Looking like I’m going to be ordering one of these.

What do people reckon?

Has anyone seen any LBS with a Large Frame Only in Stock?

Thanks
Pete

Pretty damned sure any Orange dealer will be able to get you one within the week (or so)…

Recent thread

I demo’ed one found it felt a bit too monster trucky.. but basically came down to agreeing with the STW review. Wanted to fall in love with it but the short shock ruined it for me, so went with another FS 29er instead (which is miles better.. in my mind), I’d not suggest it was a bad bike though.

Long term review from Chipps (a new one should be due… Chipps!)

Long term review from Chipps (a new one should be due… Chipps!)

Overdue I’d say. What’s he up to? Swanning around the world and riding his bike I reckon. It’s jolly well not fair 🙂

Looking like I’m going to be ordering one of these.

What do people reckon?

Who cares what other people think, if you’ve demo’d it and like it, buy it.

Or even better, tell us why you are buying it 🙂

My take on the Segment is that everyone who’s ridden it seems to like it, but I don’t think it sells that well. It’s Orange’s third attempt at making a 29er (fourth if you count the two names for the Five29) and the others were dropped after a couple of years. I wonder if the Segment will suffer the same fate. In which case you could wait a year and pick up a frame with a decent discount 🙂

It’s problem is that, on paper, there seem to be better options out there. If you want a long, low, slack 29er with short rear travel then you are spoilt for choice and most of the alternatives have shorter chainstays (which seems to matter to some people) and are probably more efficient as XC machines.

You’ve still got the classic Orange selling points of course (made in UK, easy to maintain, choice of colours), but is that enough? As a former Orange dealer once said to me “the only people interested in Orange bikes seem to be people who already own one” and most of them probably go for a Five (or Alpine).

Well that’s my thoughts. I’m hoping to swing a leg over one in a few weeks though, so they may all change 🙂

P booker
I have sent you a review ( my Personal I might add) of the Segment to your email address listed on this site
if not mail me on phwill77atgmaildotcom
hope its current
enjoy

I was talking to the guy from Orange at a demo day yesterday. I took a Segment out for a spin at the start of the day, then came back to try it again near the end. He didn’t need to set it up again as nobody else had ridden it in between ! OK, it wasn’t the only Segment they had and I did see the medium one on the trails a few times, but it was outnumbered at least 10 to 1 by people trying the Five or the Alpine 160.

He said that the guys at the factory love the 29ers, but they aren’t selling. He said this had been the case for the previous Five29/Alpine model too. At demo days people would take the regular Five and the Five29 out and in the vast majority of cases they’d say that the Five29 was the better bike, but they were buying a regular Five “because, well, it’s a 29er isn’t it”. There’s nowt as queer as folk.

So… more importantly how did you find it? 😀

So… more importantly how did you find it?

Initial thought on jumping on was just “this feels normal”. I’m used to a 26″ Five and spinning up the fire road didn’t feel all that different. Every Orange I’ve ridden seems to have that same neutral balanced feeling, where you just sit (or stand) in the bike and get on with it. Unfortunately the test area was small with only a short climb so I couldn’t test it on a long sustained effort, but I did try a few stand-up sprints and it seemed noticeably more responsive (less mushy) than my Five, which would suggest that it would be a more efficient climber on long steady drags.

I took a SC 5010 out straight after and it was so stiff you could sprint that thing up the same track though! Not sure about the super steep seat angle on the 5010, but man that thing is stiff.

On the blue and red tracks the Segment again felt very normal. I expected the big wheels and slack head angle to make it feel like a barge, but it really didn’t. In fact the wheels seemed to be a non-issue and it just felt like an Orange.

Finally I took it away from the mountain bike trails to explore some of the walkers’ paths (more my natural terrain). There still wasn’t a proper mountain unfortunately, but it was so wet that the roots and rocks were very slippy. I was very impressed with the way it scrambled up stuff and riding back down it just didn’t seem to care about the line. The 5010 on the other hand, which had really impressed on the groomed trails, didn’t fair so well on these walkers’ paths. Not sure if it was the smaller wheels, stiffer frame, shorter stays or just suspension set-up but I struggled on some of the uphill bits that the Segment had just rolled up and felt like I needed to a pick a line more on the way back to avoid getting pinged from wet rock to wet root or rattling my fillings loose.

The stays are unfashionably long for a 29er, but that is probably what helps on the more technical climbs. I can’t manual for toffee (even the 5010 didn’t seem to want to play ball for me), but I took the Segment away from the crowds and practiced trying to make the right move (down then back) and the front seemed to come up just fine when I got it right. No better or worse than my Five as far as I could tell.

So, overall not a very dramatic test. It felt normal (to me, coming from a Five) but with a bit more of that 29er roll-over. It was a shame that I couldn’t try it on a proper long climb, but I suspect it’s a bit quicker than the Five. Actually the guy from Orange reckoned that everybody at the factory was setting PBs up and down on it, but he admitted that it just wasn’t selling.

Not sure this helps but I really want one as well, big problem I’m 5ft5 ish and the med is slightly too big, wish they did a small framed version!

Well if the current trend for ever longer bikes continues, you can just wait a while and it will be a perfect fit 🙂

The Segment is a great bike, it does need a good stiff front fork and a light strong wheel set to do it real justice, itt then becomes a long slack and low ripper.
For me on some seriously greasy single downhill tracks if it got away from me it felt a big bike (19) compared to my Mk 2 five (17) despite both bikes having same cockpit set up and wheel base.

I’d say it’s a bit of a marmite bike, like most Orange’s can be, but personally I love it.
Wasn’t something I’d even given a second thought until I spent some time on it making the film & when I’m looking at my next trail bike, I’ll seriously consider one.
This is the film I mention:

^^^ I need to ride in Shropshire ^^^

I’ve seen that video a few times, but it’s still great. Nice work

It’s a damn good bike. Long, stable and descents amazingly. So glad I pulled the trigger on one

I’ve been thinking a bit more about why it seemed to work.

One criticism of these long, low, slack 29ers is that they just smooth everything out and make it a bit boring. I took a Rocky Mountain Instinct out as well and that did feel like a big bike. Not a barge exactly (in fact it handled very well), more like a big american luxury car, just cruising over everything. But one of the criticisms of Orange bikes in general is that the single pivot is a bit crude, which basically means that you feel more of the trail. So, the combination of the big wheels with slack angles but that less refined suspension (especially with only 110mm of travel), means that you can ride over anything but still know you’ve done it. Well that’s my theory anyway. Whatever, it seemed to work.

I’ve just been looking at a Segment in Start Cycles in Newcastle – they’ve got a large demo one which will be available in a couple of weeks. Worth following them on farcebook if you’re interested.

I’m wondering if you could fit a 650b+ wheelset in there….

I’m guessing but I’d say I doubt it. When I demo’ed a Segment I took a photo of the rear tyre clearance and I could just about squeeze my little finger between tyre and chainstay (between knobbles), with a 2.2 Conti Trail king, dunno if that helps any?