Orange 5 29er

Yeah, that sounds like a well informed argument Have you considered a job at MBR?

The numbers don’t lie.

JCL – Member
Yeah, that sounds like a well informed argument Have you considered a job at MBR?
The numbers don’t lie.

What numbers?

Back to back double blind test?

Timed runs init.

I haven’t ridden that Orange but unless the BB is crazy high it must be nuts.

watch as the wheel flexes 80mm or so.

Really? Are you Geoff Capes or something?

When Singletrack magazine tested the giro didn’t they say that they expected it to ride like a five but it didn’t.

I thought the giro had less travel as well.

Surely if the OP didn’t like it, they would have spent their time more wisely finding another bike rather than moaning about it on a forum.

If two things were ever going to divide opinion on this forum…

– It’s an Orange Five

– And It’s got big wheels

I’m not going to knock till I’ve tried one, but I also agree the “it rides like a 160mm 26er” is unhelpful. Will they one day describe a 26er as riding like a 29er?

Also not hugely concerned about the spec either, the expensive bits like the forks are a good choice, you rarely get a package that’s perfect on a complete bike purchase, and upgrading bits is part of the fun in my opinion.

Frame only might well be the option many choose anyway.

As always everyone on here is trotting out the same crappy ilinformed arguments. If the leverage rate hasn’t been compromised on this bike (by accommodating the larger wheel/swing arm) this thing must be the fastest descending bike outside a DH bike. Well, at least until the Enduro 29″.

“It will be rubbish in tight terrain with that wheelbase” Yeah like all downhill bikes.

“Just by a 26″ with more travel” This thing will eat a 160mm 26″. More cornering and climbing grip, more stable geometry = faster descending, lower rolling resistance so less effort required overall.

The only thing this bike will struggle with is weight. Eventually Orange will have to go for composite frames but when they do their bikes will exceptional as they have one of the only designs that actually suit being made from CF.

Well, that’s an impressive load of b*llocks.

I’m going to do the unthinkable and hold off commenting on its ride until I’ve ridden it.

I own both 29ers and 26ers and yes one is an Orange, so I don’t feel biased either for or against the wheel size and I’m OK with the brand.

What I did have was a quick shot on a Gyro and I was very impressed – I wanted one. However I’ve run out of garage space and I didn’t want one more than my current fleet.

If you really hate the looks (particularly the back end), buy one – because then everyone else will have to look at it and you will just see the bars and possibly the front wheel.

Otherwise ride it before commenting.

I’ve not owned a 26er since 2007, it’s been 29’ers since then, when mates have had go on mine the only 26er I enjoy swapping to is an Orange 5.
So I want one…..
Just need the money now…..

Well, that’s an impressive load of b*llocks.

Oh come on you can do better than that Nob Hob.

Thanks Chainline. Since nobody has actually ridden one of these some informed comments on how a similar bike handles (and a bit of idle speculation based on the numbers) will have to do for now 🙂

It seems that most of the people who are interested in this bike want to point it down a steep rocky slope. So, not a bike for your average trail centre then? What about those big days out in decent mountains e.g. at least 5hours in the saddle and 1000m of climbing? Would the shorter Gyro still be the better option there.

Personally I just want to ride up and down as much mountain as I can. I’m not interested in learning skills for the sake of it (it’s not a competition). If I have to learn a new skill to get up or down something then so be it. But if a different bike will let me access more of mountain without needing to learn any more skills that’s a win in my book.

What about those big days out in decent mountains e.g. at least 5hours in the saddle and 1000m of climbing?

That’s where a 140mm 29er with slacker angles would interest me, esp on the rockier routes. Depends how it feels on the climbs though – potentially pretty good considering the front end geo, BB drop + more CS length helps there. I wondered how the single pivot feel is affected by that but no-one complains about the gyro.

Just for info, I’ve carpark tested Tom’s from Mojo but nothing more 🙂

His was lighter than my Gyro at the time but he had much lighter wheels than me, X0/1×10 and he was running much narrower/lighter tyres. I was on Hans Dampfs and the stock wheels and finishing kit. But realistically, the Five29 is not going to be lighter all things being equal. There’s less metal in the Gyro swingarm and it’s a lighter gauge of tubing in the frame I think. Eitherway, I was told firmly by Orange that the Gyro is not a Five and if I wanted to ride proper DH runs on it, I do so at my own risk. The Five29 is going to be up for all that.

Roverpig, I’ve been trying to shoehorn a Gyro into UK Enduro type usage and it’s very surprising, and I’ve certainly mixed it up with 160mm 26ers on things like the FOD DH trails (similar ability riders), but being realistic it’s more a 29″ ST4 than a 29″ Five and that’s going to be the big difference between these bikes. Big wheels don’t make a difference when you’re dropping to flat for example!

28lb builds from a frame only start should be very easy without spending silly money if you shop around. I reckon 27lb and maybe a smidge lower if you really splash out or go very XC.

At a total guess, and assuming you run a 34 fork on the Five29 (as you should), the Five 29 is always going to be at least 2lb heavier than a Gyro with a similar budget thrown at it, and that’s assuming you run the same tyres on them actually.

Trail centre bike, XC epic/wilderness bike, doubling up for UK Enduro – Gyro
Enduro (poss even Europe under the right rider?), All Mountain, Mini DH and Alps bike – Five29

IMO.

jameso: That’s where a 140mm 29er with slacker angles would interest me, esp on the rockier routes.

Living in Scotland, rockier routes are all we’ve got 🙂

Longer chainstays should make for more comfort, but I guess they’d also make it harder to get the front wheel off the ground. Maybe that doesn’t matter though. It sounds as though you just point this at stuff and let it bulldozer its way through. Sounds fun to me.

Longer chainstays should make for more comfort, but I guess they’d also make it harder to get the front wheel off the ground.

Genuine request, please correct me if I’m wrong, but with the forward axle path, doesn’t a SP effectively start shortening in the chainstay the second you start to sag it?

Eitherway, Gyro is longer in the chainstay than a Superfly, but the Gyro front comes up easier. So lots of factors in play…

Oh come on you can do better than that Nob Hob.

No need to.

There doesn’t need to be another person sprouting rubbish and claiming facts.

GaryLake:[/u] Trail centre bike, XC epic/wilderness bike, doubling up for UK Enduro – Gyro
Enduro (poss even Europe under the right rider?), All Mountain, Mini DH and Alps bike – Five29

Nice summary. Thanks. Now I just need to work out what it is I want to do 🙂 I guess it would be pretty silly to buy a Five29 and stick a 32 fork and XC wheels on it.

Good summary GaryLake ^^^^

…and at least you have some experience of the Five29, as well lots of experience of the Gyro. Sounds like the Gyro is up against the Tallboy, Rumblefish, Sultan etc and the Five29 more in competition with the longer travel FS 29ers 😀

GL, it would, more so with a 29ers bb drop if the pivot is in similar position in relation to chainset as a std 5.

Bar to rear axle distance counts for a lot in getting the front up, imo / within reason more so than just chainstay length. Helps you get your weight back. Maybe that’s part of the difference between those 2 bikes.

I guess it would be pretty silly to buy a Five29 and stick a 32 fork and XC wheels on it.

Bingo!

Sounds like the Gyro is up against the Tallboy, Rumblefish, Sultan etc and the Five29 more in competition with the longer travel FS 29ers

Gyro is a fraction more capable than Tallboy IMO, but using Tallboy and Tallboy LT analogy for Gyro and Five29 is a pretty good one!

Edit: I hate using the word capable but meh, you get what I mean 🙂

Right I think I’ve got it now. Buy a Gyro; stick 32 forks and an XC wheelset (e.g. Hope hoops with Crest rims) and just ride the damn thing. If you break it (or yourself) then buy the Five29. If not, then you didn’t need it in the first place.

Thanks 🙂

GL, a Tallboy with 120mm up front is very capable, but not designed for the same terrain / abuse as the Tallboy LT or Five29 I agree. In fact it sounds very similar in ‘capability’ to your description of your Gyro in your blog (a great read BTW). 😀

Roverpig, I think you’ve answered your own question there 😉

@Paceman: I’ve reviewed the Tallboy with 120mm up front. Although the back end of the Tallboy is technically stiffer without the wheel in, I wasn’t happy with 9mm axle. The Tallboy doesn’t have the tyre clearance of the Gyro which rules out burlier rubber too. And the Gyro generally feels slacker and more confident up front. So in all, it is a smidge more potent and confidence inspiring DH, again IMO.

Gary, you’re probably right, I haven’t ridden a Gyro. The slacker angles would suggest its more capable downhill than the Tallboy though.

Incidentally I also felt the 9mm QR was a weakness on the Tallboy so i’ve since fitted a 10mm Thru-Bolt rear axle to my Tbc which has done the trick nicely – stiff and responsive.

I plan to have a go on a Gyro when the opportunity arises. 😀

Right – I’m guessing this isn’t the place for a reasoned debate about my next choice a Banshee Prime or an Orange Five 29er – but would anyone like to wade in regardless?

OK, I’d better type quick before somebody else asks the same question:-)

What are you going to use it for?

To replace my Enduro (anyone want a Lge 2010 Enduro?) as a big hitting trail bike for a 6ft5er. Likely taking it to the alps, back home to wales but also for nobbing about in the woods around brighton and south east.

Well from what I’ve read ^^ it looks like some will like the 5, some will not.

Me, I don’t like flexy bikes.

It’s an Orange. Love the look or hate it, but at least whatever it’s designed to do it will do very well, without fuss, and it’ll do it ride after ride, year after year, through the worst conditions.

Flexy even with a 142mm axle and redesigned swingarm? Dirt and MTBCut guys seem to love theirs and I’m guessing they’ve got more bike experience than most of us…

No way. Some of the guys on here are ultra experienced. That’s why they ride 30lb steel singlespeed hardtails 😆

dexterbexley – Member

Flexy even with a 142mm axle and redesigned swingarm? Dirt and MTBCut guys seem to love theirs and I’m guessing they’ve got more bike experience than most of us…

Oranges tend to have relatively flexy rear ends, even with the maxle. Not a problem though- some people like stiff bikes but it’s not a better/worse thing. Give a 224 swingarm a squeeze and see what happens 😉 Doesn’t stop it being one of the most popular dh frames out there.

Flex is an odd thing. Marketing man like to sell stiffness, because it’s easy- 15% stiffer! Lapierre spent years making their rear ends stiffer then they gave the frames to Nico who set about machining bits off them to make them flexier again. If you’re selling a steel or ti frame you tend to push springy and lively, if you’re selling an alu frame you push stiff and responsive and direct.

Can’t understand folk beating up on Orange on these forums surely anyone who rides a lot in UK conditions can see the benefits of a simple frame that just does its job

….but where’s the lovely purple of the prototype? For that reason alone, I’m out.

Have they released the geometry yet?

I reckon more colours will come- no reason not to really. Oranges must come in orange, it’s the law.

(looking at a 224 evo just now… But it’s blue. Blue! Who buys a blue Orange?)

BLUE! FFS.

Yes, if it follows the Gyro pattern it will be a limited edition JPS colour scheme for a few months then available in the full range of colours from the summer.

They did the same last year with the Gyro. Special Edition ‘Black Gold’ is released mid season then the bike falls in to the general range, with all the options and colours when the 2014 bikes come out in the summer.

I can’t wait to try one, love Orange’s me 8)

roverpig , my Helius pedals really well, think any modern 140mm trail bike with good suspension, few pedal badly. I wanted my bike for exactly what you described plus Enduro racing, in Europe. I’m sure gyro will fit the bill, I think a five29 would too, it will just be more capable when you hit the rougher stuff at speed.

Dexterbexly, you should also consider the Nicolai AC29 if you’re looking at those bikes like the Prime etc Transition Covert 29 too, all similar prices and all good for what you describe. Tallboy LT is somewhat steeper and I would liken that to a longer travel Gyro.

Garylake, 28lbs easy without spending a fortune?? Mine is 28.5lbs with pedals. It did cost a fortune to get there and I am very anal about weight, it has a 76g unpadded carbon saddle, carbon wheels, carbon crank, carbon bars, carbon changuide, 1×10 with a bling ring and one of them there cassettes made of air, all the bolts are Ti, superlight brake rotors etc. In fact almost the only thing on it made of metal is the frame and seatpost! Well not quite but you get my drift.

Unless you drop a bucket load of cash on the Five29 realistically you won’t see South of 30lbs. However they do roll well so make up for that to some extent…on the flat. There is alot of leverage exerted on a long travel 29 so the frame does need to be designed to suit which inevitably means a bit more weight unless its made of the C word.