6" = 152.4mm 😉

FWIW i am Bristol based too and find my Revs great for that area. Nothing round here is long enough/steep enough to warrant 160mm travel forks IMO.

The new 2010 Revs would be a great compromise i suspect although i'm not sure how the axle to crown measurement compares to the 2009 forks or what year 5 you're on (my 2009 has a pretty slack head angle already with 140mm forks).

09 Rock Shox Revs on mine, feel geat and a perfect match for the riding i do.

Only in the Alps did i wish for more travel, at home the 140mm is fine.

How about this Gary?

I asked for a quide for sunday but had no joy (too little notice?)

Without getting too far from the centre we managed to find a load of trails we had never ridden before despite riding past them a dozen times in the past!!!

The parts of the enduro course we found were fantastic and pretty much bone dry. Just ended up sessioning loads of sections in the glorious weather.

We had a great day!

What Simon says…

I bet responses would be different if we were all face to face, myself included 😳

I feel sorry for the person who just wanted views on a 5!

If nothing else these bikes create some very emotional and passionate responses!!

Just to clear up the above speculation i'll pass on what i know of the situation.

I have spoken to one of Ian Luffs oldest friends who happens to be mate of mine and my LBS owner too.

At the end of the year Ian's 5 year lease comes to an end. During that time he has done a damn fine job of attracting people to the area (the great trails helped too!). He has also upset a few people too (he speaks his mind!) mostly in the council. So, the lease was up and the lovely people behind Skyline Cyles have gone behind his back and snapped up the lease. Their own lease is longer than Ians and they seem to have better relations with the council.

Thats it in a tiny nutshell. It coincides with Ian wanting to move on anyway so he's more pissed off at the underhand nature of what Skyline have been up to more than anything!

The recent bad service some have experienced there is probably more down to just how busy the place gets at weekends, i guess they can't cope beyond a certain capacity?!

I have no idea what the Skyline guys are going to do with the place but i'm sure a cafe will continue. Although in my opinion Ian is a big part of the atmosphere and it won't be the same without him.

The bad service and food comments dont tally with what we've ever experienced either…..always been good service when we've been.

We too havn't really been much in the last year, a couple of times at the most i think. It became a treat we couldn't afford anymore thanks to redundancy etc….and now we'd rather go to Brechfa! Far quieter too.

Nothing like abit of change hey?!

The point i was trying to make (badly) was that the cafe isn't everything. It's the trails that attracted us first right?

I too like the cafe and the lasagne is superb! Decent food and a drink are great before a long drive home, i'm certain something bigger and better will be along soon….in Dirt's Entroducing article Luffy did say something was being planned and i would guess that this is what he was referring too!

Whats more popular? the trails or the bloody cafe!

I think sometimes some people are more keen to pose with their bikes on the balcony than actually ride there IMO 😯

I happen to know Luffy (the owner)a little and there is definitly more to this than appears at first. He's abit of an entreprenur……

One of his oldest mates is my LBS owner too so i will get the lowdown ASAP.

I personally have been getting a little bored of the trails there, always really busy and have just ridden them alot in recent years it seems. Time to discover what else Wales has to offer 🙂

Not sure, if you set it too firm then you'd rarely get full travel and a very harsh ride.

I find that setting the sag at around 35% with propedal off gives a good plush ride and allows maximum prodel to prop up the rear nicely on smooth climbs or roads.

I agree Scienceofficer…previous to my 2007 5 my only experience of full-sus was 2 Marin Wolf Ridge's!

I know a 5 is by no means perfect but i like the feel of it, the feedback etc. However, a single pivot is definitly not perfect or else everyone would still be using it i guess. Propedal and the like have certainly made these bikes pedal very well.

I'm almost scared of trying another bike in case i like it more than my 5!!!????? Stupid i know but the last thing i need is lust for yet another bike!

Fair enough Hora.

I've had to adapt slightly to the 09 frame as i previously had a 2007 one (with the steeper head angle). I prefer the 09 angles, it descends better but is harder to keep the front down on steep climbs though (and thats with the standard (90mm) stem fitted).

I also seem to use the propedal lever alot more, whilst on the old bike i only used it on maximum for smooth fireroad or roads.Maximum (3) seems almost locked out too, which is good.

Hora – are you actually able to proof read what you write?

Only you claim the bike is too long on technical stuff for nervous riders like yourself then conclude that it is indeed suited to nervous/newer riders!!!!!

You are talking absoulute shit. I didn't find mine too tight for the switchbacks i rode for a week in the Alps a few weeks back. I don't consider myself a riding god (only been doing it 4 years) but found the bike absolutly amazing on the stuff we did.

A longer fork would have been nice, only due to the long downhills.
I too run a 2009 Rev BTW and have found it a perfect match to the feel of what the bike is capable of.

Fancy that….a flat suface doesn't deflect a rock quite so well as the round profile of a tube 🙄

I would like to add that if Luffy (Drop-off cafe owner)can manage to not break one then thats good enough for me 😀

Which can't be said for the 3 Meta 5's he broke a few years ago!

Northwind – Well it may seem backwards to you…..clearly it doesn't bother alot of other people.

What kind of warranty comes with a bike isn't something i consider TBH but i appreciate that to others it's clearly a big deal. Maybe i don't keep my bikes long enough to ever need one.

Garry….has it occurred to you that perhaps Orange don't actually need to offer a long warranty! because they build bikes that last.

After all, i can think of a few big manufactures who need to, judging from the frequent posts on here regarding cracks etc.

I havn't seen any such thread (about Orange) on here in the 10 months i've been on here.

As far as being expensive goes, you are aware that in 2004 a 5 Pro was £2099.95, my 2009 was £2,500. Whats that….£80 a year! For a bike thats designed and MADE in the UK thats pretty good. If it supports UK manufacturing then thats great too. 2010 bikes from most manufacturers have seen lower specs to meet price points, all Orange had to do was swap an XT front mech to a SLX one. Hardly a vital component.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

That was constructive Peachos…thanks for your input 🙄

Having ridden my 5 for a week in the Alps i would say those 6 inch travel bike seem overkill for much of the UK IMO.

The appeal of those bikes is strong but i honestly think i would chose a Zesty over a Spicy for the UK. Saw a chap out on a Spicy on the Mendips the other week and TBH it looked kind of silly.

Be honest with yourself and the riding you do 🙂

Kramer,

We've had dry trails here in Bristol since we returned from Ste Foy :D…until last night. It had to end sometime i guess.

Had my first muddy ride in god knows how long and it was actually great fun although i suspect the novelty will wear off soon enough!!!

Will have to wash my bike tonight for only the second time since i bought it…goodbye lovely Tarentaise dust 🙁

How can a thread speculating the demise of a company be anymore damaging than the fact that the company in question has had a bad and very widely know problem with cracking frames!!!!!!!!!

With the limited elevation aren't big sweeping berms and jumps the best way of getting the most from the available height?

When did clearing massive tabletops and doubles etc stop becoming a challenge?

You must be incredibly able on a bike….fair enough.

Jesus Sooty..what were you thinking? Actually trying to warn people you're approaching 😉

I too have the same problem…no matter what i do i seem to scare the sh1t out of people. Shout, ring bell etc etc…always seem to scare someone. The last person actually jumped a good foot off the ground!

Oh well, i don't really care what they think of me.

Check out Livigno in Italy.

A great website is http://www.altarezia.ch.

+1 for the Tarentaise valley (Ste Foy/Les Arc/etc). Easily enough there to test any rider.

Base yourself in Bourg st Maurice and ride the whole area.

I would get the Maxle from a convienence point of view…it's good if you need to take the wheels out alot (to get in the car etc).

I would have liked it on mine, just to compliment my Rockshox forks if nothing else.

The 5 swingarm is plenty stiff as is though.

My old 15QR did that….never got rid of it but it couldn't be felt when riding.

Is riding off-road without a helmet all that common? I can't recall ever seeing anyone without one in my neck of the woods!

Can't believe anyone would ever get on a bike without one…although i know some do! Especially on the road….that winds me up no end!

I would but i have an Orange 5…but my wife bought one and loves it!

2.35" Kenda Nev leaves about 5mm either side though so don't fit that particular tyre! Tyre clearance is very tight given our generally muddy conditions.

I saw a Yeti 575 in my LBS on saturday which has a hole in the chain stay where the wheel was slightly out of true and wore right through the carbon!!! User error though so not really a negative as such.

Thank you for some sense Hobo! Just what i was thinking……

Chill….it's saturday 🙄

I rode Whinlatter last september for a week (i was staying in Thornthwaite) and experienced none of the issues talked about in the OP.

I was on a 2007 18" Orange 5 with a 70mm Gravity stem, Kenda Nevs 2.1(Stick-e Front, DTC Rear). I found these tyres great around Whinlatter! I run my shock with at least 30% sag (40% if really rocky). Lots of propedal if smooth, none if not.

Sometimes is best to just get on and ride!

+1 for M&S. Stand alone bike insurance is a rip-off IMO.

I'm not surprised its quiet Gary….it's a long way from anywhere thats not in South Wales…except Bristol 😉

I got grief on here from maxheadset for suggesting that although technically closed you could still ride it 🙄

Glad i'm not the only one to take the closure lightly!

Planning on doing the Raven on sunday, did it all (i think) on the Brechfa Enduro.

Going to be missing out the section thats unsurfaced, has a horrible steep climb at the start and it really muddy and rooty.

That was the one bit i thought was really sh1t.