Getting close to buying one of these now. Does anyone out there own one....How do they ride and what are they capable of. I ride all the new normal stuff (trail centres / lakes / Peaks with the odd trip to the Alps).
How does the fork ride with it being bolt through....is there a noticable difference?
Also thought about the Patriot Excel due to my lardy 15 stone frame. But not sure it would be right for all day epics.
I've got something similar in so far that I have a 2007 with a Talas 36 that I have built over time in an AM style it's not directly like for like on the components.
The bolt through makes a big difference to the front end and the feeling of stability especially through corners. With 160mm up front the Five still climbs fine and and off course heads down very well too.
Mine is just over 30lbs and has become a stunning piece of kit, only recently done the Talas upgrade with bolt through but so far so good, don't think you will be disappointed
I ran an Orange 5 for a year with a 150mm bolt thru Marzocchi.The descending was improved with a bolt thru,but the length of the fork threw the geometry out.Ended up with very little front end feel and the steering was very vague.Tried a 120mm fork and the feel and precision came back,also the climbing ability.
How forge runs a 160mm fork without it riding like a chopper i don't know.
I've ridden a Patriot as well and the extra rear travel isn't needed,its down to the fork.
On a forum someone once said that if they had to ride an Orange 5 for the rest of their life they would give up mountainbiking,and thats my feelings about the bike.
I have no issues with how it rides and it is nothing like a Chopper and is very stable and plenty fast enough. I certainly wouldn't run 120mm on it, and it climbs fine at 130mm and 160mm travel.
Everyone is entitled to their opinions and what suits one rider doesn't necessarily suit another, out of interest what do you ride now to replace your Orange?
You're right forge,plenty of people ride and test 5's and think they are great,but it just didn't suit me,although it was my third full suspension Orange.
I only ran a 120 fork to test if the longer fork was causing the problems i mentioned,and it was.Even with a 120 fork i could not get the handlebars level or even below the seat height and this made climbing extremely inefficient.
I now have a Giant Reign,and without the bolt-thro'the descending is not as sure footed,but the steering feel and precision is far superior.The climbing is excellent,with the rear suspension system giving excellent grip.The frame finish is far superior too.The Giant was also cheaper and better specced.
The lacquer on my 5 was really soft and you could peel it off with your fingernail.Also the stickers were as cheap as you could get,and fell off at the first sign of water. At the moment i will leave the fork as it is as i think the weight of the bike is just right.
A lightweight bolt thro' such as the Manitou nixon air breaks when you lift it out of the box so i think i will stay with the Fox Float for now.
I was seriously contemplating an Orange 5 too. I rode a Pro model a while back and found it to be a really good all rounder. What you say about the paint and sticker quality is a bit worrying though BobaJob. I thought the quality assurance at the Halifax factory was meant to be second to none? Also what's the difference between the Pro that I rode and the AM version?
AM has more travel and more all mountain biased components. The paint finish on mine isn't bad it's just not awesome, but when compared to say an on-one though it's much better. Trouble is a mountain bike gets scratched and damaged pretty quick so I wouldn't worry
Harri,as far as i know the Am has a more relaxed head angle.Orange steepened the head angle on the 5 when 140 forks were starting to be used.With a steeper head angle and longer forks this raised the front end up and this was my issue on my first post.
A paint sprayer friend looked at the lacquer on my frame and said it was very soft,similar to the type used on car bumpers.After one years use the underside of the downtube looked a complete mess with the lacquer peeling away.I had to sell the frame cheap because of its appearance.The finish on my Giant is first class,and after a few months hard use still looks like new.
of the five orange riders i know non of them have had problems with the powder coating, i actually think its very durable. on the other hand the clear laquer on my old evo 2 was quite poor. maybe you had a bad batch bobajob.
"On a forum someone once said that if they had to ride an Orange 5 for the rest of their life they would give up mountainbiking,and thats my feelings about the bike."
Thats a hell of a thing to say 'bout what's meant to be a class leading bike. There must be a host of Orange 5 riders out there. Does this statement relate to you at all? Come on guys, stick up for your choice of ride here!
I am sure there are others but I love the way my Five rides and it makes me ride more not less. But as discussed here do your research as one bike that suits me 100% might not suit another.
Harri,before you part with lots of money try to ride as many different bikes as you can,whether its from a shop or your mates bikes.Not just a spin around a car park either.The 5 was not right for me and its an expensive mistake to make if its not right for you either.Not many people put their hands up and say they bought the wrong bike or even criticise their own purchase.
I have ridden a Patriot as well and i didn't like that either ,so maybe the Orange "experience" isn't for me.
If I had to ride one bike for the rest of my life, it would be the Orange 5.
My Kona Coiler slopestyle custom is one of the best bikes I've ever ridden, it's stiff, stable and solid. But the 5 is more lively and feels more controllable at speed.
It's not the best climbing bike I've ever ridden, but it gets the job done without too much fuss.
It's when you point it back down the hill that it excels, and it always makes me smile.
It seems to allow me to retain speed almost effortlessly. And I get a sense of always knowing where the limit of traction is. I can brake later, and throw it into rough rocky, rooty corners aggressively and look for the exit and it slings me out on the right line with very little loss of speed.
I don't even own one yet. But I'm working on it.
I'll keep the Kona for the bigger stuff though, and kit the Orange frame out with my short travel kit from the Kona. (Pikes, 19omm i2i float R custom shock, Bulb/ 321 wheelset Mono mini brakes etc.)
On mine the handlebars are below or level with the seat.
