Flow,i dont even take heed of any marketing from Orange or any other company.I wouldnt buy a renault because of how well they do in F1, i would buy it based on the reviews on the car in question.Just like i wouldnt be swayed towards a companys single pivot due to how much their multiple pivot designs get rave reviews.I suppose what im getting at here is why would someone go out of their way to make something,spend all that time and money.. to boost a bike they have already produced? They have all gone on to make multiple pivot models after launching the single pivot because they ride better.If they honestly rode worse,cost more to buy,took more time to change bearings,cost more to change bearings.. do you think we wouldnt have caught on by now after all these years? They higher end models are there for a reason,they arent there just to look cool with no benefit over a single pivot further down their line whatsoever.Some people dont mind a bit of extra weight,cost of bearings,time it takes to service one of these bikes if it means having the frame that has the edge over their base models.
As far as 4 bars suffering like single pivots do,you need to try out a few on different terrain.
Ive said this before,years ago i was riding Laggan with danny mac and we swapped bikes over the large rocky causeway just after airs rocks to see how a heckler tackled it compared to a horst five spot.We both agreed that with similar build and the same shocks, the ride was a different kettle of fish.It was a moment of looking at each other and grinning and thinking the same thing "fek me,theres the answer to all that,then!"
Theres heaps of bikes out there that shine through compared to single pivots with what all we can ride up here. I am starting to wonder if a lot of folk are believing their single pivots do the same job as more elaborate designs because they are riding what they think is a technical trail,when its no more than some enhanced canal towpath.Ive heard this of some of the race courses when the guys return from down south after a weekends racing.They get home and cant believe what some folk are classing as technical.
Going back to single pivot v other types of suspension.. i once swapped a demo marin rift zone with a chap who owned a superlight.Same travel but we swapped bikes half way down a loose rocky track where we were using quite a bit of rear brake to brush off speed to stop everyone piling into each other.We got off at the end,swapped back and agreed on how the rear end was functioning on the rift zone compared to the sc.He is the kind of chap that doesnt really notice when his bearings are worn out,cones are loose etc.. but he definately noticed this.It felt like the rear end was completely locked on the superlight.
More recently i rode an old superlight down off Fyrish and again,it felt like the rear end of my hardtail. Near useless when feathering the brake right through to using it as much as possible.The thing is, having owned a heckler,i only noticed how bad this was once i moved onto the ict 5 spot.
Like people have said above, some folk will rave about the bikes they own but they still havent tried them back to back with designs that blow them away when it comes to climbing and descending.Its all out there,take advantage of demo days and see for yourself.
This isnt a dig at orange or santacruz and their singlepivots.They have their advantages,i owned one.I would even (like i said above) consider owning a new heckler again due to my type of riding these days.They would be more than enough for what i do on them.However,i just feel the need to point out what i said above having experienced it.On another note,i have posted before in other threads on the number of people that have moved away from single pivots from orange (5) and some santacruz single pivots.The bikes they moved onto were horst motolites or racerx. or turner 5 spots or fluxs and without any help.. they all agree that they couldnt believe the difference in the ride.I can honestly say that for the riders that ride up here,i cant think of one that said they wished they could go back to what they owned previously.
Its great to hear that feedback from customers without swaying them towards it.
