[Closed] Orange Five or Trek ex 9.9?? advice please

5 all day long.

5, future proofed!

5

5. Trek's are for poor people 😉

Treks from two years ago look horribly dated. Fives from five years ago still look great.

Chalk or cheese?

Filing cabinet or plastic?

I'd widen your options a bit. I'm sure they're both great, and you'd be chuffed with either, but what about Stumpies, Zestys etc etc? Try a few then decide - or buy used so you don't take much of a hit if you don't get on with it.

Sorry, someone had to provide the proper STW answer. 😀

Isn't a Remedy more comparable with a 5?

Isn't a Remedy more comparable with a 5?

This.

This...

Try a few then decide

At the level your looking there are a lot of great bikes. I test rode several when looking late last year and have subsequently tried a couple more. My personal observation is that whilst almost everyone will adapt to and enjoy any decent bike, they all are pretty good, the difference between one [u]you[/u] love or one [u]you[/u] just enjoy and then get used to is quite profound. A decent test ride will tell you.

Oh, I bought a Five frame and had my LBS custom build it for me. It is quite simply the most amazing bike i've ridden offering huge confidence down hill (I throw it at everything) with a build at less than 30lbs, so good for use everywhere. To me it's perfect 😉

Thanks for the replys. I forgot to say that I will be buying 2nd hand so have the choice of a 16" 2011 orange five pro (cost new £2900) or a 2011 17" trek ex 9.9 carbon (cost new £6000!). It's the spec and original cost of the Trek thats making me think about it.
I have considered others but haven't found anything yet that looks as sweet as a Five. I don't want anything too heavy as I want to be able to climb as well.
I'm currently running a Giant Reign so this is the only thing I can compare either bike to.

Also, I like the sound of a Santa Cruz, Lapierre Zesty / Spicy or Yeti but can't seem to find anything quite as good as the Trek or Orange?
Any other suggestions out there?

Those are quite different bikes.

Personally, as a Five owner, for the riding you're doing I'd go for the Trek. It'll be a LOT lighter, and for those trail centres you won't miss the extra 20mm travel. I know that when I go to Glentress I'm much quicker on my Giant Anthem down the descents than I am on bigger bikes, and usually have more fun.

The Five is great for big ol' trails in the Lakes/Highlands/Peak but for trail centres it's overkill and you'll probably feel like you're lugging a big lump around rather than riding something sprightly and lively like the Trek.

Yeti ASR5.

Well having both a Orange5 and Fuel EX8 I'd say that you have a difficult choice. The Five can handle bigger hits a bit better and climbs well, but the Trek Ex is fast cross country and general riding machines. I've ridden both of mine around Afan and Cwmcarn plenty of times and I find no problem on the shorter travel Trek. The Trek has been the quicker of the two but I've possibly had more fun on the Orange! I enjoy them both which is why I still have the two.

Try and get some test rides.

Orange 5 was the worst bike i ever rode so it obviously didn't suit me,and lost me a lot of money.

I have gone from Stumpy FSR Carbon (08) to c456 (10) to Yeti 575 (09) to Trek EX9 (2011) and I can honestly say this is the best all round bike I have had. It comes in at under 27lbs without pedals, the carbon will be lighter, it is faster than the Yeti round trail centers yet copes with so much downhill. I am bigger than you, signicantly but I found the Orange (when test ridden) to be too soft at the rear end. Even adding 20% more air into a RP23 meant it still needed pro-pedal to do XC, with the RP23 DCRV shock it rides like the pro-pedal on the Orange when it is off, then when it needs it reaches full travel, allowing pro-pedal to be used almost as a lock out for long fire roads etc. I knwo it is fashionable to say 5 but the Trek works really well for me and eats trail centres. If it were me, no question.

(just my opinion!)

That said I would also get a Yeti ASR5 carbon if I could......!

Sorry Trek!

Had both, the Five is better in every way IMO, only marginally slower on the climbs due to the extra weight. The carbon EX isn't that much lighter than the alloy one if I remember right.

The DRCV shock on the EX made EVERYTHING feel square edged, no matter how it was set up. I test rode a Remedy and this didn't suffer from the same problem, maybe due to the extra travel.

If we were measuring in fun, the Five would score a 9, and the EX a 6.

On the size front I,m just under 5'6" and ride a 2011 ex9 and found it was slightly less snug in the crotch area than the 16" five
If your near to Blackwood your more than welcome to try for size
frame lifetime for original owner trek 5 years for the five, The spec will be higher for the trek £ for £ trek doesn,t supply rose coloured specs with their bikes 😉
Just off to look at a mojo hd

Have you sat on or ridden either? At 5'6 the orange is borderline and I reckon the trek definitely too big for you. Even secondhand you're spending a big chunk and there are other good used (or discounted new) for bikes for the sort of money your spending.

trek doesnt supply rose coloured specs with their bikes

😆

So whats DRCV, Full Floater, ABP, and Evo Link?

Marketing BS.

A 16" Five will fit you perfectly.

I dunno, Full Floater seems pretty accurate.

Dual chambered Trek/Fox designed shock. Works a treat!

Squared edged, not in my experience.

Guess the overall advice is ride them....! 😉

I have an ex9 and think its the dogs danglers. Never experienced square edged in the rear shock either.

Did try the 5 as well, and I was underwhelmed. Nice bike but not for me.

orange 5 lasted 2.5yrs, then cracked. fuel ex feels so much livelier to ride & feels a lot more composed in the rough, esp under braking where all single pivot frames suffer. resale of fuels is actually better than 5s too.

Trek is a beefed up xc bike and rides like it. It does not come with a get of jail free card and benefits from a dynamic rider.

The Five - was like a really comfy sofa - and I mean that in a kind way! Great for lazy point and shoot riding or a nervous rider and really good if riding stuff beyond your comfort zone.

Trek for me, Orange for many many others - only you can decide. The best bit is that provided you are prepared to adapt you will have a great time owning either.

Trek throw millions of $ behind research, development, etc and the frames evolve as new things happen / are discovered that will make their bikes better / stronger / stiffer / faster.

The orange single pivot is x years old now, surely things have progressed since it's original design? 😉

Trek throw millions of $ behind marketing and their frames evolve as new things become fashionable that will make their bikes trendier.
The orange single pivot is x years old now, is a proven design that works and is low maintenance, and doesnt render last years bike an obsolete dog

FIFY 🙂

+1 for an ASR-5

In between both (light and handles well, can be ridden up hill, handles downhill with aplomb) and a 2 steps up in class to boot.

crashtestmonkey - Member

Trek throw millions of $ behind [i]marketing[/i] and their frames evolve as new things become [i]fashionable that will make their bikes trendier[/i].
The orange single pivot is x years old now, [i]is a proven design that works and is low maintenance, and doesnt render last years bike an obsolete dog[/i]

FIFY

I appreciate that you have spent a small fortune on the biking equivelent of an MG Maestro and hate seeing all these new bikes on the trails thinking to yourself "simple and fun, that's what STW says about my good OLD 5.... must be right..."

If it works for you, it works. As long as your riding and smiling.....Enjoy 😛

I test rode an Orange 5 last year, can't see what the hype is all about, rear suspension reminded me of a park bench, and so did the looks. It might be with waiting until 2024 for the Orange 6. 🙂

The harder you ride a Five the more they come alive. You mincers would be better off with something a little more mince friendly.

'The harder you push a Five the more they come alive'

I tend to ride my bike 🙂

I tend to ride my bike

You should have gone to Specsavers 😉

'The harder you push a Five the more they come alive'

I tend to ride my bike

🙂

I still have the memory of last time I rode at a trail centre. Slightly tubby middle aged rider followed by slightly tubby middle aged rider pushing their 5s up the hill. I'm sure they had lots of fun on the way down though 😉

....but I bet they looked like 'real men' pushing a slab of 'real british metal' up the hill!! 😕 😉

Thanks for all the comments.
I seem to have opened a can of worms here!
I love the orange but can't get over the spec I can get in the form of a Trek fuel ex 9.9 for the same sort of cash.
I'm 5'6, maybe 5'7 on a good day. Will I fit a 16.5 actual (17.5 virtual) Trek ex?
Don't want to travel miles to get it if it's definately going to be too big?

Is that what they list as 17.5"? That'll be biggish in theory I'd say - 23.2" effective tt, but the size below would be too small (if one was available 2nd hand!) as it seem to be sized for midgets.

You could eat more shredded wheat in the morning and hope to have more good days than bad?

They do not ride large, I reckon it's worth the trip. 8)

I love the orange but can't get over the spec I can get in the form of a Trek fuel ex 9.9 for the same sort of cash.

Orange 5 Pro £2,800.
Trek Fuel EX9.9 Carbon £6,500.
😕

Is it an old model Trek?

2011 orange 5 about £2k
2011 EX9.9 - £2.4k for the one I've been offered.

Nice!
Trek for me if it has a warranty.

Carbon frame with no warranty, I would go for the Five.

A fella on our local forum bought a 2010 EX 9.9 new, within 2 weeks a single rock strike to the downtube wrote the frame off. He was offered a new frame at a discount price.