[Closed] Orange 5 or Alpine?

Other than you sound truly awesome in every way, a 5 will be all you'd need.

Sounds like you want the Alpine, but need a 5 AM.

Sounds like it doesn't matter which one you go for as you are going to kick ass on it anyway. ;-p

In all seriousness,where do you ride dh? If you mostly ride trail centres then the 5 will suffice.

My 5 am suits everything fine sometimes wonder if I had been better on an alpine but then for trail centres I am verging on over biking.

Five with coil lyriks and coil van Rc.

However I think I may be more awesome than you, or so I'm told 😉

You want a 224. And a 5.

Quite simply because you're awesome. Apparently.

Actually, you need an Orange Blood.

Sounds like you could be on a penny farthing & you'd be ok. 😆

thanks for all the compliments!

the 5 wont break in the alps....because i would prefere a 5 for uk riding

try both?

There is probably much less chance of a five breaking than certain other brands bigger travel bikes.

You need a light build on an Alpine.
I built Rowan Sorrell's Mega/ Trophee Des Nations Alpine down to 30lb with some tough kit and it rides well on trails too although I found it a bit big for me. My 5AM with Van R's all round comes in about 33lb. It rides well for what I want though, It's "built Ford tough" as they say at the rodeo.
It won't be cheap to build a sub 30LB Alpine though. With the same kit and some improvements, Full XTR, ProII/Stan's Flow/CX-RAY, Fox36 Float R, Thomson post and stem (lighter than Rowan's Sunline)Sunline or PRO bar, Tech M4 brakes,it should come in at under 30lb for about £5k.
Then you just change your tyres for the different style of riding.

Buy the Alpine [i]and[/i] get yourself a sub-£1000 "hardcore" hardtail from the classifieds.

You might aswell go all the way....get the Alpine.

I know a couple of fellas who do anything from 30 foot drops to all day Lakeland rides on them. The most impressive bit of climbing I've ever seen a fellow biker do was on an Alpine kitted out with a Talas....I didn't think anyone could clear that climb but he did it...well impressive.

Stop riding trail centres, find some decent natural trails and buy an Alpine. Five's a nice bike too, but my mates' Alpines are mint and they ride them on everything.

Alpine. And if you want 16" look here (also have them in white)

http://www.probikeshop.fr/soldes-orange-cadre-alpine-160-mandarine-orange-cane-creek-double-barrel-2010/63694.html#publishComment

its older model so 27.2mm seatpost and non tapered headtube, but is £1200 with a CCDB (which is a ~£300 upgrade?) way cheaper than anywhere else Ive seen.

Look out for their offers theyve had the frame all this year at that price but most months seem to have a voucher code, I got extra 10% off so ~£1050 for mine.

Took mine for a test ride in the gnarl chilterns* and it rides nicely, climbs way better than I expected and far better than the VPP bike it replaced. Weight? Dont know, not too bothered. Its got a gravity dropper and brick-like easton flatboys on it because they work.

*already booked trips to verbier, chamonix and sierra nevada, the point is it is a do it all bike and rides well everywhere. Never ridden a [s]Mondeo[/s]Five so cant compare.

30 foot drops

Really? That's not too far off being this big:

[img] [/img]

3 Five's and 2 Alpine's amongst the gang I ride with (One of the Five's is an AM with Fox 36's). For most trails and particularly all trail centre stuff the guys on the Five's tend to be ahead as the bikes are lighter, it's only when you get onto the real Doonhaller stromtrooper gnar trails that the two on the Alpine's will pull away… how much of that is due to the bigger cahones and how much is the bike is up for debate.

If your okay with a slightly heavier bike focused more for the doonhall bits then the Alpine is the better bet, but if you want to be quickest on all the climbs and pay a small penalty on the descents then go for the Five.

I have had both and prefer my 5 for 95% of stuff.

But Cupid - on that other 5% most of us would need a ladder and parachute.

Someone told me I was quick the other day,

I was riding a 100mm XC hardtail (steel, so doesn't even have the advantage of lightweight) with blown forks and borderline slick mud tyres.

I must truly be Rad to the Gnarr squared.

My girlfriend said i was quick & i have never been biking with her, what is she talking about?

You sound so rad I want your babies.

Cupid - quick and smooth but your hands smell of salt & vinegar, she told me.

i do ride DH, im apparently pretty quick and i ride quite hard.

so what should i go for?

Just get sponsored mate. Should be a piece of piss.

my mate in alp duez used to ride a cove shocker.

After I stayed on his back tire on a rented trek remedy he bought an orange five a SWEARS BY IT.

my mate in alp duez used to ride a cove shocker.

After I stayed on his back tire on a rented trek remedy he bought an orange five a SWEARS BY IT.

i take it you were catching him on singletrack, not proper DH? or is he just really slow? or were you riding some smooth DH?

the thought of someone on a 5 tailgating any good DH rider on a DH bike at say, Fort Bill, is quite funny. Unless the person on the 5 is called Mr Peat.

crazyjohnyblows - Member
i generally ride trail centres in the uk, however, i do ride DH, im apparently pretty quick and i ride quite hard.

Skyline-GTR - Member

I built Rowan Sorrell's Mega/ Trophee Des Nations Alpine

its an ego-off, FIGHT!!

geetee1972 - Member

30 foot drops

Really? That's not too far off being this big:

lol geetee, just what i thought.

when i said pretty quick...i ment im quicker than most of the people i see riding oranges...i currently ride a inbred summer season which im gonna keepm so if the alpine is too much for trails i can switch back

All people who ride oranges are slow, I'm quick as **** so I def need the alpine. I've ridden fort william and someone said I would have kept up with people on downhill bikes.
I was only on the cross country course and riding up a hill BUT if I was on the downhill track I would have hammered it.

Thanks to every1 who answered with sensible answers anyway

Ignore.

this thread is sick to the power of gnar

This thread is full of riders who are completely up themselves.
Not me though, I'm completely slow but my 5 is really comfy.

last herb am?

i get really pissed off when people fly past me on their 5's when i'm flat out on super gnarly DH runs on my 9" travel DH race bike.

it's such a super versatile bike. I mean, how many other AM bikes do you know that can beat world cup podium DH bikes on WC DH courses, but still be cycled back to the top again in time for tea and cake!

Just the other day I saw a lad on a 5 do a 30ft drop. to flat

rad

My Alpine weighs 34lbs (now has a Reverb) and I think its quite a trick build so I don't really see how you would get below 30lbs on a alpine.

2011 Polished frame
Hope race leavers with M4 calipers
2011 1x10 XTR
Pro2 & Flows
Modified 36's which are RC2 internals in 2011 FIT spec forks to save weight

Even with the RP23 on its over 33lbs (granted i could save a lbs on my front tyre :0 )

[img] [/img]

I've had a 5AM in the past and would say this climbs as well at 160mm as the 5 did wound down to 130mm

Oooh Oxnop, Wish I wasn't a 54yr old scaredy cat, that looks nice!

I get scared on ladders me!
[i]All people who ride oranges are slow, I'm quick as **** so I def need the alpine. I've ridden fort william and someone said I would have kept up with people on downhill bikes.
I was only on the cross country course and riding up a hill BUT if I was on the downhill track I would have hammered it.[/i]

There's a podium place just waiting for you, sunshine. Let me know when your'e riding & I'll take the photo's.

Oxnop that is lovely, very highly commended, but to answer your question, there are quite a few places you could easily save weight and get to, or below, 30lbs.

Your forks are a good example. The modified RC2 cartridge in the 2011FIT chassis adds about 120g.
Switching to Mavic Crossmax SX wheels will save you about 200g
Switching to an e13 XCX will save you about 180g
Ditching the Hope anchors for something like a Formula R1 will save around 250g
Air can over the steel sprung damper could save as much as 1kg
Not sure what bars and stem you're running, but they're usually good for a few hundred grams on most peoples' bikes.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you're bike is too heavy or anything like that. I think it's lovely. Just that if you take a detailed and considered view (OK a weight weenie, OCD view) to what you're putting on the bike, especially if you're starting from scratch and can choose one component over another, all other things (i.e. price) being equal, you can save quite a bit.

My Nic, even with a coil damper at the back, is bang on 30lbs and is absolutely an equivalent bike to the 160 (maybe more versatile though because I have this one set up in 145mm/140mm mode rear/front, with a 13" BB and 66 degree HA)

[img] ?ver=13010665850001[/img]

geetee, this thread is not about saving weight on oxnops Alpine, its about how rad to the power of gnar squared the OP is.

I think the OP needs a Karpiel Armageddon or Brooklyn Super Trucker/Rubber Ducky, nothing else is rad enough.

geetee, this thread is not about saving weight on oxnops Alpine, its about how rad to the power of gnar squared the OP is.

😀 Quite!

But to be fair to the OP, it could just be that the only thing he (or she) is guilty of is honesty. I mean if you regularly hook up with people on a ride and find that you are faster than them, then is it really so bad to say that you are reasonably quick?

It's not like he was being boastful so much as just adding information to the question. Probably quite relevant as well as I think typically on here, people assume you're not much cop on a bike.

I have a 5 and a Patriot in an XC build, which I suppose is loosely equivalent to the Alpine..? I choose the Patriot for anything that looks like being big - it's too good of an opportunity to miss.

Climbing on the 5 is much nicer, but descending on the Patriot is so excellent that it easily cancels out the climbing.. If all I wanted to do was climb well I'd use a road bike 🙂

The thing that limits gnar-ness on the 5 really is the head angle and top tube length. Absolutely not an issue in normal riding really but when it gets steep and technical the Patriot is just better. And then on big rocky stuff it's the extra stiffness, bigger tyres, wider bar, shorter stem, better brakes etc that I really appreciate.

The thing that limits gnar-ness on the 5 really is the head angle and top tube length. Absolutely not an issue in normal riding really but when it gets steep and technical the Patriot is just better.

😯

Are you the first 5 owner to acknowledge that there are better bikes out there for certain types of riding than the 5? Probably.

I have a short test for you to find out whether or not you are telling the truth. When on your 5, do you regularly:

beat skilled DH riders on DH bikes on DH courses?
drop 30ft to flat?
climb hills on the road faster than someone on an road bike?
pull 720's at your local jump spot?
ever ride anywhere other than the XC routes at Cannock?

Lol 🙂

Only been to Cannock once....

I have taken the 5 down the DH course at Cwmcarn, and it was nowhere near as good as the Patriot. Which is obvious really, that's why I have two different bikes 🙂

Actually I'm a big believer in the spectrum of different bikes for different things. I could fit in another couple of bikes between the ones I have quite easily I think and still be able to choose one for any given ride.

Sounds like if you're finding it dead easy blatting about on an Iron Horse 7Point, get an Alpine.

wl, Your girlfriend told me your fingers smell like scampi Nic Naks.

Mmmm, scampi nik naks.

Scampi Nik Naks or Nice n' Spicy Nik Naks - now there's a real dilemma!

OP - get an Alpine with a 36.

geetee1972 - That is a lovely Nicolai!

I realise that I could get it lighter, I wouldnt have put a reverb on or changed the RP23 for a coil with a steel spring........

Who cares about weight anyway! My previous bike was a LTc and a Mojo SL before that - I prefer riding the 'heavyweight' alpine.

Anyway I have a Soul for normal trails but that would be considered heavy at 27lbs!

I have an Alpine 5.............so there 😯

That really is rad to the power of gnar x infinity x yourdogsgottits!!!

I've watched rowan sorrell take a 5 down gawton way faster than most could ride it on a proper DH bike.

If your not racing then a five will more than enough. I've been through a myriad of DH, FR and Trails bikes. The five is the first one I haven't wanted to change within a few months.

These posts are amusing....i think i want a 5 more...strange? but im worried that an alpine 160 would suit me better

get a five am with a ccdb

5AM..
20mm less rear travel, 4lbs lighter and 0.5 degrees slacker head angle.

Or Alpine 160..
20mm more rear travel, 4lbs heavier and 0.5 degree steeper head angle.

My money went on the 5AM and it's a killer!

Not being an aficionado of the fives... is the 5 AM the same frame as the normal 5, just with a longer fork so the angles are slacker? Or does it really have a different geo? I ask because I can't see a 5AM frame only on the orange site and the geo figures seem to suggest it's the former. Thanks.

as 'myheadsashed' mentions - don't forget the Alpine 5 as well

Orange Alpine 5 and Orange 5

[img] ?ver=13023730740001[/img]

my old patriot was so much better going down though versus my 5

@ mrblobby... AM has maxel back end.

crazyjohnblows :...I'm lucky enough to own both 5 & Alpine 160 (both 2010 flavour). They are built-up very similar, apart from the forks. 150 Rev Teams on the 5, & 170 Lyrik solo air DH's on the 160. I'm not saying I can do either justice compared to the likes of Rowan Sorrel. But I do prefer the 160 for the Trail Centre type riding I do, be-it going up or down. The 160 is 3 lb heavier than the 5, but I prefer it on steeper climbs as it doesn't try and lift its front wheel like the 5. Then when you point it down, its just so much more fun and confidence inspiring than the 5. I know quite a few people have suggested a 5 with 160 forks, which although works well, still leaves you with 140mm of rear travel that will never match the 160mm of the Alpine (with its better shock/travel ratio) 8)

peterfile - Member
my mate in alp duez used to ride a cove shocker.
After I stayed on his back tire on a rented trek remedy he bought an orange five a SWEARS BY IT.
i take it you were catching him on singletrack, not proper DH? or is he just really slow? or were you riding some smooth DH?

the thought of someone on a 5 tailgating any good DH rider on a DH bike at say, Fort Bill, is quite funny. Unless the person on the 5 is called Mr Peat

The point I tried to make was for your average guy/gal you dont need a big bike because you might not ride it to its potential, it might even hold you back..

AM has maxel back end.

Is that the only difference, as that can be spec'd as an option on the five frame. No geo differences then on the frame?

Get a Blood if the 5 is not enough Gnar!

[img] [/img]

If you are so so good why you asking for advice!?
IMHO i wouldnt buy either, if i had to have an Orange id give up bikeing.
Theres loads of bikes out there that are a cross over between Trail and AM use. If you really couldnt find any other bike out there id probably go for the 5 and have a pair of 160s at hand to dump on for when you keep up with proper French downhillers!