Are Orange Fives over hyped?

dubmodder

Just been reading a few threads on STW and I get the impression that Fives are not as good as the reviews make out. There seems to be a lot of hate for them over there for some reason.

Apparently they are overpriced, over hyped and have a poor suspension design.

What are your views on them as I was thinking about purchasing one and I have been rather put off.

Andy B

Some folks like em some loathe them, it's no new news you can say the same for almost any two bikes

Personally I've had 2 Orange 5's

I would buy another if I had the need/cash

Pro's: Reliable, bombproof, simple, ride well

Cons: Expensive compared to some other bikes (cheap compared to some bikes too)

Northwind

Yes they are but it's not their fault- they're really very good, they're just not the second coming of Christ in monocoque form as some would have you believe. I don't know why it is but Orange attract fanboys in staggering numbers. This attracts backlash from people who have no real issue with Orange but dislike fanboys.

I wouldn't buy one new, they're too expensive and the complete builds are all over the place, but they're great frames. The suspension design's basic but with modern shocks basic still works well. Not as well as more sophisticated designs IMO, but some folks do like it.

It's a shame Grantway got banned as this thread would now be enlivened by tales of how he can do 4 foot drops on a Five and laps of Climachx and no other frame could possibly survive such a beating. LOLOLOLOLOLOL, ad nauseum.

cooldad

Never believe anything you read on STW. It's full of very weird people.

dubmodder

Never believe anything you read on STW. It's full of very weird people.

I noticed, talk about know it all's!

I think I will stick around here for a while.

Thanks for your opinion Northwind and AndyB, seems a bit less anti Five over here.

nicklouse

people who have them dont shut up about them and slag everything else off.

there are better single pivots out there and there are worse.

But it comes down to what the rider wants.

Anonymous

Theres a few of us who can't abide anything being over-hyped. And there's a lot of people who would rather you insulted their children than give an honest opinion of their over-hyped object of choosing.
Hope is another brand that seems to attract a similar crowd.

Good. Yes, certainly. Deserving of all the inane praise? No, not really.

supersonic

Yes. But not by Orange.

paul20v

nicklouse wrote:

people who have them dont shut up about them and slag everything else off.

Thats a very uneducated thing to say , so its a blanket quote for every owner is it ?

nicklouse

paul20v wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

people who have them dont shut up about them and slag everything else off.

Thats a very uneducated thing to say , so its a blanket quote for every owner is it ?

but on here it can be so true.

or have you been hiding the last few years.

PS education has very little to do with according to the posters.

supersonic

The 5 has always striked me as a frame that is well built for its cause of hard trail riding, but has taken a long route to get to that goal ie hand welding and bespoke sections that are genrally inferior to the stuff the far east kicks out that is lighter and better made. You pay for that 'British, hand built' moniker. The suspension is as simple as it gets. It works for many, but don't see why you should pay extra for it. There is no extra to be had.

Full builds are better value. Frame only, it lags far behind its competitors on price.

BUT... if you like the way it rides, go for it! I don't.

paul20v

nicklouse
Ive only been back on here a few months so ive been hiding of a fashion
some posters and owners may be single minded
but surely there not all so
me being a 5 owner i know im definately not
and i certainly dont think i own the only bike in the world worth owning
after 22 years in the saddle i would have been a little stuck for choice in the early days if i was so one tracked .
As for the bike all i will say is for "ME" at least its the only FS bike ive ever owned that felt instantly comfortable and i could throw it straight on a black run with out a second thought it was like i had owned it for years and it does everything i want it todo
it does no one thing out of this world but for me it does everything well
so im happy with it but that by no means makes it the only bike i would ever buy again .

Anonymous

And there you are, not shutting up about it, see?

allthegearnoidea

cant comment on the 5, but, STW is a strange place at times! seems to be majoritively full of Aethiests who ride Niche singlespeed fixie's or £4k full bouncers as everything else is beneath them,
that said, can be some Bl##dy funny threads there mind, the Picolax one will go down in history!!
i tend to browse there and post on the odd occasion, where as here is my main forum for all things bike!!! 8)

The Northern Monkey

yeehaamcgee wrote:

And there you are, not shutting up about it, see?

Anonymous

allthegearnoidea wrote:

cant comment on the 5, but, STW is a strange place at times! seems to be majoritively full of Aethiests who ride Niche singlespeed fixie's or £4k full bouncers as everything else is beneath them,
that said, can be some Bl##dy funny threads there mind, the Picolax one will go down in history!!
i tend to browse there and post on the odd occasion, where as here is my main forum for all things bike!!! 8)

Wait... This is a bloody bike forum?

lawman

As abit of a fanboy myself, albeit of ibis and not orange, I can see why people rave about them, they ride well, do a job and the rider likes them, all of which are the main reasons you buy a bike. But sometimes they can take it too far *cough* MBR *cough* it's a decent bike the 5, but having ridden a lot of similar bikes, stumpys, zestys, metas, mojos, it hardly set my world on fire, I thought it relyed too much on platform shock technology, it was heavy and it felt pretty agricultural... Some people might like that, I for one don't and prefer a lighter, better pedaling bike, which can still rip the downs, so went for the mojo HD, just like with orange you pay a premium, but IMO it's worth it for the overall performance

miss notax

dubmodder wrote:

Just been reading a few threads on STW and I get the impression that Fives are not as good as the reviews make out. There seems to be a lot of hate for them over there for some reason.

Apparently they are overpriced, over hyped and have a poor suspension design.

What are your views on them as I was thinking about purchasing one and I have been rather put off.

Well, as with any bike it's a massively personal and subjective thing, but I certainly wouldn't swap mine for anything else. For the sort of riding I do - technical xc with the odd trip to the Alps etc - it's fab. I can tackle pretty much anything and I completely trust my bike

I personally am not too keen on the spec when you buy a complete bike, hence I custom built mine to exactly what I wanted. If (god forbid) I needed to buy a new bike, I would buy another one and build it up the same 8)

Anonymous

^^Aaaand, there's another one.

miss notax

yeehaamcgee wrote:

^^Aaaand, there's another one.

Ahh, but I clarified by saying it's personal to me, hence I could declare that I PERSONALLY prefer riding my bike backwards in a kermit the frog costume and it's all ok

I'm not really bothered whether anyone else likes them or not - I do, and that's that!

Mental Mickey

Most things are over hyped, not just the 5.

Kung Fu Panda moment..

Mr. Ping: The secret ingredient is... nothing!
Po: Huh?
Mr. Ping: You heard me. Nothing! There is no secret ingredient.
Po: Wait, wait... it's just plain old noodle soup? You don't add some kind of special sauce or something?
Mr. Ping: Don't have to. To make something special you just have to believe it's special.
[Po looks at the scroll again, and sees his reflection in it]
Po: There is no secret ingredient..

You see, if you believe something is special then it will be.


The Orange 5 looks a good bike to buy if you want something 'trail hardcore' but that back end is just so damn ugly....sheessh. :?

Thewaylander

Like Lawman says.

Old technology that rides like a tractor.

I think the thing that gets to me with orange bikes you get hold of it and the finishing for the cash aswell is awful, the welds are like they have been done by a blind 12 year old boy that sheeps is threatening his mother to leave her head backwards in a ditch

The ride is basic, the cost is extortionate, but if you like it thats all that matters

lostboysaint

Rode one to see if it was worth investing in to suit my riding (mix of XC, trail, enduro etc.) and it was ok but certainly didn't match up to the Lapierre Zesty or Spicy and was some way short of the Yeti that I bought. It's a good bike but there's much better out there.

hucking_fell

miss notax wrote:

Well, as with any bike it's a massively personal and subjective thing, but I certainly wouldn't swap mine for anything else.

Thing is though, until you've tried everything else you don't really know that you'd not swap it for anything else.

CycloRos

To me the appeal of the Orange 5 is down to two things- british made and simple / reliable single pivot design.

Unfortunately the finish of the frame and the cost brand new doesn't seem to add up. Having said that if found a decent frame secondhand I'd probably give it a whirl.

No bike is the best thing since slice bread and I think that's what most folks object to is people thinking their bike is THE only bike to own, bloody fanbois!

Did I mention Ragley's are awesome!

Anonymous

I don't care if it's personal or not, you lot still bang on about 'em.

Dirtydog11

Yes,

Like so many manufacturers they're over hyped by the cycle press.

The cycling press and certain manufactures are in Cahoots IMO.

The journos are too closely acquainted (friendly) with the manufactures to give an unbias review, even if they don't realize it themselves.

schmako

Who cares about hype, if you like it that's all that matters. If it rides anything like my Patriot, I'd be sure to love it though.

Thewaylander

Schmako wrote:

Who cares about hype, if you like it that's all that matters. If it rides anything like my Patriot, I'd be sure to love it though.

What like a lead brick?

dubmodder

yeehaamcgee wrote:

I don't care if it's personal or not, you lot still bang on about 'em.

People might bang on about a certain bike, but I don't find them half as annoying as people like you who constantly go on about them banging on.

So the general consensus is that they are very good, and people who don't own one don't want to hear about it.

Sounds good to me.

paul20v

yeehaamcgee wrote:

And there you are, not shutting up about it, see?

And theres me thinking this wasnt a forum like STW
and correct me if im wrong but didnt the OP ask a question
to which i personally answered in my experience of said bike
and also i said i know its not the only bike in the world and wont be the only bike i will ever own as im not that narrow minded
i know one bike i will never own again thou and thats a bloody commencal but thats another story .