next year?

This thread really is getting boring, Flow, thanks for pointing the obvious out to Northwind. I mean I've only been riding for 21 years so how would I know what's right for me?
Why would I keep demo'ing when I've found what I know feels spot on? (for me)
I can honestly say that I can climb stuff better than on any other bike I've had (or tried)I generally run out of legs or lungs before I run out of gription or steering & I know by the virtue of the fact that my mate is now a fair bit slower than me on descents, (a situation which has taken 21 years to reverse)
Plus I like the headtube badge.

What makes it so special - it's made in Yorkshire, end of. 😉

Ive just read through all of this thread (being a five owner)
and why is there so much girlie bitching ?
if you dont like it or like the ride it gives dont buy one simple as
im really at a loss as people feel the need to attack everything on a forum
ive not long been a member here having moved from elsewhere due too petty attitudes and crazy arguments but at this rate i think its just most forums in general
i just cant figure it out .

My bike is harder than your bike and my dad can fight your dad!
End of 🙂

That wont be hard my dad passed away when i was 17 .

paul20v

Ive just read through all of this thread (being a five owner)
and why is there so much girlie bitching ?
if you dont like it or like the ride it gives dont buy one simple as
im really at a loss as people feel the need to attack everything on a forum

What you see is probably a backlash to Orange 5 evangelists spamming every thread to wax lyrical about their beloved bikes. There seems to be no thread or topic where someone won't mention their orange 5. You would almost think Orange were doing some low key marketing here or something 😆

What Trailbike?
Orange 5

What UK do it all bike
Orange 5

What Bike for UK DH tracks.
Orange 5. You don't need anything else.

Alpine 160. Any thoughts
Get a 5. Alpine is pointless.

What bike for the Alps?
5 with 36's.

What XC Freeride bike
F I V E !!

What tyres for fireroads?
Doesnt matter - 5

Paul20v, you're right, its forums in general.

Nothing is allowed to be better than anything anyone owns, and something that has made a name for itself as being decent can't really be, its all hype.

If you think otherwise your opinion doesn't count if you don't do drops over 1.5', or because you aren't a pro rider. Also geometry doesn't matter, as long as your bike has decent kit on it and as many pivots as possibly it will make you faster.

😆

to be fair, the answers you've listed are all correct JJ - well done! 😀

Paul, It's not real life, just a forum. welcome, BTW. 😉

Thanks Del for the welcome
im not running yet thou 🙂

You forgot to ask....

What bike for the road? Five?

Paul, my post was not directed at you but to the ridiculous nature of this thread.

I've seen many posts of 5 riders waxing lyrical over how great their bikes are yet they ride no where challenging to merit a FS bike.

Not sure why someone would buy an expensive bike just to be seen or say they have said expensive bike. Seems daft to me. Bikes are for riding. The more serious you get into riding the more serious you get about the kit you buy.

after riding a giant trancex and an orange 5 back to back, i prefered the geo of the 5, but much preferred the suspension feel of the trance. that was with an RP23 on the orange, and a float r on the trancex!

Still, i'm a winner as i have a giant reign X which has the geo of the 5 (But with 0.5" longer chainstay), but the suspension feel of the trance (Even though it has an extra 35mm travel).

As for the 5 snobbery, it's hilarious!

Took my (new to me) 5 out for the first time this morning and now I get why they're so popular - it felt just right, for the first time in ages I just rode and enjoyed every minute without worrying about fiddling with the propedal, the fork lockout etc. Brilliant piece of kit.

It feels like a tool designed for a job. Kind of reminds me of the first time I drove a BMW after owning a Golf, I immediately got what the fuss was about after spending years pouring scorn on the ****s in their repwagons. Live and learn I guess.

If only it looked half as good as my Lapierre it would be a perfect bike; it does look like it was made in a shed by a blind ape 🙂

Geo of the Five is not the same as the Reign mate, not sure what spec sheet you're reading

The more serious you get into riding the more serious you get about the kit you buy.

I dunno about that tbh. I think the more I get into riding the more I want to spend cash on getting to new riding spots or different types of riding like road or CX. I'd never buy another XTR mech for example.

Yes I agree, but they could just have the outsource the frames in the far east, then finish paint/decals in Halifax - surely from a business aspect they must of looked at this?

Of course they have looked at it, since the HT frames are already made there. The fact is they have decided not to move production there and are happy that they are still competitive on price despite that fact.

Flow,i dont even take heed of any marketing from Orange or any other company.I wouldnt buy a renault because of how well they do in F1, i would buy it based on the reviews on the car in question.Just like i wouldnt be swayed towards a companys single pivot due to how much their multiple pivot designs get rave reviews.I suppose what im getting at here is why would someone go out of their way to make something,spend all that time and money.. to boost a bike they have already produced? They have all gone on to make multiple pivot models after launching the single pivot because they ride better.If they honestly rode worse,cost more to buy,took more time to change bearings,cost more to change bearings.. do you think we wouldnt have caught on by now after all these years? They higher end models are there for a reason,they arent there just to look cool with no benefit over a single pivot further down their line whatsoever.Some people dont mind a bit of extra weight,cost of bearings,time it takes to service one of these bikes if it means having the frame that has the edge over their base models.

As far as 4 bars suffering like single pivots do,you need to try out a few on different terrain.

Ive said this before,years ago i was riding Laggan with danny mac and we swapped bikes over the large rocky causeway just after airs rocks to see how a heckler tackled it compared to a horst five spot.We both agreed that with similar build and the same shocks, the ride was a different kettle of fish.It was a moment of looking at each other and grinning and thinking the same thing "fek me,theres the answer to all that,then!"

Theres heaps of bikes out there that shine through compared to single pivots with what all we can ride up here. I am starting to wonder if a lot of folk are believing their single pivots do the same job as more elaborate designs because they are riding what they think is a technical trail,when its no more than some enhanced canal towpath.Ive heard this of some of the race courses when the guys return from down south after a weekends racing.They get home and cant believe what some folk are classing as technical.

Going back to single pivot v other types of suspension.. i once swapped a demo marin rift zone with a chap who owned a superlight.Same travel but we swapped bikes half way down a loose rocky track where we were using quite a bit of rear brake to brush off speed to stop everyone piling into each other.We got off at the end,swapped back and agreed on how the rear end was functioning on the rift zone compared to the sc.He is the kind of chap that doesnt really notice when his bearings are worn out,cones are loose etc.. but he definately noticed this.It felt like the rear end was completely locked on the superlight.

More recently i rode an old superlight down off Fyrish and again,it felt like the rear end of my hardtail. Near useless when feathering the brake right through to using it as much as possible.The thing is, having owned a heckler,i only noticed how bad this was once i moved onto the ict 5 spot.

Like people have said above, some folk will rave about the bikes they own but they still havent tried them back to back with designs that blow them away when it comes to climbing and descending.Its all out there,take advantage of demo days and see for yourself.

This isnt a dig at orange or santacruz and their singlepivots.They have their advantages,i owned one.I would even (like i said above) consider owning a new heckler again due to my type of riding these days.They would be more than enough for what i do on them.However,i just feel the need to point out what i said above having experienced it.On another note,i have posted before in other threads on the number of people that have moved away from single pivots from orange (5) and some santacruz single pivots.The bikes they moved onto were horst motolites or racerx. or turner 5 spots or fluxs and without any help.. they all agree that they couldnt believe the difference in the ride.I can honestly say that for the riders that ride up here,i cant think of one that said they wished they could go back to what they owned previously.

Its great to hear that feedback from customers without swaying them towards it.

Eighth page. Wow.

What does it all mean? 🙂

So in summary, some people like Fives, some don't.

In regards to the OP (8 pages back), perhaps Fives are special because they make their owners/riders feel good about their riding. Doesnt matter whether they are gods or not. Which makes them want to ride more. Which makes them want to ride in different, challenging locations.

[b]martinxyz[/b]

So basically you are saying everyone is wrong, its all hype. Single pivots are inferior and multi pivot suspension is in ever way better. Even though the Five is widely regarded as one of, if not the best all rounder going, whether it's overpriced and overweight or not, and descends better/as good as bikes with more travel and pivots?

I'm pretty sure you are not the only person in the country that has ridden a single pivot and multi pivot bike on challenging terrain, by that I don't mean manicured trail centres, I mean proper riding.

What Trailbike?
Orange 5

What UK do it all bike
Orange 5

What Bike for UK DH tracks.
Orange 5. You don't need anything else.

Alpine 160. Any thoughts
Get a 5. Alpine is pointless.

What bike for the Alps?
5 with 36's.

What XC Freeride bike
F I V E !!

What tyres for fireroads?
Doesnt matter - 5

esselgruntfuttock - Member

This thread really is getting boring, Flow, thanks for pointing the obvious out to Northwind. I mean I've only been riding for 21 years so how would I know what's right for me? Why would I keep demo'ing when I've found what I know feels spot on? (for me)

That's [i]exactly[/i] what I said when I tried a Five! But it only lasted 5 minutes because I had another test session booked in straight after. It's also what I said about my Soul, and that lasted a year til I tried something that I didn't think I'd like at all, which turned out to be better. If I'd not tried anything else, I'd still be on the Soul saying it was my perfect hardtail.

It's not brain surgery, you can't judge something you've never tried- and tbh I think you've got to be realistic, the chances of the bike you have genuinely being the perfect bike for you are small, with the huge number of bikes out there. I love my Hemlock but would I be better on something else? Quite likely, I just don't know what it is. Luckily it doesn't matter.

That's exactly what I said when I tried a Five! But it only lasted 5 minutes because I had another test session booked in straight after. It's also what I said about my Soul, and that lasted a year til I tried something that I didn't think I'd like at all, which turned out to be better. If I'd not tried anything else, I'd still be on the Soul saying it was my perfect hardtail

Junkyard - Member

you sound quite indecisive and like a bike slag to me... Ooh I love this one oh look shes prettier well the buzz has worn off let me try your sister etc

Nah, not really... Just that I understand the difference between "best bike for me" vs "best bike", and also "best bike for me so far" vs "best bike for me". Soul was the best bike for me that I'd ever ridden, for a long time, then along came something else that did things differently and suited me more.

OTOH I've had my rigid bike for 20 years

I've just been out riding my 5 it was a very nice ride, didn't think about the bike very much, we went up and down and I was happy today.

Pics, vid and three paragraph test report or it didn't happen. (face)

My Xbox 360 is better than an Orange 5 but the 5 is free to play online.

can a moderator close this thread please?

"Dancake

My Xbox 360 is better than an Orange 5"
------------------------------------------------------

Now thats a whole new argument and has no place here.

I would like to add something if i dare
a lot are babbling on about reviews and advertising etc i read non of it
and i didnt buy it for snobbery as someone has said WTF didnt even now that was an issue with some people ,
i bought the bike because i liked the ride
after trying a few and owning others it just felt right straight away
no issues no drama
im sure as said theres better around may be there better for me also maybe not
but the 5 as i bike i can throw at anything i feel like doing it works for ME as a rider and thats all that matters and thats all that should matter
for others be happy with what you have and stop bitching at others for what they have .

[b]Paul20v[/b]

I said exactly that on page 3, I would save your breath. Since then I have been told I was wrong, a troll and the Five is sh*t and I should have looked else where.

flow - Member
I test rode one at Glentress a few weeks ago. For me what made it special is the fact I felt at home on it straight away, it took no getting used to whatsoever. I hammered it around for 7 hours like I had owned it for years with a huge grin on my face because it was fun.

Surely any bike that is fun (for me) to ride is special, whether its a £500 hard tail, or a 3k full sus?

My brother also hired one and wasn't as impressed. Whats good for one, isn't necessarily good for another.

I joined up here to talk to some like minded people who are into bikes 😐

[b]Flow[/b]
I joined up here to talk to some like minded people who are into bikes

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

More chance of raising the bleeding Titanic.

Martinxyz - it's undeniable that multi pivot bikes are plusher than 5s. However, the question is how important is that? After all we are not buying luxury executive cars for ferrying dignitaries around. We can handle a few bumps 🙂

Personally I like the firm feeling and the pedal feedback, but I've only ridden one multi pivot bike and that was for one ride.

I'm sure if I got on any of the other bikes mentioned here I'd love it too. But then I'm the kind of person who looks for the good in everything 🙂

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

My Nomad the bike I had before my 5, and my 5 which i rode today,

Both make me smile, which is the fastest on the trail,

I joined up here to talk to some like minded people who are into bikes

Good reason to join. But surely you're not so socially unaware that you think raising your voice in public about how your bike is the best bike in the world, and how you believe that everyone either has the same bike, or aspires to own one, isn't going to result in quite a lot of backlash?

The whole concept of "best" is extremely subjective anyway, as we have established, because what works for one rider doesn't necessarily work for another, and besides, it's 95% the rider and only 5% the bike that makes the difference anyway.

Flow, you will find people on here a lot more accepting and even welcoming in general if you use fact based, rational arguments, and leave the emotions about your latest purchase out of it. Please, show us pictures of your latest bikes when you get them (I always have and will continue to do so), but just allow for the fact that not everyone will feel the same about it as you do.

Mboy I know what you are saying, but, isn't this a whats so good about the Orange Five thread? What am I supposed to say? People are slagging it off, I'm entitled to defend it as I think its worth defending. Read the post above from the 3rd page, hardly forcing people to buy one!

Ahh,just been out on the horst linked bike for the past 4 hours.

If i was on a single pivot,you wouldnt be reading this. I recon i`d be about 3 miles from home at this point.

Oh jeez,nearly forgot the smiley.

😀

301st post WHOOOOOOOOOO

I've ridden FS bikes since 1996 and I have had errr lots (trade price perks)single pivots, 4 bars, vpp etc. The last one was a Trance X that I had for 2 years with a Pushed shock, plush - yeah,involving no, not really. It is a good design however I'm very glad to have bought my Heckler. It for me is more involving and rewarding to ride, this rubbish about the rear stiffening under braking is very over hyped, if you drag your brakes every downhill then yes I suppose it isn't quite as effective as the maestro system but not really that noticeable tbh. It does climb better, infact, back in the days of Proflex it was marketed that they dig in and that still stands, it does add traction compared to the multi pivots.

I rode a Five for long enough for me to be exhausted and really didn't get on with it as the sizing wasn't right for me however it did make me think how clever the bike companies are at selling their products. The Five works, so does the Heckler and so does the Giant and countless others.....personal preference springs to mind 🙂

Mboy I know what you are saying, but, isn't this a whats so good about the Orange Five thread? What am I supposed to say?

Errr, "I like mine because...", "It suits my riding style because...", "I used to own X but now own Y and I prefer it because..."... All perfectly fine.

Spouting rubbish about everyone else either wanting one or convincing themselves their "inferior" bike is better because they can't afford one, going on about British Manufacturing meaning it's of vastly superior quality (it's not these days) and not listening to what other people say when they disagree with you (as they have every right to do) is the fastest way to annoy people on here...

I stopped after onion's first reply. Well I don't see many orange any more around here mainly due to two things:
they are expensive, and not fashionable. Simple as that.
Ridders around here are very sensitive to fashion. Looking at the enduro series 2 years ago the only bikes you could see were lapierre and giant. Now the latest fashionable brand is mondraker (thanks to fabien I guess) although spoocilized is coming back.
It llosk to me that the UK market for bike is one of the most down to earth. You obviously get your share of all the gear no idea it middle men spooting gob-shite on an internet forum, but on the over all people seems to ride bike mainly because they like it. UK market seems to be more driven toward the HT front than the FS it is just inconceivable here. People look at me very weirdly when they see me on my hard tail. So no you don't see AS MANY five down here as you can see sin the UK, but doesn't mean it's because it's a bad bike.

Does it matter what bike you're riding - if you're just rinding, having fun - they're the main points to get right? All this - "my bikes better than your's" is just pure and simple crap

UMMM, just to add,

i have owned VPP and 4/faux bar frames and find them better at a lot of things (square edge hits etc) compared to a single pivot but also find them dull and un-involving as they seem to take my input out of the ride

long live the single pivot, lots of fun to ride. 😛

oreetmon
UMMM, just to add,

i have owned VPP and 4/faux bar frames and find them better at a lot of things (square edge hits etc) compared to a single pivot but also find them dull and un-involving as they seem to take my input out of the ride

long live the single pivot, lots of fun to ride.

Exactly 😀

EDIT,
spanner int works

must add, i have recntly been getting used to a CCBD on my 2011 after swapping it for the stock rp23XV and 'squrae edge hit/brake jack' arguments hold less water now in my opinion.

tried the old rp23 today just for fun and will never go back, made the frame feel dull and sluggish and climbing was a chore ,even though it was 'lighter',,, im no suspension expert but thought this a relevent point, a CCBD has totaly changed my opinion of the 5 frame.

"i have owned VPP and 4/faux bar frames and find them better at a lot of things (square edge hits etc) compared to a single pivot but also find them dull and un-involving as they seem to take my input out of the ride"

quick,edit it before the faux bar police come along and tell you that a faux bar IS a single pivot!

I've actually seen more than 3 people at the same time really enjoying themselves on an ORANGE 5. OMG.

Enjoying themselves. It's a strange concept.

i ride a hardtail... saves talking bollox about the intricacies of spring jack, square head hits, [s]jocks[/s] shocks and all that jazz....

I reckon a 5 will be my next trail bike, I'm getting more and more tempted to part with cash as each day passes.

The main 2 reasons I want a five is because I will order it to come with a rear maxle and CCDB (& it's suspension design will work so well with the CCDB). Simple as that. Expensive price to pay? Yeah. But I can't actually see any other 140mm trail bike out there that will fit those criteria (although I've probably missed some?).

Taking a Five and a Five Spot to Molini di Triora for five days, so will settle the dispute between, SP and multi pivot!
Albeit in my view SP with good shock eg ccdb or if want a multi pivot a DW link (physics seems to add up) are the only real choices.
Geometry BB height and wheelbase are probably way more important.

This point has probably been made somewhere along the line, but I shall make it for the sake of making a contribution to the discussion...
The orange 5 2011 (which costs £2,249.99) has a spec almost identical to that of the Boardman Team FS 2011, this bike costs £999.99, and I have not seen any evidence, neither on the Orange website, nor read in user reviews a reason that justifies the £1249.99 price differece. (Hype much??).
Futile Point to make, but a valid one I think 🙂

Their new bike outside the workshop
[url= ]New Orange[/url]

Only a bit of fun 8)

Had mine out today for the first time - I pedalled - it went up and down across the North York Moors - the down bits were especially fun - I think we are going to have a happy time together 😆
I did'nt notice this 'brake jack' malarkey 😉 I just sqeezed the levers and it slowed or stopped - most times in some sort of control and as for looking fugly, from the saddle the view is just great 😯

DeeJay - Member
Had mine out today for the first time - I pedalled - it went up and down across the North York Moors - the down bits were especially fun - I think we are going to have a happy time together
I did'nt notice this 'brake jack' malarkey I just sqeezed the levers and it slowed or stopped - most times in some sort of control and as for looking fugly, from the saddle the view is just great

POSTED 7 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Brake Jack was more noticeable with the Patriot

Brake Jack was more noticeable with the Patriot

Thank goodness for that - thought it was just my poor riding skilz 😕

For what its worth, I've got a 2007 5 with Float 36's and an Alpine with Float 180's (yeah yeah yeah I know they're 20mm over what Orange recommend but it feels good)
I love my 5 - it'll do practically anything I want it to do including a real pasting during a week in Morzine and several UK enduros. The thing i like most of it is its simple reliability. If theres anything loose on the back its either the pivot bearings or the shock bushes. Either one is cheap and easy to fix. I've got mates on Intense and Spesh who have to shell out a load of cash on new bearings when their arse end gets loose and invariably end up replacing OEM bearings with cheap Chinese ones because its such a costly affair. I only need a pair and so can afford SKF or FAG stainless which are sealed better and last longer.
My 5 is so good at pottering round smooth flowy trails and taking on 6-8 foot drops I sometimes wonder why I built the Alpine. To be fair the 5 is just as good for the sort of riding I'm into. Having said that, The Alpine with the long forks does like the really rough stuff meaning I don't have to pick my lines quite as carefully.
You just can't fault the 5 - its pretty good up, its great down, strong and easy and cheap to look after and the paint finish is super durable.