Are Orange Fives over hyped?

hucking_fell

bike-a-swan wrote:

didn't buy mbr much anyway, but I stopped buying it altogether after that one!

Yeah, me too. Haven't even been bothered to lift it off the newsagent shelf for a flick through since. That wasn't the only reason, just the last one.

lawman

bike-a-swan wrote:

Northwind wrote:

Yup. Including the legendary "We fitted different tyres to the Trek, and they weren't very good, so we've taken a point off" one year, and "Orange Five- the brakes don't work at all, it's very expensive, and the wheels are far too skinny and completely inappropriate. 10/10!"

I didn't buy mbr much anyway, but I stopped buying it altogether after that one!

this. That review was such a shambles, it made me laugh. As previously said, the brakes don't work, rims are too narrow etc, needs a maxle rear end as it's abit flexy, the fox fork isn't as good as the newer FIT ones, so you need that upgrade too, and since they changed the geometry it doesn't climb as well , blah blah blah ... Utter shite review, if they weren't such fanboys they'd realize it's actually an average bike unless you spend gazzilions on upgrades. The other thing that peed me off was the article they did on blinging your bike up, they had a small bit about name stickers, saying they can't see why you need them," it's not like all your mates will have orange 5's ... Ok maybe it's a good idea" ... Do they seriously think every mtber in the uk has one?!

Rant over

VWsurfbum

i touched my first "5" last weekend, this thing was blinged to the max but it still looked ancient (it was 2-3 months old). It was the Alpine model?
Bloody hell that thing was heavy! you'd need to be proper fit to throw that around in the alps!
Other than that not interested in them, let the fan boi's go ranting, i stopped believing magazine reviews years ago. Its all about the bungs and how there treated on launch days! it was the same in the car game.
If some new tech is out, tell me about it, thats the only reason i buy the mags, that and the freebies

Mccraque

Some of the other points in MBR made me laugh too...

The formula brakes on the zesty work too well..

and my favourite - they claimed they pinch flatted fat too often on a bike that they'd swtiched to their control tyres....citing the Shimano rims as being too sharp.

The bike came with UST wheels. They switch to tubes, then grumble about pinchflats.

Complete load of subjective bollocks. I prefer the german magazines that set out at least mildy scientific or quantifiable tests - testing to destruction...

dubmodder

Disclaimer

First of all, what I'm about to write is my opinion of the bikes I demoed, yours might be different. If I have mentioned anyones bike here, don't take what I say personally. All the bikes had an RP23 rear shock and I set them up all the same, 25% sag front and rear, and for a fair comparison tested them all on the same trail. The bikes are measured in grins per mile

As you may have guessed I have been demoing bikes over the past week at Skyline cycles. This is a (very) quick review, I'm at work.

First off I tried a medium Santa Cruz Blur LT.

This was my least favourite so I'm going to keep it short, like the top tube. This is what I noticed first (apart from it looking nice) it was really short. It wasn't to light either (was expecting a bit lighter) It climbed alright (although it bobbed a lot with the shock fully open), went along alright and came down alright, it was just so boring! The suspension felt dead, you had no feedback from the trail whatsoever.

I got back to the shop bored stiff.

Next I tried a Medium Santa Cruz Butcher recommended to me by a friend.

First impressions were is looked the part, quite heavy (not sure of the weight, about the same as the Blur) and the top tube was short like the Blur so it felt quite cramped.

It climbed pretty well for the weight of the thing, and once rolling it wasn't to bad.

Once pointing down, it was pretty fun, it turned in well and was quite confidence inspiring. The suspension did what it should with plenty of feedback, and I got back to the shop with a small grin on my face, it was pretty fun.

Next was a medium Commencal Meta 5.

First impressions were it was ugly but fitted better than the previous bikes.

It climbed very well, felt pretty quick actually. Maybe this was because it fitted better, I don't know. The suspension was pretty good but it wasn't to fun and for some reason I didn't like it on the decent, but I couldn't put my finger on why exactly.

I got back to the shop looking forward to going home and eating.

Next day I went down and tested out a medium Santa Cruz Heckler.

Again the top tube was short like all the other Cruz's but this weighed a little bit less.

It climbed surprisingly well, better than all the other bikes I tested. The suspension was also very good, and there was tons of grip when going upwards and just enough feedback for my liking.

When I got to the decent it was equally as fun, I likes how it handled, and it was very confidence inspiring again. I got back to the shop thinking I would probably buy one grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Finally was an 18" Orange Five.Pro.

First impressions were it looked good, I thought they looked pretty boring in the photos but in the flesh they are quite tasty. It fitted me the best out of any bikes I tested (I'm 5'11") and I instantly felt at home on it. It was about the same weight as the Heckler.

It climbed quite like the Heckler with lots of grip, although not quite as well because it felt a bit slacker (which when I got home checked and it was) so the front wheel wasn't as planted.

What really stood out for me is how the bike handled. You could rail corners like none of the other bikes I demoed, and especially when things pointed downwards it was soooo much fun. I'm not going to "bang on about it" but it was definitely my favourite bike. I got back to the shop and put a deposit on one. I would go so far to say it was the most fun bike I have ridden in my 20 years of riding, it definitely lived up to the "hype" in my book.

Edit: The Hope Tech X2 where crap on the Five though, I upgraded to M4's for £40.

Anonymous

lawman wrote:

... it's not like all your mates will have orange 5's ... Ok maybe it's a good idea" ... Do they seriously think every mtber in the uk has one?!

judging by a day that left me baffled at Coed y Brenin, I wouldn't be surprised if they did!
When I got there last year sometime I think, every single bike parked outside the caff was an Orange 5 :shock:

Dick Scruttock

yeehaamcgee wrote:

lawman wrote:

... it's not like all your mates will have orange 5's ... Ok maybe it's a good idea" ... Do they seriously think every mtber in the uk has one?!

judging by a day that left me baffled at Coed y Brenin, I wouldn't be surprised if they did!
When I got there last year sometime I think, every single bike parked outside the caff was an Orange 5 :shock:

I pity them i really do :shock:

supersonic

i stopped believing magazine reviews years ago. Its all about the bungs and how there treated on launch days

I can assure you it ain't like that with all mags! I have plenty of test kit on the go, not heard anything of the sort.

thel33ter

To answer the question. Yes.

Northwind

Incidentally, while we're slagging off MBR I have to say their Guy Martin interview this month is the best bike mag story I've seen for years. Sorry Supersonic They just gave it enough room to breathe. The one last month with Crawfy was superb too.

Haven't reached the trailbike review yet though

supersonic

You wait until you see my 12 page special next month ;-)

andrewyzfr6

I bought my 2009 five pro 2years ago now. It is the best/most usable bike ive owned.
It is a bit heavy, for the 2 years previously I had mainly been using my Scott Scale 30. My other bike is a specalized s works fsr, although lighter than the five, it is not a patch on it, but it is old now.
I did make the mistake of buying a ribble road bike, nothing actually wrong with it but I could have had an equivalant bike for £500 less, but I never did any research.
I shortlisted a few 140mm bikes when i bought it, and found it best for my uses, ie: anything!
I do like to buy british, but most of my stuff is german(with wheels) as they are the best i cant afford.
My van I use for going MTBing is a 3year old vw transporter because it is 100000% better than a new(and cheaper than 3yr old vw) transhit.
When it comes due for replacement, I will weigh up the options and buy the best I can afford, not being blinkered by biased mag reviews etc. Currently I think a cube ams150 would be on a shortlist, and possibly a scott genius LT, and a five AM or alpine 160.
It is because I have been very happy with the five, with no problems that I have just bought a 224.
I do feel that orange is to bikes like ford is to cars. Ie: the owners will forgive any problems!!! I dont forgive shotcomings, and as such when replacement is due I will pay attention to weight, but not at the cost of a weak frame(commencial!)

dubmodder

I wouldn't say they are heavy compared to the rest in there class, roughly the same. I found they carried speed very well and rode a lot lighter than they actually are, so did the Heckler.

I think a bit of weight is a good thing anyway, feels much more planted.

andrewyzfr6

you could be right dubmodder, but the best comparasons I have are my superlight scall30 or old s works, and as such on a fast decent it whips them. Ive tried my mates spesh enduro and never liked it, but im not going to abuse someone elses machine. Fot the record, he thinks it wasnt the best bike for him in hindsight.
I dont think for 2.5 - 3k at the time i bought my five I could have bought a better bike for the job.
The biggest problem i had with the weight i had at first was just the scale that i comparedd it to is a lot lighter.

elvingtonred

It is without doubt the best 140 bike out there!
My mate has a Santa Cruz Nomad but was impressed by mine, see through some of the bollocks written and buy one!

joshtp

Over hyped? Hugely. It's out dated, heavy, expensive, and ugly. It only really sells because its an orange, and, like Hope this brings a kind of aura that for many justifies buying their bikes alone.

But does that mean they are not any good?

Not at all, it's still a really great frame, although the builds are funny.

I wouldn't buy one though...

dubmodder

joshtp wrote:

Over hyped? Hugely. It's out dated, heavy, expensive, and ugly. It only really sells because its an orange, and, like Hope this brings a kind of aura that for many justifies buying their bikes alone.

But does that mean they are not any good?

Not at all, it's still a really great frame, although the builds are funny.

I wouldn't buy one though...

Go and ride one, I bet you would change your tune.

Like I said its not heavy compared to the other 140mm bikes, expensive or particularly ugly, in fact they look damn nice in the flesh.

As for outdated, that's just ridiculous, its evolved over time to make it what it is. If you are on about the single pivot suspension, I actually found it to be the best out of all the bikes I tested.

joshtp

Good looking?! Are you blind, it's made of girders! (And trust me, I've seen them in the flesh, it's not hard to after all, they're less exclusive than the ford focus)

Not heavy?! well no, not compared to some other, tougher 140mm bikes, but for a trail bike, it's FAR from light. And that is indisputable.

Outdated?, well, maybe I was harsh... but to me, it's not really moved on enough... it was brilliant when it came out, and only average now. Not enough progress.

Expensive? well no, as you say it's not THAT expensive compared to some bikes, but it's far from cheap.


And maybe it was the best YOU tested, but that doesn't mean it's the best, just the one you liked the best.

I like the On-One SS more than other long travel HT's, but is it the best? no, It's just MY fave.

Anonymous

Josh, aesthetics are subjective - each person have their own views.
Heavy is not a problem if that weight is there for a reason - too light is more of an issue.
Outdated? Hardly. Guides for dropper posts, tapered headtubes, modern aggressive geometry etc etc etc.
So, the single pivot thing has been around for a while, but so have wheels. Are you suggesting that bikes with wheels are old fashioned too?

Frankly, the crazy haters are just as crazy as the fanbois.

supersonic

I've ridden a few. I thought my 300 quid saracen d tox had better geo and rode better.

getonyourbike

supersonic wrote:

You wait until you see my 12 page special next month ;-)

with WMB isn't it? When will this be out? I might just have to pick one up to supplement my MBUK subscription.

supersonic

getonyourbike wrote:

supersonic wrote:

You wait until you see my 12 page special next month ;-)

with WMB isn't it? When will this be out? I might just have to pick one up to supplement my MBUK subscription.

Either next month or the month after. Is a double feature on drivetrains - I look at how we use gears, go through the options and limitations and discuss what the best set ups and ratios are for the rider. The last part tests 9 groupsets!

Yep, WMB ;-)

Johnny Napalm

I don't think that I've really seen that many of them around these parts, to be honest.

After reading all the postings on here I'm now intrigued as to whether they are a good ride or not. I want to try one now just to see who's right and who's wrong.

As Yeehaa says, aesthetics are subjective and they're certainly not the ugliest bikes I've seen. If the bike works for you, then fine, and I suppose there's nothing wrong with recommending something you feel does what it's supposed to, but I don't know anyone who owns one so I've never really been subjected to how great they are etc.

They do seem to be a bit pricey, but so does everything esle nowadays, and I couldn't ever imagine paying that for one...but I couldn't ever imagine paying that kind of money for any bike.

supersonic

You need to try one for yourself really.

What bugs me the most is people who say 'once you try one, you'll never go back'. I find it insulting, and is a massive assumption. We can make our own minds up.

Johnny Napalm

Mate, it'd have to be a pretty special bike to make me ride well.

miss notax

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Josh, aesthetics are subjective - each person have their own views.
Heavy is not a problem if that weight is there for a reason - too light is more of an issue.
Outdated? Hardly. Guides for dropper posts, tapered headtubes, modern aggressive geometry etc etc etc.
So, the single pivot thing has been around for a while, but so have wheels. Are you suggesting that bikes with wheels are old fashioned too?

Frankly, the crazy haters are just as crazy as the fanbois.

I don't often say this yeehaa, but ths is one of the most sensible comments on here (especially the last sentance)

dubmodder

Far more sensible on here compared to STW. By the attitude and knowledge of most of the people on there, I find it hard to believe they even ride.

andrewyzfr6

haha! your right! Ijust read some bits on STW. It does appear to be a complaints, bitching and arguments forum!!!!

Anonymous

andrewyzfr6 wrote:

haha! your right! Ijust read some bits on STW. It does appear to be a complaints, bitching and arguments forum!!!!

How very dare you insinuate that this is NOT a bitching and arguments forum

supersonic

I think if anyone is consdiring a 5 frame at £1400, take a look at this:

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Saracen-Ariel-1 ... _35488.htm

That just isn't the frame. It's the WHOLE BIKE!