Orange 5 for sure. Even its shit, you’ll convince yourself its the best bike ever created.

You’re definitely going about it the right way. I demo’d an ASR5, Covert, Five, Mojo HD and Epic…. Went for the Five but had a few sleepless nights as I also loved the Covert. They were all great but the Five and Covert were what i was after.

As it happens I had my Five custom built by my LBS and it spanks the Pro I tested so very happy. Don’t want to sound like the typical fanboy but it really is very good, but then i chose it from a selection so i knew it was ‘right’ for me. I get tired of people trashing other people decisions or suggesting that any bike will do, from my experience there are certain bikes that natively suit how each of us likes to ride, granted it’s difficult to make a really bad decision but it makes a world of difference when you get it right 😀

Had mine a year now and no problems to speak of. I suspect the bandit will feel lighter and more nimble as the Five and Covert we’re really very similar, but never tested the bandit so can’t really comment. Zestys look good but never tried one.

As a fairly heavy guy (16st) and one who loves to charge down hill I discounted the bandit on looks, not aesthetically just that rear triangle looks awfully fragile. Odd how we judge things but hey ho…!

Go with what feels right. Here’s what I did…oh, just make sure you get a dropper what ever you do. Can’t advocate enough just how brilliant they are.

Ask1974 does it brakejack? 😉

Yes, a little. But I’ve never really found it to be an issue, I tend to stay off the brakes which is why it’s so much fun… 😉 I used to have a Specialized FSR which of course has more active suspension, but Interestingly I felt disconnected from the trail by comparison. Same deal with the Mojo, the bike felt lifeless to me. Nice, just no feedback.

Just checked this out though…now that’s just lovely…

New yellow Bandit

My 2010 zesty BB was replaced only a few months, not bad I’d say.

(I think the 5 Spots are fugly anyway)

Fair enough! You have to want to ride it. It’s great that silverfish have bought the price of them down though. More of this please, I wish Jungle would take note.
I’d like to have a go on a bandit. I ridden a covert, it was brilliant.

Other things to consider if you’re keeping it long term, how much to replace suspension bearings, and how likely is a tortuous cable routing to cause you shifting problems? Not tried the Bandit, but for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t swap my 2007 Five for a Zesty (and def not a carbon one), feel too high at the back, low, wide and short at the front for me.

Argh! I just want to get them all demo’d and buy one 🙂

Blur LT – Cannock have a demo so need to get down there
Bandit – Waiting for 18 Bikes to confirm availability
Five – ridden it, loved it and ready to buy it if one of the others is not significantly better
Zesty – no demo bikes, just demo fleets, and they haven’t started touring yet

The interesting angle to this is that it is a replacement bike through my insurance. I have “credit” to spend with Wheelies which can provide the Five and Zesty but not the other two. I can take a cash settlement but it is 20% less than going through Wheelies. If I buy the Bandit or Blur the build kit will therefore be noticeably lower spec than the Five or Zesty, but I’d much prefer to buy from a bike shop. Might be a big factor.

coatsey, no doubt the simplicity of maintenance of the Five is a big plus point.

Cotic Rocket? 18 bikes/cotic on your doorstep?

still amazes me how people bang on about a 5 and miss the heckler, just as good (and bad) but for the difference you can get a decent fork upgrade and an extra 10mm or travel. (heckler owner waiting to buy something more sophisticated)

Hi.
I have a Five,I took 5 years deciding on which bike to buy and very very happy with it.
My mate has a Bandit and wishes he had bought a Cube i have rode it and found it goes uphill better than the five but i rip him apart on the downs.
My other mate has a zesty and I have never felt the need to ride it. it def goes uphill quicker but he has had lost of problems with bottom braket’s.
The five is built for the uk so for me its the only choice.

but i rip him apart on the downs.

Err does he know you say this about his riding? 😉

The five is built for the uk so for me its the only choice.

Marketing mans wet dream 🙂

mike, the main reason for avoiding the Heckler is because I assume it will be quite similar to the Five. Santa Cruz is another brand I can only buy if i take the (lower) cash settlement from the insurance peeps, so I’d actually get a better build on the Five for the same virtual money.

E.g. £3200 cash settlement for Bandit, Rocket, Heckler, Blur etc = £4000 to spend with Wheelies on one of the bikes they can get (e.g. the Five or the Zesty)

LOL. We seem to think the UK is the only place with rain. Ferndale WA (where transition are based) gets 36.25″ of rainfall a year. The Cotswolds get around 32″. Unless my research is wobbly, which it probably is….

Fair enough, last i looked though I would only touch the 5AM build as I’d be swapping the rest of the kit out as soon as it arrived.

Just looking down the list on wheelies and it seems very limited these days. Not much choice if you had something nice nicked.

It’s not just about rain though is it. It’s the mix of rain and whatever the floor is made up of that causes the problems. The gritty trails of the Peaks and the Pennines are what destroy components, eats up bearings etc. I thought UK riders were unique in that we actually go out in the horrid weather 😆

I thought Wheelies had a pretty good selection to be honest. Granted they can’t get all the ones I’m interested in but they do have Yeti, Orange, Lapierre, Spesh, Trek, Cannondale, Giant, Scott, Identi, DMR, Genesis, Evil…

FWIW
2004 S Works Enduro Best riding bike I have owned – did not care about bearing life due to how well it rode
Kinesis Phase – little too harsh
2006 Heckler awesome UK and alps bike rode till it dies
2009 Heckler still going strong as above
On One 456 great UK bike

tested
Orange Alpine – OK really not worth extra over a heckler
Orange 5 – OK really not worth extra over a heckler
Whytes, Marins, Konas, Cannondales and loads more
Nomad C Awesome light nimble great climber and decender
Blur Lt & Ltc as above but better for most riding, perfect for UK trails.
Having 1 pair of bearings does not make a bike ride better. Somehow some of that development outside of yorkshire has been worth it

I thought UK riders were unique in that we actually go out in the horrid weather

That’s a fair point, although with as much rain as say, BC gets; if they didn’t go out in it they wouldn’t get out much!
As far as I’m aware, the geology of the UK isn’t unique. Grit, clay, sand, mud can be found all over the world.

if they didn’t go out in it they wouldn’t get out much!

They just wait until the weather gets better and the trails dry out. That doesn’t happen often in the UK. We just ride around in wet, muddy conditions year round and complain about the weather. There is no such thing as a mountain biking “season” in much of the UK, but I bet a lot of the riders in less temperate climates hang their bikes up for some of the year and do something else instead.

When I lived in Salt Lake City we rode bikes in the summer and skied in the winter. Certainly never rode a bike in the rain. Conversely I don’t think I’ve ridden on a dry trail this year (until this week when they froze) but I’ll probably ride every week of the year.

They just wait until the weather gets better and the trails dry out.

Imagine trying to do that. I wouldn’t have ridden for about a year!

still amazes me how people bang on about a 5 and miss the heckler, just as good (and bad) but for the difference you can get a decent fork upgrade and an extra 10mm or travel. (heckler owner waiting to buy something more sophisticated)

Assuming it fits you, I’ve always liked the look of the heckler but the sizing is bloody odd to be frank, way too short for a given standover.

How much “looking after” do you like/want to do (or avoid) on your bike?

Something like a multilink Zesty is imo a more capable bike for more of the time in the uk that a 5, but is not as robust. If you like to ride, get back and just chuck you bike in the shed, then a 5 is a better bet because there are simply less moving parts to go wrong!

People always bang on about BB’s on Zestys as being some sort of massive issue, but i don’t get it. I’ve spent about £5k on my Zesty, and probably £2.5k last year in riding it (accomodation, fuel, parking, uplifts etc) and yes, i have changed the BB. it cost me £22 and took less than 20min. After a solid year of riding the old one was a little notchy (still turning fine,just a little bit grumbly, kinda like me these days 😉

And when it comes to pure speed, it’s always the rider that matters. On just about every terrain i’ve ever ridden, the difference in downhill pace is measured in seconds between riders and bikes, but the uphill pace is measured in minutes, and 99% of that is the bikes engine, rather than it’s suspension layout!

If you like the 5, you should get it.

Mikewsmith – my mate’s Covert isn’t designed for the UK and as a result he needs new pivot hardware every 10 mins. Fives just go on and on and on. I’d say designed for the UK is relevant, although not necessarily a deal breaker depending on the buyer.

I’ve toyed with changing my Alpine 160 for something different either a Carbon Nomad or Mojo HD which both my friends have. Lovely bikes but not so lovely when you get them out the back of the van and can feel play in every link! I know a lot of people slag off Orange bikes, and i would agree there are better suspension designs out there but when it comes to ease of maintenance and reliability I don’t think theres another brand which comes close. I love my Orange and at the moment theirs nothing out there which will take the british weather better it just keeps going!

Cotic Rocket? 18 bikes/cotic on your doorstep?

+1

I tried a Five and found it dull by comparison to the Rocket which descends better, climbs better, looks better & the mud clearance is fantastic. IMHO of course, you gotta ride it not us 😆

I have a five, a riding chum has a zesty.
Both good, feel a bit different to start off with but you adapt.
Get what you like the look of.
Dm

Go for the 5, its won trail bike of the year 4 years on the trot what other bike can boast that, plus there made right here in merry old england.

I tried a Five and found it dull by comparison to the Rocket which descends better, climbs better, looks better & the mud clearance is fantastic. IMHO of course, you gotta ride it not us

Can I ask what you mean by climbs and descends better? Faster up a fire road? Able to get up steeper more technical climbs? Bounces over rocky stuff better? More fun? etc

I rode a 2011 relaxed ‘five’. Didnt like it. I liked the 5 though.

Orange now offering a free fork upgrade to Fox Talas 36. Should I be tempted? Reckon it could be overkill?

I’d just get the five, you know you like it and it’d suck to take a hit on the insurance money.

It’s the conclusion I’m coming to. I’m spending too much time reading about these bikes and not enough time riding them 🙄