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I think it could be a "29er thing". I've been playing about with setup on my Five and Solaris (swapping bars and stems between the two, messing about with spacers etc). Originally I wanted to try and get the setup as close as possible between the two, but over time I've found that I prefer the bars to be lower and wider on the Solaris, for some reason.
I own a five29 and have had 5's before that. I totally loved the 5's before, but with the five29 I have a love/hate relationship with it.
[b]love[/b]
[list][*]the long wheel base[/*]
[*]the bike feels great, predicable, stable, fast on quite hilly area I live in (Scotland)[/*]
[*]29er upgraded with hans dampf works really well[/*][/list]
[b]hate[/b]
[list][*]that it cost way more than my carbon slide 160[/*]
[*]that it weighs more than the mountain I'm riding up[/*]
[*]getting on it feels like climbing over a gate[/*][/list]
I couldn't even sell it for 40% of it's purchae price after 10 rides so have kept it and ride it every now and then although I find myself riding a Cube AMS29 (1/3 the price) more often and the slide only comes out for special occasions.
As far as bar height goes- for the frame, lower [i]is[/i] better, because you can always add riser bars etc but going negative stem/bars is orrible and can lead to clearance issues.
I'm a bit of a long term Orange fan, and the fact that its made in the UK does mean something to me. I recently sepnt a few seasons riding a Specialized Enduro and found it very effective & fast. But then I bought a Partiot in the sales, and without really thinking about it very much found myself riding that to the exclusion of the Enduro. Just had more fun on it. Now I have sold the Enduro and bought an Alpine 160 RS 26" frame. Built it up and it looks way better in the flesh that I expected. Sizing is really good (at last), nice and long and low. Can't wait to get out on it this spring. Personnal preference, but I do love Oranges.
Be a shame if they do stop the Alpine 5 but if they do it's because not enough people bought one. Strange situation as if you look at the number of heavily discounted 5 29's available it would suggest poor sales but on the demo day I did it was probably the most used bike.
I think most people think that a 29er isnt the right tool for technical riding, and that all top enduro riders are on 27.5 so thats the way to go fast and beat your mates.
Considering most sponsored enduro riders have to ride the manufacturers 'enduro' or flagship bike, its no wonder that 29ers dont get a look in and people get confused.
Theres still this weird stigma with 29ers, but truth be told in most situations theyre better than 26ers, its just too much of a leap for the general public.
The owner of Evil bikes gives a great insight into this when he talked about creating the Following. He was very anti-29er, and now thinks the Following is ridiculously good.
rickon - MemberI think most people think that a 29er isnt the right tool for technical riding, and that all top enduro riders are on 27.5 so thats the way to go fast and beat your mates.
The weird thing is it's not even true... The womens' overall was won entirely on a 29er, the mens' about 50/50 26 and 650b.
Funnily enough, after experimenting with what turned out to be a not-very cheapish 29er to see how it went, the prime reason for really enjoying them is how well they handle in technical terrain. Or at least mine seem to. It's the single largest reason why I don't run anything other than 29ers now.
I have owned a five since 2004
In recent years I have had a strange five, five29, gyro and segment.
Segment is for wooded single track and trail centres, and flys!
Five29 was awesome in the Maritime Alps on the rocks
WANT an alpine 160, having ridden it