Orange 2017 Five vs Alpine6

I don’t think the Five is a bad bike at all. Just having been lucky enough to own the two 26 in ones I have tested the hell out of them both so I feel the differences.

The geometry has moved on now.

I really expected to come away from the Demo wanting a Five 2017. That was my plan before going there because I knew the Four could be too little and the Alpine 6 could be too much so the Five would be the Goldilocks bike.

The Stage 5 upset the apple cart for me. It’s thrown me right off plan 🙂 Ah well.

gelert – same here. Been agonising for ages over Five or Alpine 6 (demoed both) then tried a Stage 5 and it was back to square one. All said and done though, I think I find the 650b slightly more more chuckable and fun, even if it’s not always quicker. Just a personal thing. Stage 5 was certainly more nimble than I expected though. Alpine 6 fitted with the X2 shock is ace up and down – probably the one for me. Have fun whatever you choose. Can’t go wrong with a 2017 Orange.

First good ride on my new five. Quite simply the bike rocks! Instantly felt at home on it. Pedals up hill better than I expected. Need to keep weight Slightly forward to keep the front end from wondering. Hit some techy climbs and cleared them with ease. Standing up the bike bobs a bit with the float x fully open, but in the second position it calms the bob down and when you need to stamp on it the bike sucks to the ground giving you loads of traction to make it up the obstacle.

Down hill this bike really starts to shine. With the 36 up front and float x evol on the rear it takes everything you can throw at it, but not in a plow and hold but a skip over and jump any lip, rock or obstacle. The fox 36 factory is better than the pike I have and the float x evol is better than the monarch debonair.

Im 5,9 ish and went for a medium.
Hope this helps.

Samuelr – cheers, good info and glad you like the bike – sounds mint. I’ll decide next week, Five or Alpine. Think the Alpine adds around 2lb but I can’t go far wrong with either bike really.

Bump for any more opinions.

A Stage 5 would be an excellent choice. I recently tried both versions at a local demo day and although the 6 is my preferrence the 5 was a bit more playful and agile.

Yeti – cheers but it’s a Five or Alpine 6. Not in the market for a 29er right now, even though I know the Stage 5 is a great bike.

There was a new five at the Macavalance with a snapped swing arm this year, never seen that before.

I’m just waiting on my new 2017 Five to be delivered

Had a 2012 model which I LOVED! But then I had a wobble and wanted to try the carbon 29er thing..2014 Stumpjumper Expert Carbon – now the Stumpjumper truly is an amazing bike, 140/135 travel and I felt like I could hit anything on it and climbs like a goat

But, I just miss my Five, yes I know it’ll be heavier, harder work on the climbs, not as active and tbh I’ll struggle to see how the five will be much faster going down, the Stumpy is very confident and very fast – erm, why am I getting rid of it!?!? Honest answer…I’m getting married next year and with all the financial commitments coming my way I thought I’d best get a new bike now as I can’t see a new one happening again for another 5 years

Anyway, rambling there – I’m dithering whether to pick up the phone and get the Fox 36 put on instead of the Pike (I’ve already plumbed for the Fox Evol X rear shock)

So, not hijacking the thread as I’m sure the OP will be interested – what are peoples thought on the Factory Kashima 36 v Pike RCT3 on the Five (I’m bothered about weight/front end lifting/suddenly having an ‘enduro’ machine rather than a Lakes thrasher)

yoshimi – no worries re hijack. I demoed a Five with 36s and it was mint – it’s the spec I’d get. The frame is designed around 150mm fork, which is what the 36 is on a Five, so the handling is spot on. I have that same Pike on another bike and I prefer the 36 – more controlled on really rough ground. Stiffer too, although the Pike was stiff enough for me. The 36 probably isn’t that much heavier either, really. I totally get why you want a Five even though the Specialized was great – Fives are just incredibly fun to ride – I had the 2013 version. Unless you’re racing or obsessed with Strava, it’s not alway just about flat out speed. Having said that, Fives are still bloody quick.

I’m just waiting on my new 2017 Five to be delivered

Had a 2012 model which I LOVED! But then I had a wobble and wanted to try the carbon 29er thing..2014 Stumpjumper Expert Carbon – now the Stumpjumper truly is an amazing bike, 140/135 travel and I felt like I could hit anything on it and climbs like a goat

But, I just miss my Five

Have you tested the latest Five?

I’ve also got a 2013 Five, which I love. Despite owning a Smuggler which is a far better bike by any objective measure I could never bring myself to sell the Five and ended up selling the Smuggler instead! The thing is though, I had a demo on a Five a year or so back and it seemed to have changed a fair bit. More downhill focussed and less of an all-rounder I thought. I decided that, if I wanted a modern Orange the Segment was a better replacement for my Five than the new Five. But that was a year or so back and they’ve probably changed again since then.

rover – the new Five is great. I demoed one for three big and varied rides in the Pennines. My only problem is that I also demoed the Alpine 6 and that was mint too. Now I’m in a dilemma. Even tried and really liked the Stage 5, but I’m not after a 29er. New Five is back to being a fun bike but probably a better all-rounder than the previous version (lighter, better shock position, stiffer frame).

Sounds perfect 🙂

I have a friend who has recently sold his Mojo Idris HD3 because he couldn’t get on with it and was always moaning it never felt right (bad workmen always blame their tools, that type) 😉

He has since bought an Alpine 6 and swears it’s the best bike he’s ever ridden but a quick look at Strava suggests otherwise (industry standard comparison tool), He’s considerably slower uphill and no quicker down hill than he was on old Idris HD3 and on that evidence alone i’d buy a Five, but only if I was made to. 😀

He’s put a review on Youtube “Orange alpine 2017 mtb first impressions. Very informative.

Shepdon – interesting, but did he claim it was the quickest bike, or the best? The two aren’t necessarily the same – they depends on the rider’s priorities.

It’s funny that he’s so impressed with the climbing if Strava says that he’s “considerable slower”. I guess that shows the difference between perception and reality.

Except the Alpine does climb well. Perhaps not particularly quickly, but I borrowed one and rode it up one of the steepest, techiest, hardest (although short) climbs in Calderdale and it went up like a rat up a drainpipe. Quicker than my P7, 2013 Five or the 2017 Five I demoed. It surprised me a lot, and it wasn’t a matter of perception as this is a climb that’s either ride or push – timings don’t come into it.

It’s a lot about the feeling. I proved that with my back to back testing doing 10 laps on 7 different bikes. I could lap the 10 minute demo loop within 5 seconds all day but the feeling of each bike whether it “felt quick” or was quick on the clock was very different. Depends what you want from a bike.

I felt less effort to ride on the Stage 5 and was the fastest up and down. I felt like an absolute animal on the Four and it felt like the quickest bike by far. It wasn’t though. It’s just a feeling.

For balance the Five 2017 with it’s horrid wandering front end got to the top quickest by a shade but was dead last coming back down. I ride a wandering Five 2013 and an very planted Alpine 2014.

The Alpine 6 and my Alpine 2014 both climb superbly. They’re not slow either going up. They just grip like hell. The Five’s aren’t a patch on the Alpine’s for climbing IMHO. I’ve got some really techy climbs on my local loops and time and time again the Alpine kills the Five on them.

Have you tested the latest Five?

Well, I’ve done the car park test and it’s a Five, it’ll be reet:)

Based on wl advice, 36’s have been added 🙂

You should definitely test ride them properly. It’s amazing how good a bike can feel in the shop / car park verses actually riding them as I found with the Large not working for me on the trail but feeling great static. It’s a big mistake to make.

But yeah… the Five be reet 🙂

Great bikes. I’m splitting hairs about the climbing thing just because I have back to backed them so much. Lots of people don’t care about climbing at all.

Yep, you’ll be reet. I put around 15 hours on the Five demo bike and it was a great all-rounder. Main thing is, it’s a very fun bike to ride IMO – not a sledge, but responsive, agile and rewarding – a very quick trail bike. Plenty of mag reviews on Orange’s website if you go to the Five page and scroll down. 36s are the way to go I reckon – make it a bit more aggro for Lakes/Alps and suit the geometry perfectly.

Sorry to hijack this thread but I’m struggling for help…I’m actually torn between the Four and Five. However, here is my dilemma – I live in the Alps but aiming to ride less ‘downhill’ and more trail!
Do you think the Four is man enough or am I better staying with the Five??

Four is a good bike but if I lived in the Alps I’d defo want a Five or Alpine 6. A Five if I was more xc/trail orientated. They still pedal well but it would be fine for the steep and techy or fast and flowy stuff the Alps is famous for (and I don’t mean DH courses). You want slacker angles for the Alps, defo, even if the Four has enough travel. If you’re just talking about robustness and reliability, I reckon any current full-sus Orange frame would be ok.

I’ve got an alpine 6 and it is incredible. I was in the same dilema and demoed both. I find it climbs alot better than the numbers suggest and down hill it’s ridiculous. Was coming of a 120mm 29er that was alot of fun. The five would of been a great option but was feeling silly so went for the alpine.

Ride gisburn, whinlatter, degla bike park wales and lots of natural stuff in the lakes.

Quick update: went for the Five and no regrets – it’s mint and will defo handle anything I ever want do on it in the Pennines, Lakes or Alps. Alpine6 is a great bike, but I don’t race and I don’t ride massive mountains every week, so it would have been overkill 99% of the time. I’m happy with ‘small’ wheels too, so the Five suits me better than the super-fast Stage5 I tried.

Great stuff wl…but we need pics

yoshimi – will if I get chance, or Norlando grey with all black parts and decals in case I don’t. Looks ace. BTW, 36s were such a good move. For me they’re defo a notch up from the Pikes I had on my last Five.