Bike Check: Benji’s Orange Switch 6

This bike check is either the worst timing or the best timing, depending how you look at it. And what happens next.

By that, I mean what happens next in terms of the outcome of Orange Bikes calling in the Administrators as reported last week.

In terms of what happens next for this Orange Switch 6 you see here, that’s rather more definite and immediate: I’m going to ride as much as I can for the next few weeks.

I almost wasn’t going to write this Bike Check. It felt a bit… wrong, given everything that’s happening over the hill in Halifax. But then I thought about the past month of riding I’ve enjoyed on this amazing machine and changed my mind.

ORANGE BIKES!

Without getting too far into the realm of ‘review’ – let alone jumping the gun on the whole Bike Check thing that this feature is supposed to be – the two brilliant aspects listed above give Orange single pivot bikes a genuinely unique and arguably unrivalled appeal.

Now, more than ever, is the time to shout about Orange Bikes.

This feature is part Bike Check and part clarion call for a genuinely important and great bike brand. A brand that had better not go away or we’ll all be in a worser world. The bike industry needs brands like Orange. Not for sentimental or odd jingoistic reasons. The industry needs brands that do what they believe in.

I’ll get on to the Bike Check nerdery in a minute. But first, some things need to be stated.

Whatever has put Orange Bikes in its current troubles, it is absolutely nothing to do with how the brand’s bikes handle.

The effing problem

I think deep down, we all know what has landed Orange Bikes in trouble. It’s the F word. Not Function. Not Form. But Fashion.

Orange Bikes’ face doesn’t fit in the depressingly narrow range of populist pushbikes. Where are the linkages? Where’s the carbon? Where’s the headset routing? Where are the dubious science graphs? Where are the tube shapes that are acceptable? Where’s the OTT progression ratios?

It’s been said by many an internet typist, but the ‘problem’ with Orange bikes is they haven’t changed for decades. Which, in one sense is true. The brand still makes single pivot full suspension bikes. For some people, the silhouette of mountain bikes is all they look at. These people are the reason why bike brands have to reinvent themselves every three years. And have teams of marketeers permanently spin spin spinning their alternative facts as to why they’ve gone back to the drawing board.

Too discreet change

In a much broader sense however, the statement that Orange bikes haven’t changed for decades is just so wrong it’s laughable. Even putting aside the linkage bikes that they now offer (Orange Stage 7 review anyone?), Orange Bikes has been at the forefront of mountain bike geometry and chassis feel for pretty much ever.

Orange knows what is important when it comes to making mountain bikes that handle amazingly. What Orange come up with, various less bold but more fashionable brands do a few years after.

You see the ‘long’ chain stays on this Switch 6? You see the straight seat tube that offers oodles of dropper insertion AND a seat angle that is genuinely what it says on the chart? You’ll see those on Fashionable Brands in about MY2026.

Single is not simple

Without Orange, where would we get a genuine single pivot bike from? If you can think of a brand that makes good single pivot mountain bikes, leave a comment below because I can’t think of one.

Why would you want a genuine single pivot bike? Because they can be utterly amazing to ride. Your fork doesn’t have a linkage in it. Why does everyone insist that a frame must have something interfering with its behaviour?

There are two brilliant aspects to the single pivot design on this Switch 6.

1. The near linearity of its progression.
2. Insane levels of 3D traction [ AKA lateral compliance, chassis ‘give’; helps maintain traction on cambers etc ].

You know what an Orange single pivot is going to do. All the time. Every time. And a lot of the time what an Orange single pivot is going to do is clean that section. And clean it with such an exciting combination of elan and flair that it reminds of why you sodding ride mountain bikes in the goddamn first place.

An Orange single pivot may not be as fashionable or as pretty as a lot of folk’s bikes. But it’s very probably better. Loads better.

Anyhoo…. on with the Bike Check.

Orange Switch 6 Frame

• Price: Framesets from £2,900, complete bikes from £4,900
• From: Orange Bikes

When Orange first showed the new Switch 6 (at Eurobike?) I got very excited. Like, OMG excited. It looked to tick every box in my important checklist.

• Great colour (Angel Delight!)
• An Orange single pivot
• Mixed wheel but with a decent length chain stay (450mm)
• Good reach figure (504mm)
• Decent head angle (64°)
• Normal head tube standard that would accept angle/reach adjust headsets if need be
• Proper length head tube (130mm)
• Straight seat tube that will easily swallow 210mm droppers
• Steep enough seat angle (76.5°)
• Not overly low-slung bottom bracket
• Bottle mount inside the front triangle
• Bearing mount shock
• UDH
• Frame storage

And to my eyes, it looked/looks freaking well cool. I honestly don’t know if I think it’s cool because I can see all the great function it offers. Form follows function. Form follows function and tells fashion to f*** off.

If you know your bikes, especially your Orange bikes, you can just look at the Switch 6 and feel how it’s going to ride. Honestly, every time I glance at this bike a part of me goes “YES!”

Cockpit

Leading the charge is a combo from another classic British marque, DMR. The 35mm DMR Defy stem and the DMR ODub handlebars. Aluminium all round. The bars are the 50mm rise version. I like high rise bars on bikes that are lengthy. There’ll be a review of the bars appearing at some point soon by the way.

Despite the relative briefness of the period that I’ve had the Switch 6 finished and rideable, I’ve been through a handful(!) of grips already. I’ve tried Ergon lock-ons. I’ve tried some NS Bikes Hold Fast lock-ons AND push-ons (pictured above). But… I’m going to go back to my faves (Gusset Sleeper push-ons).

In the above pic you can also see my shifter: SRAM AXS Pods. And yes, I really do run them that far forward under the bar.

Brakes

I’m trying the 2-pot Cura X brake from Formula. We really liked the Formula Cura 4-pot brakes (they actually came out top in our recent 4-pot disc brake test). And there have been plenty of folk who’ve said that the 2-pot versions are just as good, if not better. So here we go.

I’m running a combination of Formula’s regular organic Black pads and longer lasting organic Red pads. And 203mm rotors front and rear.

Seating arrangements

Much like with grips, I’ve already tried a few different saddles on the Switch 6. I had another go with that SQ Lab 6OX Infinergy Ergowave Active 2.1 but it was still not for me (it seemed to be even more uncomfortable than before if anything!) Long story short, I’ve robbed the superb Saracen Custom CRMO E-MTB saddle from the Saracen Ariel 50E because it is gert lush.

Dropper post? One Up init. Seriously, I don’t know why anyone opts to use anything else. The One Up Dropper V2 has the longest drop with the shortest insertion and at a decent price tag. I can fit a 210mm One Up even with the relative deep rail/stack of the aforementioned Saracen sofa saddle.

Drivetrain

Sorry, Transmission.

Having UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) on a frame has become de rigeur if you’re in the business of testing bike bits. Case in point, SRAM AXS GX Transmission doesn’t fit on anything that isn’t UDH. And I’ve been testing this drivetrain on various bikes since it came out.

Am also running SRAM GX chainset. Truth be told, as soon as the test period for the GX AXS drivetrain is over, I’ll very probably swap the cranks for something a bit shorter in arm length. At the very least I’ll stick on a set of DMR Axe 165mm crank arms. Or I might try to source something even shorter from someone like 5DEV. The pedals are a set of Wolf Tooth Waveform flatties. Review coming soon!

Round things

For the wheelset, I’ve called on my trusty ol’ set of Scrub Alloy Trail wheels. They just get on with it and aren’t bothered about a bit of neglect/abuse. Touch wood.

Tyres. I don’t have much of a 27.5in tyre pile. But I am quite a fan of Hutchinson Griffus so I’m more than happy to run a 27.5 x 2.4in one of ’em on the rear. It’s a bit like a Maxxis mInion DHRII with a bit more bite in looser conditions. Up front I’ve actually been running a cut-down Maxxis Wet Scream throughout December into January. But I’ve just installed a Continental Argotal now to see what all the fuss is about.

Shockers

Suspension. I’m running a Formula Selva C 170mm coil sprung fork. Yes, the Switch 6 is nominally designed around a 160mm fork but Formula forks run a bit shorter in an axle-to-crown sense; a 170mm Formula is similar length to a 160mm fork from Fox/RockShox.

Despite the stanchions being ‘only’ 35mm diameter, I’m finding them plenty stiff enough so far. In terms of damping circuits, I’ve tried the ‘standard’ orange coloured CTS valving for a bit and am now having a try of the ‘softer’ Grey CTS valving.

In the heart of the bike is the Formula MOD Coil rear shock. I’ve tried the bike with a special Joe Barnes-era Orange Bikes specific tuned CTS valving and am now trying out the ‘softer’ gold coloured CTS valving. So far, I’m really enjoying the plug and play aspect of the different CTS valving setups.

YES!

Orange Switch 6 specification

• Frame // Monocoque 6061-T6 Aluminium, 160mm
• Shock // Formula MOD Coil, 205×65 trunnion
• Fork // Formula Selva C, 170mm, 37mm offset
• Wheels // Scrub Trail Alloy
• Front Tyre // Continental Argotal, 29 x 2.4in
• Rear Tyre // Hutchinson Griffus, 27.5 x 2.4in
• Chainset // SRAM GX DUB Eagle, 32T
• Brakes // Formula Cura X, 203/203mm
• Drivetrain // SRAM GX Eagle AXS T-Type, 10-52T
• Stem // DMR Defy, 35mm
• Handlebars // DMR O-Dub, 35mm, 800x50mm
• Grips // NS Bikes Hold Fast push-on w/ Revgrips bar plugs
• Seat Post // One Up Components V2, 210mm, 30.9mm
• Saddle // Saracen Custom CRMO E-MTB
• Weight // Not weighing it yet 🙂

Geometry of size XL

• Head angle // 64°
• Effective seat angle // 76°
• Seat tube length // 457mm
• Head tube length // 130mm
• Chainstay // 450mm
• Wheelbase // 1,399 mm
• Effective top tube // 665mm
• BB height // 19mm BB drop
• Reach // 504mm

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