Orange P7 thread

owen908

Hi,

I'm interested in buying the Orange G3 or P7. There is approximatly £200 difference but i'm not sure if the P7 is worth the extra money. I will be mostly doing XC and am quite an aggressive rider needing something which is quite responsive and lightweight. I've read a plethora of reviews but im now simply confused! :shock:

Can anyone give me any advice on the above bikes ; or recommend me another bike?

Cheers

schmako

Its got better forks, gearing and brakes. It does justify the extra money as it'll ride so much better! Up to you really. But i'd definately spend the extra on the P7.

Douche

Responsive and lightweight and a budget of £800, id recommend the middle Boardman. Excellent spec on a very responsive frame that just loves to attack corners

Thewaylander

P7 is not light weight in fact its one of the heaviest bikes at this price.

so if weight is an issue i'm sorry but you should ignore the orange p7 completely.

owen908

Well, thanks for the advice guys. I finally went for the P7. It just felt right, seems a very focussed and responsive bike., I love it : ). Tried the rock hopper and a few others, but the p7 had to be the one.









Very impressed with it,

Father Faff

I'm sure you won't be disappointed, they are tough old bikes and my ancient short-travel P7 still does fine when the full-susser is in the bike shop getting fixed!

dhxcme

Great bikes. They are heavy due to the steel frame, but that makes them almost bomb-proof due to the fact that they flex alot more than alu frames and that the will twist or flex before they will snap.

owen908

Yea they are abit heavy but the bike felt much better than the specialized rockhopper and Trek 6400.Was hoping to pick up some trails today but its pissing down . Typical British weather.

Thewaylander

still get out! rain rocks !

Thewaylander

still get out! rain rocks !

batch78

Or stay in and tidy your room!

Nice bike by the way, did it come with conti speed kings? Just fitted some myself but only ridden on rode with them so far.

Thewaylander

Noooo wet rides are fun seriously, get outside!

owen908

batch78 wrote:

Or stay in and tidy your room!

Nice bike by the way, did it come with conti speed kings? Just fitted some myself but only ridden on rode with them so far.

Yea it has the conitnental Speed kings. they seemed a little slippy at first but they are bedding in nicley. I dont know about you but ive noticed they have very little rolling resistance. Seem to pick up speeds pretty quickly with these bad boys.

batch78

Yeah liking them alot speed wise just wish it'd dry up a bit!

owen908

Update on the Conti Speed Kings - Very puncture prone. I have had 2 punctures in two days. They are quick but have little grip and offer little protection against punctures. Anyone recommend a more puncture resistant tire?

Father Faff

Maxxis High Rollers at 40psi
Continental Exlorers or Verticals at 40psi

owen908

Well it seemed the cause of the frequent punctures was the slime strip moving around inside the rim so had the local bike shop fit it properly. P7 feels awesome on the trails ; although im sick of getting mud in my eyes so fitted a crud catcher . After living with the conti's i must say i wasnt impressed. Replaced them with some Panaracer tyres.

averageguy

Dont u need to get some mud on tht bike?

owen908

averageguy wrote:

Dont u need to get some mud on tht bike?

haha everyone tells me that. I just like to keep it clean. 8)

john_

Just wondering if anyone has the G3 to compare? The spec is almost identical apart from the forks, and obviously chromy frame...

John

owen908

i tried a g3 and there were subtle diffrences that make me sway towards the p7. There is just something about the p7 which makes you want to ride it. When out are riding it it feels much more focussed than the g3. However, if i hadent ridden the p7, the g3 was the next best one. If you really want a g3 go for it becuase you wont be dissapointed . Its only once youve ridden the steel p7 that you realise how much better the p7 is.

john_

sounds good, how tall are you? what size frame did you go for? I've had a 17" trek 4300 for about 5 years from when I was younger (and shorter) I think I may need a larger frame now (obviously I would try before I buy).

owen908

Well im 5.11 and went for a 19 Inch frame. Seems to fit ok, but the best thing to do is try it out . If you can find a dealer with a P7 in id go and have a look. They are much nicer in the flesh . Once you get out on the trail thought the ride is quite addictive. There must be other P7 riders on here who feel the same. The avid juicy three brakes are good to,suspension may need an upgrade at a later date but its still a very capable fork.

john_

I'm at university but I'm working in the summer so hopefully I cld afford one!

Father Faff

Yep I've got a P7 and it's the steel that makes it lively and fun.

Bigmiksears

Hey,

Just bought a p7 myself though finding it hard to find a range of opinions on the frame and what people who had ridden it a few times (not just as they've got it from the shop) think. Are the tyres a massive problem? Have u had any problems with the rear sliding drop out that quite a few people have mentioned? Mine should be coming on May 30th and i physically cannot wait - first mountain bike ive owned due to my roadie bike - moved to scotland an fancied a change.

Please, any advice and comments you have on your ne purchase would be great. I got the P7S with the upgraded forks so pretty much same set-up,

Cheers,

bigmiksears

john_

there's loads on this site for the pro

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/XC_Hardtail ... 4884.shtml

there's also some in the older review category as the p7 has been around so long,

owen908

Bigmiksears wrote:

Hey,

Just bought a p7 myself though finding it hard to find a range of opinions on the frame and what people who had ridden it a few times (not just as they've got it from the shop) think. Are the tyres a massive problem? Have u had any problems with the rear sliding drop out that quite a few people have mentioned? Mine should be coming on May 30th and i physically cannot wait - first mountain bike ive owned due to my roadie bike - moved to scotland an fancied a change.

Please, any advice and comments you have on your ne purchase would be great. I got the P7S with the upgraded forks so pretty much same set-up,

Cheers,

bigmiksears

The tyres (Continental speed Kings) are very puncture prone hence why ive put the Panarecer's on. I havent had a flat since. I used to get one almost every ride with the Conti's. I have had my P7 about a month now and havent had any problems with the sliding dop out (touch wood). If i did, Orange will of course replace or fix it.It is a known issue so i cant see any problems with the warranty.


I havent tried the Pro. I couldnt find a one anywhere. I shall upgrade the forks on this soon but in terms of the ride, im sure the pro and S will feel very similar. Main thing is to just get out on the trails when you get it and see how it feels for youself.As mentioned before the steel frame makes the bike feel very livley indeed! Its not the lightest of bikes however and you do feel that when climbing a little and if you need to carry the bike over your shoulder. But if thats the trade off for such a thrilling and focussed ride then im happy with that

Bigmiksears

thanks for the heads up - ive got the S too btw the pro was a little bit too much to justify in my head but i did opt for the forks.

on the weight issue "im nae scared o nae hills" (i go to a scottish university) - i kno what u mean however as in the shop i tried lifting one - bare in mind im use to lifting road bikes and not moutain bikes - i couldnt believe how much it weighed - had a test ride however whereby one of the shop assistants came out with me - to ensure i didnt ride off with £1300 of bike (pro model with performance pack) and went up a rather steepish hill - wasnt too bad - however it did have the lighter components on.

Its a shame you couldnt have upgraded the forks on purchase - orange do a deal of an extra £140 for fox vanilla and i believe they are £300 to buy on their own (could be wrong however). Hense the reason i decided to take this option.

Im counting down the days until i can go an pick it up - stil at university doing exams atm - but its a massive treat for me when i return (aswel of seeing my mrs of course :P)

please keep us updated with the bike however as its always nice to see, and btw ive seen your bike on the orange owners website - so was suprised to see it on here aswel! tyres and the specialised box int he background gives u away :P)

ylawayjdp

I'm in the same boat as bigmiksears.

I went for the P7 pro opted for the hope upgrade pack seemed like a good idea as I got 10% off the original price in a deal they were having online. It is supposed to be getting delivered to the bike shop in Wales tomorrow and hopefully I will get it for Wednesday/Thursday.

I am so bloody excited about this bike coming it is unreal. I feel like its Christmas and I'm a kid again. However it's not and I most certainly am not a kid what with the job and rent to pay. Planning to take it over to Epping on the train when I get it. Thank god for days off in the week.

I have also bought it a few new bits some Candy's and chain stay protector need to order some crud catchers.

Did you order a specific set of CRUDS owen908, or are they one size fits all? Does it come with bolt on grips?

owen908

Bigmiksears wrote:

please keep us updated with the bike however as its always nice to see, and btw ive seen your bike on the orange owners website - so was suprised to see it on here aswel! tyres and the specialised box int he background gives u away :P)

Ha Ha yea ive been putting some pics on the Orange website too.Are you going to change the tyres on the P7? I would strongly recommend you get some differenct tyres, the panaracers are excellent. The speed kings which come standard offer little grip and are really only good for the road. But if your like me and only use the road to get to your off road desitnation then ditch the speed kings.

Watch the brakes after about 3 - 4 weeks of use they really start to bed in and are extremely powerful ! Mine seemed to bed in after this point of riding 3-5 times a week all off road. Im pretty sure the Pro comes with the Avid juicy three hydraulic ones and im really impressed with stopping power. There is some fade, but that is down to my technique more than anything. There is this really steep, long and loose descent on my usual trail and at the bottom there is a gate. I only get the fade here and there isnt alot i can do. At some point i either need to shave off 25-30Mph all at once before i hit the gate, or frequently brake to shave of speed and stop before the gate. Either way, the discs get very hot and brake fade is very abundant !

ylawayjdp wrote:

Did you order a specific set of CRUDS owen908, or are they one size fits all? Does it come with bolt on grips?

The CRUD Catchers are all one size. On the frame of the P7 it has the bosses already there for a CRUD catcher which comes with all the grips and the bolts. Id use the bolts tbh. Much more secure.