I've just ordered a 5, was thinking about the maxloption, but found out its t compatible with my bob yak trailer, something to consider if you're likely to travel a bit furr afield…

we sell quite a few fives and there are a few upgrades i would say are a must. dont touch the s its totally a compromise/upgrade bike. if you compare the two side by side its a no brainer. the maxle is a must, its £100 and it will stiffen the back of your bike no end. another thing to consider is that if you change your mind down the line can you afford £600 for a new swing arm and then your hub will need looking at too. the second is the hope bb. the raceface ones are pretty bad and the upgrade isnt that much. the third is the pro pak if you add up all those parts it comes close to £400 and it will shave lbs of your bike. out of the three the maxle is a must must must. you will have a 15mm at the front and it makes sense to have it at the back too. and hell they corner better with it. might be worth looking at the am?

all the best with your choice
joe
http://www.cycle-world.co.uk

Here is mine 2009 AM with 36 talas.

Ive changed loads of bits since and weighs in at only 31lbs!

I got the maxle back end as it came as standard on the AM 🙂

Well I'm another potential Orange 5 owner. I'm waiting for the LBS to get a new demo bike in so that I can compare it with a Fuel Ex and a Zesty (and yes I would rather buy British… if I can afford it!).

I am really keen to see how well the 5 climbs… compared to the Fuel Ex (which was impressive going up, but so, so going down). I'm used to being able to lock out my forks. There's an upgrade for this for another £150. £2500 already seems like a lot of money to me. Is the Talas really worth the extra? (+£240 to upgrade to that).

The maxle sounds like good future-proofing, but I may not notice it.

Not quite sure how I can explain all this to the wife…

Im a soon to be new owner too…. Im looking at it from the perspective that it has hope components etc and 15QR forks and its only a few hundred quid more than the zesty 314.

Im getting a pro with Apple green paint, hope BB and Headset, Performance Pack and Hope pack I think. That should be bomp proof for the next few years.

I got a Five Pro '10 with maxle rear, Perf Pack and FIT Forks. Great bike! I like the RLCs (FIT) on the front compared to my old TALAS.

However if you're looking at Treks, I rode a Remedy 9 recently and thought that was an equally great bike; it had the 36 Floats at the front which were great.

There are many choices out there…

Had an 06 model five a year back and loved the bike for the do everything capability, borrowed a 2010 model this weekend to ride north wales as my hardtail was out of action and was left a bit dissapointed, the angles have been slackened considerably making the bike very sluggish up hills on the downs the slacker angles meant there was nothing I found at coed-y-brenin or nant-yr-arian that tested the bike at all it just rode straight through everything without issue. Many people would see this as a positive but I prefer the absolute concentration required on my racing hardtail and much prefer it's climbing ability.

For anyone looking for a bike to get up the hills (may have felt sluggish but still got up there quick enough) slowish and fly down the descents without any worry as to what might be round the next corner I think it's very suitable bike for that kind of rider. Not for me anymore though, give me the 06 model any day.

TT,

my Five seems to climb better than my '07 Stumpy FSR did; I'm clearing some seriously steep sections that I couldn't do before.

However I am thinking of a steel hardtail to have alongside it.