Seems there's been quite a bit of chatter about the Orange 5 on STW recently, and it appears to have become a bit of a "marmite" bike in that some folk really love it, some really hate it. We have one in the shoppe at the moment, and since it was my size I thought I'd take it for a wee spin to see how it grabbed me.

First impressions are that it's a bit "low rent". Recon forks and Deore levers aren't really what I expect to see on what is normally a £1,900 bike. With all the stories about Mountain King tyres, I wasn't expecting to be overwhelmed. I spent a wee while fiddling with the suspension settings, then headed up to Buzzards. Well – the SDG saddle is a real pain in the arse – literally. By the time I got there, I was thinking I'd not be sitting down for a week. It climbed up reasonably well, but even with the RP23 set at max platform it seemed to be struggling with job of damping out any pogoing.

Climbing up to the top of Spooky Woods, the front end felt a little light, although it wasn't really wandering anywhere. At the top, saddle down, platform off and away we go. The short (for me) stem made for nice flickability and the shock seemed to "sit down" in its travel giving a great feeling of stability and a planted feeling. I'm not convinced I was breaking any speed records, but it certainly felt secure and steady. I only had a couple of shaky moments with the tyres, despite the amount of wet roots on show in places. However, on getting back to Buzzards, I noticed I'd gone right through the rear suspension travel.

So – what did I think overall? Well, I had fun on it. I certainly seemed to be "in" the bike rather than "on "it. Maybe the shock needs a bit more fettling to get just right, but it seemed to struggle a bit coping with the suspension design.

Would I buy one? Not at RRP. Not with that component mix anyway. As a frame only purchase, and built up with nicer components, I imagine it would be a welcome addition to the stable. Cost would be the limiting factor – for that amount of money I could get a …….

Anyway – off to clean it now

for that amount of money I could get a …….

Yes, what could you get? 😉

Cheers druidh, nice pocket-sized review. I've never riden one but with the fanatical following they seem to have I'll admit to curiousity. Would agree about the specification to price ratio though.

handmade in the uk,stiff as, if you get the maxle upgrade,ive yet to see one break in 3 years of selling them,i love em….mine has different tyres (vredsteins) and cobalts on it which makes it handle really well…

we sell hardly any s's because once you put a couple of upgrades on it,punters will go for the pro..

I didn't know Bike Chain did Orange. Was it midget size? 😉

I love my 5 pro with the hope bits on.

My riding is limited and not as "edgy" as a lot on here, all I can say is it gets up stuff faster, more controlled and with a smile on my face.

As for the downs they are a hoot.

Cheers druidh, how would you rate it compared to your old meta?

Suspension work as well? More or less bob?

Would I buy one? Not at RRP. Not with that component mix anyway.

Is that what you tell customers who ask about them in the shop?

Also, was this a demo bike, or one you are going to pass off as new? 😛

Interesting about the propedal, my '08 has a stiffer tune I think, max propedal is almost like lockout when climbing.

I had that Recon on an ST4 Pro demo and while I turned my nose up at it, didn't notice it on the ride for a second.

Chunky – It's a 16". I could just about reach the ground with my tippy-toes.

retro83 – I reckon the Meta 5 would shade it. The rear suspension design on that seemed to track a bit better and had less bob. Mind you, that's comparing a couple of years of ownership with one test ride.

Grumm – If someone came into the shop to buy one, I would discuss the options available and try to help them find something suitable within their budget and expectations. The bike has already been out on demo, of course we'd not pass it off as "new" and it will be sold at a suitable discount (strangely enough knocking one of my arguments on the head eh?)

GaryLake – As I said, mibbe I needed to play around with the RP23 a bit more. As for the Recons, they were OK given where I was.

Odd. I never ride mine in anything beyond the minimum of the 3 ProPedal settings and I am pretty certain I'm not a smooth pedaller. Doesn't seem to bob appreciably. I can't comment on your feelings on the geometry though, as my 5 is an '07 model and I think they've been slackening off the angles quite a lot since then. Mine can feel twitchier than my Chameleon!

i found the front end light. fork was set up too stiff, tyre pressure too high. still feels a bit light though.

Try it on some bumpy trails and it'll impress a lot more 😉

I've got an 08 5 SE, mine doesn't really bob, in fact I rarely turn the pro pedal on, but I do knock the TALAS down to 120mm for climbing. I'd suggest you need to mess with the settings a bit more!

DaveF2, there's truth in that, I've no time for the idiots who say that Glentress is all smooth surfaces (it's all braking bumps just now on some bits!) but there's nothing on the red that'll really put a 5 through it's paces IMO. I felt the same when i tested a Zesty there, all it did was take all the fun out of it without ever giving it a chance to really shine.

interesting comment in the dirt 100 magazine this month about zesty and orange 5 being the only outstanding trail bikes there is (or something along those lines).

Northwind – Id be interested to hear your comments on 5 vs zesty if you could.

thanks

Sounds like a poor setup. Mine is now set up how I like it and it's one of the best all-round bikes I've owned. If I could only keep one it would be the five.

Im also looking for a five pro V zesty 514 review too.

A five plus full hope pack and perf pack works at the same price as the 514 – id like the "UK" parts and frame the brakes, hubs, thompson stem and post are what id expect at this price (2800) and not home branded gear like the zesty has.

Got one – frame only. Best Bike I have had – a few niggles with cable slap noise and QR's moving but now all sorted. Love it – I have a SDG bell air and it fits like a glove. Saddles are very personal. Also if you don't like the grouset get another model up – get what you pay for!

Anyone know what difference I'd feel between a 5 and my Intense 5.5?
I think the orange is lighter and slacker?

You are paying for a very well made and very capable frame. You could get a bike from one of the big companies and get a considerably better spec but it wont be built as well (consider bearing replacements, swing arm stiffness etc). Rather than changing their designs every two years, Orange have progressed with one very reliable design and really honed it. Also a 5 frame holds it's value well.

All this from someone who doesn't even own one!

Most trail centers can easily be ridden on a hard tail

Viking, can't really give a fair comparison, I don't really feel like I made either of them work hard enough tbh.

I preferred the Zesty, though, for the short time I had on them both. It climbed better for sure and didn't seem to lose out at all when pointed downwards, and the spec seemed a little better for equivalent price (514 vs Pro). I don't know if the Zesty genuinely was lighter, but it felt it on the move, better wheelset I think- the 5 only had 317s on it which seemed a bit of a cheek on a £2500 bike, compared to the Zesty's XTs. It also had a slightly lower spec fork, though I couldn't tell any difference.

The other thought I had about them both was that I couldn't see that either is worth a grand more than a Pitch Pro, but that's by the by 😉

The speccy bearings are sh*tely sealed – my old Stumpy FSR's fell apart. At least my Five has only 2 to worry about and can replace them for £10 and will not null the frame warranty 🙂 I have been put off "cheap" full sus speccies for life now – they do ride nicely though just not built to british WET conditions IMHO 🙂

That's true, the set in my mate's Stumpy aren't lasting… Though to be fair, the full bearing kit is only £36, but you could replace them with better quality bearings if it bothers you, and still have £900 change 😉

interesting comment in the dirt 100 magazine this month about zesty and orange 5 being the only outstanding trail bikes there is (or something along those lines).

What a crock of shit. Bike mags, they really do talk some utter guff.

The other things with my stumpy after 1 year squeaked like hell d.t. bearings – also replacing pivot bushings every 6 months as well 😉 Had my Orange 1 year already and still perfect 😉

The tyres on most stocked bikes are not great and
yes the Tyres are crap Orange are going to change these
when I dont know.
Regarding the shock very suprised and agree with Gary Lake
in Pro Pedal setting 3. To me it feels better than total lockout(personal)
Regarding forks you'll find most people that buy the Basic model
upgrade the Fork.
Maybe best to give the Pro model a test as your refering to bike test
reviews and the Pro model is mostly tested.

Surely going through the rear travel and being a bit on the bobby side = not enough air in the tank – no amount of pro pedal is going to sort that out.

Not ridden one yet, but my LBS has one to test so I'm keen to give it a whirl.

buy the time you have upgrades a few bits on the s you may as well get the pro. go hope bb and maxle too. i know it pushes the price up a bit but the race face ones are very poor and the maxle is a no brainer. £100 now or £600 and the axle converter later on…….
get one x

grantway – Member

The tyres on most stocked bikes are not great and
yes the Tyres are crap Orange are going to change these
when I dont know.
Regarding the shock very suprised and agree with Gary Lake
in Pro Pedal setting 3. To me it feels better than total lockout(personal)
Regarding forks you'll find most people that buy the Basic model
upgrade the Fork.
Maybe best to give the Pro model a test as your refering to bike test
reviews and the Pro model is mostly tested.

I wasn't actually referring to any reviews. However, I thought the frame was supposed to be the awesome bit. I'd have thought that should shine through regardless of kit (and it did to an extent).

I'm pretty convinced I could have got the suspension to perform better if I had the bike longer.

Interesting comment about the forks though. That means folk have to fork out (geddit) for a bike and then spend more on a decent set of forks? Surely that makes it even less value for money?

Crap tyres on stock bikes? Lots of the Cubes come with a NN/RR combination which is a very popular after-market choice. Specialized tyres are normally pretty good.

For those that mention the "British-ness" of it – do you all drive around in old Rovers?

Orange do give you the option to upspec parts, which Lapierre and Specialized don't in the UK, so you can tailor your ride a bit, which is great… Though I have to say that some of the "extras" are things you'd really expect to get as standard, like I say 317s on a £2500 bike is a bit of a liberty, £120 extra gets you 819s IIRC which is more like what the bike should have as standard.

Still, choice is good. You can spec your own paintjob as well, which is very nice. Some things they do very well I reckon.

I run MK King Protections – good tyre for me but wear down fast – "Specialized tyres are normally pretty good." I would have to disagree with that. Don't forget speccy keep the price down buy supplying their bikes with Speccy parts i.e. seatpost, stem, bars etc etc. I think the Five is bulit to last and most speccy FS bikes are built to last for only a few years before majnor issues arise. I am not a Five die hard but I certainly have gone away from the mass market – sell it cheap but who cares about longevity – my Five pence worth. Most people are biased and Druidh I think you sound like a speccy fan, don't dismiss it because everyone raves about it IMHO.

wet roots at Glentress? 😕

i love my five. its isnt any kind of revelation when it comes down to it, its just a good tool for the job. people get carried away with how good they are IMO. i think its quite a predictable bike to ride and thats why peole love it; they can feel what its doing and react to it. single pivots give you a lot of info from the pedals and a slack head angle gives you time to react to surprise bumps,lumps and drops without going over the bars. this inspires confidence so riders push their boundaries a bit more. its a good bike, but theres plenty of them around these days. i wont be getting rid of mine any time soon but if it got nicked id definitely test what was out there before buying another one.

I didnt think that the Recon forks were that bad, they use the same damping as all but the top-of the range Rebas and Revelations don't they?

i don't own one but have had a play on a couple. one thing that would put me off buying a full bike is orange's blatent cost-cutting exercise of speccing their crap own brand finishing kit. i hate all that junk and don't see why they do it…

The only thing on my 5 which is Orange's own is the frame, the grips were, but they've gone now. Everything else is form other manufacturers. Just get the S or Pro with a performance pack or the SE model and you'll just have an Orange frame too.

i'm sure the demo my mate had at the weekend was a pro…

anyway, they do seem like a good bike to ride, would love to set one up for me to properly try out!

Poppa, yeah, Recon gets Motion Control but only Solo air in the best models. Although just plucking stats out of the air, I'd wager 9/10 RS riders with dual air can't set up a solo air properly, let alone a dual air. The Recon is really underrated IMO as the higher models are great.

The Orange finishing kit is every bit as light and well built as the entry level Easton/Race Face stuff that people "upgrade" to.

My personal setup tips for the Five is sensible chunky rubber, a hardhitting stiff frameset isn't going to shine with nervous rubber, so work to it's strengths. I also run the shock quite soft (30%, not 20-25%) but also the rebound fairly slow too – propedal will prop it up if I need it but I have got the stiffer tune of the '08 model (and only use it for climbing while standing). It takes a little bit of pop out of the bike but it keeps it down on the trail and just allows you to guide it through keeping off the brakes which I reckon is how the bike works best.

Also, when climbing, think high cadence, confident and powerful. If you're a low gear stomper/masher, yeah it's going to hurt you I suppose.

Oh and go for a bigger size if you're in between. I'm 5'10" and ride an 18" with saddle right forward and stubby stem, gets you inside the bike even more which again, is how it works best. The kinked top tube was a great idea as it allows you to ride a size up and use the above configuration. The long wheelbase of the bigger bikes slows it down a little in the twisties but makes it much better in the "Gnar" type stuff.

I've sort of given up evangelising (this is a lie because I can't help myself half the time but I'm trying) about the bike recently because tbh, some just want to hate it because it doesn't make sense financially or on paper. And also, not everyone is going to get on with it so there's no point really.

That said, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat, I've explored so much in terms of technique and personal limits with the thing over the last two years that there's a warm comforting familiarity and predictability that inherently makes you ride better.

When I do something, the bike responds exactly as I expect. For me that's the greatest quality a bike can have and the price of that is hard to pin down.

GW: "wet roots at Glentress?"

Evidently you've never been there :roll:Pie Run, Magic Mushroom sound at all familiar?