New Orange R8?

ewan323

What does everyone think about this, its on they're website now, no frame only option but looks good, in a different colour maybe!
Think it would be any good for XC racing?

Andy B

It's brand new out this year (for 2010) so very few folks will have one

What's wrong with the colour, the blue (pro spec) looks sweet!

Not really a good bike for xc racing, it's a general trail/xc bike, not a racing whippet

Monkeypump

Andy_B wrote:

IWhat's wrong with the colour, the blue (pro spec) looks sweet!

+1, Looks great to me!

Whytepeak

Monkeypump wrote:

Andy_B wrote:

IWhat's wrong with the colour, the blue (pro spec) looks sweet!

+1, Looks great to me!

+2

Can't argue with Reynolds 853

Andy B

Personally I think the blue R8 will be a future classic, provided it rides as good as it looks

Now where to find £1650....

supersonic

How much does it weigh, and cost for frame only?

Andy B

Weight: unknown, Orange don't (as with most manufacturers) list weights

Frame only cost: unknown, nothing on the website yet.

supersonic

Most 853 frames I have seen are listed with weight. Is it full 853 (stays and main tubes)? they don't like giving much away lol!

ewan323

Would like to know a frame only weight but not likely for a while.

I've got a '09 P7 at the moment and i'm looking to start racing next month. First race will be the ext SXC on the 6th of sept at Avimore. I'm only entering the open but will be looing to enter the sport category next year. Just wondering If the R8 willl be the bike for me as I like the P7 so much.

supersonic

Maybe - but different geometry will mean it won't feel the same. Steeper and racier.

I am guessing the frame will come in at about 4.6lbs.

Andy B

aha...

Frame only available here: http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/118508.html £545

no other info though

supersonic

Wow, that puts it well above most of the other 853 xc/trail frames, even smaller 'british' brands like Cotic, Sanderson etc.

Andy B

Sanderson life (09) £400
Cotic Soul (09) £470

with price increases going the way they are will have to wait for the 2010 Sanderson & Cotic prices to make a fair judgement on the value of the R8

nicklouse

at that price I guess it will be UK welded.

supersonic

Not sure Sanderson do 'years' lol

Andy B

hehe a Sanderson isn't just for Christmas it's for life (awaits Taxi)

weights: Sanderson life 4.6lb, Cotic Soul 4.2lb

Will have to wait for the R8 weight (gets coat as well)

The Spiderman

I think Cotic put their prices up earlier this year.Soul was £400 now £470.
Meanwhile On One inbreds have dropped to £125 and RL 853s are £210.............
..

supersonic

£210? Cracking deal. Light too.

The Spiderman

Yeah,but shame they are so short,in the top tube.Otherwise I might have bought one...

1975mark

Phoned Orange HQ in Halifax this afternoon. The R8 frame is unfortunately only 853 main tubes. The stays are cromoly but not Reynolds. The tubeset is welded together in Taiwan as well. £525 seems expensive then. Painted in England but that's all.
Back to my plan 'a' of buying a Bryan Rouke 953 then! :P

thelonegroover

1975mark wrote:

Phoned Orange HQ in Halifax this afternoon. The R8 frame is unfortunately only 853 main tubes. The stays are cromoly but not Reynolds. The tubeset is welded together in Taiwan as well. £525 seems expensive then. Painted in England but that's all.
Back to my plan 'a' of buying a Bryan Rouke 953 then! :P

I don't think you'll find any steel hardtails with 853 ss or cs tubes, Reynolds only do main tube sizes. 853 steel is too hard to bend.

harveyg77

I bought an R8 Pro to replace a Trek 8000.

It is down to my perception, but the R8 feels much 'smoother' compared to the Trek on all surfaces.

My complete R8 including pedals, reflectors, etc. was weight by the bike shop (leisure Lakes, Nottingham) and their scales recorded something like 26.5 lbs, I can't remember my size now but it was 17, 17.5 or Medium (Im at work and trying to go from meemory ;-) ).

We weighted the 17.5" Trek 8000 at approx 25lb all up.

The R8 seems to climb better, but this could be due to seat position or them using different cranks - R8 uses a RaceFace Evolve XC, Trek was Shimano SLX. Or the shorter stem and riser bars on the ORange versus long stem and flat bars of the Trek. either way the R8 reassures me off-road, where as the Trtek had me being cautious.

The Conti 2.2 MK tyres seem grippier in the slop and less draggy on road than the Bonty Jones things and the full XT transmission feels slightly slicker than the old SLX shifters and front mech, and XT rear mech.

Obviously a lot of this could be the honeymood blinkered vision. But first impressions for me are that the ride and transmission are smoother and it climbs better. Its more confident going down hill, it doesn't cause finger tingles and hand uncomfort on longer rides (like the Trek did).

I love it and based on the R8 would go for steel every time in preference to Alu. The bikes may be a lb or too heavier, but the biggest weight problem is my 80kg carcus ;-)

Harvey

Northwind

You didn't happen to get a frame weight did you? That's the missing ingredient so far...

gregsd

Thelonegroover wrote:

1975mark wrote:

Phoned Orange HQ in Halifax this afternoon. The R8 frame is unfortunately only 853 main tubes. The stays are cromoly but not Reynolds. The tubeset is welded together in Taiwan as well. £525 seems expensive then. Painted in England but that's all.
Back to my plan 'a' of buying a Bryan Rouke 953 then! :P

I don't think you'll find any steel hardtails with 853 ss or cs tubes, Reynolds only do main tube sizes. 853 steel is too hard to bend.J

Curtis do a frame with 853 tubes throughout. Doesn't come cheap though!

Northwind

Cy at Cotic says this of 853 stays:

"So after all the slagging we've just given cromoly, you're probably wondering why the rear end of the Soul is made out of the stuff instead of 853 now that 853 stays have become available (late 2005). Well, any structural problem is simply a matter of working to the limits of the material, and the rear end of the Soul is as strong and responsive as it can be through careful design and tube specification, backed up by more than 4 years of riding through prototyping and into production. Reynolds are only offering their 853 stays in the same profiles and wall thickness as our cromoly stays so they wouldn't any lighter, just an awful lot stronger (when our cromoly rear end is perfectly strong enough) and an awful lot more expensive. For the moment, we'll stick with what we've got."

supersonic

Materials and application. Cy is spot on, I do like what he says.

Matt N

supersonic wrote:

How much does it weigh, and cost for frame only?

Bloody hell, Supersonic asked a question rather than answered one, are you feeling ok?

Northwind

We're all waiting to find out the frame weight so we can add it to our various ways of taking the mick out of the R8 So far it's more or less a less capable, more expensive Soul so if it's not noticably lighter it's in for a total, total doing. The construction seems so similiar though that I doubt there's much difference (I'd almost bet money it comes from the same factory, though not quite, but when you compare the old soul with the R8 it's incredibly similiar in the detail.)

It does look stunning though.

supersonic

Orange are quite coy about weights. At least Brant, OnOne, and Cotic do publish them. And dialled. And a few others.

Matt N

Northwind wrote:

So far it's more or less a less capable, more expensive Soul so if it's not noticably lighter it's in for a total, total doing.

Surely its not more expensive given that you get it built up nicely for 1.7 grand and the soul has more travel i think

supersonic

Haaaa muuuuch?!

;-)