Thought I’d through this one out there to hear some opinions . I’m thinking of getting rid of my orange although it’s the perfect year round bike , I had a go on a mates sb66 last week and it got me thinking . The difference was unbelievable.
The sb66 is out of the price range 🙁

Explain? I was always interested in the sb66, I imagine it climbs a lot better.

If you love the SB66 wait…buy once buy right! You’ll still want one even if you get a 575!

To be honest i didn’t do any real climbing on it . The descent was super smooth , one which I do all the time , which made it faster . Riding something that irons out the bumps that well may be taking the fun out if it though !
I am a fan of the Five , but single pivot can only do so much .

Have you got a decent shock on the Orange? The single-pivot design can work very well but it needs careful tuning. A 575 won’t be anything like an SB66.

I’m always surprised to see the classic single pivot still doing well. Is it just a UK thing? Are there not enough hills and too much mud to bother with mini-link vpp designs?
I have only seen one or two Orange bikes in NZ, ever.

What size SB66 are you after? There are quite a few kicking about online on the cheap at the moment.

Plenty of hills and plenty of mud. I guess Orange five’s are like Marmite!
I ride a 20 inch five . The medium SB feels much longer, lower and easier to throw around .

I had a go on a mates sb66 last week and it got me thinking . The difference was unbelievable.

Demo the bike you’re thinking of buying then….