Why so much hatred for the Orange 5?

Just curious. I’m still in the market for a FS, and the 5 is on the long list.

Because they’re popular and fugly (to some) and arguably a bit expensive/over rated depending on your view.

There’s nothing really wrong with them.

People see them as old tech, made in a shed in Halifax, expensive, ugly but are peeved that they seem to have so many fans and get so many good reviews.

I jumped on the bandwagon and I’m glad I did – its a great bike.

Yeah, I get the filing cabinet thing. I’ve seen a nice 2011 full bike for not a huge amount of money, and I’m tempted.

The single pivot simplicity appeals, as I’d ride it year round in sandy muddy places.

after racing UKGE in some grim conditions this year, the fact that mud clearance is probably better than any bikes out there has got me interested, when Ive never fancied em before

They were (are?) a popular but predominantly UK specific bike. They are not particularly cheap. That makes the target market quite specific. That means the image most people see in their heads when they think of a 5 owner is a middle aged baggy short wearing slightly plumper bloke who is probably of reasonable income, frequently new to the sport in his middle years. He probably makes his brakes squeal as he rolls down the hills. But his bike is very clean.

I’d say the 5 is damned by association. A lot of people who fit that description perfectly are determined to fight a loosing battle not to and therefore like to criticise it mainly for what it stands for.

Love my Five!

I know that the looks are a little marmite, and some think the single pivot to be old hat, but the ride is great. Climbs well & descends brilliantly.

Plus, the bearing for the pivot can be replaced for pennies! I just swap mine out every 6 months. It’s a five min job (excuse the crap pun)!

I’d say the 5 is damned by association. A lot of people who fit that description perfectly are determined to fight a loosing battle not to and therefore like to criticise it mainly for what it stands for.

If this is the case, this explains a lot of the comments I have read.

Heavy, ugly, overpriced. But that’s just three reasons to buy something else, not to hate them.

I sold my 5. I didnt like it. I dont think they ride as good as people make believe IMO

I’m kinda grimly and reluctantly agreeing with the Orange fanboi’s 🙁

not just hatred for the 5, but for the orange brand completely.
shyte service from a so called ‘local’ company.
far too expensive.

spesh/giant/trek are far superior…..imho 😀

I had a five and enjoyed it ,when it came time to replace I looked at the newer version and thought it was underspecced for the money.I got a blur instead and for me it rides better up and down hill, I think it must be due to more refined suspension.

They are good, bombproof handmade bikes that are slightly expensive because they are made in the UK. They ride perfectly well and are good for UK conditions. For some reason this infuriates people who would rather own another bike and rather than just buying whatever they want they feel the need to get angry. Sames with cars, houses, clothes, watches etc etc. It’s ultimately all jealousy. Some people can only validate their own choices by belittling yours.

I think its snobbery and wanting to be niche, at the end of the day a bike is only as good as you ride it

I’m not a fan of Orange bouncy bikes…not entirely sure why though. I had a Patriot 66 which I despised and I just couldn’t get in with the Five’s that I’ve ridden.

I don’t mind the looks personally and I like the simplicity, mud clearance etc. I do however think they’re poor value for money but then again most complete modern bikes are these days unless you buy direct.

I don’t hate them, I just don’t like them so don’t ride one buy don’t have the very stong opinions on them like some do. The fanatics make me laugh, but Hope attract the same following who will not hear a bad word said against them.

Long slack and low, three parameters that make them ride rather well!!!

I dont think people hate them. I think they like to take the piss out of them. Easy target.

joolsburger……or maybe they might have owned a orange, and had utterly crap aftersales service??

Sames with cars, houses, clothes, watches etc etc. It’s ultimately all jealousy.

That’s a quaint point of view.

Personally I like Oranges and might consider buying one (even though the majority of owners I know have cracked their frames).

We all like to wind our mates up about their bikes don’t we? It’s just quite easy to do that to Orange owners.

overpriced 😐

Yeah, I get the filing cabinet thing.

Ooh – that’s a newer one. The older ones were made from old washing machines.

So, if I buy one second hand and relatively cheap, don’t care about the weight as I already ride a bit of a tank, don’t give a monkeys about the looks, and am thick skinned enough not to care about the ribbing I’ll get, then it’s a good bike?

Sames with cars, houses, clothes, watches etc etc. It’s ultimately all jealousy. Some people can only validate their own choices by belittling yours.

Attitudes like that may not help…reinforcing stereotypes.

Just saying like.

I had one for a couple of years and just didn’t get on with it. I stuck with it to try to like it but no.

And for £2,400 it had a £10 open ball headset and the cheapest chainset available, so VFM was poor.

nd am thick skinned enough not to care about the ribbing

You buy a bike that suits you. I wouldn’t live my life trying to please other people; it’s futile. It’s like the mindless spudheads who gob on Porsche; it’s jealousy trying to look like superiority. “Well, I wouldn’t have one”

I’ve always found Orange’s customer service spot on; never had much reason to use it, mind. Not like Santa Cruz/Spesh/Yeti.

If you fancy one, try it. If it doesn’t suit it’ll be easy to sell on.

Great bike, rip off pricing.

And from personal experience Orange are not pleasant to deal with.

Mines just come back from a week in the Alps and guess what went wrong with it…? nowt. Will be out on it tonight with a change of tyres and pedals.

People have a poke at the brand and the bike because in everyday society people think it’s funny to poke fun at others(sadly).If you have owned one and got on with it you will understand why people love them.. and you spend less time changing pivot bearings.

Each to their own.

Not really, I said some people so not a stereotype – I think I was pretty clear. It’s true that in here some people are very vocal about other peoples choices, seems weird that anyone can get het up over what another chooses to spend their money on.

Never ridden one myself but I know better riders than me that rate them – personally I could never get past the looks enough to buy one. I mean if they were head & shoulders above anything else ride-wise I’d have one but there’s far better looking bikes out there that ride at least as well. It’s not exactly a bargain either.

Because the frame only gets ‘fashion tweaks’ – maxle here, head angle adjustment there, kink to the top tube, 650b, and those are enough to keep it selling, but anytime Orange try to build a new frame it doesn’t sell enough to keep in production irrespective of its merits- blood, st4, and, I half reckon, Gyro will be for the scrap heap as well.

Never ridden one 🙂 mind, but still assume its a fine frame.

Reckon sc buyers are more deserving of scorn though.

Great bike, rip off pricing.

And from personal experience Orange are not pleasant to deal with.

I agree wholeheartdly with your first line. Gobsmacking how they can charge similar pricing to a US brand thats got an importer/distributor to feed as well in the mix.

On your second point I’ve heard that ALOT. Could it be that northerners grumble more than southerners?

it’s the rover 75 of the bike world.

At a time when the rest of the world were doing thing like this:

rover did this:

which is a depressing look backwards, conforming to the idea that everything in Britain is old fashioned, made of oak, and belongs in a museum.

while the rest of the world is capable of looking forward, and trying new things, we’re still hand making (filing) cabinets.

‘hate’ is a strong word – i don’t hate the orange5.

and soon i’ll be grumbling that there’s too much emphasis on innovation for innovations sake.

I think that there’s a popular misconception that the vast majority of Five owners are first time FS buyers with more money than sense, and are buying into the brand as they are hardcore patriotic Orange fanboys, rather than because the bikes are any good.

I picked up my 5 frame second hand, simply because it ticked the boxes, and it was a bit of a deal, if another branded frame of similar spec had popped up, I would have snapped it up just as quickly.

It is naive for people to judge both bike and owner, without getting to know either.

I don’t see the difference between a Five and any other bike, lets face it, it’s not that much more expensive than anything else around and at the end of the day it is just a mountain bike.
I am also yet to meet a middle aged IT director Five owner, driving an Audi A5.
I love mine, but with all the amazing bikes out there, there’s a small chance it’ll be my next bike too, unless I find nothing better after a few demos.

It’s like the mindless spudheads who gob on Porsche; it’s jealousy trying to look like superiority. “Well, I wouldn’t have one”

Well, if it helps you to think that…

I don’t see an issue with the pricing. I assume they’re paying decent wages, and have to cope with paying uk prices for facilities, and dealing with a weak exchange rate for materials and machinery.

It’s the overpriced/ugly argument that’s usually the killer. Personally, I love Oranges (I’m on my fourth if you count my road bike) although I’ve never had a Five.

My current Alpine 160 is probably about the only bike to which I’ve made upgrades because I wanted to rather than because I needed to – by which I’m saying if I had to go back to the bog-stock, off the shelf bike, it wouldn’t bother me. It’s all the bike I’ll ever need and I can see me not buying another all-rounder for quite some time – at least not until the wheel size issue has died down.

I’ve always found Orange reasonable to deal with on the odd occasion when I’ve had to contact them (twice in eight years or so which may count for something) so no problems for me there either.

Has it been that long since the last orange thread? 🙂

Orange seem to be doing ok out of the bike, so maybe they know their target market of middle aged it managers quite well.

I dont like the looks, but i cant form any opinion on anything else until ive ridden one. I do know a cock that rides one but i also know a cock on a Trek, Specialized, Giant….

The only ribbing I’ve ever seen about Orange Fives has been on here. In the real world, most people rate them and very few have a bad word to say about either the bike or the company.

As for me, I’m not fat, middle aged or in IT, but when I sat on one 4 years ago, it just felt right. When it came to replace it 2 years ago (after the first frame cracked), nothing appealed for the money that would have been a significant improvement.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it