Bike Check: Benji’s Orange Switch 6

3D traction? Oh you mean its a flexy frame?

At risk of a pile on re the “3D” comment, perception is everything in the absence of data.  I give you….

https://enduro-mtb.com/en/orange-stage-6-factory-review/

They say the whole back end is so very very stiff it holds off cambers well, completely contrary to this review that says of camber grip is aided by flex lateral compliance.

Survival of the fittest Orange, make stuff people want to buy and sell it at a competitive price, don’t go into administration. Simple.

After Covid and the no supply/over supply issue it really isn’t, is it?

After Covid and the no supply/over supply issue it really isn’t, is it?

I don’t know what you’re saying because that sentence is an ugly mess but Covid has nothing to do with what Orange’s designers put on their drawing boards.

They’re stuck with only one way to manufacture frames and it’s no good. Everyone else can use ‘tubes’ with zero issues but Orange have to make everything look like a GCSE sheet metal project.

Grins on a L Stage evo here and if you have good eyesight you will notice the shock sag o-rings indicate a fun morning.

Short travel, single pivot for the win now with added dropper.

It is my first Orange bike.

don’t know what you’re saying because that sentence is an ugly mess but Covid has nothing to do with what Orange’s designers put on their drawing boards.

They’re stuck with only one way to manufacture frames and it’s no good. Everyone else can use ‘tubes’ with zero issues but Orange have to make everything look like a GCSE sheet metal projec.

I thought the article was being a bit unnecessary about “internet typists”, but maybe not.

@ben_howarth elro are your uk distributor of formula and stock everything

I thought the article was being a bit unnecessary about “internet typists”, but maybe not.

Everyone who doesn’t like Orange bikes is now a typist.

Meanwhile, outside the beard-bubble of STW, the reasons why Orange are going down the pan are blatantly obvious.

I don’t know what you’re saying because that sentence is an ugly mess but Covid has nothing to do with what Orange’s designers put on their drawing boards.

Ah, right, you’re one of those.

We’re all guessing as we don’t know but I imagine not being able to get hold of your big selling frames from the Far East (the ones made from ‘tubes’) or complete group sets to put on the frames you can make, while still having to pay everyone ‘might’ have had an impact? Probably not though, you seem to know better.

Everyone who doesn’t like Orange bikes is now a typist.

No, just you being a bit too intense.

I like them, a lot. Each to their own…

Those Stage evos you lot have look really nice.
But that article, jeez.

I had a selection of late 90s/turn of the century Marin FRS bikes. Turns out their prodigious ‘3d traction’ was way ahead of the curve.

“Survival of the fittest Orange, make stuff people want to buy and sell it at a competitive price, don’t go into administration. Simple”

 

Leading the race to the bottom.   Keep buying cheap shit from China and **** the environment and everyone else.

Happy with cheap clothing made with slave labour in China too ? That’s what the people want. Give people what they want. And  **** them, it’s their fault for being Uyghurs. 

Great approach. That’s why this country is so in the shit.

Competitive pricing =/= cheapest

robertajobb

Great approach. That’s why this country is so in the shit.

Well, that and a small minority of idiots who voted for the country to be in the shit

@ben_haworth What’s that mudguard you’re running on the Selva please?

Any issues with the crown coming down lower than the arch at full travel and hitting it? It’s mentioned at the end of this review https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/components/forks/suspension-forks/formula-selva-fork-review

Had the same issue on my Pike Ultimate, the Mudhugger EVO version mostly solves it.

And this review says https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/formula-goes-uber-premium-with-the-new-selva-r-fork/

Of note here is that the 29er version of the Selva has about 174mm of stanchion showing for the 160mm of actual travel – so even if your O-ring isn’t making its way to the top of the crown on the really big hits, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not using full travel.

So even if there’s an issue at 160/170 it might be fine at 150.

Keep buying cheap shit from China and **** the environment and everyone else.

You know all the Orange hardtails come from the far east don’t you, and probably 95% of the components attached to the bikes. Never mind that China is the world’s largest primary aluminum producer so it’s highly likely the sheets that are folded and welded in Halifax come from there too so I’m not sure you’re grumbles really stand up to anything.

Had the same issue on my Pike Ultimate, the Mudhugger EVO version mostly solves it.

Just been informed by Mudhugger that Formula has just tested that one on the Selva and there’s no issue.

@bikesandboots I’ve not noticed any issues so far

In the car world we no longer have an industry because the cars were rubbish (Morris Marina anyone?)

Orange bikes may be divisive, but they work really well, maybe their looks aren’t to all tastes, but they are/were British.

Be careful what you wish for, style over substance seemed to be a theme from Benji, when all bikes look the same, perform the same and are just average, consider we had choice and chose a different brand, jobs, skills and huge investment should be cherished and nurtured, not just derided without trying first.

 

Looks pretty indestructible… if that’s an XL, how tall is @ben_haworth ?

(18″ seat tube plus 210mm dropper = probably very tall…)

185cm

@Ben_Haworth what settings are you running please, and your weight if you don’t mind?

There’s quite a few aren’t there, so spring and rebound would do.