Reviews seem a bit few and far between, there’s a Bikeradar review saying the newer version is a much better pedaling bike, but much more skittish over rough stuff, and I’ve also read a singletrack review which was quite vague (“in rather than on the bike”), but said that it felt well-balanced and descended much better than the Rune or the Slash, and climbed as well, if not better too.

Any users on here got any feedback or thoughts on the bike?
Comparisons with a five/old 160 would be great!
Cheers

EDIT Which shock are you running and how does it feel?

Hi,

I’ve got a 2012 older style alpine 160 so I don’t know how relevant this will be for you but I love it.

It feels great going down but it is a bit weighty and climbing can be hard going but if you’re happy to sit and spin away you’ll be ok. I’ve not ridden the new one or a 5 so I’m not sure how they compare to be honest.

I’ve got fox 36 floats and a push tuned rp23 on mine, I found the standard tune of the rear shock blew through its travel really easily which was why I opted for the push tune and it really transformed the way the bike rides, it pedals loads better but is still really composed and solid when going down.

If you’re anywhere near Cardiff sunset cycles are really helpful when it comes to getting demo bikes in for you to try out.

Hope that helps,
Ash.

Im running a 2012 Alpine 160 and love it. It has gone on a bit of a diet recently and is now below 30lbs with a reverb so it pretty good going up and down. Im running it with Float 34’s and an RP23. Pedals well with a platform shock and is stunning going downhill. I do think though that there is a very fine perfect setting for the rear shock going downhill due to the single pivot. I find that if you can get the rebound spot on for the rear shock then the bike is a blast up and down.

I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a new one.

Below is my alpine. Previously had a five fitted with 36’s and push tuned rp23. The alpine is heavier but pedals just as well if not better than than the five did with the bigger forks. Downhill the alpine is much more stable at speed, did a few measurements before i stripped my five and bb is 30mm lower on alpine.
The double barrel/pike combo is superb aswell 🙂
This build is 33lbs, change to 1×10 and different tires would get it closer to 30

As the previous post said. Mine is definitely on the weighty side, but it has Fox Talas 36 180/140mm forks, Cane Creek DB shock, 2.5″ Minions front and rear with downhill tubes and has served me superbly over the last 3 years in Les Arcs. Other than that, a few trips to Innerleithen and Antur Stiniog.

A bugger to pedal up, but coming down is superb. But that was my choice when Biketreks built it for me. Last year i put on some 36 floats, lightweight tyres and it made a huge difference when pedaling. Became very lively.

I had my last ride on it yesterday, as I plan to sell the bike. Getting a bit too old for this big stuff! Sad to let it go and debating whether to break it up and sell or as a complete bike.

And the Chain Reaction Bike Bag (used once). I’ll most likely place it all in the ads section in the next day or so.

Tried an Orange Alpine 160, Lapierre Spicy, Whyte g150, Trek Slash 9 and a Cube Fritzz and the Orange was far and away the most “fun” bike to ride. All were my usual large frame size and the orange felt the longest in reach (780mm bars mind), gave the most harsh ride/best feedback depending on your take but never troubled my footing despite using most of the travel. Didn’t feel weighty or inefficient in this company, but quite frankly I was having too much of a giggle to really notice.
Only the Lapierre troubled the Orange IMHO, it was ruthlessly smooth in comparison but perhaps at the expense of enjoying the trail somewhat. The Slash felt too low at the front and not long enough or perky enough despite being a good £1/2000 more than the others. The whyte and cube bored me to tears.
Tellingly, the orange was the one I crashed going too fast into a rather gravelly corner that never usually catches me out. Also tellingly I bumped into a guy riding the same Trek Slash I tried, he had also ridden the Orange and said it was the more fun bike too !

In short, I doubt very much you’d regret buying the orange alpine. In fact, I’m ordering one very soon ! 😀

Took the 2011ish one (tapered head tube & 30.9 post) for a demo in the lakes, coming off the back of riding a heckler with tall 160mm forks. It was fine, climbed like I expectred really not that good out of the saddle and needed the RP23 set to firm Pro Pedal. On the way down it was good & solid. Build was heavy though (think it was the Pro Spec). Inthe end didn’t really leave me with a burning hole in my wallet just confirmed it was time for me to move away from single pivot bikes, if you like them it will probably be great but I was getting to the end of them.

The real question is what are you wanting it for, it never felt like a bike I’d want to do big day rides, too much in the gravity camp for a trail bike in my eyes.

Also get out and demo one, Orange are very good at showing their bikes and getting you out on them. Try a few other bikes too, it’s the only real way to comapare.

Ah right yeah thanks for the help! Shock tunes can make or break Oranges in my experience.
Not buying yet just doing a bit of research – I’m off the bike at the mo due to injury so window shopping for my next bike (probably a year or so down the line).
It’d be useful to know whether any of you have tried a well-tuned rp23/monarch and a double barrel air/coil.
Double barrel may be the way to go, but they’ve got the be worth the weight, not to mention the price, over an rp23.
EDIT mikewsmith – riding a fair bit of DH at the moment on my five – which is great, also the odd DH and enduro race, plus all-day xc rides so a bit of everything really.
Specced well I can probably get an Alpine close the the weight of my five, which climbs awfully since upping the fork travel.
Also probably going to try and get a ride on a Kona Process, Commencal Meta SX, Spicy and a Last Herb.
Never ridden anything other than single-pivot so it seems foolish to buy another one without trying other things – I’ve loved my other two though!

Well bikes are very personal things. What I might hate, you might love…..

But I hated my Alpine. The BB was too low. It was too heavy with little reward (and I had a DH bike at the time that I would forgive that). And it climbed badly.

I sold it and brought a Five which goes up MUCH better and down pretty much as well as the Alpine. And I have a BottleRocket for when I want to go mad (and the BR is much better mannered on the trail and up hill).

I love Orange bikes. Had a sub5, a patriot, a five and a sub zero. All great. But I really felt the Alpine was the blot on the copy book – it seems a concept without a need…..

I have a 2012 Alpine
in standard set up it was a bit underwhelming(36’s and rp 23)
Put some Pikes on which are way better (more progressive spring rate suits bike/my riding better)
Put a CCDB on and you’ve got a different class of bike both up & down
I’ve put in on a diet,(30lbs now)light wheels make a HUGE difference. Very lively
They’re great bikes but can be easily set up badly. I’d try a Five as well before you buy

si66 – what wheels did you go for? My Alpine needs to shed some weight too.

I’ve got a 2010 Alpine which I bought as an ex-hire bike from a tour company in Morzine. Since then I’ve taken it to Morzine, Verbier, South Wales and the giddy heights of Swinley Forest. It’s utterly bombproof, I’m not the slightest of gents so it has taken a fair bit of abuse and it’s still riding beautifully.

Only issue I’ve had with it was the rear hub’s axle snapped on the black run at Cwmcarn. It’s a well-known issue with Hope Pro2 hubs and the older style Maxles. SRAM and Hope replaced both axles without any fuss, and the Maxle has now been redesigned to lessen the amount the hub’s axle can flex. I’ve had no problems since then.

As si66 says, a CCDB makes a massive difference to the way the bike handles. I’ve found less
pedal bob since changing over too. I can’t imagine changing this bike anytime soon.

I’ve got a fairly stock 2012 Alpine. Only things I’ve replaced are the bars, stem and seatpost. It comes in at about 34 1/2lbs but pedals well and is the best thing I’ve ridden on descents. Jumps well (although I don ‘t) and is just about the best balanced bike I’ve ridden. Suits UK DH tracks better than some of the slightly older DH bikes I’ve ridden over the years. Do I wish it was a little lighter? Yep, but I don’t have any money to make it so at the moment. I had the RP23 Pushed as the Boost Valve failed (and it wasn’t much more for the upgrade over the standard TF Tuned service) and that’s made it even better to ride.

This will be the bike I’ll be keeping for a while although I might get another hard tail as I miss riding them.

Tom KP

I’ve got the 2013 model with CCDBA and Lyrik solo airs upfront, and I think it comes in at around 33lb. I love my alpine, it climbs way better than my hardtail BFe and descends like it’s posessed and therefore I really have no need for a second bike. It’s not the quickest uphill but it certainly doesn’t hold me back. I know it should be no surprise, but this bike really is built to last and feels solid as owt. A week in the Alps and this thing really shows no signs of weakness. I haven’t felt the need to play with my shock settings and couldn’t be happier with the performance. I’m sure there’s some gains to be had but not sure i’d really notice.