[Closed] Any orange alpine owners? How do they feel going up.

I have a 2015 Alpine 160. Demo'd loads of bikes - Ibis HD3, Orange 5, Bronson, Nomad. There is no getting away from the fact the Alpine is heavier than all those bikes - its easily over 15kgs in stock form. Mine is now about 14-14.5 or so with Hope Tech Enduros and lighter tyres than the heavy - but awesome - Continentals it came with.

But. For its weight it climbs very well; its very efficient - more so in my opinion than some multi link designs which rely heavily on pedal platforms to be able to pedal well. With the shock locked out (I have the monarch) it is extremely stiff - I only use the lock out on roads/fireroads.

I would say though its taken a lot of trial and error for me to get it setup nicely and I've added tokens in the shock to help with progression and I run the rebound quite fast, which definitely helps it feel more "poppy" and therefore more agile.

It is a (very) long bike which is great for stability - honestly it is rapid downhill - but you do need to get used to the long cockpit and wheelbase and also be prepared to really ride it to get it working properly.

The RS (mine) comes with a 30T and 36T rear and it can be hard work. An expander cog will likely be a must have, but I think the 2016 model has a different setup now...

I bought mine for its versatility and cost - its raced DH and enduro with me and done weekend rides with plenty of climbing (I live in N.Wales). If your riding can do it justice its a great bike, it really is.

Final note is that the 2015 Bronson I rode wasn't anywhere near as capable going DH as the Alpine. The 2016 may be different in this regard but the only bike that can hold its own bike-for-bike against the Alpine was the Nomad. For me though, it just wasn't £1000+ BETTER than the alpine, which is why the Orange is sat in my garage.

I ride a 2014 Alpine, last of the 26", nearly as long as the 650b's so still pretty long. Mine has monarch plus RC3, pikes, flows on 2.5 minion exo, 2.3 Hr2 exo, 1x10 with (11-36 and 32t but i'd probably be ok with a 34t) zee cranks, zee brakes and 203 discs and a dropper and saint pedals.

Not the lightest at 14.9kg but it pedals just as well as my previous bike which was a lighter 2013 150mm Spesh Stumpy evo. The plus side its easy to service, costs nothing to replace bearings and smashes the descents. I ride everywhere around South Wales. I could run it lighter but i prefer having the reliability when uplifting or riding some of the steep stuff/dh stuff etc..

There's probably better bikes for same/less money but i like the simplicity.

I was really in two minds when I bought my Five earlier this year.
Thought the Alpine might be too much bike so plumped for the Five.
It's way more competent than I am, so the Alpine must be a right beast.
If I'm honest I should have gone for the Alpine, as the Five only tends to get ridden if we are off somewhere like BPW.
They get some stick but for seeing out a UK winter, its a right tool.

Nice replys thanks 🙂

So around 33lbs, of course some lighter parts will help,handlebars stem . tyres . .tubeless but I reckon even getting it down to 32lbs could be dooable.

My current trance is 30lbs so its not too far off. I run a 30 - 36 on that bike so this new 32 -42 on an alpine might be ideal. Im no racing climber but happy to plod up if the downs are more fun.

Do you all get the braking issues? Or is that a myth, whatever its called, squashing up thingy.

looking forward to a day at glentress with the demo one. I know that place well.

Haven't really noticed any braking issues to be honest - I'd say you do need to invest some time in the suspension setup though but part of that might be down to the shock - the standard monarch isn't that great without tokens added, but acceptable with a handful. The Fox gets a much better rep.

Best rider I ride with has an Alpine. He's the quickest down and he's also the quickest up, be it fireroad, lazy singletrack or highly technical ascent. As with most of these types of questions the most important factor is the rider, but the Alpine certainly doesn't seem to be holding him back. I've never heard him complain about brake jack either which is what I think the OP is referring to when the suspension stiffens, or locks out, under heavy braking. I suspect that if this ever was an issue with Orange - or other single pivot frames - it was designed out a long time ago

2012 model here. Running a CCDB coil on the rear and a set of Ti coil Marz 55s on the front. Weights in at 34.5lbs and I'm happy with how it pedals uphill (even without a pedal platform or lock out) and love how it descends. It's got offset shock bushings and a -1* head set so pretty slack (64*) and low at the moment and running mid weight tyres, fairly a heavy wheelset and 11-36 with a 32t on the front.

I think if I was buying now I'd probably get a 5 and slacken out the head angle by 2 degrees and fit a 150mm fork to suit my riding style.

Currently it's my only bike and I ride it for everything ranging from groomed trail centres, long technical XC adventures and Alpine DH or XC jaunts.

I've never really had any problem with pedal Bob on climbs and you get used to how the suspension works under heavy braking. To ride it's fast, active and I prefer the geometry and suspension style to many other multi-pivot designs. I think Orange have absolutely nailed the geometry for the 5 and Alpine for the last few years and having tried a 2014 version of the Alpine l think they've improved it again.

Just remember that the 5 is lighter and a very capable bike nowadays and with the right fork will give most 140-160 bikes a serious run for their money. The Alpine is just a burlier version so if that's what you're after then go for it. A friend's is sub 30lbs but he's willing to spend more on it than I had.

Tom KP.

Tom KP

Ex-display end of the line 2014 Alpine 160RS 26 inch with Factory Fox 34 and Factory Float shock and it's now 13.3kg with pedals. Came to me around 14.4kg with pedals and Flow EX with 2x Hans Dampf tyres setup tubeless already.

The significant savings made buying ex-display from Orange via my LBS meant I could afford a few select upgrades later on.

I weighed Demo 650B RS Alpines and they were coming in at 14.8kg with Flow EX wheels. I think there's about 300g in the 26 v 27.5 difference for exactly the same spec parts.

I upgraded parts after riding from November until April with no changes. In order:
Superstar El Plastique flat pedals (surprisingly light and very grippy).
Shimano XT 11-36 cassette.
Superstar Carbon AM wheels.
180mm IceTech Rotors.
Magic Mary / Minion DHR II.
Renthal Fatbar Carbon 780mm.
RaceFace Next SL 32T DM cranks.

On paper I should have lost more than 1kg but somehow it weighs more when it's on the bike!

That's about all I can do without going XTR or SRAM X1 and Guide Ultimate brakes. Those would make running costs too high over the £33 a cassette 10 speed XT I run on 2 bikes sharing 3 sets of wheels and I have all the Shimano bleed kit stuff for both bikes already and spare pads.

13.6kg / 30 lbs is a magic number for me. I feel like I can pedal powerfully once a bike is around that weight. It's what my previous bike was though so that might have a bearing on my "feeling". I also prefer the 73 degree seat angle more than the newer 74 degree on the 650b. It's what I feel most when I get on the newer models. I feel too forward on the new bikes even though their top tube is 20mm longer.

No question, even in stock 14.4kg form the 2014 Alpine descended very well. My upgrades just made it manageable for me as an all day bike. It's no slower down with the upgrades but it's a lot quicker up now than when it started. Even putting the Flow EX wheels back on it comes in at 30 lbs so it's pretty perfect for me now.

My Five is borrowing the Carbon AMs ATM 🙂