Reported widely elsewhere but for those who don’t look at other mountain bike websites, Orange have released updated versions of their P7 hardtails:
https://orangebikes.com/pages/p7-range
Seems to tick all the mod boxes including UDH. Still haven’t ridden an MX bike (6.3” means I love a 29r) but the mx version of this looks fun.
Seems a bit odd that they make the 27.5 version a full degree slacker
I posted this on the "Orange Calls In The Administrators" thread but 18 new SKUs for what is effectively one model of frame suggests to me that Orange has not learnt its lesson about overreaching itself.
Looks good… but would you choose it over a Cotic BFe?
Nope, I'd buy a Cotic as they are consistent good bikes, easy to work with, better and simpler website to navigate and don't go bust, not learn and then do the same again (sorry).
I'd buy neither and thats as an Orange fanboi (3 in the garage at the minute) and an 3x ex-Cotic owner.
Orange's new website is beyond awful though. Its giving this place a run for its money...
I'd save up a bit more and get a Radical Chilli Dog or something...
Nope, I'd buy a Cotic as they are consistent good bikes, easy to work with, better and simpler website to navigate and don't go bust, not learn and then do the same again (sorry).
That was kind of my thinking…
Even as someone who has never owned a full 29er bike (currently on a MX) I don't understand that there is a market for a full 27.5 bike these days. Especially a company that is coming back.
To use Cotic as an example again. The way they have designed the BFE to be 29 or MX makes sense as it's just 1 frame design, not 2. Cotic have ceased production of 27.5 bikes, cos they weren't selling, & they are a company that are able to produce pretty small batch orders.
It seems like sadly Orange haven't learnt, having that many options comes across as confusing & in my opinion devalues the brand, cos it looks like you've just gone rebadged catalogue bike.
Even as someone who has never owned a full 29er bike (currently on a MX) I don't understand that there is a market for a full 27.5 bike these days. Especially a company that is coming back.
To use Cotic as an example again. The way they have designed the BFE to be 29 or MX makes sense as it's just 1 frame design, not 2. Cotic have ceased production of 27.5 bikes, cos they weren't selling, & they are a company that are able to produce pretty small batch orders.
It seems like sadly Orange haven't learnt, having that many options comes across as confusing & in my opinion devalues the brand, cos it looks like you've just gone rebadged catalogue bike.
My current bike is a 27.5 and the one I'm building in a week or 2 is also full 27.5.
I understand the wider market seems to have moved on from that wheel size, but there are still some enjoyers out there.
I was chatting to a short bloke the other day who was bemoaning the lack of 27.5 bikes
I'd save up a bit more and get a Radical Chilli Dog or something...
I was looking at those until I discovered how stiff they were. I emailed them about it and to their credit they were quite open about the stiffness. But they also said the Ti was lighter and thus floated over stuff more and that mitigated the stiffness. Which i believe to be nonsense.
My current bike is a 27.5 and the one I'm building in a week or 2 is also full 27.5.
I understand the wider market seems to have moved on from that wheel size, but there are still some enjoyers out there.
My previous/spare bike is a full 27.5, I don't hate it, I quite like it in it's own way but then I did spend my entire teens on 20" and 24" wheels. My main and recently new bike is full 29er and being 6ft 3" I do prefer it. I used to always pick bikes on downhill fun first, comfort 2nd, so often found myself on smaller wheeled smaller framed bikes. Finally accepted I'm in my mid thirties and the young rippers put me to shame now and to get a more apt bike, it's nice that geometry has come on such long a way that I've now got a properly sized for me bike which still feels fun and chuckable, despite being an XL framed 29er
When did Moto Cross start relating to bicycle wheel size?
I had never seen this MX designation until I opened this thread.
I guess the use of MX can be used in various ways like motorcross or mixed, such as ATM meaning automated teller machine, or at the moment, or ass to... In fact I'll stop myself there and see myself out.
Does it mean “mixed”? In which case a penny farthing is MX, nothing new in this world!
I think it now means Mixed as 'Mullet' used to be used (Business up front, party out back) but this seems to have been appropriated to now mean a large MTB cassette on a road/gravel bike...
I really like 27.5 on my Full-Sus trail bike, but I don't think I'd go back to it on a hardtail.
I assume all those banging on about Orange not learning the lesson of having too many bikes available haven't bothered to look at their current line up?
I also assume that having been bitten very hard from the covid fallout over supply of Far East frames that they have ordered what they think they can sell in relation to the 27.5 option? It's the only 27.5 frame they currently have for sale.
Would I have one over a Bfe? Probably but then I'd buy a Pace over either.