Orange bikes, love or hate?

What happened mboy, we’re you bullied by an Orange 5 at school or something?

No, and I know several people that also own Orange 5’s that aren’t pompous dicks.

But seemingly the bike attracts more than its fair share, just as BMW’s used to, and Audi’s do currently…

If filing cabinets were made of aluminium they’d be much easier to move…

I’ve ridden with only two Orange 5sters – one built his up dirt cheap secondhand and drives a Ford Ka, the other went off like a rat out of a trap when I showed him our steeper local trails, including launching off an unseen jump, landing it in a tailslide, winding himself on a tree, finally ending up in some bushes with blood on his face – he may or may not have had a matching Audi but he was quick and apparently fearless.

mboy you talk of Five owners going on and on and on and winding everyone up…

The irony just kills me 😉

Good grief, 5 pages of this Nonsense?!?!?! Not so long ago it was Santa cruz riders that were hated, neither of these “rider types” make any sense. I have and many people I have know who have owned one or both of these makes of bikes and never seemed to have fitted to these stereotypes, that seem born out of STW forum world. I and the people I have know, who have owned a bike from either of these manufacturers have been the same person before and after owning a bike from either SC bikes or Orange. I certainly don’t fit the stereotype, I don’t even own a car or could afford one really.

To me there seems only one reason to hate Orange MTB’s, if you have had bad customer service from them and maybe the guy that doesn’t like them because they remind him of bad times in the north, that makes a lot more sense that the rest of the arguments!

Value wise again, I don’t really get it yes, they are no way Canyon value but there are other companies that don’t offer amazing value either, like Kona always seem to be lower specked compared to other brands. £1395 for a 5 frame, although pretty pricey, doesn’t seem that bad against £1989 Carbon specialized. Yes the specialized is carbon and has a better warranty and a more complicated suspension set up but I am pretty sure it’s made in china were the worker’s have almost 0 rights and horrible conditions where as the 5 is made in the UK by workers that will be paid well-ish (I suspect)have paid holidays and yes don’t really approve of walls covered in naked women but still better than worker exploitation and oppression. I am not having ago a specialzed bike owners or any bike made in china but that to me seems like something to hate more than it doesn’t appeal to me look wise or I know someone who has one and there a bit of a smeg head.

Plus value is not just about what bits are on the bike, it’s the whole package.

But all in all what a stupid long topic on a completely nonsensical and pointless subject…that I have just added to, D’oh.

P.s I liked crashtestmonkey’s post but worried that some didn’t pick up on the irony…but then worried that maybe it wasn’t ironic and I am now the idiot. God life’s complicated…liking or not liking bike company is not though.

I cannot believe this thread has drawn so much attention! I knew it would be popular for discussion when I started it but this is mad 😆

I have an Alpine 160. It jumps well, handles the hits and drops fine, goes uphill ok, and at 33.2lbs as standard it’s not to heavy. Also it’s not to noisy, by no means silent, but not like the older bikes with the huge downtubes and swingarms.
And being single pivot it has 2 whacking great bearings. And I could get it in a custom colour so everyone else with one won’t look the same.

What’s not to like?
Tom KP

This thread is another STW classic! .. .pointless but entertaining 😀

I still ride a 2003 Evo2 and love it although all thats left of the orignal bike is the frame, stem and bars. Everything else broke or was upgraded. However the bit that Orange had built, the frame is brilliant and I will ride till the frame breaks, no sign of that yet though.

Manitou, by outdated you mean well sorted, effective and low maintenance? I’ve owned URT, Faux bar,
4 bar horst, Idrive and VPP and simple single pivot. My alpine climbs far better than the vpp (which compressed the lower link ever stroke, shortening the effective chainstay length) and descends as well as any. It’s not perfect bit none of them are. Not purchase justification either, it cost me less than the Nomad and I’ve consistently slated that.

oranges are built by experienced metal fabricators. I don’t care what their BMI is. As long as the designers and company owners care about bikes and the fabricators know how to fabricate, I’d be happy.

And my Alpine does look like a filing cabinet.

Maybe it could become a regular feature? Next week Yeti Bikes, Love or Hate?

I like my R8 — that would be the Halifax-designed one, not the Audi one. . .

Cows in cars… YES!

I bought a new five pro, I liked it, it rode very well compared to other bikes I tried.

I then spent a shit load more money turning it into a five AM as i ride the peaks mostly and have some alps trips planned. It does everything I want it to, I crash it pretty hard most weeks and it doesn’t look to bad.

In reality there is quicker, lighter, better spec and cheaper bikes available… And next time I will probably do it differently and buy something else.

But for now I’m happy that it takes everything I throw at it.

Another thing worth mentioning is the confidence/skill/risk/danger factor associated with riding a Five

Orange portray the five in the media as an All Moutain machine, they get skilled riders in like Macaskill and Sorrell and film them doing drops/jumps/downhills/allmountaintech.

Inspired by their heroes and the slack angles of a Five, the everyday mountain bikers (some who are over 40 years of age) don their pads and helmets and take to the Trail Centre black runs or a Big Day In The Lakes, in a bid to perform similar AM tech.

You’ve gotta have the skills to pay the bills though, and these lads havent so it usually ends in everyday mountain bikers (some who are over 40 years of age) tumbling about on the floor and breaking bones.

Hence time off work and a drain on the UK economy (not a great advert for manufacturing bikes in the UK)

I’ve just eaten 5 oranges.

I’m not sure I totally fall in either of the polarized ‘Love’ or ‘Hate’ catagories quite I have no real problem with their bikes for the most part they seem well thought out and executed (if a little pricey) but on the other hand it is good fun to poke the fervent fanbois now and again with mention of filing cabinets.

They are just a business at the end of the day and nothing more if their northern-ness, britishness, audi roofrack fitting or even their product functionality flick your switches and you can afford one then great but its only fair that a bit of ribbing comes with ownership of a five… don’t worry though it goes both ways, I own two konas…

When I bought my P7 and brought it home my wife asked with a puzzeled expression “but its black” 😆

I love my bike but I love riding it more. I don’t mind what brand floats your boat or not. What I do find frustrating is the folk who change their bikes every other year. Why? Just enjoy what you have, spend time on the bike and be happy.

Glitter Garry, I recon you will have an interesting toilet experience in the morning if not sooner 😯

What I do find frustrating is the folk who change their bikes every other year. Why?

You’re new round these parts aren’t you! Just wait, every other year is about 8 times less often than some people on here seemingly…

mboy you talk of Five owners going on and on and on and winding everyone up…

The irony just kills me

I think you’ve missed my point. I don’t think I have, in any way, wound anybody up in this thread. I can if you want me to, but certainly compared to some of the posts that have been written on here so far, seeking a vocal response, I’ve been very neutral and will remain that way. I just think that like Audis do currently (and I’ve had an Audi), and BMW’s used to (and I’ve had 3 BMW’s!), for whatever reason they seem to attract much more than their fair share of “My car/bike/house/job/lifestyle is considerably better than yours” types. The kind of person that measures everyone financially, and assumes that everyone aspires to the same material wealth as they do. We’re all different, we all enjoy different things and have different importances.

spando – Member

What I do find frustrating is the folk who change their bikes every other year. Why?

So many bearings- once they wear out it’s too expensive to replace them all so we have to get new bikes.

Actually, what is that all about? “Oh, Fives only have 2 bearings, they’re easy to maintain”. Well my Hemlock’s got about 50 bearings, but they don’t need replaced often, and when they do it takes an hour and about £20. Is that such a big deal that it’d influence your choice of bike? Or, is it one of those things that people do to try and justify their purchase even though they know it’s nonsense?

No, don’t answer that one, it was rhetorical.

No, don’t answer that one, it was rhetorical.

😆

i like the bikes, but hate the planks who buy them and then think theyre the best thing since sliced bread. notice i didnt say everyone whos bought one is a plank.

I’ve recently bought my first Orange. A 2011 P7 hardtail.
Firstly it was better spec than current 2012 model (though same can be said for nearly every bike out there)
The main reason i bought it though is that like car’s you always buy what best suits your circumstances.
I wanted a steel frame, i’ve trashed too many alloy one’s to bother buying another.
I only ride red routes/single track and can ride well enough to not need the benefit of full sus.
I’m 6’3″ and 18 stone but can hustle when i want to so i need something that feels planted thats not going to give up at the first hurdle with my weight bearing down on it.
And lastly there’s a nice warm feeling to know that it’s a british bike.
I do agree with some of the posts on here about seeing loads out and about all polished and kept sparkling. Trust me, mine isn’t one of them! 😀

One thing I will say, in contrast to davidtaylforth’s portrayal of the average Five rider as a bit underskilled and generally a bit of a punter, by contrast your average STW bike at least your Orange Punter (and any buyer of a mainstream brand such as Spesh, Yeti, Giant etc.) displays some (albeit basic) knowledge of handling, performance and having a good time, which your average STW rider mincing around the South Downs on something like this clearly has no idea whatsoever about.

(Two can play at this troll game!)

I’ve never thought about love or hate with any bike brand. I do love to make a comment if I see 3 or 4 riders in a group passing all on Orange Five’s though!

oooh nice bike munrobiker!

mojo5pro – Member
This thread is another STW classic! .. .pointless but entertaining

Agreed. I remember when we used to go and just ride with other people just to ride – no matter what they rode, regardless of their ability or what car they have. It was nice just to spend time with people doing something we enjoyed whether I knew them or not. How times change.

Agreed. I remember when we used to go and just ride with other people just to ride – no matter what they rode, regardless of their ability or what car they have. It was nice just to spend time with people doing something we enjoyed whether I knew them or not. How times change.

Times haven’t changed, you are just on a forum full of overweight, frustrated, middle aged, middle class bell ends, who think they are better than everyone else.

skywalker – Member

Agreed. I remember when we used to go and just ride with other people just to ride – no matter what they rode, regardless of their ability or what car they have. It was nice just to spend time with people doing something we enjoyed whether I knew them or not. How times change.

Times haven’t changed, you are just on a forum full of overweight, frustrated, middle aged, middle class bell ends, who think they are better than everyone else.

So judging by this thread I’d be right in thinking that these said people ride a 5 and drive an Audi? 😉

Possibly, I hate Audi drivers 😉

If we were all after VFM then we’d all drive around in Kia’s with a 7 year warranty and ride a bike from a manufacturer who offers a ‘limited lifetime warranty’ (which when you read the small print isn’t worth FA).

Has anyone considered the cost of wages between China and the UK?

Google suggests a UK welder can expect to earn £10p/h. A chinese welder can expect to earn £1.25 p/h

And people wonder why an Orange bike is more expensive to make over their far eastern competitors.

nathaneddy – Member

I like my R8Audi or Orange?

Either way you’re a ****, apparently…

😉

Has anyone considered the cost of wages between China and the UK?

Google suggests a UK welder can expect to earn £10p/h. A chinese welder can expect to earn £1.25 p/h

And people wonder why an Orange bike is more expensive to make over their far eastern competitors.

Good point and one I touched upon earlier in this thread, it seems there are a number of people on hear, (I was going to say a large portion but think “Louder” people is a better description) who seem quite happy to own or for others to own a bike made in china from a large “manufacture” that is possibly (normally carbon frames it seems) produced by Chinese workers who are very controlled in the way they live. I am going on information from a few years ago (so willing to be corrected and not saying it’s the same for all situations), but a huge portion of chinese workers (factory workers, if your above that “level” your ok)have to work 7 days a week, around 13 hours a day, have to sleep in singe sex dorms, which are provided by the company but are little better than slums in most cases, some cases worse. Not allowed to sleep with their husband/wife/partner while “housed” by the company. Worked till they can’t do the job any more at the speed required, at which point they will be let go (no pention, redundancy) and have to leave the city unless they have another job to go to. Most have to send the small amount of money back home so their children/brothers/sisters can go to school in the hope they might have a chance to break out of the circle they live in.

Is that ok? Is that not something more worth hating than a UK made bike frame? A company that actually makes something in this country, a sadly rare thing these days.

I am not wanting to have ago at people that buy products made in china, I know I have some, I try to avoid it but it’s hard to do, for many reasons. But most of the “reasons” to hate, primarily a five, are just stupid and irrational, not all, but most.

Only know 2 five owners neither are middle class but one drives an audi. Both are way better riders than l will ever be. Yes they get stick but its all good. I don ‘t get fives,for me there are far better lighter choices,for them its orange fives only,think they were dropped on their heads at birh. Love the orange owner baiting,stops people picking on my Giant

I don’t have an “Audi” (whatever that is).

Got a Brompton, mind… 8)

Burn the witch!

Most of the 5 riders I’ve come across have been decent riders who love their riding.

The 5 seems to get people more worked up both for and against than any other bike I can think of. Not sure why really.

Pretty sure it’s not a class thing as I’d have said the Trek Fuel/Remedy are the middle class default purchase of choice.

Times haven’t changed, you are just on a forum full of overweight, frustrated, middle aged, middle class bell ends, who think they are better than everyone else.

Brilliant – spot on!!!

Has anyone considered the cost of wages between China and the UK?
Google suggests a UK welder can expect to earn £10p/h. A chinese welder can expect to earn £1.25 p/h

Thing is, if it’s taking them more than 4 hours to weld up a frame, they’re doing it wrong.

Tell you what, I’m feeling generous, give ‘em a day.

8 hours x 9 = £72.

Treble it for taxes and hidden costs and extras and things.

£216.

Orange 5’s are not expensive because they’re made in britain, they’re expensive because people will pay for them.

Good luck to them, they’re doing well.

Thing is, if it’s taking them more than 4 hours to weld up a frame, they’re doing it wrong.

Tell you what, I’m feeling generous, give ‘em a day.

8 hours x 9 = £72.

Treble it for taxes and costs and things.

£216.

hmmmm