I reckon that the 'Made in Britain' side of Orange has it's main benefit in highlighting that they put up with the same conditions that we do, not some dusty trail in California. Same for Hope. I mean, you just have to look at the mud clearance of some American designs…
And I don't know if it's just good marketing, or what, but I can see the benefit in development time for them being able to build a bike one day, and take it for a ride the next. I'd heard that the Maxle Fives came about 'cos one of the welders got curious. Certainly, they do seem to experiment a lot – or maybe they're just using that for clever marketing?
Whatever, I love my Five, it's simple, performs, and I think is beautiful. But I am tired of people saying it looks heavy and then falling over when they pick it up.