Apologies if this has been done before, bet it has & I did do a search, but…..

99% sure I’m buying a 5 pro….

Appreciate some advice on which options are worth the extra cost

Average rider & fitness (but aim to get better!), trail riding on South downs, 6 2 & 14.5 stone

Currently I’m thinking of:

>Fox 32 Float RLC (£110)
>Hope ZS Tapered Headset(£50)
>Maxle swingarm (£100)

What do you think…. worth it…missed anything….wasting my money…

Thanks

Id swerve the headset & get M4 upgrade!

may as well get the rlc for £100 more, it will have the FIT cartridge, which the standard float wont have, thats worth way more than a hundred quid straight away!

No experience of the Maxles, so can’t comment.

Do you really want the extra faff and complications of an RLC fork? Will you realistically use the compression damping?

Otherwise sounds on the money. Personally I think a decent headset is a good investment. I’d also be tempted to get a lighter post (and maybe even bar and stem) at the point of sale.

I disagree… Bars, Stem, Post, headset are all easily upgradable at a later date

Forks, Maxle, Brakes, Worth it from the off IMO

If you ever go to big hills (alps) you will be glad of the 3 of them

From experience – been there in Jan.

Hope BB has been bomb proof bad reviews of the fsa one. so get that its worth it IMO.
Coloured rims
maxle rear – had to convert to 10mm through axle.
Fox 36 Forks – had to sell 32s and get lyriks.

I did pro kit but now would like wider bars – so wouldnt really have done that in hindsight.

As a five owner my upgrade money would go:

Hope headset
New bars,stem,post (bars are personal preference but for stem and post i’d recommend thomson)
Hope tech M4’s.
I’d also look into changing the 317 rims if your running a decent width tyre such as a 2.3 as i feel the 317 is too narrow to run a high volume tyre properly. I changed mine for en521’s, the poular choice are stans flows.

I’m similar weight to you and use my five for everything up to and including downhill and don’t feel the need for a maxle, it’s a bit of a faff when putting the wheel in and out too. Your choice though and if you feel you need it then go for it as if you want it futher down the line i think its about £500.

Steve

Re: bar and stem etc., I’m thinking of discount at time of sale, but fair point.

Also, yes – brakes are certainly one place where I’d be spending my extra pennies.

However, if I were regularly Alps-bound though I’d maybe consider a bigger, adjustable fork. I went twice last year and having an extra 20mm (oo-er) was a definite benefit.

Edit: just read the above – great minds. 😉 And yes, I also own a Five 🙂

A Five for the South Downs?

Or more to the point: what Five for the South Downs? 😉

I wouldn’t bother with the hope headset; it comes with a zero stack cane creek.

I’d get the 36 floats, maxle rear and M4’s

A fixed 160mm travel fork on the newer fives takes it too slack for everyday use IMO, an adjustable fork would make more sense if a bit of alpine action is on the cards as well as your regular trail riding.
Didn’t realise the new fives came with a cane creek headset, i’d probably stick with that and save a bit more cash.
So easy to get carried away when getting a new bike, decide what you would like now and if need be what can wait a little while.
Oh and don’t forget to post up pics once it arrives!

A Five for the South Downs?

+1

ST4 I’d have thought would be more than enough if you must have an orange.

Read the STW review of the 5 from a few months back, doesn’t sound like a south downs machine to me unless some serious plate tectonics has been happening.

+

❓

6My 2011 orange five pro, consisted of point of order factory upgrades = float RLC forks, maxle swing arm, hope V2 brakes, hope headset, custom paint rims.

Non factory fit upgrades, thompson seat post (longer/taller than standard post) carbon 710mm 40mm riser handle bars. I did not go for the orange performance pack upgrade as i wanted a higher rise and longer bar than what was offerd with the orange performance pack. And i also got then in the crc sale so also saved a few ££. And got the riser bar size i wanted.

i live in north wales. And use the bike for the likes of snowdon, penmachno, cyb etc etc.

Thanks for all the advice

Sooooo on balance

Headset – yes (only upgrade the Orange dealer recommended….)

Maxle – yes (MBR recommended for heavier riders…._

Forks – yes (just better….)

Brakes….M4’s….as suggested

& I did look at the performance pack but thought that was a nice to have rather than essential & thought I was getting carried away as it’s about £180ish I think!!

What do you think….

Not “really on balance”. Balance would have involved addressed the opinions of those people who question getting a 5 for the south downs. 😀

LOL

who’s that a picture of……….your Mum 😀

That’s not the south downs I know yer cheeky……….

I disagree with Toons andpgrading the headset to hope is worthwhile, then again it’s probably a lot muckier and grittier up here. Dont get a factory upgrade though as your LBS will sell you one and fit it for £50, leaving you with a spare or one to flog on eBay.

Shackleton

Come on then – impart your wisdom 😀

Which bike should I get….

I disagree with the maxle only for heavier riders. Im 6ft and weigh 12stone 11, the maxle is worth it if you ride it hard enough in rocky decents. The five climbs prety good but is no match for my 100mm travel HT, but when you point the five down fast rocky descents it really shines and comes alive. With no noticable flex with the maxle on the backend. Every QR ive ridden has had noticable flex when pushed hard enough.

Thanks for the insight on the maxle

Definitely want one now

put it this way ive just ordered the orange alpine 160 and all Ive done is added a cane creek rear shock and the gamut chain device, left all other added extras such as the headset bottom bracket alone until i actually need a new one.. make use of what it comes with standard and then invest IMO, do the same with your orange 5 🙂 good luck.

Shackleton

Apologies – you already did – the ST4

Sorry I was trying to multitask….always a mistake for me!!

maxel and fork upgrade for sure headset may as well cheaper to do it all now. Brakes for you can but go for the paint mate!!

Ridden my five everywhere from wales to hamsterly dh and the south downs great bike go for it!!!!! I’m sure the south downs is great on a ridgid S/S with you beard gnarling to the max but a five will be fine too!!!! 😆

my one has the pro pack m4 brakes rlc fork and 819’s plus apple green paint lush!

lol

beard gnarling to the max….

Don’t even know what that means but I know I want to 😀

I think Orange themselves say that the ST4 is the bike the majority of 5 owners should have bought.

I’m open to suggestion….

What makes the ST4 so good…

Be good to hear from owners…

I demo’d the 2010 five & ST4 back to back at a cycleworks demo day on Holmbury Hill in Surrey. I enjoyed the five far more and ended up building a ’10 five. Not sure how much different the ’11 ST4 is but the five just worked for me, puts a huge smile on my face whenever I ride it, a great all rounder.

avdave2 – Member
I think Orange themselves say that the ST4 is the bike the majority of 5 owners should have bought.

I don’t doubt it, but there again I doubt they care that much! A sales a sale after all.
I have a friend, how bought an Orange 5 for commuting to work, each to their own
(I’ve been dragging him out MTB-ing when I can!).

Edit: It did replace his original Pro flex, so it will have a long well used (commuting wise) life.

I ride a 2010 5 on the Isle of Wight and have spent 3 weeks in the Alps with it and a few weekends in Wales. Am 6′ and 74kg. Absolutely delighted. got the bb and pp upgrades when new. Also commute with it!

My original thoughts were that pedalling one of the newer 5s around the south downs probably wouldn’t be as fun/nice/pleasant as pedalling a machine that was lighter, more efficient at pedalling and better on tighter terrain. The 5 (and, to show I’m not making it up, my Heckler) are both great for blasting down and around steep, rocky, choppy (alpine/mountain) terrain but if I was riding wooded singletrack, moorland trails or smoother tracks without lots of big drops (<2ft) I’d get something with a bit more finesse. Such as the ST4, Commencal Super 4 (other half bike, upped the rebas to 120mm – now it is perfect for mile munching ups and technical downs).

If I lived in the Lakes or went to the alps regularly then maybe I’d contemplate a 5.

I have also demoed a Mythic/Banshee Spitfire and that was something of a revelation – it felt nimble in twisty terrain, climbed better than my Heckler and descended beautifully. It rewarded careful riding so much more than my Heckler, which acts a bit like a bull dozer, but also felt capable of more types of riding than my heckler. So far the best interpretation of a UK full sus mountain bike I have ridden (i.e. a bike suited to most aspects of UK trail riding rather than a leftover from an Americans Freegnarlridecore marketing exercise). It is what I imagine the ST4 would (should have been, or is there an ST5 in the works?) be like if you were allowed a longer fork.

At the end of the day get the bike you want, it’s you it has to make happy, not anyone else.

2011 Trek EX9 + no upgrades (has RLC fork & tubeless wheels, plus better groupset) same money as standard 5 Pro.
Just a suggestion.

Thanks for all the advice

Shackleton – thanks for that

I’ve booked a 2011 demo bike (5 pro) for 27 & 28 Nov and will be taking it out on the downs with my MB mates to see whether I like it

Will report back 😀

Wheels, for me. The 317s are a wee bit of a joke on a £2800 bike, you get the same rims on a £500 Carrera. Especially for a bike with the capability of a Five. If you’re going to mince on it then fair enough. That said, the upgrade options are limited aren’t they, it’d be nice to have a 719 (or similiar) option or Flows.

Definately NOT the headset or BB, not that either’s a bad choice but you’re paying as much for the upgrade as you’ll pay aftermarket, despite the fact that you don’t get the standard part. Daft really. There’s nothing wrong with either of the standard ones, if you don’t like them upgrade later, easy.

Oh and not off the upgrades list, but I’d change the brakes on day 1 myself, fire on a set of Oros and sell the Hopes unused.

Northwind – surely the 317 you refer to in wheels is the rim? Are these rims not on Hope Pro hubs on the Orange 5? I suspect that they aren’t on the £500 Carrera you mention. Suspect the spokes are not the same either.

I’d love a Five as I like the look but doubt it would EVER get used to it’s potential, not even once a year. If I was going Orange, which I have always been in lust of, it would be an ST4. The 2011 looks much better with the new linkage and somewhere on here is a video of someone riding an ST a lot more hardcore than I will ever do.

If you have managed to book a test of a Five do you think that you can get a ST test machine soon after? Only way to get an objective test in.

Good idea

I’ll have chat with the dealer about an ST4….

I think it’s only £20 a go so I could do the whole range!!

(just kidding Mr Dealer if you’re reading this…:-))

“Northwind – surely the 317 you refer to in wheels is the rim?

There was a clue: “you get the same rims on a £500 Carrera” 😉 You’re right though, the upgrade is only the rims as the rest of the wheelset is already very nice, but Orange sell it as the “UST Wheel upgrade” so that’s why I’m calling it that.

It’s not an ideal choice really… The 317s are decent despite being such a budget option but they’re still skinny and not massively strong. But the 819s add a fair amount of cost and not everyone wants UST.

It could do with a middle ground, 719s would be a better choice- I doubt many people would build a Five up with 317s from choice after all. The frame can use the strength, and wider tyres will fit better on a wider rim too which will suit the bike.

I wouldn’t really want either myself, I’d want Flows but that’s not an option.

When a riding pal bought a 5 he paid extra for the Thompson stem/seat-post carbon Easton bars pack – seemed good value.

As for M4’s, just put bigger rotors on for when you go to the Alps etc.

Just out of curiosity, with the maxle rear end do you get a maxle lite (tapered) or a standard old-school maxle?