I have owned this bike now since the start of summer 2013 as I made sure I was one of the first to get myself hold the brand new Orange five. I can now say I am a complete convert to the 29er and don’t think I will be going back anytime soon. At first, like most, I was skeptical until I actually got my leg over a big wheeler in the form of a short travel Cube AMS 120 thanks to the Trail Head Bicycle company in Shrewsbury. I loved it, it ate the trail up with grace and felt perfect for all day rides and it cornered surprisingly despite my initial opinion. I took some risk after demoing the Cube and dove straight in with the Orange five as on paper it seemed to offer everything I could hope for from a bike. Now, I like to ride everything from all day XC epics to hitting up the down hill tracks in my local woods at home and at university so I demand a lot of diversity from a bike and the Orange looked like the perfect bike for the job.
The Set up:
I’m not going to lie, when the bike first arrived, there were some components I had to rid off instantly. The Race bar and stem combo were quality, but I prefer a wider bar as it helps lever the wheel round more easily which is definitely needed on a 29er. I replaced the Race Face with a Renthal bar and stem combo initially using the Fat Bar, but now using the new carbon Fat Bar Lite to save a little weight and improve the feel of the cock pit. On the 29er I personally ran the stem as low on the steerer as I could to bring the front end again to improve handling and the overall feel of the bike. Other than the cockpit I was impressed with how Orange specced the bike. The Kashima Fox 34 and float CTD shock are the perfect combination offering a plush ride and loads of adjust-ability. Orange chose the Shimano SLX brakes paired with 180mm rotors which offer excellent stopping power with agreat feeling lever allowing last minute braking to get every bit of speed out of the trail. The Conti Rubber Queens were good tyres and offered ample grip on most trails, however I found they didn’t perform too well in sloppy conditions which was when I turned to the new WTB Vigilantes which are a great all round tyre for winter and summer use. Over the summer I made some more changes to the bike which just improved the overall ride. Firstly, I swapped out the triple ring set up and opted for a 33t Renthal ring which is light yet strong and reliable. The single ring is coupled up with an MRP G2 guide and a 10 speed XT clutch mech for a silent and confidence inspiring ride. After a horrendous crash in Scotland, Kirroughtree, one of the seven stains I had to replace the rear mech and rear rim. I ended up opting for the Shimano Zee clutch producing an even quieter ride, being a short cage, and a Stans Flow rim for strength and reliability.
Geometry wise Orange are spot on, after years developing the five, they have produced a bike that can take on the gnarliest of trails you can throw at it. I am around 5ft 10-11 and the bike fits like a glove feeling like you are sat in the bike rather than on top. The head angle of 66.5 is ideal for this bike allowing it to be stable at speed while not being so slack that it ruins the handling. It allows you to have fun and really slam it into every corner as it feels so confident. The top tube is plenty long leaving lots of room to move around on technical descents yet it still allows for a comfortable riding position for long climbs. To accommodate the large wheel the chain stay is longer than a 26″ frame and also some of its rivals such as the Santa Cruz Tallboy. However, this hasn’t been a major issue for me on most trails apart from the tightest single track where you really need to swing the back end through the corners.
The sum of all these parts does not make for a light build coming in at around 32 pounds so it is never going to be a cross country whippet if that’s what your after. It does however make for a bomb proof trail bike that will get you up the climbs but get you to the bottom with a huge grin at warp speed. I’m sure a Five 29 can be built much lighter as my bike has heavy brakes, wheels and cranks. It may be more sensible buying frame only and speccing it to your liking.
The Ride:
Contrary to a lot of riders I didn’t buy this bike for the climbing gains and I’m glad I didn’t. I don’t feel this bike climbs any better on fire roads than any other 26″ bike I have ever ridden, but it does excel on the steep technical climbs as grip can always be found on the slippiest rock due to the big wheels having a larger footprint. The Orange gives me the confidence to go as fast as I dare and stay off the brakes. The motive for taking the step up to big wheels was the amount of grip available in corners. You can rail this bike round most corners with the fear of sliding out. Over braking bumps, rocks and roots the larger wheel excels allowing you to skip over them gaining plenty miles and grins per hour!
A lot of people ‘diss’ the 29er saying “well doesn’t that make the trail to easy then?”. The clear answer is no! I believe you can push your limit further and go even faster and surely going faster does not make the trail any less easier you just have to push harder.
In terms of fun this bike is awesome. To me fast is fun and that is exactly what the Orange is, but for a 29er it feels surprisingly good in the air and off drops making it a great bike to play around in the woods with. People often slate me for buying the Five just because the fact it’s a 29er and they believe it must ride terribly, but when I ask if they have ridden a proper 29er they most often say no. I urge everyone who is against big wheels to just try one like the Orange and you may just be surprised. Out of my riding buddies not one of them said ” that’s rubbish it can’t corner” they all came away saying they were surprised how good it felt. It is personal preference, but don’t write 29ers off if you’re looking for a new bike and try not give in to all the stigma surrounding them.
Trust me, it’s a great feeling when you catch up and overtake the most die hard 29 haters and open their minds up that perhaps big wheels aren’t all that bad.
Yes, the Orange Five 29 does have it’s limits, but for me, my riding style and demands it’s a brilliant trail/enduro bike and if your in the market for a new bike you should seriously consider it.
Check out Iz it Cuz I Iz 29? on vimeo to see my Orange in action!
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