Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 62 total)
  • Orange Five or Trek ex 9.9?? advice please
  • wavejumper
    Free Member

    Hi.I’m looking at getting a new bike but can’t decide whether to go for an Orange Five pro or a trek ex 9.9 carbon? I ride trail centres at Afan, Cwmcarn etc. Which would suit best. Other consideration is that I’m 5’6 and not sure if a 16.5″ (17.5″ virtual) trek is too big. I’m guessing I would go for a 16″ orange.
    Any advice or other bikes I should consider??
    Thanks.

    scraprider
    Free Member

    5 all day long.

    AJames
    Free Member

    5, future proofed!

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    r17anm
    Free Member

    5

    godzilla
    Free Member

    5. Trek’s are for poor people 😉

    wallop
    Full Member

    Treks from two years ago look horribly dated. Fives from five years ago still look great.

    bol
    Full Member

    Chalk or cheese?

    Filing cabinet or plastic?

    I’d widen your options a bit. I’m sure they’re both great, and you’d be chuffed with either, but what about Stumpies, Zestys etc etc? Try a few then decide – or buy used so you don’t take much of a hit if you don’t get on with it.

    Sorry, someone had to provide the proper STW answer. 😀

    arfur
    Free Member

    Isn’t a Remedy more comparable with a 5?

    GaryLake
    Free Member

    Isn’t a Remedy more comparable with a 5?

    This.

    ask1974
    Free Member

    This…

    Try a few then decide

    At the level your looking there are a lot of great bikes. I test rode several when looking late last year and have subsequently tried a couple more. My personal observation is that whilst almost everyone will adapt to and enjoy any decent bike, they all are pretty good, the difference between one you love or one you just enjoy and then get used to is quite profound. A decent test ride will tell you.

    Oh, I bought a Five frame and had my LBS custom build it for me. It is quite simply the most amazing bike i’ve ridden offering huge confidence down hill (I throw it at everything) with a build at less than 30lbs, so good for use everywhere. To me it’s perfect 😉

    wavejumper
    Free Member

    Thanks for the replys. I forgot to say that I will be buying 2nd hand so have the choice of a 16″ 2011 orange five pro (cost new £2900) or a 2011 17″ trek ex 9.9 carbon (cost new £6000!). It’s the spec and original cost of the Trek thats making me think about it.
    I have considered others but haven’t found anything yet that looks as sweet as a Five. I don’t want anything too heavy as I want to be able to climb as well.
    I’m currently running a Giant Reign so this is the only thing I can compare either bike to.

    wavejumper
    Free Member

    Also, I like the sound of a Santa Cruz, Lapierre Zesty / Spicy or Yeti but can’t seem to find anything quite as good as the Trek or Orange?
    Any other suggestions out there?

    munrobiker
    Free Member

    Those are quite different bikes.

    Personally, as a Five owner, for the riding you’re doing I’d go for the Trek. It’ll be a LOT lighter, and for those trail centres you won’t miss the extra 20mm travel. I know that when I go to Glentress I’m much quicker on my Giant Anthem down the descents than I am on bigger bikes, and usually have more fun.

    The Five is great for big ol’ trails in the Lakes/Highlands/Peak but for trail centres it’s overkill and you’ll probably feel like you’re lugging a big lump around rather than riding something sprightly and lively like the Trek.

    dickie
    Free Member

    Yeti ASR5.

    tonyg2003
    Full Member

    Well having both a Orange5 and Fuel EX8 I’d say that you have a difficult choice. The Five can handle bigger hits a bit better and climbs well, but the Trek Ex is fast cross country and general riding machines. I’ve ridden both of mine around Afan and Cwmcarn plenty of times and I find no problem on the shorter travel Trek. The Trek has been the quicker of the two but I’ve possibly had more fun on the Orange! I enjoy them both which is why I still have the two.

    joeegg
    Free Member

    Try and get some test rides.

    Orange 5 was the worst bike i ever rode so it obviously didn’t suit me,and lost me a lot of money.

    monsteryeti
    Free Member

    I have gone from Stumpy FSR Carbon (08) to c456 (10) to Yeti 575 (09) to Trek EX9 (2011) and I can honestly say this is the best all round bike I have had. It comes in at under 27lbs without pedals, the carbon will be lighter, it is faster than the Yeti round trail centers yet copes with so much downhill. I am bigger than you, signicantly but I found the Orange (when test ridden) to be too soft at the rear end. Even adding 20% more air into a RP23 meant it still needed pro-pedal to do XC, with the RP23 DCRV shock it rides like the pro-pedal on the Orange when it is off, then when it needs it reaches full travel, allowing pro-pedal to be used almost as a lock out for long fire roads etc. I knwo it is fashionable to say 5 but the Trek works really well for me and eats trail centres. If it were me, no question.

    (just my opinion!)

    monsteryeti
    Free Member

    That said I would also get a Yeti ASR5 carbon if I could……!

    Sorry Trek!

    skywalker
    Free Member

    Had both, the Five is better in every way IMO, only marginally slower on the climbs due to the extra weight. The carbon EX isn’t that much lighter than the alloy one if I remember right.

    skywalker
    Free Member

    The DRCV shock on the EX made EVERYTHING feel square edged, no matter how it was set up. I test rode a Remedy and this didn’t suffer from the same problem, maybe due to the extra travel.

    If we were measuring in fun, the Five would score a 9, and the EX a 6.

    sportsmatch
    Free Member

    On the size front I,m just under 5’6″ and ride a 2011 ex9 and found it was slightly less snug in the crotch area than the 16″ five
    If your near to Blackwood your more than welcome to try for size
    frame lifetime for original owner trek 5 years for the five, The spec will be higher for the trek £ for £ trek doesn,t supply rose coloured specs with their bikes 😉
    Just off to look at a mojo hd

    crashtestmonkey
    Free Member

    Have you sat on or ridden either? At 5’6 the orange is borderline and I reckon the trek definitely too big for you. Even secondhand you’re spending a big chunk and there are other good used (or discounted new) for bikes for the sort of money your spending.

    skywalker
    Free Member

    trek doesnt supply rose coloured specs with their bikes

    😆

    So whats DRCV, Full Floater, ABP, and Evo Link?

    Marketing BS.

    A 16″ Five will fit you perfectly.

    Toasty
    Full Member

    I dunno, Full Floater seems pretty accurate.

    monsteryeti
    Free Member

    Dual chambered Trek/Fox designed shock. Works a treat!

    Squared edged, not in my experience.

    Guess the overall advice is ride them….! 😉

    solman
    Free Member

    I have an ex9 and think its the dogs danglers. Never experienced square edged in the rear shock either.

    Did try the 5 as well, and I was underwhelmed. Nice bike but not for me.

    scant
    Free Member

    orange 5 lasted 2.5yrs, then cracked. fuel ex feels so much livelier to ride & feels a lot more composed in the rough, esp under braking where all single pivot frames suffer. resale of fuels is actually better than 5s too.

    convert
    Full Member

    Trek is a beefed up xc bike and rides like it. It does not come with a get of jail free card and benefits from a dynamic rider.

    The Five – was like a really comfy sofa – and I mean that in a kind way! Great for lazy point and shoot riding or a nervous rider and really good if riding stuff beyond your comfort zone.

    Trek for me, Orange for many many others – only you can decide. The best bit is that provided you are prepared to adapt you will have a great time owning either.

    monsteryeti
    Free Member

    Trek throw millions of $ behind research, development, etc and the frames evolve as new things happen / are discovered that will make their bikes better / stronger / stiffer / faster.

    The orange single pivot is x years old now, surely things have progressed since it’s original design? 😉

    crashtestmonkey
    Free Member

    Trek throw millions of $ behind marketing and their frames evolve as new things become fashionable that will make their bikes trendier.
    The orange single pivot is x years old now, is a proven design that works and is low maintenance, and doesnt render last years bike an obsolete dog

    FIFY 🙂

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    +1 for an ASR-5

    In between both (light and handles well, can be ridden up hill, handles downhill with aplomb) and a 2 steps up in class to boot.

    monsteryeti
    Free Member

    crashtestmonkey – Member

    Trek throw millions of $ behind marketing and their frames evolve as new things become fashionable that will make their bikes trendier.
    The orange single pivot is x years old now, is a proven design that works and is low maintenance, and doesnt render last years bike an obsolete dog

    FIFY

    I appreciate that you have spent a small fortune on the biking equivelent of an MG Maestro and hate seeing all these new bikes on the trails thinking to yourself “simple and fun, that’s what STW says about my good OLD 5…. must be right…”

    If it works for you, it works. As long as your riding and smiling…..Enjoy 😛

    wagenwheel
    Full Member

    I test rode an Orange 5 last year, can’t see what the hype is all about, rear suspension reminded me of a park bench, and so did the looks. It might be with waiting until 2024 for the Orange 6. 🙂

    skywalker
    Free Member

    The harder you ride a Five the more they come alive. You mincers would be better off with something a little more mince friendly.

    wagenwheel
    Full Member

    ‘The harder you push a Five the more they come alive’

    I tend to ride my bike 🙂

    skywalker
    Free Member

    I tend to ride my bike

    You should have gone to Specsavers 😉

    convert
    Full Member

    ‘The harder you push a Five the more they come alive’

    I tend to ride my bike

    🙂

    I still have the memory of last time I rode at a trail centre. Slightly tubby middle aged rider followed by slightly tubby middle aged rider pushing their 5s up the hill. I’m sure they had lots of fun on the way down though 😉

    monsteryeti
    Free Member

    ….but I bet they looked like ‘real men’ pushing a slab of ‘real british metal’ up the hill!! 😕 😉

    wavejumper
    Free Member

    Thanks for all the comments.
    I seem to have opened a can of worms here!
    I love the orange but can’t get over the spec I can get in the form of a Trek fuel ex 9.9 for the same sort of cash.
    I’m 5’6, maybe 5’7 on a good day. Will I fit a 16.5 actual (17.5 virtual) Trek ex?
    Don’t want to travel miles to get it if it’s definately going to be too big?

    convert
    Full Member

    Is that what they list as 17.5″? That’ll be biggish in theory I’d say – 23.2″ effective tt, but the size below would be too small (if one was available 2nd hand!) as it seem to be sized for midgets.

    You could eat more shredded wheat in the morning and hope to have more good days than bad?

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 62 total)

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