Zesty or Five?

badly_dubbed

after a new mtb after being a roadie for ages, with better weather coming up and all that...

would like something AM/XC ish that i can climb with and generally ride quite hard...

out of the two, which would be the better buy...in your opinion?

Zesty 514 £3000


Five Platinum Limited £3250

supersonic

You should be able to get test rides on them given the large outlay. The suspension systems are rather different - the Five uses a single pivot, whilst the Zesty employs a FSR style bar system. They will behave differently under pedaling and braking - one isn't necessarily better, but they are different.

Spec wise is not much in it, but the Zesty gets that carbon frame which gets the overall weight down to nearly 27lbs. Though the Five gets a slightly better version of the Fox fork and shock. XT chainset is a nice touch on the Zesty, but both get SLX shifters, disappointing really for this price - an upgrade to XT here is worth it.

Is it definitely between these two?

badly_dubbed

No, im very much open to other options....mainly will be riding the Scottish highlands, Glentress, Laggan etc more so up in the Lomonds in Fife...not flat terrain, some rough stuff and a fair whack of climbing etc...

im not fussy about myself being fast on it...but nice spec and weight for the money would be great....

supersonic

If testing cannot be done then I'd be looking at the Canyons, YTs and Paul's Cycles specials. Something like this:

http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes ... ab-reiter2

Almost full XTR groupo (including cranks), Reverb fitted as standard, and well received ride in the press. Top of the Fox tree suspension units too.

badly_dubbed

WOW... :shock: :shock: :shock:

that looks amazing....

supersonic

It is ;-). Superb machine!

rockmonkeysc

Buy the Canyon. Zesty's and Five's are both overpriced and the Five will sound like a sack of spanners after the first ride.

paulmcconnell

I can give the thumbs up for the zesty, I bought the 2013 514 after having the 2011 version and there is a big difference.
It rides superbly, very confidence inspiring with the increased rake.
Got to admit that canyon also looks good value and has great spec, but still a alloy frame.
With the zesty your paying for the frame mostly, but could upgrade components over time, with the canyon there isn't much scope for this.

rockmonkeysc

It would cost less to buy a carbon frame (a lot less for a carbon Titus frame) than to upgrade the Zesty to the same spec as the Canyon.
For a carbon frame the Zesty isn't particularly light.

handsome devil

I also bought a 2013 Zesty 514 in December. Superb machine. Very happy. Tried a 314 for a weekend and I was sold. Orange 5`s are hideously overrated - a mate took a 5 Pro and a Whyte 146S (both demo bikes) to Wales last month. The 146 was decent enough but the 5 was just like it had been knocked together in my shed. It did descend well enough but the climbing...oh dear! Far too heavy whilst climbing both Whites Level and Brechfa`s Gorlech.

My Zesty is just superb, descends and climbs equally well given the geometry and is just so stiff and smooth when you put the power down.

I think its fair to say where I stand

Having said that "one mans meat is anothers poison" and all that...!

MTBUK

I have the 2013 zesty also. With the fancy rear electronic suspension. To be honest only went for it, because of the carbon frame, internal routing, and the rear shock. The every day rider such as myself, wouldn't really get the best from it. Value for money id Deffo go for, Canyon.

timpop

I have the Lapierre Spicy. It is an awesome, smooth and fun ride. So I'd imagin the Zesty is pretty sweet too and I expect a little better on the climbs than the Spicy. I'm sure you'd find a test day somewhere. There's no doubt in my kind that you'll be happy on the Zesty but that Canyon is nice and a little tempting.

paulmcconnell

To be fair though, the zesty 714 is probably more of the equivalent to the canyon mentioned.
You could get a 714 for around £3500 with cash.
Then you've got a carbon framed bike weighing 11.3kg, but it's like anything, where do you stop.
You could get the 514 for about £2800 if you shop aroundthen it's over £400 cheaper than the canyon.

andy_welch

Somewhat different bikes, but the Zesty is probably the safest choice. The Five is a bit of a marmite bike. Some love it, others just don't get it at all. Some people also seem to be so insecure about their own choice of bike that they feel the need to ridicule other people's choice. I've never really understood that mindset, but for some reason the Five seems to be a magnet for that crap as well. At the end of the day though, they are all good bikes, so just buy whichever one speaks to you (for whatever reason) and enjoy it.

b45her

the price of canyons seems to be going up quit rapidly, the model i paid £2199 for is £2359 now.

Barrelmaker

b45her wrote:

the price of canyons seems to be going up quit rapidly, the model i paid £2199 for is £2359 now.

That's probably because of the weak pound rather than a price rise from canyon themselves.

ryanmiller504

I'm going to jump in to the Five's defence here. I own a 2012 Five S, have put on extras such as RS Dropper post and a few other bits.

It is easily the best bike I have ridden, yes it may not climb as well as some do however, it takes the descents like nothing else. I have just put a bit more effort on getting my fitness up and now there isn't much time difference in my climbing against my Giant Anthem at the trail centres.

People say that they don't last, I've done about 1500 miles over various terrain but mostly Exmoor and Dartmoor and had no problems other than a bent hanger after I smashed my rear mech into a boulder.

rockmonkeysc

The Five rides nicely enough. It is overpriced though. The Specialized Stumpjumper feels very similar to the Zesty, is cheaper and comes with a better warranty.

supersonic

I find lots of bikes ride nicely, from £200 to £5000 - sometimes little bits make one better than another. Parts can make a big difference.

lawman

RockmonkeySC wrote:

The Five rides nicely enough. It is overpriced though. The Specialized Stumpjumper feels very similar to the Zesty, is cheaper and comes with a better warranty.

Cheaper? The Carbon Evo is 4 grand!! Barring the dropper post I'd say there's little difference between them, so add a reverb to a 514 and it will still undercut the spesh by a fair margin and as you say are similar in ride. The FSR comp evo is cheaper but the spec is no where near as good as the zesty, and neither are as nice looking as the 514 either. All 2013 specializeds seem massively overpriced imo.

supersonic

There is this:

http://www.leisurewheels.co.uk/products ... &vid=33006

andy_welch

Whether the Five is overpriced or other bikes are underpriced is a moot point, but the price of a full bike from Orange is higher than a number of its competitors. Frame prices are a bit closer, which reflects the limited purchasing power that Orange have in the component market. If you buy the frame and look out for clearance deals (or even a few second hand bits) you can easily build up a Five with a good spec for better than the full bike price from Orange.

It's also worth considering total cost of ownership, which will vary depending on how you ride and how long you tend to keep your bike etc. Last year's model from a lot of big names is often sold with heavy discounts, which drives down the second hand price. You don't really see any deals on '12 model Fives, for example. The cost of replacing bearings (and even full on refurbishments) can also be lower with an Orange.

Personally, if I were interested in a Five I'd be looking at a second hand model. You could buy it, ride it for a year then decide what you want to do. If you sell it on then you'll probably get most of your money back. If you decide you like it then you can send it to Orange who (for a couple of hundred quid) will respray it, fit new bearings, new decals and you'll have what looks and feels like a new frame.

tarbot18

andy_welch wrote:

Whether the Five is overpriced or other bikes are underpriced is a moot point, but the price of a full bike from Orange is higher than a number of its competitors. Frame prices are a bit closer, which reflects the limited purchasing power that Orange have in the component market. If you buy the frame and look out for clearance deals (or even a few second hand bits) you can easily build up a Five with a good spec for better than the full bike price from Orange.

It's also worth considering total cost of ownership, which will vary depending on how you ride and how long you tend to keep your bike etc. Last year's model from a lot of big names is often sold with heavy discounts, which drives down the second hand price. You don't really see any deals on '12 model Fives, for example. The cost of replacing bearings (and even full on refurbishments) can also be lower with an Orange.

Personally, if I were interested in a Five I'd be looking at a second hand model. You could buy it, ride it for a year then decide what you want to do. If you sell it on then you'll probably get most of your money back. If you decide you like it then you can send it to Orange who (for a couple of hundred quid) will respray it, fit new bearings, new decals and you'll have what looks and feels like a new frame.

What he said .......

For a lot of people an Ornage 5 is an aspirational bike a bit like bmw s and audi s used to be until every junior manager had one!

As andy says above orange 5 s dont date like other bikes as they arent changing them every year and as above a quick respray and it looks as good as new . Ive got mates with 10 year old orange s still going strong i dont know how much faith id have in a 10 year old lapierre carbon frame.!

Ye they cost more but then the frames are hand built in england which is important to some your always going to pay extra for that , ye they arent the lightest best specced for the money etc etc but then neither is a bmw , audi, merc but people buy them for their style, image and perceived build quality too.....

No i dont own one probably never will i couldnt justify owning a bike worth more than my car but good luck to you if your in the enviable position of looking at bikes for 3 grand.

rockmonkeysc

You pay more for a frame which has had bugger all spent on R&D or tooling over the last ten years. Being handbuilt in the UK isn't really a good thing, they do it better in Taiwan where they don't have to design frames which can be made using 1970's sheet metal tooling.

Thewaylander

What he said,

they are loud and expensive. horrible things.

lawman

Put it this way, if the Five was the same price as a Nukeproof mega, it would be a good bike for the money. But it isn't. Paying for the name and nothing more.

rockmonkeysc

At least the Mega has a slightly more sophisticated rear suspension design with the three stage linkage rate. I would pay more for the Mega than the Five.

lawman

RockmonkeySC wrote:

At least the Mega has a slightly more sophisticated rear suspension design with the three stage linkage rate. I would pay more for the Mega than the Five.

Exactly, you'd think that the simpler and dated design of the five being built in the uk would balance out against the more complicated but built over-seas Mega. Barring a few small tube and geometry changes, the five has been the same for the last decade. The trickle-down thing just hasn't happened, as it's getting older its getting more expensive.

andy_welch

I see we're back to the Five bashing again. Why? I just don't get it. If the Five doesn't appeal to you then fine, but why the need to rubbish other people's choices? It just makes it sound as though you are insecure about your own choice.

FWIW, after spending 8 months doing back to back rides on an older Five and a newer Trance I've concluded that the Five probably isn't for me. But the decision was a lot closer than a lot of the stuff spouted online would tend to suggest. Ultimately I found that the Orange was better when things got really nasty, but the Trance was better for the tamer stuff. So, for example, the Trance was faster up almost all climbs, but when it got stupidly steep and loose I found that I could get up stuff on the Five that I couldn't manage on the Trance. Similarly on the way down. The Five got better the harder it was pushed, but the Trance was better for the stuff that I actually have the nerve to enjoy. Basically, the Five was a better bike for the rider I'd like to be, but the Trance is a better bike for the rider I actually am.

rockmonkeysc

Must be something to do with the rising costs of whippets and flat caps.

Mccraque

I ride a Zesty 514 - albeit a model from yesteryear and I got a deal on a ride to work scheme. The spec on the current models is a little lower, but the frame is great and the rest upgradeable over time.

In terms of the ride - it does everything and does it very well. It climbs fast for a bike of such travel. The suspension is plush. You can really open it up and hammer the downhills with confidence.

the only downside to the zesty ride - although addressed slightly in more recent models, is the handling in very tight singletrack. Feels a little barge like in comparison with my hardtail. The flipside being that when the trail opens up it feels stable, planted and just glides. I am really happy with it.

My friend has the Canyon Nerve shown above. Again....he loves that. Amazing spec for the money, he really enjoys the ride and finds it a great do it all bike. His only gripe has been a few issues that took a little while for Canyon to resolve. A frame replacement being the first as the anodizing came off and secondly, the suspension pivot bolts loosened themselves off. He grumbled about the customer service of Canyon. But he is a bit of a fanny at times (sorry Chris if you are reading this) . I have another mate who owns a canyon who says he is really happy with the service he received at Canyon. So....guess it is who you believe.