Orange 5 Pro first ride report

NikB

Just got back from my first outing on the new bike. I went and did the red route at Dalby which at 23 miles I've not actually completed before. That in itself I think says a little about the bike (and perhaps that my fitness has increased). I ran the tyres at 35psi and the rear shock was frequently switched between Propedal and open.

Apart from demoing the bike this is my first experience of full suspension, in fact any suspension at all. The first few minutes involved a few berms and jumps and I could instantly attack these much faster than I had on my previous bike. With Propedal set to 3 I found that the bike climbed well - hard to tell if it was better or worse than my rigid bike. I found that I could tackle obstacles much more easily than before - including one or two places where I had come off the bike before.

The second set of climbs slightly surprised me in that I was less out of breath at the top and I had ascended in a higher gear. Onto the fast singletrack sections I was able to go much faster than before and the bike really seemed to flow well. All the downhill sections were so much more fun than I've experienced before and doing some of the jumps along the way put a huge grin on my face.

I then found I couldn't climb so well - it turns out my seat was slowly slipping down - it had moved by a couple of inches by the time I moved it. So after tightening the clamp and repositioning the seat I was climbing well again. Towards the end I did get really tired and my back was killing me. One of the reasons I went for full suss was to make life easier for my spine. There's no doubt that it took longer to start hurting but it still became very uncomfortable at times. I guess that's something I will just have to live with.

The bad points -
Admittedly this is a brand new bike but I wasn't too happy with some of the noises coming from the drivetrain. Shifting was fine but the chain was skipping occasionally, usually when climbing. This did eventually stop so maybe it was a sticky link or something. Also when the chain was under stress and in the lower gears on the cassette there was a grating sound but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I may get the lbs to take a look at it.
The discs were rubbing from the start - I understand this can be normal on a new bike. Are there any tips for helping them bed in? They got worse through the ride as the conditions were fairly grim today.
By the end of the ride I was soaked to the skin despite a waterproof jacket. My feet were numb which made driving interesting. However I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Gave the bike a quick clean when I got home. It was surprisingly quick to do - I think this may have something to do with the fact that I waxed the frame with my Zymol car wax last week. I used some Poorboys car shampoo mixed with water in a pump spray bottle which seemed to work just fine. Is there anything specific I should do regarding the discs/pads when I comes to cleaning?

Thanks to those who helped me in the decision making process when choosing the bike from one happy Orange 5 owner.

zero303

Don't worry about the gear and brake gremlins - probably normal new bike stuff. Most LBSs offer a free checkup after purchase so if you can't sort it yourself, drop it in.

Don't keep riding on it though in case it is something more serious.

Glad you like it... what colour is yours?

NikB

Mine is pearl black.



Got some more pics on this PAGE

Maccaa

NIKB

Sound like you are a bit of a "detailer" at heart

maccaa

Andy B

Nice bike



Oops how did that pic/link get there

NikB

Maccaa wrote:

NIKB

Sound like you are a bit of a "detailer" at heart

maccaa

I have been known to :oops:
It just made sense to me to prevent the mud sticking properly.
Andy is that last year's model as the frame and decals look different?

SDK2007

Great bike.
I nearly bought a Patriot XCEL but was put off by the weight and single pivot design.

hamboman

Two things you need to change on the bike (at least, this is what I found):

Tyres - they're rubbish, swap them for almost anything else! Panaracer Fire, Kenda Nevegals, Nobby Nics.

Bar - needs to be a little bit longer

Anonymous

SDK2007 wrote:

Great bike.
I nearly bought a Patriot XCEL but was put off by the weight and single pivot design.

And what exactly do you believe is wrong with a single pivot?

zero303

A lot of very good single pivot bikes out there ripping it up in the reviews - not a good reason to rule out a bike!

Orange Five, SC Heckler, 'dale Prophet and believe me that list goes on and on!

Anonymous

zero303 wrote:

A lot of very good single pivot bikes out there ripping it up in the reviews - not a good reason to rule out a bike!

Orange Five, SC Heckler, 'dale Prophet and believe me that list goes on and on!

also, all Konas up until this year (and possibly still).

zero303

Yep, the Dawg is about as old school as it gets and it still rocks out!!!

SDK2007

The single pivot design has its disadvantages with pedal kickback and stiffening of rear suspension during pedalling and braking. I prefer the feel of a system that remains active.

Also, full sus Kona bikes use a 4-bar linkage and have done for a fair number of years.

The Kona Walking Beam 4-Bar Linkage system, found across our entire line of dual suspension bikes. Since we first introduced the platform in 1996, we’ve been tweaking and honing, refining and testing, in the effort of perfecting what we feel is one of the most functional, durable and performance-oriented dual suspension platforms ever invented

More info here : http://www.konaworld.com/08_tech_ds.htm

NikB

hamboman wrote:

Two things you need to change on the bike (at least, this is what I found):

Tyres - they're rubbish, swap them for almost anything else! Panaracer Fire, Kenda Nevegals, Nobby Nics.

Bar - needs to be a little bit longer

I actually found the tyres very good yesterday, only once did I lose any traction. I will keep testing them though and will change to Nevegals or maybe Maxxis if I'm not happy.
The bar is wider than the one on my previous bike so still adjusting to that - will see how I get on with it.

Anonymous

That's just marketing crap from kona. Their actual system is a single pivot swingarm, with a linkage activated shock. There is no pivot on the swingarm between it's axis, and the wheel axle.

Oh, and as for brake feedback, I believe it's a technical impossibility on a single pivot design, as all the braking forces are directed into the swingarm, but this is a very hotly debated topic, and probably better suited to mythbusters

zero303

I believe MBUKs verdict on Braking with the Patriot was that on this bike you'll be the last person on the brakes and you won't exactly be on them for long either...

Anonymous

seriously, let's not start on the whole brake jack nonsense, it always turns into a holy war.

zero303

LOL

NikB

I assume this is different to brake diving from the forks? I only ask because I noticed that the front end does tend to dive a little when braking.

Anonymous

There is very heartfelt belief that braking forces can directly cause the suspension to extend or compress.

I don't believe it can happen on single pivot bikes, and that it is mistaken for the fact that as you decelerate rapidly, your weight is thrown forwards, causing the forks to compress, and the rear end to extend. The same effect is apparent if you suddenly hit the front wheel against an obstacle such as a log.

Thewaylander

As for your back problem, my house mate gets a very sore back from riding and has a light weight support for when he rides, you wouldnt even know he has it on, will see if i can find out what it is and pass on the info

NikB

yeehaamcgee wrote:

There is very heartfelt belief that braking forces can directly cause the suspension to extend or compress.

I don't believe it can happen on single pivot bikes, and that it is mistaken for the fact that as you decelerate rapidly, your weight is thrown forwards, causing the forks to compress, and the rear end to extend. The same effect is apparent if you suddenly hit the front wheel against an obstacle such as a log.

There is no doubt the front end of the bike dives - tested it on the flat on a road and it's really quite noticeable. There are times when the weight is being thrown forwards that it does occur but I was paying close attention to it.

NikB

Thewaylander wrote:

As for your back problem, my house mate gets a very sore back from riding and has a light weight support for when he rides, you wouldnt even know he has it on, will see if i can find out what it is and pass on the info

Cheers for that, does it really make a difference? Do you know what your mate's problem is? Mine is caused by having very weak core musculature following a spinal fracture and it's my muscles that ache all the way across the base of my spine.

zero303

I personally think all forks dive to an extent, it's something any suspended machine (car, motorbike etc) will suffer from and when you try to cure it you introduce problems in other places (small bump responsiveness suffers perhaps??? Harsher ride?)

In a normal riding situation where you're going fast into a corner and braking late - if you get really bad dive still I'd suggest looking at technique first. In that situation I'd be standing and I'd be well back. My arms are only on the bars to steer the thing, not hold me up so my touch would be feather light. In this case the rear shock would be doing all the work and the front would only be absorbing bumps, not dealing with weight transfer hence no diving...

If you find you can't help but hold yourself up on the bars check the setup of your contact points. Try adding a spacer under your stem if you can, maybe the stem is too long, saddle too far back, maybe try a higher rise stem.

The Fox Float is very light in it's class but it's also flexier and admittedly slightly more dive prone (apparently older models were much worse) but I find that if you get your technique dialled in and your riding position spot on it doesn't show up (and the plus side is you've got the buttery smooth Fox ride!!!).

NikB

It didn't give me any problems out on the trails (only user error) I've only noticed this whilst on a flat road whilst sat down. For the rough sections, particularly downhill I'm always or almost always stood up like you say.

Splasher

SDK2007 wrote:

Also, full sus Kona bikes use a 4-bar linkage and have done for a fair number of years.

Kona's are not true 4-bar (despite what they'd like you to believe) because the rear axle and brake mount are both on the chainstay and not the seatstay as in a true 4-bar (Kona's arrangement is known as a faux-bar). What this means is that the brake reactions are transfered into the chainstays like a single pivot, exactly what a VPP or 4-bar design seeks to avoid.

Incidentally, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with single pivots, but in essence Konas are linkage activated single pivots.