I ride full suss and full rigid. Both are great just very different. I find I can ride the same routes and have a different experiance with each bike. Keeps things interesting ;-)

What’s it matter so long as it still fixes to the roof of the Audi?

I know I shouldn’t bite but would you care to tell us what you ride so I can make a stupid comment about you, your life and your riding style?

Wish I could afford an Audi or a roof rack but too busy wasting money on bikes and actually riding them. ;-)

sorry for being a cynic, but offering stuff half price and free just shows the appalling amount of markup that is behind these items. a £1200 orange frame can be sold for £600, and they must still make money….

Maybe they are happy to lose a bit in the hope the buyer will be happy and buy another at full price in the future? Either way I’m sure the mark up on an Orange is no more then any other bike and I guess they have to make money?

Another happy customer here. Had Orange’s for years and live quite close to Halifax so have popped over a few times. Last time I was there it was for new decals for my 5. Dean spent ages showing me how not to completly mess them up, got examples of all the versions in stock and knocked me a bit of cash off. Another time Ben let me have a Sram 990 cassette at a biiiiig discount after I’d heard horror stories about cheaper cassettes on Pro 2 hubs. Big thumbs up from me :-)

On retrobike we split it in to 1997 and before / after 1998. Been lots of discussions on there and there’s no specific reason for those dates except that there needs to be a split. Some think retro is before V’s, others when most frames were still made of steel. Saracen were suss correcting frames around 1993 so that’s no gauge and you could also get bikes with disc mounts around then (Mountain Cycles?) so that’s out too.

Mine’s an 09 and came with 36 Talas. Felt fine in 160mm or 130mm mode but dropping to 100mm just felt all wrong, even up hill. Running 140mm DT’s now and they’re ace.

I changed from 9 to 10sp recently and can’t tell that much difference but going from 8 to 10 would probably give better results. If nothing else it gives you the chance to get hold of a load of shiny new parts ;-)

How old’s the frame? I wouldn’t put 100mm on a recent one but you ‘might’ get away with it on a 5 from around 2004/5.

I got my old orange clockwork powdered grey by triple-s a year or two ago and have to say they were excellent. Recommended to a few others and they all have glowing reports also. My frame was about £58 inc vat. That included stripping the old paint and all the prep. You get what you pay for and all that.

Wow, not heard that name in years !

I used to work with Brant and John Stevenson at Two Wheels Good on Call Lane in Leeds in the Late 80’s

Happy days !

All the cool kids hung out at the original Stif in Headingley ;-)

Is John still sporting the pony tail I remember from the early 90’s MBUK?

I got my old Orange Clockwork frame powder coated grey at Triple-S in Bingley. Although not as shiny as a wet paint finish it was shiny enough for me and very tough.

Cost about £60 and that included a full paint strip and re-finish. They know what they’re doing so all threads etc are protected. Recommended them to a few others and all have been very happy with the result. Check out their website because they offer a courier service if you don’t live nearby.

Think it defo depends where you go as I know some people that have used other firms and not been happy with the result.

These are the ones I got.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DT-Swiss-XMM-140-Forks-1-1-8-Steerer-15mm-Axle-TSDamper-REDUCED-4-1-Week-Only-/140601075052?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item20bc7a256c

It’s a bike shop in Sheffield so they come with full warrenty etc. Seem to have gone up a few quid but it might be worth asking if they’ll sell them at the lower price.

Hello mate. After having both Floats and Revs I recently picked up some DT Swiss XMM 140’s for £440. Prefer them to both the other two and they seem to fit in with what you want. Highly recommended.

Got my 2011 XMM 140 Twin Shots for £449 from a bike shop in Sheffield. Think they might have some left but couldn’t say for sure.

So it seems that one of the main reason that people don’t buy DT forks in the UK is the lack of effort DT go to to promote them here and the thought that they’re too costly.

Would more people use them if DT had a big promotional push and offered some discounts to retailers or would they stick to RS/Fox?

Must admit I probably wouldn’t have looked at them if I hadn’t liked my Pace so much.

I’ve had a couple of 5’s and love them. Recommended by me.

Thanks for all the replies. Glad to hear that other owners are as happy with theirs as I am with mine. I know mud sticks but it’s a shame people still think of them as Pace as I bet mine do not share a single part with the last Pace forks.

If you have not tried ’em and are in the market for a new set I’d certainly recommend giving DT a go. You might be suprised ;-)

Mine are fitted to my Orange 5 btw, so no light weight racing machine.

I know what people mean about the price and I like a bargain but found mine for £450 with Thru Axel which was not much more then the Rev RLT’s I had (which turned out not to be quite a ‘new’ as I thought) and much less then I could get a new set of Floats for. Even at full price they’re similar to Fox aren’t they?

I had a set of Pace RC40’s back in 2006 and loved them. Never had a problem with them so guess my view is not tainted? The DT’s might look similar at first look but are very different close up.

Like I mentioned before, performance wise I think my new DT’s are better then the other two. Have others tried them and not got on with them or just never even had a look?

Agreed Wade. I picked up my DT Swiss XMM 140’s for £450 so not much more then Revelations and lots less then Floats. As mentioned above, they perform better then both IMO. Not had them long so had no issues but would recommend them to all so far.

I live locally and love the trails around Malham. The decent from the Tarn down Mastiles Lane still gives me a bigger buzz then most trail centres. The route to and from Settle is also a belter imo. Starting from the Tarn you can ride in almost any direction and find a varied route. There’s always Gisburn nearby if the Malham trails are not your bag.

I had some RC40’s back in 2006 and thought they were ace. Sold to a friend who still runs them with no problems. The later Pace forks still stand up against newer gear IMO.

Have you thought about a new set of DT Swiss? As you probably know, they’re basically new versions of the Pace forks. I’ve just got a set after problems with both Fox + RS and have to say they ride better then either of the top two. No idea why more people don’t have them.

Basically after my Fox 36’s got stantion wear I decided to try some Rock Shox Revelations. Searched the net and after discounts Merlin were cheapest (although not by much) so I ordered a set of RLT’s.

They arrived without a RS box which I wasn’t too bothered about as they looked ace. On closer inspection I noticed some little slice marks every 10mm or so on the stantions. The Maxel lever was also scuffed. As I wanted to use my bike asap I made the 100+ mile trip to their shop. They were exchanged but the new pair also had the slice marks. Bloke in shop said they were brand new forks, same as you’d get anywhere, and the marks were probably caused when the stantions were pressed in to the crown.

Took his word for it, fitted them but wasn’t really happy. Decided to ring TF Tuned to put my mind at rest. Bloke there said marks should not be there and asked (before I mentioned them) if they’d come from Merlin. He told me they often get 2nd’s or OE kit (hence no original box) and that’s why the prices are so good. I was fuming as the chap at Merlin had told me a pack of lies. They then ignored my emails for over a week but I finally got my money refunded after sending them back at my cost.

Ended up getting a set of DT Swiss forks from a bike shop in Sheffield selling on ebay for not much more and am very happy with them. Prefer them to both the Fox and RS I’ve had.

I’d use Merlin for small things in the future but have lost faith in them bike time after they left me without my bike for over a month. Not saying all there forks are like this but just make sure you really check them.

Make sure you check any forks from Merlin as they might not be a perfect as you’d expect from a ‘brand new’ set. I found this out to my cost. They’re as cheap as they are for a reason.

Very bad luck mate.

I’m in Skipton so will keep a look out too.

Powder coated mate. All ‘in house’ Orange paint jobs are done like this. Very tough finish from my experiance.

rootes1 – Member

No change, Same ownership

didn’t the techie, designer guy jump ship many moons ago to go back to doing motorbike trials stuff?

I heard he didn’t jump but was pushed, along with most of the other people that’d work there for years and it’s the reason they don’t make their own stuff any more (frames, forks, etc).

No saying what I was told is correct but I trust the source.

I never know what’s on and what’s off with PP! I run my 5 with it set to the firm setting most of the time, only flicking it the other way for decent downs (if that makes sense).

Wondered why I wasn’t getting any emails.

A little over budget but the Orange P7 has been around nearly 20 years for a reason.

Had a 2006 5 from new and replaced it with my current 2009. Use it for everything and never have a problem. I have other bikes but usually reach for the 5. Also never had any part of the frame (pivot, bearings etc) fail.

xiphon – Member

Repack Rider » and the fact that there was no one to teach us skills we were inventing for ourselves.

Where do you think most people get their skills from these days?

Experience, trial and error teaches you how to go faster around a loose corner…. not from someone

I almost guarantee Chris Akrig watched and learned from Hans Ray. We are the same age, come from the same town, worked in the same shop (although not long for me) and read the same MBUK’s with Hans on the cover. While I was chasing girls he was jumping bins in the High Street carpark after reading said mag.

Did an ace route starting from Goathland with the retrobike lads a while back. Started by climbing a great big hill at the far end of the village (coming from the Whitby side). Can’t remember the route exactly but if you start from there and follow the bw’s towards Pickering you won’t go far wrong. Always Dalby close by as well.

All frames are the same except the AM has the Maxel rear axel (upgrade on the others and well worth having imo). Worth noting that this year the S and Pro come with a Fox Evo shock, the AM + SE have Fox RP23. The Pro is well worth getting over the S as virtually all parts are better. AM is probably overkill for what most riders need. Seen a few 2011 Pro’s at around £2300 so well worth having as there’s very little difference in the 2012 bikes and the 2011 Pro comes with Fox RP23 as standard.

For reference, I had a 2006 5 Pro with QR rear. Changed this for a 2009 5 AM and found the Maxel rear far better. Over time I’ve pretty much changed my AM to a Pro so if I was to buy new I’d get a Pro with the Maxel upgrade (Hope this makes sense!).

Many of the Mk1 Blue Pig frames had problems with the seat tube. My mates was the wrong size and it took him over a year to get a replacement (Mk2 that was also stuffed!). They know of the problems so good luck getting it replaced.

If you get one make sure you check the head tube as my mate got a mk2 BP as a replacement for a mk1 that he had no end of trouble with and it turned out to have an oval head tube! Big QC issues. My mate sent his back and will not touch Ragley again.

I love my 5 and couldn’t give a stuff what anyone else thinks!

The chaps at The Bike Shop in Skipton are always very helpful and have done quick jobs for free a few times. Try to use them when I can but the interweb prices make it hard to use your LBS all the time.

Stif’s also close to me and always offer superb service. Lot’s of bike p*rn too!