And I’m thinking of an Orange 5. Anyone know of a bike shop around Exeter/haldon that might have an one I can go jump on?
After years of fighting it, I think it’s time for a full sus bike again & these seem both in high regard, and perfect for XC & welsh/scottish trail centre use, & the kind of silly things I’ve been riding on the 456.

If there’s something else I should consider then please fire away.

LOL, you’ve come to the wrong forum to get recommendation for the Orange 5. Just expect to get lot of stupid cabinet comments as the Orange 5 haters on here do not hold “these seem both in high regard, and perfect for XC & welsh/scottish trail centre use” .

I like em & there ‘cabinet’ looks, but I like single pivots fullsussers and have 3 already. Though the 5 seemingly has gone a bit silly with it geometry on paper (at least) for me of late, still would like to try one to make my own mind up but with 3 bike already and two very comparable to the 5, so there’s little point. 😉

As a cheaper & comparable alternative have you checked out the NukeProof Mega?

Mega Home page & large STW thread

I have a five it replaced my stumpy FSR and out lived a ibis mojo. I love this bike it’s such a laugh. Your local dealer can get you a demo easy enough from orange so you get a proper ride on one. I think Cannock chaselbs has them as a demo as does the shop at AFAN.

Lots of people will slate them but I love mine and can’t speak highly enough of it. 😀

http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/dealers/
IIRC you can ask your local dealer to get demo bikes in for you (If the local dealer is reticent, try emailing Orange direct)

I’m sure they’re lovely. They just look gash.

The Five is a good bike, if you get one you will enjoy it. The looks seem to be subjective, but I think in right light (and colour) they’re quite sexy – anyway you can’t see it when you’re on it!

Personally think a Giant Anthem wipes the floor with an Orange 5 on most things..

Ralphies in Taunton were selling their 2011 demo off cheap

Sorry if it’s a bit late but Cycle Surgery are an Orange stocklist aren’t they? I think they had a Five in there last time i went in (about 6 months ago)

I’m sure they’re lovely. They just look gash.

+1, and very expensive.

If they got rid of that awful looking bendy top tube i’d have have one (if the big wheeled version ever comes to fruition)

Don’t know many people that have owned one that slag em off.

Thought about a Santacruz Superlight?

Yes they look like they’ve been made in a shed, but they are so nice to ride. They just feel alive.

Personally think a Giant Anthem wipes the floor with an Orange 5 on most things..

How can you compare these 2 bikes, there not even on the same wave length. And yes i have ridden a Anthem a few times, but own a 2011 five pro. So guess which i prefer by a long way.

The five is way more bike, but way more ££.

I wounder how many people who slag a five off have actualy ridden one, and if so on some decent terrain. If they had cant see many slagging them off then, other than the price being on the steep side (but so are loads of other makes of bikes) the five is awsome and its built to last, easy to maintain pivot, bushes etc yourself.

Perfect UK bike IMHO

If there’s something else I should consider then please fire away.

tbh, it’s a pretty endless list. there are lots of shops in devon with various demo bikes – santa cruz at the bike shed, spesh at hot pursuits, big peaks do giant and commencal.

if it’s your first full suss then you need to try various platforms to see what you like the feel of.

Wookster, when you “outlived” a Mojo, did something happen to it?

Fantastic UK built bike… it’s not expensive if you use it and love it. Had mine for 18 months now and wouldn’t swap it for any other full sus.

can a five owner tell me please if these are practical as well as fun..

I’ve been put off full sus for many years after experiencing the ridiculous pedalling inefficiency of some of the earlier attempts..

Have Orange 5s really addressed this problem satisfactorily..? It’s quite an old design..
Would you realistically want to use a 5 for proper all day all mountain riding with as much climbing as descending..?

Practical —- Yes (very easy bike to maintain and ride in UK conditions)

Fun —– a very big… YES (absolute hoot to point downhill)

With the Pro pedal in use for climbing it stops a lots of pedal bob , but you will still get some.. There are occasions when climbing, on something slippery, when a small amount of movement from the rear suspension helps to stop the rear wheel from spinning.. technique also plays a big part.

By most accounts a great bike, the alternative is a Heckler which is similar in function, equally tough but looks better to me.

I used mine for the transwales this year, they are very versatile.

Yunki

Practical?

not sure what you mean you can ride anything on it but I generally save it for proper mountain days but it does perform well on everything. 2 mates have it as their only bike without issue

pedalling inefficiency –

it does bob compared to a hardtail or a VPP/ or other mechanism. You need to get used to sitting and spinning. It feels like it moves more than it actually does though – I maybe ride hardtails too much so i notice this more??

Have Orange 5s really addressed this problem satisfactorily..? It’s quite an old design..

[quote]
no they have not but the shock has

all day all mountain riding with as much climbing as descending..?

If i wanted to have the fun on the downhill bit then yes. i think it depends on the style you ride tbh how rocky /steep /technical.
personally I give it 7 out of 10 uphill 10 out of 10 downhill so which would you rather have? tbh I prefer to get out the saddle and power up but that is not an effective single pivot climbing technique IMHO. I am getting used it to it now though and I am just pedalling smoothly instead.
I would try one first tbh given the money
In the unlikely case you are ever in Manchester let me know and you can have a play

I have a Five and use it for all sorts, its the only bike I have and need. Dont notice any pedal bob, but mine is set up with a CCDB, and I find it pedals just as well if not better than my old hardtail. Its a good all rounder for UK riding but I wouldn’t buy one based on everyone elses opinions or views. Try as many bikes as you can on demo days and find one that suits your type of riding. Wont be changing mine for a while though.

Personally not a fan but mates who have them rate them highly. My old Kona Dawg keeps up or is better than the 5 imo, either that or I am just a better rider than mates 💡

My current choice from a large crop of good bikes would be the Transition Bandit. Still to have a ride on one but another mate reckons his is his best bike so far. http://www.mtbskills.co.uk/mtbskills/gallery_%26_video.html
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/transition-bandit-2010.html

Don’t know many people that have owned one that slag em off.

How many people spend £2k plus on a bike and then slag it off?

Hora?
Plenty do I would assume
But yes it would be daft to buy the wrong bike at that price point

Santa Cruz Heckler rides like a Five and is £500 cheaper.

Yunki,
you can take mine out for a day if you want, and find out for yourself. since i ride ss a lot, i am happy being stood when climbing, or at least, i am quite accustomed to it. older 5s had the pivot mounted in a different place IIRC, and if the pivot isn’t aligned to the chainring you’re using at the time, then you will experience more bob when climbing i believe. i mostly use the middle ring as a result, and climb seated if i resort to granny ( not very often these days ).
my 5 has been used for spanish, french and swiss holidays, for thrashes over dartmoor, and very occaionally on haldon. it’s also been used on uplift days at a few DH tracks. cwmcarn a few times, triscombe, gawton, and that other one up near the quantocks i can’t remember the name of right now!
having recently broken my ss frame, i’m single-speeding my geared HT, and going down to two mtbs, so the 5 will come out more often when i want gears. having sort of kept the five for holidays and uplift days recently i used it on the moors a couple of times and realised what a fantastic bike it is to ride, for just tossing it off on regular riding around lustleigh, and all that stuff.
top bit of kit. unlike the HT frame i broke recently, i think if i broke the 5 i’d probably buy another one.
oh – and i bought mine SH from an orange dealer. it’s an ’08 for reference and i paid about 1300 quid two years ago, though i did swap out quite a few bits for personal preference. it doesn’t owe me anything.

Paceman – Member

Santa Cruz Heckler rides like a Five and is £500 cheaper.

And it looks over 9000 times nicer. And it doesn’t sound like a sack of spanners being humped by a robot.

Mugboo – Member

Don’t know many people that have owned one that slag em off.

Yes but I’ve owned a lot of expensive shitty kit that nobody slags off. Probably because they think ‘it was expensive therefore it must be perfect’

And it doesn’t sound like a sack of spanners being humped by a robot.

LOL!
the sounds are always happening somewhere behind me, so i don’t really notice when i’m riding. 😀

Santa Cruz Heckler rides like a Five and is £500 cheaper.

No it doesn’t. A cursory glance at the geometry table shows they will ride nothing like each other.

The only thing they share is they only have one pivot each.

😯 Semi-aspergic World in semi-aspergic shocker! 😯

Thanks Del..
I’ll take you up on that offer at some point in the future..

Would you realistically want to use a 5 for proper all day all mountain riding with as much climbing as descending..?

Before my Five Pro I had an Orange Elite HT and one of the key things when i tested the Five was that it had to climb hills. For some weird reason I enjoy climbing.

Anyway they do climb and are great down hill. I really think they are the best of both, a real do it all bike that is simple to look after and few moving parts to worry about.

If I go back to a FS it would probably be a 5′. Only had a quick spin, & it felt a very active suspension action. I liked it. Had a couple of FS before, Giant NRS, SWorks Enduro & recently a Ventana El-Ciclon. The El-Ciclon had a simillar suspension action, in that it was quite active but obviously totally different apart from that. What impressed me though, was a ride with some guys in Derbyshire. I always thought myself ok, going downhill anyway, but I these guys (both on 5’s), were so quick. We swapped bikes & did the run again, & I was amazed how much more controlled the 5′ felt. I’m not a fan of the latest slack models, & would look for the one from the year they introduced the kinked top tube.

I had an orange 5 and liked it but have felt the trek ex8 that replaced it to be a much more ‘complete’ bike that climbs better and is as much fun on the downs- all subjective I know – plus its alot quieter!

Run my 5 with a Stinger chain device and 2×9, seems to work superbly never dropped the chain and doesn’t sound like a sack of spanners beating a robot to death and stuff

They’re great bikes. Questionable value, and not the best warranty (and don’t believe anyone who says “They’re bombproof” or similiar, they break just like everything else). But very good for the whole riding part once you get over that. Kinda flexy swingarm unless you get the maxle one, wouldn’t bother me at all but it does bother some folks. (I don’t hold with stiffer = better)

Some folks say they’re too biased towards descending… But if you don’t want a bike that’s biased towards descending, why are you buying one with 5 inches of travel, is the question there. Modern shocks mean even stoneage singlepivots can climb acceptably well.

Hob Nob – Member

No it doesn’t. A cursory glance at the geometry table shows they will ride nothing like each other.

Have you actually ridden both? Only MBR journalists believe you can take a look at a geometry sheet and know how a bike will ride 😉

Just out of interest has anyone compared a 5 Pro to the Yeti ASR5? I test rode the ASR5 last week and it blew me away, I’m testing a 5 Pro with coming weekend. Obviously will draw my own conclusions but considering the original question for this thread…

Junior / Yunki, from my experience a Yeti ASR5 is a must ride. Had a go on an Ibis Mojo SL yesterday and it was also very good, but the Yeti felt better to me. The suspension just kind of disappeared, the bike climbed especially well with no discernible bob, even out of the saddle.