Orange 5 Frame Limits

grantway
grantway Posts: 1,430
edited August 2008 in MTB general
Hi Guys

Just wanted to know if anyone has taken the 5 frame to its limits
and what was they riding when they or nearly did?
How high was your Drop offs and Jumps etc.

Comments

  • zero303
    zero303 Posts: 1,162
    I suspect not even close - although I've had enough crashes to make me glad I didn't buy the Cannondale Rush 4 Carbon...
  • grantway
    grantway Posts: 1,430
    Zero is that from your trips to Cwn Carn and what grade of trail
    and place you stacked it ?
  • zero303
    zero303 Posts: 1,162
    Cwmcarn in various places, the worst and most recent being the Afan's Whites level black run, came piling into the rock garden at the end (never done it, didn't know what was coming).

    Managed the first two drops fine but lost momentum for the last one, saddle poked me forward as well, dropped the big ring against the edge of the slab and went over the bars - being clipped in, pulled the bike down the trail with me and slammed the top tube into a rock - slightly scuffed the paint, that was all!
  • Andy B
    Andy B Posts: 8,115
    I've dropped about 2-3ft to transition & jumped about 2ft off the top of a 3ft jump to transition, no problem.

    Just a small one here:
    2613946890_1b5d39a288.jpg

    I suspect I'm nowhere near the frame's limit with that jump ;)
    2385861000_d125abe796_m.jpg
  • grantway
    grantway Posts: 1,430
    Nice pic Andy_B :wink:

    I have done 3 ft jump off and drops and Freeride and Downhill on it.
    But was advised by Orange to be carful or il kill it?
    What is the AM version for LOL

    Was told by Lesiure Lakes (Bury) that you could do 10 ft drops
    hss long as you get both wheels down at same time would be ok?

    I thought there was more than Three Orange 5 owners on here
    Wheres the input guys!!!
  • BlackSpur
    BlackSpur Posts: 4,228
    There is really no way to specify the amount of abuse it can take with size of drops/jumps etc. It really depends on each individual jump, the terrain and the landing - saying you land with both wheels on the ground at the same time isn't really good enough. I would say be sensible with it. Whilst it's renowned for being a tough trail/AM frame, it's still a trail/AM frame and certainly not in the same league as freeride or DH frames.
    "Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling." ~James E. Starrs
  • grantway wrote:

    I thought there was more than Three Orange 5 owners on here
    Wheres the input guys!!!

    We're all hiding from yeehaamcgee!
  • PhilSm
    PhilSm Posts: 21
    Perhaps it's because it's an impossible question to answer ??

    How do you define "limits" - is it what you've got away with and not broken it, in which case how close was that to the limit. Or is it whether you've broken it ? and if so
    was that *just* over the limit, or miles over ??

    Also, a lardy rider smacking the bike down from 2ft with straight legs is going to exert a whole lot more stress on the bike than a whippet landing from 6ft and absorbing the imapct with his legs as well as the suspension.

    I'm not trying to be an ar$e, just wondering what sort of answer you were expecting.

    Cheers,
    Phil.
    Shiny new Orange 5
    c1995 Rock Lobster Titanium custom built over many years with the best bits I could afford at that time.
    c1992 Orange C16R, now with all the old bits upgraded above :D
  • grantway
    grantway Posts: 1,430
    edited August 2008
    PhilSm Limits is what it is IE taking the 5 frame to its Limits
    and what the rider have done.

    But if some want to say what they have done then thats cool with me

    Me personaly just intrested in how far have owners have taken the bike.
  • 4 ft drops no prob - but totally depends on the landing. Downslope landings much easier on the bike compared to flat ones. It never seems out of it's depth to me though.
  • zero303
    zero303 Posts: 1,162
    It never seems out of it's depth to me though.

    This would probably apply to all the other longer travel trail bikes but yeah, I seem to get out of my depth before the bike does lol...
  • Nice photo, Andy B.
    zero303 wrote:
    This would probably apply to all the other longer travel trail bikes but yeah, I seem to get out of my depth before the bike does lol...

    Yeh, it almost felt like a DH bike to me on the 1st ride, after years of riding hardtails with steep head angles...!

    We find a lot of people have the 'out of my depth' feeling. It's cure-able tho (if that's a word...) We do skills coaching at a level to suit - as do a good few other companies around the country. A day of coaching gives really noticeable improvements to most people's riding.

    Obviously I'm biased, but I'd say a Five is a lot of bike waiting to be used to it's full potential...
  • I would think that other components would give up before the frame, ie forks, rear shock bottom bracket, hubs. Sure the 5 is a strong frame, but it would depend on the full spec of the bike as to what you can get out of the frame.
    If it helps I've dropped in on mine from high enough to bottom everything out and cause pain in my neck, but the bike was fine.
  • I would think that other components would give up before the frame, ie forks, rear shock bottom bracket, hubs. Sure the 5 is a strong frame, but it would depend on the full spec of the bike...

    Yeh, totally agree - I like the TALAS forks, but you get the feeling they'd give up before the frame. Hard to say how much the shock would put up with.

    Also, a huge amount depends on riding style - I'm about 13 stone, but I ride light - for me it gets me down DHs faster, when you think about it, the more you work the suspension, the more momentum you lose. But the point being if you ride light, a drop of X amount or a rock garden etc won't put as much stress on the frame. Pretend there's no suspension! Then when you really need it the bike's not already at it's limits. Your arms & legs have more travel than a DH bike.
  • grantway
    grantway Posts: 1,430
    Very true and very nice with the Talas 36 r's up front

    Just wandering to put the rear air shock on the patriot on my bike.
    But i love the pro pedal on the RP23 just a fab shock.
  • Just looked at the Orange site - the shock length on the Five is 190mm. On the Patriot it can be 190 or 215mm so you'd need to check the lenghth if you're moving a shock from a Patriot to a Five.
  • grantway
    grantway Posts: 1,430
    swithcback what would be the advantage if I had changed this against
    the Fox RP23

    You have the best job on the planet mate :wink:
  • grantway wrote:
    swithcback what would be the advantage if I had changed this against
    the Fox RP23

    You have the best job on the planet mate

    Thanks, 1st job I've had that I like! It's about time...

    I would think that if the Patriot can use the same shock length as the Five, you might get more travel with the Patriot shock - if it has a longer stroke, but if the extra travel may come from the shock placement. If that's the case the advantage would be just a more heavy duty shock. No idea what this would do to the warranty...
    This is all slight guesswork, but I reckon logical.
  • grantway
    grantway Posts: 1,430
    Thank you for that strong advice, I did see a 5 on there owners site with
    this rear shock on which made me start thinking.
    Is the Patriot shock just set at fully open?

    Is it your own business ?
  • grantway wrote:
    Thank you for that strong advice, I did see a 5 on there owners site with
    this rear shock on which made me start thinking.
    Is the Patriot shock just set at fully open?

    Is it your own business ?

    Couldn't find that photo on the orange site, but there were millions of them.
    Not sure how you'd set up the shock - the leverage on the 2 different frames might be different.

    Yeh, Chasing Trails is run/owned by me & Chrissy. There's an about us page with a bit of info.

    We do a range of different stuff - skills courses, hols, local guiding & maintenance courses. Both of us are MBL qualified with the SMBLA scheme.
  • grantway
    grantway Posts: 1,430
    Switchback18 Is that run only up around the areas you do the week breaks?
  • grantway wrote:
    Switchback18 Is that run only up around the areas you do the week breaks?

    We usually do the skills & maintenance courses locally.
    Skills courses are normally at Dalby Forest or we do 7stanes weekend/weekday courses using Kirroughtree & Dalbeattie.
    Maintenance courses are run in Scarborough.
    We can give you a price to run skills/maintenance courses anywhere you like - would be much more economical if you're booking as a group rather than 1 to 1.
    Guiding is North York Moors area.

    Hope that's the info you were after. If you want more details on anything, feel free to send us a PM or e-mail via the website.
  • hucking_fell
    hucking_fell Posts: 1,056
    I've done all the main stuff at Kinoull Hill, Perth, Scotland on my 5.

    The most demanding on the bike is a small road gap, 12ft across 6ft down onto a gentle (almost flat) downslope of less than 2 bike lengths.

    The triple (jump) is bigger but with a smoother/longer landing, it becomes a step-up if you come short. Maybe 20ft if you make the landing.

    I'm not as quick down the hill as on my Bighit yet.

    I had the rear shock at a higher pressure than usual for doing DH stuff though.

    No worries about the frame.

    Just keep it smooth and it'll be fine :D
    More freerange chicken than Freeride God
    Bighit , 5 , BFe
  • Yukon Lad
    Yukon Lad Posts: 423
    better than pretend, see what happens on a rigid when there really is no suspension :lol: just in case there are some total muppets reading this, unless you are extremley skilled do NOT TRY THIS

    (i accept NO responsibility for any damage, injury or death to any people, veichles or equipment under any circumstances whatsoever resulting to anybody who acts on the sarcastic suggestion i have made)

    Yukon Lad :D
    Drop, Berm, Jump, Sky, Sky, Sky, Sweet Beautiful Earth OUCH, OUCH,OUCH, ****! GORSE BUSH!!!

    Giant Yukon FX2
    Kona Stab Deluxe 2008