What about a Spicy - anyone had experience?
Bike Forum
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Orange Five Pro v Zesty 514 v Pitch Pro
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Posted 1 year ago #
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wrecker - Member
The Trek EX series are very good bikes. Well priced too, worth a look (and I don't even ride a Trek!)
them orange 5;s dont half dent easy..
Posted 1 year ago # -
The Trek EX series are very good bikes. Well priced too, worth a look (and I don't even ride a Trek!)
I had an EX9, it was shite downhill, fast up and along though.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Remedy = nice
thread closed.
Posted 1 year ago # -
FunkyDunc - Member
Personally I wouldnt buy a bike based on riding one week a year in the Alps....especially if you ride some where like surrey the remainder of the time.I actually have a view on that. I ride my Pitch around Surrey all the time and also ride it in the alps. Out there it has the forks out at 140mm, no pro pedal as well as dual ply tyres and DH tubes. The saddle also never comes up. In surrey I ride it mainly at 120mm, single plys and raise the saddle for climbing (although there are plenty of hidden trails in surrey that require the full travel etc - hence why you find Brendan Fairclough and Bernard Kerr ragging it around the local trails down here). It rides excellently in both places. I agree with the previous poster that says the Pitch rides best when it is pushed out of its comfort zone though.
I think its a good choice, but it can require some muscle to manoeuvre it up hills at times, but then mine is a 9 speed.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Pitch rides best when it is pushed out of its comfort zone though
That's when it breaks.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Maybe dragged kicking and screaming into a completely different comfort zone, rather than nudged ever so slightly?
Posted 1 year ago # -
"I'd like to progress to small drops/jumps eventually; nothing too outrageous!!"
So you would be fine on any 100/120mm bike.
There appears to be alot of marketing and hype at the minute that you need to get long travel 'All Mountain' bikes to even ride out of your door, when all most people do is ride around trail centres an XC stuff. Certainly if you enjoy climbing I'd look at shorter travel and steeper geometry bike that you will enjoy now, which can hand small jumps and drops easily. Then if you skills improve you might want to buy a more freeridey bike.
Of course I'll get flamed for saying this...
Posted 1 year ago # -
You should buy my 2008 Cannondale Prophet frame that I'm about to sell!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Pitch is quite a lot cheaper
and heavier.
29.2lb without pedals, stock but with high rollers not eskars.
I'm slowly transfering lighter bits over from other bikes and might buy some new wheels. Aiming to keep it sub-30lb with flat pedals, reverb and maybe a coil shock.
That's when it breaks.
You do seem to have a pretty big downer on them! Don't you usualy acompany it with the pic of a big gap jump and the tag "1st ride out". It's still a 30lb trail bike, not a freeride/downill/hucking machine!
Posted 1 year ago # -
First of all, are you sure that the bike you currently have is set-up for your size/weight?
The 'harsh' feeling you mention sounds like the rear shock hasn't been set-up correctly. It would be a shame to spend a chunk of money on a new bike if you only needed some suspension setting changes.
Small changes to my old bike made a massive difference to how the rear end coped with the terrain.From the riding you mention doing and say that you can see yourself doing, do you need a bike as (not sure what the right word is) slack/downhill biased/gnar etc. as those mentioned above?
Would something like a Stumpjumper, Fuel EX or Giant Trance be a better bet? Have you test ridden any of the bikes you mention in the sort of terrain you will be doing most of your riding? As mentioned above somewhere, I wouldn't be aiming my bike requirements at something best suited to a week in the Alps, when your normal riding is woodland singletrack, for example.Posted 1 year ago # -
The problem with the Lapierre and Specialized (and lots of others) is that you are buying a 'model year bike' and come next year it's going to feel outdated, then the year after that it's going to feel old.
(the pitch might avoid that a bit, because they aren't making it for 2012)You have to have a particular mindset for that not to lead to wanting a new bike (I don't have that mindset).
As soon as you get a frame and build it up, that all goes away.
A 4 year old santa cruz/orange/transition/maverick/intense/etc just looks and feels the same. You don't really get that feeling of it getting old in the same way.For me, I end up taking better care of the bike, keeping it longer, appreciating it more. YMMV. I'm sure there are hundreds of people on here that disagree, but I guess you'll know which camp you fall into.
Posted 1 year ago # -
A 4 year old frame that is the same year on year with no improvement or opt for a product that is being refined and tested and improved year on year. I know which one will get my vote. It also indicates to me that when I get a bike like the Zesty and they improve it I know I can buy the improved model and I will enjoy the riding even more.
Buy a bike you enjoy riding, everything else is secondary! You do that by product investigation, your experience and riding then getting of your arse and demo some bikes.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The problem with the Lapierre and Specialized (and lots of others) is that you are buying a 'model year bike' and come next year it's going to feel outdated, then the year after that it's going to feel old.
(the pitch might avoid that a bit, because they aren't making it for 2012)You have to have a particular mindset for that not to lead to wanting a new bike (I don't have that mindset).
As soon as you get a frame and build it up, that all goes away.
A 4 year old santa cruz/orange/transition/maverick/intense/etc just looks and feels the same. You don't really get that feeling of it getting old in the same way.For me, I end up taking better care of the bike, keeping it longer, appreciating it more. YMMV. I'm sure there are hundreds of people on here that disagree, but I guess you'll know which camp you fall into.
Definitely some truth to that - soon as I had my Spicy, the 2011 models appeared (and now the 2012) and they had loads of extra bells and whistles that mine doesn't have, it does take the sheen off a little - would have liked the dropper seatpost guides on my bike, and the 12x142 rear end.
Flip side is that if you do buy a 2012 model, it'll have all those little improvements, compared to the Orange/Santa Cruz/etc which might not have been updated at all for several years (although those new standards/improvments might not be something you want)
Posted 1 year ago # -
A 4 year old frame that is the same year on year with no improvement or opt for a product that is being refined and tested and improved year on year. I know which one will get my vote. It also indicates to me that when I get a bike like the Zesty and they improve it I know I can buy the improved model and I will enjoy the riding even more.
Really? or just re-inventing the wheel so to speak to flog more bikes?
Orange have refind the five over the years with little tweeks here and there. As opposed to staring from fresh every year. refine as opposed to re build from scratch.
Hence why a few years old five looks and feels very similar to the current model and inturn would not feel old.
I know which one gets my vote, if it aint broke dont fix
Posted 1 year ago # -
@ depth-junkie..
... £10 says my Patriot frame from 2000 rides 99.9% similar to a 2012 Five...
and yes, I've ridden plenty of Fives to compare it to.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Pawsy_Bear - see I told you YMMV
Personally, I'm not convinced at all my all the small changes that happen every year with specialized/trek/lapierre/cube/marin/etc/etc.
Sometimes there aren't even any! Just BNG (bold new graphics).In fact one of your lines almost agrees with me
It also indicates to me that when I get a bike like the Zesty and they improve it I know I can buy the improved model and I will enjoy the riding even more.
They've got you!
(before you reply - I know what the counter-argument is. I already stated that the reader will know which camp they're in. It's more about a feeling, than anything to do with facts.)
Posted 1 year ago # -
If you buy a Zesty it will only break
Posted 1 year ago # -
It also indicates to me that when I get a bike like the Zesty and they improve it I know I can buy the improved model and I will enjoy the riding even more.
Depends how much you ride it I guess, if you ride something enough to the point that when it fails you feel you've had your use out of it and want another (almost) identical one then that's a good thing thats it's constantly eveolved and got 'better' in the meantime.
Upgradeing for the sake of it seems a bit silly though! but then again £1000 doesnt buy you an awfull lot of kit these days and arguably wouldnt have as much impact as upgradeing the frame.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@ depth-junkie..
... £10 says my Patriot frame from 2000 rides 99.9% similar to a 2012 Five...
and yes, I've ridden plenty of Fives to compare it to
Wow! That's one of the most spurious / unsubstantiated comments I've read on this sort of thread, even by internet forum standards! Nice one. Just how do you measure that btw?
Carry on.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I love how any thread that mentions Orange Five's turns into a mass argument.
Posted 1 year ago # -
So Orange refines their models whilst everyone else just reinvent the wheel? Thanks for the unbiased view LOL A bike saved by a better shock
(throws in bait)AS your right no changes to Zesty in 2011, some refinements in 2012 - sorry - reinventing the wheel. I have been down the frame only route and I think its the best and cheapest way. If I could get Zesty only frame I would go that route. Had my ESX70 frame only since they came out. Technology had definitely moved though after some 7 years.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Given the OP, IMO, out of the three, the Zesty would be the best bet. This is based on owning and riding an 2010 Orange Five, a 2011 Zesty and now a 2011 Stumpy FSR (and demoing shed loads of others!). For anyone who hasn't ridden a Zesty, they really are in a different league uphill - as close as I've got on a FS trail bike to the performance of my sub 25lb Anthem X. The set-up I had on my Five meant that it climbed more rapidly than my current Stumpy and previous Five I owned, but the Zesty's really are good. Having said that, the down side is that IMO, the Zesty felt more XC 'perky' downhill than the bulldozer like performance of the Five
Personally, I feel that the Zesty is a bike that rewards a little bit of rider finesse, as it's got quite a 'sporty' feel - very nice for popping off little jumps and pumping speed though. As most of my riding is in the Northern half of the Peak District (and I have old creaky knees), I prefer a plusher bike to give the option to just plough through stuff if I'm getting tired.Oh, and just to chuck a spanner in, given where most of your riding is, have you considered a Spesh Camber or Giant Anthem X? Both are amazingly capable bikes (if the Cambers came in a posher build, I'd have got one).
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks everyone for your advice and opinions.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Why not rent a five in the alps and buy a 120 travel bike that might better suit UK riding?
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'd say a 2012 Zesty, hopefully they won't break around the bottom bracket shell like the 2011 ones. Whatever you do don't get a Heckler, get a Five
Posted 1 year ago # -
Went for the Zesty after testing Pitch and a Trek remedy. So glad i did!! Amazing bike, climbs so well and so assured.
Posted 1 year ago #
Topic Closed
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