More exciting than Christmas morning, waiting to come home to that delivery.
After a fair few years on my 2010 Orange Five it was time for change. The forks were feeling tired, but upgrades were limited by 1 1/8 steerer; I wanted to give tubeless ago, but 27.5 was now all the rage and the rear hub was cracked so a new bike was the most sensible option. Well that’s the story I’m sticking with.
So I decided to stick with Orange. I really liked the five, it could do anything and go anywhere. The new one is quite similar, but slightly longer, slacker head angle and a steeper seat angle. These changes really make a difference. From the limited time I’ve had on it, it feels perfect. Point it through a rough patch and get off the brakes and it will pull you through.
The 27.5 wheels are something I didnt think I would notice. The speed you can carry is such an added bonus. Tubeless tyres are also something that really improve the feel across the ground. Hard to describe, but it feels like you’re stuck to the ground rather than bouncing over it.
The model chosen was the factory with a few small changes.
- Forks: orange 34 factory 140mm
- Brakes: hope tech 3 e4
- Shock: fox float evol
- Wheels: Hope pro4 with Easton arc 27 rims
- Tyres: minion dhf and High roller 2 rear
- Seat post: reverb stealth 150mm drop
- Cranks: race face sixc
- Mech: Sram xo 11 speed
- Chain guide: gamut trail sxr
- Bars: gamut cillos tr
- Stem: gamut cillos 50mm
- Grips: odi Troy lee
- Pedals: gamut podium
Brakes with all the adjustment you could need. Taking a while to get these where I want them, but they pack so much power and great feel.
These forks are such a step up from my previous 2010 32s. Can really notice them tracking a lot better.
The 11 speed seems a bit excessive to be honest. However, having that bail out gear is a nice bonus.
Carbon cranks, a bit of a luxury. Gamut guide with taco. Wanted a bit of protection to protect the chain ring for when out coaching and guiding to limit any potential damage. Gamut guides are the best on the market too.
30t chainring seems just about right. Used to run 32 but the 30 saves a but of energy on the hills. Gamut will have cinch compatible rings by July so will get it switched out.
I have never put my foot on nicer pedals. Just look at the thought that’s gone into these. Hollow pins to increase grip and allows them to breakaway easier without damaging the body. Tapered leading edge to limit damage of strikes.
I didn’t like the 35mm stem that came on the bike, so swapped out for the Gamut cillos. Lovely looking stem and so light. The bars are 760mm and feel really nice so don’t think they’ll be getting cut down.
So far so good. Absolutely loving this bike. It feels so balanced and I haven’t even got the setup dialled in yet.
Big thanks to Orange Bikes and Gamut for sorting me out!
Total Guiding 