I see the website has changed and the range really reduced. It is now way way clearer. Let’s hope the old Steve jobs principle of clearing out the vast range of models and focusing on key products works.
or they are still building content and the confusing mess of before….
I was eyeing up a clockwork Evo, only white left in their clearance range ...
Reckon there's more to come as the archive section has some content but then loads of place holders and I'd be surprised if they are dropping the Bosch powered E-Bikes in favour of the older Shimano ones? Saying that, the range has been reduced at Sunset MTB (not at Winstanley though)? I also remember seeing that plenty of the other suss frames were showing as available and ready to go on the old site so either there's a big sale coming or the website will be further populated I'd have thought?
I’ve still got a crush and never minded orange bikes but that’s the first time I’ve checked out their bikes in a long time, Not for me I’m afraid.
Wow that really is a more sensible range. Naming convention is still a bit off with “mx” and “switch” meaning the same thing, but then also having a model called switch. Still all seems a far better fit though.
Someone also needs to tell them it’s not spelled “catagories”
Reckon there's more to come
The lack of trail bikes sticks out.
No trail or xc bikes is definitely quite odd.
They've got no presence in the midlands bike shops at all. Can't move for main stream presence.
The lack of trail bikes sticks out.
Looks like there is:
Big burly enduro
Bigger burlier enduro
Hardtails
Maybe thats what sells, in which case its quite sensible, but does seem to be a lack of choice for what I would unscientifically guess to be their core audience.
Not sure the website is actually finished or working correctly TBH
Click "all-mountain bikes" and it goes to "enduro bikes".
We know they have a "new shape" Stage 6 and Switch 6, and I guess the Stage Evo is still current - but possibly soon to be replaced. They would be mad not to have a short-travel trail bike anyway.
WRT the website, it feels like they've gone a bit heavy on integrating video, at the expense of good UX.
Yeah there does look like some oversight. I reckon the bigger the travel, the harder the sell for non e-bikes these days too.
I can only assume/hope that theres a new Stage Evo/120mm bike coming soon as those are the bikes that make sense without motors too.
Needs the UDH hanger from the new frames, and some tweaking of the main frame to squeeze a bottle into the front triangle. Perfect.
I’m assuming there is a Stage 5 and Switch 5 to come and probably a Stage 4 and maybe a Switch 4.
And that would give them not just the least confusing Orange range in a long time, it would also be one of the most straightforward ranges from any brand - pick an approx rear travel in inches, pick full 29 or mullet. Job done!
I’m assuming there is a Stage 5 and Switch 5 to come and probably a Stage 4 and maybe a Switch 4.
They retired the 4 and 5 designations a while ago now.
The last Five (full 27) was probably the final one.
There would certainly be a good case for bringing back the Five name for an all-round trail bike though.
“They retired the 4 and 5 designations a while ago now.”
As someone who has the joy of naming products (it’s either easy or feels impossible!), I’m struggling to picture a meeting where they discuss adding some shorter travel bikes to the range and decide that continuing the 7 & 6 nomenclature downwards is a bad idea!
They appear to have a frame called the Whippet... Can northern bike brands not think of anything original any more?
Also interesting that their header pic for the "descover our process" where they go on about being handmade in the uk, is of one of their far eastern built bikes.
As someone who has the joy of naming products (it’s either easy or feels impossible!), I’m struggling to picture a meeting where they discuss adding some shorter travel bikes to the range and decide that continuing the 7 & 6 nomenclature downwards is a bad idea!
Yep, and even more bafflingly the Five was 140mm travel for years and years (slightly closer to five inches than six inches) — but they decided to call the 29er 140mm trail bike the Stage 6.
Orange have always struggle with units and conversions - the Geo tables for as long as I can remember were in mm, except for the seat tubes which were in inches.
Orange have always struggle with units and conversions - the Geo tables for as long as I can remember were in mm, except for the seat tubes which were in inches.
That's just how seat tubes were always measured though? Up until the latest fashion for short seat tubes you could reliably expect a 17" bike to be a medium, 19" large, 21" XL, etc. Same with reach/stand over/stack and the rest, always in mm.
When the pics of the DJI e-bikes surfaced a few months back there was also a new short travel Segment lurking so expect that to drop at some point.
That's just how seat tubes were always measured though? Up until the latest fashion for short seat tubes you could reliably expect a 17" bike to be a medium, 19" large, 21" XL, etc. Same with reach/stand over/stack and the rest, always in mm.
I had a 2011 orange. size given in seat tube inches.
even then in the qr seatpost dropping your saddle days it made no sense whatsoever to give the actual length of the seatube. at least the brands that did "virtual seatube" which was the length it would be if it was a horizontal tt road frame kind of made sense for sizing.
Nice to see some decent proof reading before they hit the launch on the site
They appear to have a frame called the Whippet... Can northern bike brands not think of anything original any more?
I actually thought that was quite good, given its a jump frame rather than a XC machine
That's just how seat tubes were always measured though? Up until the latest fashion for short seat tubes you could reliably expect a 17" bike to be a medium, 19" large, 21" XL, etc. Same with reach/stand over/stack and the rest, always in mm.
I had a 2011 orange. size given in seat tube inches.
even then in the qr seatpost dropping your saddle days it made no sense whatsoever to give the actual length of the seatube. at least the brands that did "virtual seatube" which was the length it would be if it was a horizontal tt road frame kind of made sense for sizing.
The sense was it told you the frame size. Everyone did it in the early days, or at least they did around here. "What size is your bike mate, 19 inch?"
From the looks of it, I’m guessing they’ve ditched the far east models?
Kind of torn, as I love my P29er, but it does make sense to concentrate on the folded construction, where they’ve more control over the numbers they make. Not generally a fan of the looks of their full suss, but that Switch hardtail in the green looks great.
If the image above loads - my last 4 bikes overlaid. about 90mm difference in the top of the seat tube (admittedly the BB isnt height aligned. The purple (original solaris) is a bit of an outlyer in length but the others are pretty similar in terms of fit once an appropriate seatpost and stem have been fitted.
In fact, only that solaris comes close to the 19inch (= 482mm seattube) = large - the others are close to 17 inch.
Unless the seat tube sizing came with the implication of the same length in reach (a "square" frame in old roadie parlance) , or something like that, its a fairly useless way of describing the size.
if you need to have the translation that:
17" bike to be a medium, 19" large, 21" XL, etc.
then its a bit pointless and a waste of ink rather than just doing M, L, XL.
Honestly the best I've seen is Last Bikes. Their sizes give a recommended rider height in cm. Thats about the closest you'll get to a universal fitting system.
It may be a pointless waste and a useless way of describing size but that's how it used to be and I'd imagine why Orange and others still use it?
Anyway, who cares, not entirely sure how we got here but there you go.
Not been keen on Orange bikes since they made the swingarm two tubes instead of one single hollow section. It was an iconic part of their look for me.
There’s even less there now to wow me, the new full suspension frames are gopping with that dogleg in the downtube.
I thought I missed the solid swingarm until I was looking at the last generation that had it and realised that to my eyes the split one looked better - and I presume is stiffer (in a good way).
Yep, and even more bafflingly the Five was 140mm travel for years and years (slightly closer to five inches than six inches) — but they decided to call the 29er 140mm trail bike the Stage 6.
I think this was because they got burned historically with the first Five 29- it was pretty in the same class as the 26er Alpine, massively more capable than a Five of the time.. but people who'd have bought an Alpine or other big bike were put off by it being a Five, and people who wanted a Five or equivalent rode it and went "this is a monster truck". It didn't really sell at all apparently despite being bloody brilliant. So then they renamed it the Alpine Five and relaunched it basically as if it were a totally new bike but that didn't work either.
Totally unfair, they were one of the first brands to have a really good 29er and they just could not sell the things. But you can imagie them going "what will we call this big capable 29er" and just going ABSOLUTELY NOT A FIVE, not again.
Yeah that makes sense.
Maybe they know better than me, I just feel we're all used to big 29ers now and the Stage 6 Evo feels like a shorter travel bike if anything.
@Northwind I remember years and years ago me and a mate stayed up at The Dales Bike Centre and we took out one of the first Orange 29ers (was it called the Gyro, maybe?) . Bike companies were still getting their head round Geometry of 29ers so it was a bit of a gate, but holy moly, you pointed it in a straight line down those rocky chutes surrounding the DBC and it was incredible, it was like you got 30% extra free speed simply by just having the big wheels.
the new full suspension frames are gopping with that dogleg in the downtube.
Im an orange fan, and im with your entire. Horrible. Stage6Evo is the prettiest frame, in my opinon (not saying that cause i have one).
Cant say i like the linkage bikes. one of the reasons to buy an orange is single pivot simplicity. I dont need 4 extra bearings to faff with thank you kindly, and if i did i would be getting a VPP/DW
The linkage bikes look really good in the metal, to be fair, it's hard to tell them apart from the other straight-tubed models. I'd like to have a go on one at some point.
I won't disagree with you about the S6E though. That and the previous gen Switch 6 both look awesome.
was it called the Gyro, maybe?
You're indeed correct, I'd forgotten about the Gyro. It was 120/130mm travel? Then the Five29 came out after.
I had a 26" Five when that came out and was able to do back to back runs when out riding with someone that had the 29er in the same frame size. Can only echo your comments that it felt like a bit of a gate, but a very fast one
I'd be surprised if they are dropping the Bosch powered E-Bikes in favour of the older Shimano ones
I'd suggest it more Bosch maybe cutting them off, as they have mim order requirements. Shimano are easier to get hold off, if unloved by the majority. I'd be interested to know how hard it is to get hold of DJI's motor (ala the proto type Andi Sykes posted about).
I really liked Orange bikes until I rode one - the single pivot made it feel like 2 halfs of a bike, the Specialized FSR layout at the time felt so much nicer to ride.
That new hardtail is super uggo.
Yep, and even more bafflingly the Five was 140mm travel for years and years (slightly closer to five inches than six inches) — but they decided to call the 29er 140mm trail bike the Stage 6.
I think this was because they got burned historically with the first Five 29- it was pretty in the same class as the 26er Alpine, massively more capable than a Five of the time.. but people who'd have bought an Alpine or other big bike were put off by it being a Five, and people who wanted a Five or equivalent rode it and went "this is a monster truck". It didn't really sell at all apparently despite being bloody brilliant. So then they renamed it the Alpine Five and relaunched it basically as if it were a totally new bike but that didn't work either.
Totally unfair, they were one of the first brands to have a really good 29er and they just could not sell the things. But you can imagie them going "what will we call this big capable 29er" and just going ABSOLUTELY NOT A FIVE, not again.
Yeah, I went from a 26" 5 AM to a 5 29 and the difference was huge. 5 29 felt like it had limitless travel but blew through it out back due to the rubbish Fox CTD shock so felt too boggy. Swapped that for a Segment which was much more like a 29" 5.
Didn't like the white decals on my 5 29 so swapped them for Alpine 5 ones the following year. Orange confirmed they were exactly the same, just a name change.
On the DJI bikes, they've been popping up on Instagram today so assume they're imminent?
Gyro was the forerunner to the Segment and was 110 /120 travel
The five was my first full sus bike, revelations and battleship grey and a salsa Rasta as well. I loved that bike and it really was a do anything bike,but I really have the fear for Orange now.
I’m pretty disappointed to see that Orange have actually put the the price of some sale bikes/ frames up for Black Friday, hopefully they put out a code or something.
Disregard my last comment, I just noticed the code.
Disregard my last comment, I just noticed the code.
Even with the code, the Switch 6 frames are more expensive I think than what I paid for one a couple of weeks ago.
Weren't they £825? More options now and OP they have some 5 Evo's and Alpine's in.
The site is becoming more populated too. RX9 and Bosch powered Patriot are back up.
I’m pretty sure they where £7XX at the Ardrock.