Having looked at the specs, I would think (in my totally novice mind) that the orange Diva spec is better that the Specialized Jett spec…but…has anyone tried them both for comparison? I have tried the Jett which I liked a lot, but, have the op to get the Diva for similar price…and was wondering what you thought on the forum as your advice has been tip top so far.

I know…much higher price than I first thought…but have been completely drawn in…

Hello again!

In terms of Spec, the Orange wins hands down. Much better fork, drivechain and brakes – all of which are bits you’ll really notice. ASSUMING THEY BOTH FIT WELL* – I’d go Orange every time. They’re a great company and have a real knack for making fun bikes!

*broken record I know, but the fit is the most important thing – it doesn’t matter how great the spec is if it doesn’t fit you well.

Get a demo! I took my Orange Five out for 4 rides (my lbs is ace and let me keep the demo bike for a veeeery long weekend) before I took the plunge! Orange are great at offering demos so it shouldn’t be a problem – just find a dealer near you & ask.

Oh and as for upping the budget – as long as you can afford it, I’m certain you won’t regret it! 😀

Thanks MountainMonkey, have just googled orange and there’s a shop a mere 41 miles away…funny how quickly goalposts can change…will ring them tomorrow and see if I can get a test ride.
Appreciate your posts.

Sounds perfect!

If I remember correctly, there was something like a £30 fee to take the bike away for the ‘day’ but if you end up buying an Orange that gets taken off the price of your bike. It may well have gone up since then, but it seemed like good value to me, and like I say, my lbs let me keep it a few days and got in a different size for me to try the weekend after too. But yeah, give them a call and see what they can do for you. If for whatever reason they’re not clued up then give Orange a call directly and I expect that’ll sort it out from their end (really excellent customer service in my experience).

Good luck! Oh and as for the goalposts moving, best not get me started – I genuinely shocked myself how much mine moved in the first six months of riding! Ah well, all good really and well worth the cash when you’re zooming down the mountain grinning like a goon! 😀

Ha, you’ve convinced me…
Think I’m going to go with the orange, it makes sense to me on my ever so steep learning curve.
They have an ex demo at a good price…still really out of my price range but I know I’ll regret it if I don’t get it…there talked myself into just like that…
And yes the people at Orange are very lovely.
Thanks so much MountainMonkey for all your sound advice.

Ah that’s great! Just make sure it fits though! (Seriously!) 😀

EDIT: Just checked out the geometry of the Jett vs the diva and am chuffed to see that the ETT measurements are the same (on paper at least), so it certainly looks like a great fit. I’ve definitely got my fingers crossed for you!

Really glad I’ve been able to help, believe it or not, I’m actually far less obsessive about bikes than I used to be! (you never lose the geekhood though!)

Let me know how you get on with the Orange – it looks like a great first bike and as long as the fit is good I’m positive you won’t regret it (move on at some point, yes, but regret it – no!)

Parting bit of advice would be to get your tires and forks dialled before you ride – it makes a huge difference – especially tires as how much grip definitely translates into confidence as well as riding capability.

Do feel free to email with any other questions – it’s actually really lovely to hear from other women riders and reading your posts has definitely made me want to get out and ride more, which can only be a good thing!

Oh and have fun! 😀

My girlfriend loves her Diva. Very nice bike and a good choice.

I spent 2.5x my original ‘budget’ on my first MTB. It’s now done 3,500 miles, so I think I can say it was money well spent.

That Diva looks like a great bike – so you’ve no excuses for not riding it at every opportunity.

Good choice. A few people seem to delight in knocking the Five, but their owners tend to love them, which is all that matters. I look forward to hearing how you get on with it.

The Fives are awesome (I’m a past owner), but the OP is going for the HT diva (not the Five Diva), Orange are a great company but I think there’s definitely a case for a bit of diversity in their naming of their women’s bikes! …For one thing, I’ve never really wanted to be associated with the label ‘diva’, but maybe that’s just me?! 😉

Agreed that OP def needs to let us all know how she gets on.

Maybe I could pimp it…
There’s also the gladiatorial Jett…and then the lush…if you’re not particularly girly you just have to turn a blind eye and focus on the all important spec…and ride.

MTB rules…should all bikes be black?
I would ordinarily always go for black and definitely no sparkles!

What are the MTB rules of etiquette?…maybe a new thread, maybe there’s an old thread?

Will be reporting back for sure…I will obviously need to know way more stuff…

I ordered the bike on Thursday and it arrived just as I arrived home from work yesterday. I put the bike together…Ok that sounds way more technical than it was… the sun came out…the bike IS awesome, went round the farm a couple of times to test, a little tweeking, then a little wine and then a little rejoicing.
To be honest I did feel sick about 10 mins after ordering and had a little panic and considered cancelling all afternoon, am so glad I didn’t, it is going to be so much fun.
We are off to the river cross country this morning while the sun is out and it is beautiful.
Then for an intensive course on bike maintenance…
I am v v happy.
Thanks folks.

Do you not have a camera ? 🙂

agreed. thread useless without pics. 🙂
BTW if orange are still speccing conti mountain kings get some new tyres. IMO.
enjoy the new bike!

I actually have no idea if this will work[/url][/img]

Oh it did!
So thats the new fab bike 🙂
Kept up with dp thanks to those lovely big wheels, point taken about the tyres orange are still speccing continental.
Front sus lovely over the bridleways and gravelly paths.
Gears smooth and v responsive.
Brakes ace.

Have been down to the river first thing, saw 8 hares, a weasel with a vole (dead), marsh harriers, other creatures too numerous to mention…
…and didn’t fall off once…

…sore bum now though…

That is rather tasty. Hope you have fun with it.

Awesome! 😀

So glad it fits well and you’re enjoying it! (Have to admit, I’ll a little relieved too as I would have felt slightly responsible had you hated it!)

It does look rather lovely, I must say!

See how you get on with the tires once you’re doing some proper trail riding as they are very much a personal preference, and Moutain Kings aren’t a bad tire per se (I don’t really like them, but my hubby has them on his 29er and really likes them) – just depends on what you’re riding and riding style, etc. It’s more important to get the pressure right in my opinon, which if you’re a lightweight rider (relative to the ‘average’ mountain biker) will probably be fairly low compared to everyone else.

Anyway, just wanted to say I’m chuffed for you really! Hooray for new bikes! 🙂