ScottChegg – is that 5's are top notch climbers, provided you have a Talas on the front? Don't reckon I can afford a 5 with a Talas. Can't see how they would climb well without lockout or travel adjust.

vote +1 for Zesty carbon 714 😀

I've had my five for a couple of months and i find it climbs well – not so well as my epic but much better that the Pace 305 it replaced.

I like the look of the Zesty and from what I've read it's a great bike.

I have a 5, it's 3 years old now and the first of the kinked top tube models. The bike is just as competent going up as it is down and is a fantastic ride. I'm a bit of a sadist and like climbing (which is good seeing as I live in the Peaks) and I have no complaints about how the 5 climbs. It has Float RLCs and I've never found it necessary to lock them out or indeed require forks that wind down.

Climbing for me (and others on here according to this post) is about technique and body positioning on the bike.

Standard RaceFace BB on the 5 have been pants (some lasting 6 months some less than 6 weeks) and were eventually replaced by Hope Ceramic. Pivot bearings were replaced after 2 years which I think is reasonable as it's my only bike and its ridden pretty much week in week out in all manner of bearing eroding conditions.

Hotfly, I'd sit and ride all of the bikes you are interested in as it's the only way to make sure you make the right purchase. Good luck.

FWIW I do reckon the Zesty pedals better than the Five… How they climb is going to depend a lot on how they're built- how heavy, what fork. People insist on building up 5s as sledges then complain that they're heavy or ponderous at low speed, no wonder. Neither is a great climber really, it's just an inevitable tradeoff of being incredibly good when pointed downwards but neither is bad either.

TBH they're both amazing bikes, and Orange's prices are looking better compared to Lapierre last time I looked, provided you can afford a decent spec.

OK thanks guys – looks like I definitely should try and sort out an Orange 5 test ride. Cwmcarn would be a good place. I wasn't going to bother because I couldn't imagine that it would be good enough going uphill. Round here, I do seem to be spending most of my time climbing… doesn't take long to get down. I rode a trek fuel and that definitely was good for climbing.

im an orange five pro owner, love my five…. yep the front forks dont lock out (which can be a drawback but ive learnt to sit more forward in the saddle on those 'steep' climbs..and lets face it the 'home' of singletrack area has plenty of god dam hills…lol not ridden a zesty ever so cant comment… but the 'five' seems to be a good all rounder when it comes to mountain biking..lots of yehaas and whoo hooos…