reasons why you bought what you did?

looking through old photo's today I came across one of my old well not so old when it died just over 12 months old! Orange Prestige and remembered why I bought the GT Zaska

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv50 ... 1233511534

so I bought the Zaska as at the time they said it unbreakable and they were right

:shock: :shock: :shock: what happened??

No, that was an experimental cantilever framed roadster Orange made in the 90s. :roll:
Seriously, that looks awful, hope it didn't hurt too much.

fast down hill single track on cannock chase, had to slam the brakes on and then it was sky ground sky ground ground ground ......
my mate stood there and watch it happen
are you all right?

er yeah i think so? how's my bike

er .F###ed!

I was still clipped into the spd's as I lay there :? trying to work out what the hell went wrong? he told me the front end started to get over taken by the back wheel and then all hell broke loose, it appears that the tubes failed at the point of the double butting?
we were told that they heat the tube and stretch it out thinning the center but leaving the ends at the original thickness for strength? and it failed at the point where they stretched it? according to Orange at the time this was a one off? but a few weeks later at the Malvern classic we were at, a team riders bike failed in a similar way we were told and he was seen carrying it into their tent wrapped in his jersy

Thing is, bikes like the Prestige are at the very limits of what you can do with steel.
An Orange is a long held dream for me, but I'd much rather have a P7. Far easier to live with.