I’m getting very tempted by the idea of an Orange 5 Pro and am trying to organise a test ride – in the meantime though, does anyone know how big the 14″ comes up?

I’ve got the geometry chart and according to that the TT on the 14″ is pretty long. As a 5’3″ woman I reckon it’ll probably be a bit too long 🙁

But I’m looking for people to tell me otherwise to keep me happy!

Seriously though, anyone happen to ride a 14″ and care to comment on the sizing?

Cheers!

MM – The Orange 5 is available as a Diva (womens specific) the geomertry is adjusted for the female form.

Thanks Domino. I know but I think the Diva’s too small for me! The reach is really short… I think I fall between the two!

mm iirc mrs flash of these parts used to have a 5 and she is ickle too 😉 might be worth mailing her

Hmmmmm, boingy!

But do make sure you get a good test ride on one first!

Take a trip to Afan..http://www.skylinecycles.co.uk/id36.html

Try them both and see if you can change the setup slightly with different stem maybe?

Am 5’3 also but don’t currently ride a WS bike but will definately take a good look at them to see what works for my next bike.

Cheers guys!

Domino – yeah, I think I’ll give the standard 14″ a go first, as to me the diva just doesn’t look right. I’m sure it’s fine if you’re very tiny – but the tt is almost 2 inches shorter than my HT’s tt. I can’t get over what a difference there is, it just seems ott to me. Still, I would say that!

Cheers Sharki, yes, boingy indeed – I know I said I wasn’t going to but now I can’t seem to shake the idea! I’m also hoping Bike in Bristol will be able to sort me out with a demo but cheers for the link. Whyte’s level would def be a good test ride! Btw, if you’re seriously interested in Mike’s ti frame – do let me know, we could definitely work something out!

Thanks Mick – I don’t know Mrs Flash though 🙁 I know this is cheeky, but could you maybe point her in my direction?

I know Bike has got a 16″ demo, errr, i think they have…..so long as you get to test a five just to get a feel of how the sus works, it doesn’t suit everyone, however as it’s your first boinger you should love it, it’s got a HT feel but with a big wedge of squish at the rear end. and at heart we all love a squishy one..

Hmmm, i am intersted in frame but would take a miracle of working out for deal…But i’m open to suggestions..wanna chameleon?

The Five responds very nicely to being long in the top tube and then running a stubby stem for super tight handling (I’ve got a 40mm Truvativ Holzfeller kicking about in almost new condition if you decided to go down that route)

When you go into Bike Bristol, see if you can deal with Ian and tell him I said he’d be super helpful! He’s a super nice chap and he always looks after me! Bike won’t have a 14″ demo in stock but they should be able to get one sent down (I don’t know if you’ll be required to cover the cost of this, but even so, what’s £20 when you’re splashing out this sorta cash, make sure it’s right!)…

Cheers Gary – I spoke to Paul on Sunday who reckoned they should be able to get one in for me to try, so I’m just waiting for Orange to get back to them. You’re right £20 or so, is well worth avoiding a £2,000 mistake!
That’s cool about it working well with a short stem – but the standard is pretty short so i won’t have much to play with… ahh, I’ll just have to have a ride and see!

Sharki – well, a miracle may well be possible. I’ll chat to Mike, but would you be up for giving us a hand with a bit of DIY in return for the frame? We would provide food and beer! If you can’t afford the time, then we still can still work something out – afterall, you’ve been generous enough to me – and now we actually have a bit of money to be generous back!

MM, YGM THX 🙂

im afraid i havent got her mail but she does come on here pretty often

The in house Orange Stem on the gents is 80mm, if you’re Bristol-based MM, I can loan you the 40mm stem to chuck on for the test ride…

No worries Mick – I’ll keep a look out!

Cheers Gary, I’ve just spoken to Matt at Bike (seems like a cool guy) and he’s seeing what he can do re a demo. I’ll check with him whether it’s OK to swap the stem and if so, it would be great if I could borrow yours – cheers!

Knew it was somewhere between 80-100m 😉

MM: my email is in my profile, let me know if/when you need it…

Incidentally, very jealous – want a Five for my wife… 🙂

Aha, well my husband wants one now too! (And the 16″ will definitely fit him!) I guess it’s just one of those bikes. If I do get one, and your wife’s little like me, she’d be more than welcome to have a go… but then that’d probably be very dangerous! 🙂

Anyway, I’ll give you a shout about the stem as soon as i know. Cheers!