Have a set of Enduro’s on my Orange 5 29’er and they have been spot on. I wanted a set of no fuss wheels that I could be confident in when doing bike parks and general ridding in Wales etc. They have been spot on for this, still run true, not touched them yet and went up tubeless no problem.

I haven’t ridden the Segment so I can’t compare the two but I do own a Five 29’er. I bought it for trips to Wales, bike parks and trail centres but ive found it to be very adaptable and pleasantly surprised as to how well it copes with general xc riding.

They are a rare beast now Steve so you might want to try one whilst you can :)

Right, something has gone horribly wrong with my shock setup. Just checked and pressure was at 150psi and rebound was wound complete out i.e. fastest! No idea if I was having a brain freeze or something but at least this thread has got me to re-check everything.

I’ve put 210psi in there now and that gives me just under 20% sag but not with riding gear on so should be about right. Wound rebound right in, or at least tried to as it was very stiff so I think the shock needs a service anyway! Eventually got it all the way in and then backed out about four clicks as a starting point.

Now just need some time to try it out again, might have to do some night riding over the local woods.

Thanks all

Need to check my psi to make sure I’ve remembered the setting right but needless to say I will re-check with kit on and get the sag right to see where that brings me. Assuming it’s in the 210 region as suggested I’ll also add compression as you suggest Rickon, thanks.

Had thought about the Corset in the past so I’ll add that onto my list of things to discuss with TF during the week. Sounds like it will be a good next step though.

Hi Steve :) Not sure if Dave tuned the shock or not as there’s no sticker to indicate that he did. Might be how the volume reducer got in there though?

Thanks for the feedback stevede. Wow, that Five is going to be DH level slack with both angleset and offset bushes on a bike that’s already fairly slack! Corset seems like a good way to go first before thinking about tuning then as I can do this myself. Should be a good setup combined with the higher pressure. Yes I’m on 175 cranks so will try a set of 170’s.

CCDB seems like the ideal shock replacement from all the reading I’ve done today. Not too much info re the inline version as most is about either the coil or air, guess the bike is old now and the inline is the latest shock so not many people fitting to Five’s.

I’ll re-check with kit on and make sure I haven’t got this wrong.

What sag level do you run? Mojo advised me about 30% which is why I ended up at 170psi I think

Ah, thanks for that

I’ve settled on about 170psi currently and I weight about 90kg fully kitted

The shock has already got the largest volume reducer fitted, not sure if that’s a Orange specific tune of if the previous owner fitted this?

I did try switching to Climb mode and adding another 10psi last time I tackled the climb out of Skyline @ Afan. this was a vast improvement and I had far less peddle strikes on the way up. Obviously had to run with increased pressure for the rest of the day but I can’t say that was a problem.

I was thinking about shorter cranks but it feels like a bodge to compensate for the issue

Ok thanks for all the feedback on this. Seems like a conversation with TF Tuned is probably in order to see if their tune on my existing shock is worthwhile doing or changing shock altogether. First option will obviously be the cheapest and hopefully will sort the issue.

Out of the air shocks it seems that most people are advising the CCDB Air CS as the best. Again I will talk to TF about this and see if in their experience it pairs well with the Five. I have read some blogs from Orange with them using the CCDB coil with great effect on the Five so will be interesting to see how the Air works in comparison.

And yes, some of this is technique but as Renton all confirms, it happens more on this bike then any other i’ve owned. Personally I think its a bad combination of the single pivot and Fox shock, not much wrong with either but together they are not ideal.

Hmm, never consider a coil shock before. I assume the advantage is spring is linear compared to an air shock so more control? Also I understand it suits the DH boys as it doesn’t suffer from heat issues like an air shock, not really a consideration for me. Obviously the big downsides are weight and the faff of getting the right spring?

My question would be, have modern air shocks caught up now? Is it worth the weight penalty compared to the latest air shock tech?

@inverjoe, in what way did the push tune help? Again I’m assuming that it helps with the mid stroke and ramp up?

@Rickon, switching modes doesn’t help a lot as its already blown through a lot of the mid stroke with just general riding.

Good call on reporting a positive customer service, as you say, we are all to quick reporting poor service. Guys at Exposure do seem to have a good reputation though and that’s the main reason I stumped up the money and bought one, then two and then a third light from them :) Hadn’t had a major reason to test their service but I did have a minor niggle with my Maxx-D which I was just living with.

I normally charge my lights once I get back from a ride so it’s ready for the next trip out but the Maax-D would occasionly loose 20-30% charge over a few days which caught me out on a few rides. I adapted my routine and just made sure I charged the day of a ride but wasn’t always possible and it just didn’t seem right.

Sent it back recently after speaking to them and describing the issue. Few days later it was returned with upgraded backplate, firmware updated and cleaned (!) Works faultlessly now :)

Not as impressive as your service example but genuinely pleased to support a local business who do make a good product and will support it.

I’m running a Fox 34 CTD with trail adjust fork at 150mm on my Orange 5 29’er and personally very happy with it. I don’t get any of the trail buzz in my hands that people talk about with Fox forks, good bump compliance and only ever bottomed out once I think. I am looking to upgrade to the latest damper though but that’s just cos I can, not any real issue.

I’ve been a couple of times and still quite happy with the Reds and Blues to be honest, not dare try the Blacks! I’ve only ever used my normal trail lid but last time I was there I bought myself a Bell Super 2 lid as I couldn’t justify a full face but wanted a bit more protection from the enivitable rock impact due to over confidence. That’s the thing for me, rocks and lots of them. If you come off there then there is a high likelihood of a face/rock coming together.

For the same reason I also ride with knee/elbow pads.

I was looking at the same thing recently, full face for occasional BPW trips. I found everything less than £300 I tried on either uncomfortable and / or heavy. Eventually I bought the Bell Supper 2R and love it. It’s lighter than most full face plus I can use it all the time for my normal riding so I feel like I have value for money

I was also looking at both of these frames and with similar budget in mind. Then a recommendation for an Orange Five came in and I started looking. Picked up a complete bike in 29’er guise from eBay for £1400, although I’ve since spent a fair bit on it just to get things how I like them. So don’t write the Orange off on cost, just keep an eye open for deals.

I was sceptical about the usefulness of the bike on local trails due to suspension travel and head angle but I have to say I’ve been pleasantly surprised by just how well it rides in areas that I would normally take my xc bike. Since owning I’ve had a few trips to Wales and it’s been great as you would expect but I’ve also spent a lot of time at places like Surrey Hills and Friston Forest and it’s also been great. Not sluggish at all. Today I was over at Swinley with it and it was great in the twisty stuff :)

BB is new, replaced both this and headset with Hope a few months ago so they should be ok.

Thanks Tom, was thinking I might as well replace the bearings to make sure. As said, simple and often over looked due to this.

Mate of mine loves them on his SC Tallboy. He’s been running Maxxis for ages but these have become hard to get hold of so he tried the CM as a front and liked it. We recently did a long weekend in Wales taking in BPW and Afan so he put one on the back also and had nothing but good things to say about the grip.

Ok, so not quite a total success yet. The general creaking occasionally comes back but a clean and regrease of the maxale and surrounding area sorts that. What I have now is a clunking noise that seems to come from the BB area under power. I can make it happen if I stand and exaggerate the bike going from side to side under peddle strokes. I’m thinking it’s possibly the pivot bolts? Does this sound likely?

I’m 6ft and on a 20″ frame. Love it but mainly used it as a winter bike, really need to give it a go on drier trails :lol: Have to say though that during the winter it gave great confidence on anything slippy and downwards :D

I have the U2 mini also and this worked well with an Exposure helmet mount :)

Also got fed up with rubbish mounts last year. Was using a Fluxient and paired this with an Exposure helmet mount and that worked great. Eventually went for a Diablo to pair with a Maxx-D and it’s great. Works well with the Maxx-D as its a little brighter than the Joystick. Nice Tap technology feature so you can switch modes just by tapping your helmet rather than trying to find a small button with gloved fingers. Also works well as a main light on the bars when you just need a get you home light at the end of a ride. I also use it on the bars of my road bike as the Maxx-D is OTT for this job.

Well worth the money to me.

I moved from a 26 Epic to a BMC FS 29’er and have found the bike so much better everywhere I ride. The majority of my riding is across the South Downs so xc type terrain but I have riden it at trail centres and Afan and it has never felt slow or unwieldy. I recently bought an Orange Five Alpine 29’er to try a long travel bike to see how well big wheels and slack ha would work out. I’ve been really surprised not only how well it worked at BPW and Afan but also climbing and xc type riding. I thought it might be a very limited use bike but I could happily use it as my only bike to be honest.

Whilst at BPW I rode my Brothers 26’er for a wee while but I was more than happy to get back on my 29’er :)

I would like to try a decent 650b over a longer period of time to give it a good go but so far I’ve had quick rides on a Stumpy and SC Heckler and neither had me wanting to change from either of my 29’ers.

I’ve not seen those Thule Clip on racks before and they look ace. Personally I also hate the faff of strapping racks on each time I go out in the car but this looks a lot better. Thanks :)

Find it odd that people who obviously hate ‘fake’ riding even bother going to a trail centre in the first place let alone then slate it. Takes all sorts I guess :) Personally I just love being on my bike and I make the most of wherever I end up.

However, Swinley forest I find a bit odd. The Blue run as an intro to the place has been built in such a way that any amount of moisture on the curved, smooth stoned surface will have your tyres sliding all over the place! The only time I felt comfortable on it is when I took my Fatbike there! Very over engineered feeling about the Blue trail but I quite like the Red as that feels more like the origins of the place. Having said that, I still go back and ride the place as its somewhere I can meet up with a certain group of mates and be out on my bike so win win.

Surprised to see Blade mentioned a few times so far, I love it. Rode it last summer a few months after it opened and really enjoyed it. Went back a couple of weeks ago and ended up riding it in the pi$$img rain and had a great time, loved it even more. Yes there are climbs on some of the sections but I strangely like working for my fun and if I get knackered on them I put that down to my lack of fitness. Can’t wait to go back next month.

Sometimes though a ride experience can change for the better or worse depending on a number of variables. For me the climb out of Skyline cafe, think it’s called Whites climb, was an experience I didn’t want to repeat again after I rode it last year. Must of stopped too long for lunch and eaten the wrong food or something as the climb up was horrible, couldn’t mentally warm up and get into any kind of rhythm and I was messing up every little rock section and putting my feet down. By the time I got the the first fire road I was fuming at myself and the rest of the climb I just wanted to forget. Wasn’t a nice experience and the next day we found an alternative way up using some fire roads. Did it again recently and was dreading it. The climb itself was fine but I found myself peddle striking about a dozen times on the way up which had me stopping a lot but I just got on with it and semi enjoyed the climb. Did it again the next day but stuck 10psi more in my shock and left it in Climb mode to raise the BB and not one peddle strike, loved it. I’m actually looking forward to doing it again next month so that has gone from hate it, meh, to loved it in three rides.

I guess I just easily amused with my long travel 29’er full sus, lol. Any day out on the bike is better than a day in the office in my book.

I was in the same place a few months back and was looking at building up a OO Codiene or a Unviel/Hammerhead. Last minute I bought an Orange Five 29’er from eBay and it’s been great so far. I’ve used it around local rides on South Downs, Surrey Hills, Afan & BPW.

ST stereotype shot, Audi and an Orange Five;

Is that jump rollable for first time round? Would like to get an idea of it before committing speed to a jump

Saturday is my first ever race, Brighton Bigdog. No idea what to expect apart from lots of people faster than me wanted to get past, narrow trees, wet roots and slippy chalk! Perfect for my first race then, haha.
Sunday recovering, hopefully just from tiredness and not injury as I’m child entertaining all day.

Really hoping it does dry out a bit more as this is my first race event and I’m happy with most things apart from wet roots! Doh!

From a quick read they seem to highly recommend this for bikes with a linear suspension design, like the Five

http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?290178-Vorsprung-Suspension-Corset-Fox-Air-Shock-Upgrade&p=2938180&viewfull=1#post2938180

Would be very interested in this upgrade myself and might give TFTuned a call as they stock them now.

Same wheels here. Used Stans tape in mine. Very easy to setup, just pull the tape very tight as you apply so it stretches nicely and fits the shape of the rim. I’d not done this before and managed it first go so can’t be too hard :D

Doh, fixed it. Loose mech!! Looking for the complicated fix I completely overlooked the obvious :oops:

I’m in for my first ever event! Entered as mixed pairs. Also went over for a look see yesterday and it’s running really nicely but I guess that will change very quickly if it rains! Might have to loose the wide bars for this one though!!

Cheers for the suggestions :) Will have a closer look at the shifter today as it does point to the cable not moving correctly. Inner and outer cables were replaced earlier this year so they should be fine still and all my testing was done in a bike stand yesterday so won’t be an issue with the chain.

Anyone else had this?

Same for me apart from I used Stan’s tape. Pulling it very tight seemed to be the trick but both wheels taped up and sealed first go.

I use the OSM maps as guided in the above DCrainmaker link. Been good enough for the past two years :)

I would say that Surrey Hills is fairly aggressive trails with a real mixture of climbs/descents includiing bomb holes and jumps so a fairly good test of suspension. I think I have the forks roughly in the right place and for BPW next week I might take the sag down to 25% to give it a bit more support. The rear feels really good but it does blow through really quickly. However it didn’t bottom out so for BPW I will leave it as is at first and play with the sag from there.

Cheers for the feedback :) I was concerned that it was blowing through the travel to easily on normal riding but as it wasn’t bottoming out I assumed that was ok.

Will try a bit more pressure in there for BPW next week

Here’s mine, can’t see the resemblance myself :)

Just to add to this as I’ve stopped my Orange Five 29’er from creaking also. Was starting to drive me mad so did some searching and found all the suggestions and set about the bike the other day. Regressed the Maxel, took off the hanger cleaned and copper slipped, retorqued the cassette, pit it all back together. Went out for a few hours today and it was nice and quiet :) Not sure which one of those did it but I couldn’t be bother to do one at a time.

Nice, thanks for the feedback. Shame I bought a set of the Hope Enduro’s recently but I will consider these when funds allow.

Some great bikes in this tread :) Loving the Evil, it looks like it’s name!

Swanny, if that Meta rides anything like my Orange then the weight disappears surpringly quickly. I used to be obsessed with shedding weight of my xc bike and wouldn’t consider anything over 30lbs but I’m glad I gave the Orange a try as even though it’s a tank, it rides extremely well. I’ve heard the Meta is very good also so if you can, loose some weight from the rims but otherwise just ride :D

SC LT, one of my fav bikes. Mate I ride with has one and I secretly lust after it, lol. Nice pic btw.

So these carbon rims from Light Bicycle, are they really tough enough for BPW type riding? Not sure if I would trust carbon with big hits on rock! Very stiff and strong but once they reach their limit, the end.