Orange Five - Any good?

[Gilhooligan]

Not that it’s particularly important, but looks play a big part in choosing a bike for me. IMO the Orange frames look pretty ugly, that swing arm design isn’t nice and seems at odds with the rest of the rest of the frame.

[Sa Calobra]

One thing Ive found is the uglier the bike the better it rides! When designers concentrate on aesthetics they forget the most important bit!

I've bought on looks before and fallen well foul.

[PaulD86]

Sa Calobra said:

One thing Ive found is the uglier the bike the better it rides! When designers concentrate on aesthetics they forget the most important bit!

I've bought on looks before and fallen well foul.

Does that extend to colour schemes, I wonder? Some of the latest Santa Cruz colour options are absolutely horrendous but I'm told they ride well

[Gilhooligan]

Sa Calobra said:

One thing Ive found is the uglier the bike the better it rides! When designers concentrate on aesthetics they forget the most important bit!

I've bought on looks before and fallen well foul.

You might be into something. I remember when that Polygon Square One enduro thing came out.

[P-Jay]

Sa Calobra said:

One thing Ive found is the uglier the bike the better it rides! When designers concentrate on aesthetics they forget the most important bit!

I've bought on looks before and fallen well foul.

If that was true, this would have been the best DH bike to have ever existed, and not the complete turd it was

[AndrewEH1]

P-Jay said:

If that was true, this would have been the best DH bike to have ever existed, and not the complete turd it was

Wow, how short is the wheelbase on that!

Times have certainly changed!

[P-Jay]

AndrewEH1 said:

P-Jay said:

If that was true, this would have been the best DH bike to have ever existed, and not the complete turd it was

Wow, how short is the wheelbase on that!

Times have certainly changed!

Yep, and Cove were known for doing the whole long n' slack thing before anyone else! Although perhaps not with the peeler.

[Sa Calobra]

P-Jay said:

Sa Calobra said:

One thing Ive found is the uglier the bike the better it rides! When designers concentrate on aesthetics they forget the most important bit!

I've bought on looks before and fallen well foul.

If that was true, this would have been the best DH bike to have ever existed, and not the complete turd it was

That has the look of a £100 catalogue special.

Back in the say I owned a Rocky Mountain RM9


But ugly and terrible suspension.

[PH5121]

Thanks for the feed back on Orange Fives.

Unfortunately the money I had stashed for a new bike has been earmarked elsewhere due to unforseen circumstances. So yet again my ambition of getting a new bike is on hold.

It's not all bad though, I had a ride at Dalby Forest with my youngest lad on Friday and I still enjoy riding my old Marin.

At this rate I'll probably end up keeping it until something terminal breaks on it, as in the last couple of years I've spent £300 on repairs and replacing worn out bits.
Another £100 needs spending on new tyres and handle bar grips. It's money I could put to a new bike and I've been holding off getting them, but the old parts are worn out.

I need to spend more time pedalling and lose some lard, rather than spending the time obsessing about what new(er) shiny bike I'd like to get that I cannot afford!

Edited by PH5121 on Monday 5th November 11:38

[Sa Calobra]

I always found the best way to a new bike was frame swapping into either a mint secondhand or 0% on non carbon.

[mikey P 500]

Ebay has lots of old 26" wheel size full suspension bike frames, I'm sure you could pick up an older orange 5 frame for very little and swap over the marin parts to build up a bike.