2006 orange five - advice please

[sausagefingers]

i've been offered an orange five at,what seems to be a very good price.with the spec that's on it i think it is a 2005/6,rockshox revelations and manitou swinger.i know the newer model has received excellent reviews but are the older ones still considered good bikes and are the manitou a good rear shock?
due to my (wife's) policy of no more than two bikes - i know,i know- it would mean me selling my klein which i have only had for two minutes so i don't want to sell that to find out i've bought a pup.
advice needed asap cos if i go for it i shall have to shift the attitude this weekend
cheers

 

[Andy B]

I had an '06 Orange 5 (last one with the straight top tube)

Excellent bike, won loads of awards in the mags. I loved mine, they are very capable bikes and will give you a huge grin on your face as you nail the singletrack and descents, they climb OK too

The manitou Swinger 3 way is a good shock, but not as good as the now benchmark for air shocks (at a reasonable price) Fox RP23 that I had on my '07 Orange 5

I also had RS Revelation forks on my '06 Orange 5, very good forks

If it's in good nick and the price is right, it is a great bike

It's worth asking the seller if the shock and fork have been serviced.

Any pics of the bike?

 

[sausagefingers]

thanks for the reply andy,much appreciated.
no pics i'm afraid,it's being sold by someone who used to come out with us now and again and i haven't seen him for ages so can't really remember too much about the bike.i've spoken to him on the phone and without having the bike in front of him he can't even remember what parts are on his own bike .
i heard he was going to put it on ebay with a rediculously low buy it now and thought if it's any good then i'm having it
it's all a bit sudden and i'm going to have to be quick but i didn't want to panic buy and regret it later.
if i go and have a look,is there anything i should be looking at particularly?
thanks again

 

[Andy B]

No issues that I know of with the '06 fives, they're pretty bombproof frames

As usual check suspension bearings for play, fork and shocks for wear on the stantions, drivetrain wear & tear etc...

You can still get replacement bearings for the swing arm from Orange & very probably your local bearing supplier

You will also be able to get some decals from Orange if you supply them with the frame number (might not be the same year decals, but hey new decals make a bike look much better)

You can also get a full respray from Orange too at a reasonable price

I just sold my fully built '07 five for ~£1100, so depending on condition & spec that may give you an idea of what a full bike may be worth (link in my past bikes part of my sig to that bike)

 

[sausagefingers]

thanks again andy,
you don't work for orange do you?
i think my mind was made up before but you've convinced me now,looks like i'll take the plunge.
anyone want a klein attitude? very,very cheap

cheers,mick

 

[Andy B]

thanks again andy,
you don't work for orange do you?
i think my mind was made up before but you've convinced me now,looks like i'll take the plunge.
anyone want a klein attitude? very,very cheap

cheers,mick

No prob

No I don't work for Orange, wish I did (I am in the bike trade though)

 

[sausagefingers]

just been on the phone to the guy who is selling the bike and he seems to think it's a newer model than 2006 as it has the bent top tube :?
i thought that when orange revamped the five with the bent top tube that they stopped using the manitou swinger and upgraded the rear shock to the fox unit and put fox forks on the front or am i totally wrong?won't be the first time

 

[Andy B]

Bent top tube is from '07 onwards

They did use a Manitou shock on some '07 models

Don't think a Revelation fork was an option on the '07 range, the Recon fork maybe & Fox deffo

 

[sausagefingers]

thanks for the info andy,
going for a look at it tomorrow,and probably making a bid at it , so at least i've got a better idea of what i'm looking at now

cheers,mick

 

[the_duke]

I also have an 05/06 bike with flat top tube.

Put simply it is still awesome today, I have the same manitou rear shock but fox forks. I also upgraded to the Hope pack at the time, wheels and brakes.

As has been said the rear shock isnt as effective as the more modern fox units but when you are flying though the trails you dont notice that much