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Has anyone owned one of these? How did you find it?
A good mate of mine is looking at trying to find a 2nd hand one in large, to support a move from his hardtail 29'er.
Curious about real life use.
Thanks.
I had a gyro and it was an absolute trail weapon - great for all day rides but because of the wheelbase it went downhill like a much longer travel bike.
I had a V2 and sorry to have sold it. Used it around the Tweed Valley and 6 day cross country trip in France. I found it only struggled on really steep rough stuff but that was maybe more me. I really enjoyed it but moved to a 150/150mm full suss which is a lttle more of a one trick pony in comparison.
I had a mk2 as well and it was a superb bike. The short travel out back makes it feel very snappy and nimble but the geometry makes for a very quick and stable ride. Just changed mine for a Stage 5 but it would be a great bike for someone coming from a HT.
I swapped my hardtail for a Stage 4 (Segment mk3 effectively), and it's awesome.
He should look for one of those and chuck in a -2 deg headset, if funds allow.
And consider sizing up on the frame too.
I had a mk2 in xl.
Loved it. After a while I found I couldn’t get the shock tuned to where I wanted it. It either bottomed or was too harsh. I’m 92kg and 6”4. Then a second hand geometron frame came up which is the bike I’d really wanted but couldn’t afford when I got the segment.
I stripped the bike to sell the frame and found the rear dropout was cracked. I had a new rear end under warranty and sold it on.
Mine was one of orange’s Demo fleet so I bought it from the factory. When I bought it I asked if it would be ok clattering about the peaks. They said it would be fine, implying some of their sponsored riders were going mad on it.
It was probably a better bike for me than the geometron for 95% of my riding. I keep eyeing up stage 5 frames to replace my hardtail.
Orange have their ex demo bikes here. If he’s not in a rush something might come up.
https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/shop/factory
Mine has been a pain in the ass to set up. The 38mm stroke on the shock means the difference between 25% and 30% is not much more than the width of the o-ring. Not enough air and the Fox CTD is still supportive on the trail and doesn't wallow but blows through the travel even on small drops as per some previous reviews on here. Ended up with a go on a shockwiz and now running 14% sag.
I do miss the bottle mount.
Some find the looks challenging (all my riding mates) but it stands out in a crowd as being an Orange and you only see the sticker on the top tube when you are riding.
I changed dropper and there is a really annoying shelf in the bottom of the seat tube which took about 45mins to get past.
On the plus side, it is a lot of fun and I think I'll be keeping it for a while.
Had my v2 for 3 and a bit years,swapped the Fox shock for a Cane creek IL and it made a massive difference, Fox 34 sc on the front and it feels properly sorted
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Has been named Terry, he's mine.
Amazing bit of kit, confidence inspiring downwards and eats climbs.
Even got a record distance at twentyfour12 last year on it.
Had one for the last year and it's great. Flys along and only gets out of its depth in the really rough stuff. Definitely bottoms out easy enough though. Running a works components headset and offset bushing to slacken it out a bit.
Currently running mine with a 120mm mattoc but thinking of upping the travel to 130-140mm to make it a touch more capable. Anyone done this? If so, did it improve the bike or does it mess up the handling?
I had 120, 140 and 150mm forks on mine, all worked fine and didn't upset the bike at all. Horses for courses and all that, I reckon 140mm is probably the sweet spot.