The Five accelerates quickly – and maintains blistering speeds.
This rig lends itself to a wide range of uses; trails, downhill and Enduro.
'Flickable’ is a term that's often used to refer to the Five’s snappy handling.
Due to its single-pivot construction, the Five was easy to maintain and clean.
Anti-squat has been improved, meaning less bob while pedaling.
The pivot has been widened by 5mm either side, increasing stiffness.
For the indomitable aluminum beast that it is, the Five is lightweight.
Suspension progression has been increased over previous models.
Updated geometry features a slacker, 65° head-angle.
Tubing is sized to specifically fit frame sizes.
Cable routing has been rethought to give a cleaner look and feel.
The Orange Five now has bottle bosses on the underside of the downtube.
The 210mm Fox Float DPX2 Factory rear shock has 5mm more than the previous model.

6 reasons not to buy

Riders experienced pedal kickback on very rough terrain.
The lockout needed to be used on flats with harder pedaling.
With bosses being on the underside of the downtube, bottles got dirty.
One reviewer felt the Five was expensive for an alloy bike.
A relatively slack seat-tube angle made long climbs tiring for one expert.
The Five demanded close rider attention to avoid unforgiving responses on sketchy trails.

Bottom line

Orange’s Five has maintained a cult following for almost 20 years. Pros and enthusiastic amateurs love the bike for being fast, fun and engaging. But it is that ‘engagement’ that comes at a certain cost. According to experts, you need to concentrate closely when aboard the Five, unless you want to experience some repercussions in the form of kickback. Even though the rear shock’s lockout needed to be used on fast-pedaling flats, most riders didn’t mind because it offered so much extra comfort overall. This is the latest model in a simple, fast, high-performance design that continues to delight and impress thrillseekers.

Level 5 expert

Those who chase reliable trail performance are drawn in by its simple single pivot design and won over by its fun-loving attitude and do-it-all riding character.

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