Orange bikes,why the hate?

The undecided

New Member
Aug 20, 2024
11
15
Scotland
Greetings
I’ve had a bit of a soft spot for Orange bikes for the same amount of time I’ve been engaged in my hobby of all things mountain bikes ie 20 years.
12 various other “analogue”mtbs later,I finally took the leap a few months ago to replace my pristine Orange Four with my first EMTB (and last ever bike-I’m getting on a bit and really burst my budget)with a Phase EVO LE which fortunately has proved to be THE ebike for what and where I ride with a real world practical wish list spec and truly fits me like the proverbial glove.
Ok,it might only have 55nm and a smallish non removable battery but once I got the assistance upped via the flow app and dialled in its amazing Fox Factory suspension it makes every run a ton of fun with its fantastic geometry and components .
A ff emtb wasn’t a practical proposition for me for various reasons.
My question is, are there just a very small number of Orange emtb owners/riders on forums due to imho a large dislike or less sales of this brand compared to other makes hence very few comments and reviews?
Is any hate honestly justified?
I’m not trying to be an ambassador for Orange by any means but all I mostly seem to hear about either on the internet or forums are about EVERY other make out there or am I missing something?🤔
Just to clarify, respect to whatever your choice of bike is, spread the ❤️

What’s your opinions?
 

S1mmo

Member
Aug 30, 2023
87
65
Yorkshire
I've owned many Orange bikes over the last 20 years and still have a Stage 6 and RX9.

When I was looking to buy an ebike last year I didn't even consider an Orange as I'm not a fan of how they look and at that time they were only using Shimano motors.

Orange have had some financial difficulties over the last 12 months and I really hope they can pull through as they've contributed a lot to mountain biking in the UK and there are some great people working there.
 

RustyMTB

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Jul 22, 2020
2,853
6,894
UK
Conflqating hate with popularity is a false equivalence. Don't know of many who hate anything much in the bike world, Orange though have stuck with swing arms as an article of faith forever & I imagine the market thinks there are more modern designs reflecting innovation & progression & votes with its wallet. Otherwise you'd see them all over the place.
 

Beaker2135

Well-known member
Subscriber
May 13, 2021
195
269
Cumbria
I’ve had a few Orange bikes P7, 3 Five and Alpine
The looks may be a bit Marmite but they are British built for British conditions ie maintaining 2 swing arm bearings versus 12 in my current bike is much less hassle
The price though is eye watering now
 

johnnystorm

Active member
Jun 19, 2023
97
109
Suffolk, UK
I'd ridden a mate's late 00's five and didn't like it much, hired an Alpine 160 in the Alps which was better but inevitably a tank. Last I rode was a 2017/18ish Four and that was a genuinely great bike to ride.
I think what I found off putting with their eBikes was the high price, the shimano motors and then coupled with a confusing range, it seemed like so many models all broadly having the same user in mind.
 

The Hodge

Mystic Meg
Subscriber
Sep 9, 2020
3,975
8,463
North West Northumberland
I like you Hodgey lad, you're a chancer. You speak your mind. Even when there's nothing in there, you'll still have a try.
You are funny 😁
Although I've " nothing in there" ..I can still recognise bollocks speak when I see and read it ..so please humour me and define the word " conflaqating" ...
as I'm utterly blinded by your grasp of the English language ..and use of a word I've yet to come across anywhere else. So referring back to my original question
" What does it even mean ?" 🤔
 

irie

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
May 2, 2022
2,625
2,688
Chichester, W.Sussex, UK
You are funny 😁
Although I've " nothing in there" ..I can still recognise bollocks speak when I see and read it ..so please humour me and define the word " conflaqating" ...
as I'm utterly blinded by your grasp of the English language ..and use of a word I've yet to come across anywhere else. So referring back to my original question
" What does it even mean ?" 🤔
Post was made on Saturday at 9:04 PM so alcohol and/or weed speak. Probably.
 

Tim1023

Well-known member
Aug 25, 2020
662
585
Hamburg, Germany
You are funny 😁
Although I've " nothing in there" ..I can still recognise bollocks speak when I see and read it ..so please humour me and define the word " conflaqating" ...
as I'm utterly blinded by your grasp of the English language ..and use of a word I've yet to come across anywhere else. So referring back to my original question
" What does it even mean ?" 🤔
I feel it necessary to mention that causation and correlation should not be conflated.
Cogito, ergo sum.
Quod erat demonstrandum.
Therefore someone / something won the argument. I think...
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum
 

Money Pit

New Member
Subscriber
Jan 27, 2024
74
50
UK
I didn't even consider orange when I bought my ebike because there just seemed to be an abundance of reviews on all sorts of alternative bikes from manufacturers who were in a better financial place than Orange.

I think if they were bosch motors they would have been given more attention. But I think the risk of shimano issues plus Orange financials put lots of people off.

Whyte seemed a better choice as far as British brands went.
 

Gavalar

Active member
Feb 4, 2019
353
227
UK
W
Greetings
I’ve had a bit of a soft spot for Orange bikes for the same amount of time I’ve been engaged in my hobby of all things mountain bikes ie 20 years.
12 various other “analogue”mtbs later,I finally took the leap a few months ago to replace my pristine Orange Four with my first EMTB (and last ever bike-I’m getting on a bit and really burst my budget)with a Phase EVO LE which fortunately has proved to be THE ebike for what and where I ride with a real world practical wish list spec and truly fits me like the proverbial glove.
Ok,it might only have 55nm and a smallish non removable battery but once I got the assistance upped via the flow app and dialled in its amazing Fox Factory suspension it makes every run a ton of fun with its fantastic geometry and components .
A ff emtb wasn’t a practical proposition for me for various reasons.
My question is, are there just a very small number of Orange emtb owners/riders on forums due to imho a large dislike or less sales of this brand compared to other makes hence very few comments and reviews?
Is any hate honestly justified?
I’m not trying to be an ambassador for Orange by any means but all I mostly seem to hear about either on the internet or forums are about EVERY other make out there or am I missing something?🤔
Just to clarify, respect to whatever your choice of bike is, spread the ❤️

What’s your opinions?
Well back in the day here in beautiful Yorkshire it was like it is now, now it's a choice of Samsung or Apple, similar back in the day with bikes, Orange or Pace,for me, Pace won every time, the quality of frames and forks, I had Pace Monsters on a Santa Cruz Super 8, their quality was simply far superior to anything that Orange offered, times move on, Pace is now more niche than it ever was, Orange, it has never tickled my pickle.
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,272
5,061
Scotland
Hmm....quite
Nice to read something from the planet plain speak ..instead of this tosh
"Conflqating hate with popularity is a false equivalence"😉😁..
What does that even mean?
I would need to google that c word I'm afraid or is it a made up wird ?. In fact I google a lot of words I read on this forum. And no digs about my Doric accent please.
 

Spin

Active member
Dec 24, 2021
197
243
Australia
I have owned 2 Oranges over the years , a 2003 sub 5 and a 2006 224 world cup. I still own them both and they are hanging in the shed. I repainted the 224 , it will spend the rest of its days as a wall hanging. Great memories of lots of race weekends and my fair share of podiums at state level races on the old girl.

I was disappointed to hear of the bankruptcy , but even more disappointed after watching this video. Its bad enough that this guys frame failed and he was very lucky , but even worse was the response from Orange Bikes.


 

timberjack

Member
May 20, 2023
4
6
Northumberland
I bought an Orange 5 in 2014 as I’d always wanted one and it didn’t disappoint, could ride stuff on it that I wouldn’t of dreamed of riding on my stump jumper, never let me down once, never even put any bearings in the suspension, all came to an end when I clipped someone’s back wheel and tore my rotator cuff and decided I was finished with mountain biking and it has hung in the shed ever since, fast forward to last year and an e bike beckoned and so the search began and I really wanted an orange but they didn’t look very good and where expensive so after a call to the Hodge after I spotted good deals on the Whyte I bought one and have to say I’m pleased with it
 

weiran

Member
Jul 8, 2023
17
20
UK
I have owned 2 Oranges over the years , a 2003 sub 5 and a 2006 224 world cup. I still own them both and they are hanging in the shed. I repainted the 224 , it will spend the rest of its days as a wall hanging. Great memories of lots of race weekends and my fair share of podiums at state level races on the old girl.

I was disappointed to hear of the bankruptcy , but even more disappointed after watching this video. Its bad enough that this guys frame failed and he was very lucky , but even worse was the response from Orange Bikes.


Yep that failure and response from Orange has put me off their products for life.
 

Binhill1

🍊 Tango Man 🍊
Mar 7, 2019
3,272
5,061
Scotland
I had an Orange Aluminium elite in the 90s never got charged for buying it for some strange reason, stolen a year later claimed on house insurance cracking bike. I broke a Marin frame and a Rocky Mountain one both replaced no issues. Luck of the draw warranties i think. I had wear in my headset a year and a half ago on carbon Levo Expert , my fault as probably ridden with play in it. Replaced no issues. . Interesting video that one a very lucky chap , as he says its slowed him down a bit probably always will..
 

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