Team Tested: Orange Alpine Five Review

I have wanted to test an Orange Alpine Five for some time now, and when I was offered the opportunity to join in the Swiss Epic, a 300km six day stage race from Verbier to Zermatt, with 8000m of climbing and 13,000m of descending it seemed like the perfect opportunity to test the Alpine Five in the kind of terrain it was named after. So for six long days, I climbed, descended and toiled aboard an Alpine Five RS, some days ticking off over 90km of riding and 2000m of climbing. After bonding with the Five on the steep mountains of the Swiss Valais region, I got to know the RS intimately.

The £3500 Alpine Five RS is the ‘top of the range’ redesign of the Orange Five 29er, developed to meet the requirements of an experienced enthusiast rider, and built with a spec that most of us would choose off the shelf. The build is all top quality with the class leading Pike RCT3 fork up front, working in harmony with the Monarch Plus rear shock. Shimano XT brakes are always a popular addition, and the cockpit should serve as a lesson for the rest of the industry with a Kore 800mm bar and 50mm stem. The drive is 1×10 with a 32T Race Face narrow/wide chainring and an MRP top guide and bash guard to keep everything in place.

When it comes to hard-charging 29ers, strong wheels are key to a good ride, and Orange have chosen to lace Mavic 319 rims onto Hope Pro 2 hubs, a slightly heavy, but good choice for those looking for reliability and ease of service. Frame sizing is realistic, the Medium bike we tested was big enough for a 5’11” rider and even with the short stem as supplied, offered ample room in the top tube for comfortable climbing and stable descending.

While there are certainly more sophisticated suspension platforms out there, the Alpine Five is a triumph of good geometry. From the first pedal stroke it is obvious that the Alpine Five is all about fun, and the more you ride and trust it, the more it rewards. Rolling effortlessly from one carving turn to the next, the Alpine Five loves to be leant over, hitting smooth apexes at crazy speeds. Off the brakes the momentum the RS can carry through turns is breathtaking, mainly down to the well proven balance and geometry, it is very agile, but never nervous. If you stay central within the bike, its low and planted centre of gravity exhibits exemplorary stability through turns and over rough ground. When you get onto the steep or tight sections, a small weight shift forwards up over the bars unlocks the rear of the bike, allowing you to slide and drift in total control. It is a big bike and I thought it would struggle in the alpine swtchbacks, but the Five darted through at speed, the rear wheel flicking into line almost unconsciously and totally predictably.

A number of big 1000m road climbs revealed that the Alpine Five is a competent ascender, more of a sit and spin machine and not the fastest on the climbs, but certainly no slouch for a bike of its travel. Engaging climb mode on the Monarch Plus was essential to avoid pedal bob, but once done, there was very little unwanted movement through the suspension. The 600mm effective top tube on the size Medium provides a comfortable positon and the 1×10 drive train with 30T chain ring is enough to get you up most hills.

It is a noisy beast when charging through roots or rocky sections, the Five had a distinctive racket with the big monocoque swingarm amplifying chatter from the whirling chain. Many riders wrap the swingarm in innertube or use a neoprene sleeve, and this should surely be supplied as standard, still it is a cheap and easy fix. Despite being a smooth performer, the bike is still a single pivot and suffers from the characteristic ‘brake jack’ a stiffening of the rear suspension when hard on the rear brake. It does not have a big impact on performance, but makes you reel it in a little if the terrain is both rough and steep. There is a little flex that can be felt in the swingarm when loaded up, but the rear tracks well through the turns, and there is no vagueness, heavier riders may find this more of a problem. At 32.5lbs (14.8kg) the Alpine Five is carrying a bit of bulk, of course weight could be saved with lighter tyres, but that would go against the ‘take it all on’ nature of the bike, and after 300km and 8000m of climbing it did ride like a lighter bike

Bottom Line

The over used rationale for an Orange Five is that it is the ‘reliable’ choice, and with just 2 bearings and good sealing, that is certainly the case, however that does the Alpine Five a disservice, for it is also brilliantly fun to ride, with very intuitive handling. The Alpine Five is easy to understand and get the best out of, and will make you feel like a hero every time you let it run off the brakes. There are more sophisticated bikes out there, but if you want a bike that will cover big distances with ease, with a turn of speed that will take you to the very edge of your nerve, the Alpine Five is a classic design with a very modern ride. Whatever your thoughts on the suspension system you will be sure to get off this bike grinning like an idiot.

For more information check out the Orange website

Words and photos: Trev Worsey