I'm quite tempted by either a Segment or Four, (both in 2017 trim).
I know the correct answer is to take both out for a test, but in the real world I just cannot do that so likely to buy blind as per usual.
Looking at reviews etc. they appear to be aimed at rather similar purposes, but with the Segment a bit more XC and the Four a bit more trail - is that a fair assessment? Also, the Segment seems to have been discontinued and had a few so-so reviews while all seems positive about the Four. Based on this I am leaning towards the four.
Any owners or people who have risen both got any opinions to share?
I have a 2017 Segment and had a 5 29 + various 5’s before that. The Segment is great fun and really does rip. I would call it no more XC than the 4 really as it gobbles up everything I throw at it from trail centres to natural stuff and I have not managed to find the limit of it’s ability. I have a p7 for messing about on so if you tend to like short, sharp rides maybe the 4 would be better suited but I can highly recommend the Segment as an alrounder.
The best compliment I can give it is that i’m not looking to change.
Thanks for that endorsement of the segment, not helped my decision making but good to know before committing.
How tall are you / what size is the bike? I am 6'1" so according to Orange either the L or XL would fit, but as I have long legs thinking of XL
I’m 6’2” and have a XL. My p7 is large and I am right on the limit of it fitting. Always felt my large 5 29 was a bit small.
Segment as been replaced by the Stage 4, I have a mk2 Segment and love it Stage 4 looks like a big improvement in some areas (metric shock and more reach)
True, but I like to discount on the 2017b Segment / Four,
I rode these two bikes back to back a couple of times at a local demo day last year.
I loved both and in the end went for a Four simply because it put a bigger smile on my face that day, maybe the extra nimbleness helped & in my mind at the time suited my riding more, on reflection now, i don't feel i could have gone wrong with either.
Im 186cm with long legs & ride an XL Four.
Im very keen to Demo a Stage Four / Five though 🙂
I may of just broken my segment but can vouch for its abilities. I ride mainly steep natural stuff as quick as I can and the bike handles it well. Funnily enough the negatives I've found with it have all been addressed with the stage 4 according to the video on the front page. Namely, slacker head angle, shorter seat tube and and longer reach.
At no point have I felt like it needed more rear travel. Only the front felt a bit lacking at 120mm but I always find this with "shorter" travel forks.
You could buy the new stage 4 or get the segment then slightly up the travel on the forks, use offset bushes and a slightly longer stem if needed.
Great bike.....
Four is amazing and I'd love to try the stage 4 as it's the first 29er I'd consider.
Four in XL at 6'1" with long legs, the most fun bike I've ever owned and I've had plenty.
I had a 2016 Four RS with a few upgrades.
My view is it’s a great trail bike for Red tracks and above - if that’s your riding then I’d say it’s a perfect bike.
However if you’re (like me) predominantly an XC rider and doing Blue runs then the Four is a bit of a sofa and too much bike imo.
Whatever you do buy second hand! Orange do not hold their price well at all.
Whatever you do buy second hand! Orange do not hold their price well at all.
I'd guessed as much but is that true? Is it one big hit in depreciation from new?
I've bought a Stage 5 second hand recently and its great but maybe not a forever bike. I'd definately recommend trying one though
Whatever you do buy second hand! Orange do not hold their price well at all.
Bikes don’t hold their price well, I’d say oranges are no better or worse than any other brand
Eh? Orange might lose value compared to their ever-increasing RRP, but they hold up very well compared to other brands as they age.
All I can say re Orange resale is look in the classifieds and on the FB Orange Owners FB group for examples of what I’m saying. I back that up with my own experience of selling recently.
Ridicules pricing for full bikes new, but you can pick up a bargain on the used market.
Just my experience, I’m not one for arguing on an Internet forum so happy to say ‘you’re right’ if that keeps the peace/makes people happy.
ATB.
Orange used to hold their value very well if you sold every 2 to 4 years. I regularly changed bikes without taking too much of a hit. Saying that, the 5 held up, the others less so. Using the 5 as the example the used values are still high but not especially model dependant so the lower spec sell high, the higher spec less so if that makes sense. I think the Alpine follows a similar path but don’t really watch them.
I imagine the 4 might fear worse as it was well regarded but zigged when the market zagged, just like the 5 29. For a year or so short travel, slack 650b was popular (so no one wanted the 5 29). Now the fashion is for longer travel 29ers so the 4 has lost it’s market and therefore it’s second hand value.
if you are worried about residuals buy a 5.
