New or second hand? I can't decide!
Discussion
I've been procrastinating about getting a new bike for the past 3 or 4 years (I don't like to rush into spending money on frivalous purchases).
I've raided my savings tin and have a budget which would allow me to buy a brand new, but old stock, 2021 Five Evo S, and I've also seen a pre-owned 2020 Alpine 6 Pro-Line which appeals to me for sale from a bike shop.
I know that the Orange may not be the best bike out there, but it's something I've wanted for years, as having something hand built in Halifax and designed for UK conditions appeals to me.
The Alpine 6 would have been £4k new and is up at £2100, the Five has been reduced from £3500 to £2450. What slightly concerns me is the warranty side of things, as I've read horror stories of cracked Five frames. I don't know if the issue is across the range or limited to a certain model / year.
Spec and details of each bike is shown below;
https://www.orangebikes.com/bike-archive/bike/five...
https://www.orangebikes.com/bike-archive/bike/alpi...
To those who know about bikes, may I ask, what would you do?
Spending over £2k on a second hand bike seems like a lot to me, as I started mountain biking in the 1980's when bikes were cheap and choice was limited.
Which ever I buy, I'll riding it for the next decade or until one of the kids claims it (as has happened with my current bike).
TIA, PH5121
I've raided my savings tin and have a budget which would allow me to buy a brand new, but old stock, 2021 Five Evo S, and I've also seen a pre-owned 2020 Alpine 6 Pro-Line which appeals to me for sale from a bike shop.
I know that the Orange may not be the best bike out there, but it's something I've wanted for years, as having something hand built in Halifax and designed for UK conditions appeals to me.
The Alpine 6 would have been £4k new and is up at £2100, the Five has been reduced from £3500 to £2450. What slightly concerns me is the warranty side of things, as I've read horror stories of cracked Five frames. I don't know if the issue is across the range or limited to a certain model / year.
Spec and details of each bike is shown below;
https://www.orangebikes.com/bike-archive/bike/five...
https://www.orangebikes.com/bike-archive/bike/alpi...
To those who know about bikes, may I ask, what would you do?
Spending over £2k on a second hand bike seems like a lot to me, as I started mountain biking in the 1980's when bikes were cheap and choice was limited.
Which ever I buy, I'll riding it for the next decade or until one of the kids claims it (as has happened with my current bike).
TIA, PH5121
They are very different bikes.
The 6 is probably not going to be great fun unless gravity assissted.
If it has seen a few big drops, it should be able to take it...but you would really need to be sure nothing has cracked or been damaged in some way.
The 5 is more what you would want for trail riding, and less concerns about previous abuse.
The 6 is probably not going to be great fun unless gravity assissted.
If it has seen a few big drops, it should be able to take it...but you would really need to be sure nothing has cracked or been damaged in some way.
The 5 is more what you would want for trail riding, and less concerns about previous abuse.
For 5 years I owned a 26" wheeled 5 that I beefed up with a 160mm Fox 36, sold it and bought an Alpine 6. On the right trail the Alpine 6 was mega, when I demo'd it I hired a newer 5 at the same time and me and a mate went out playing for the day. He's a significantly better rider than me and when we got to the bottom of a few trails I was right behind him on the 5, much to both of our surprises. That convinced me to buy it as his talent would more than compensate for the lack of travel. In reality on day to day stuff, the Alpine 6 was too much bike for me, never felt as much fun as the 5 but on the annual Morzine trip or Bike Park Wales, was amazing. Before the Alpine was stolen, I was planning on buying a hard tail for bashing about locally and keeping the 6 for big days out.
I'd say if you have rowdy stuff nearby then get the 6, but if it's mostly blue/red trails the 5 is the one. It'll also handle bigger stuff. I've now got a Switch 6 which is quicker than my Alpine, even with less rear wheel travel, but still take the hard tail out locally.
I'd say if you have rowdy stuff nearby then get the 6, but if it's mostly blue/red trails the 5 is the one. It'll also handle bigger stuff. I've now got a Switch 6 which is quicker than my Alpine, even with less rear wheel travel, but still take the hard tail out locally.
i've just upgraded from an old Commencal Meta 5.5 to a used Orange Alpine 5 29er.
I hit the jackpot and paid £950 for it, the bike is like brand new - all Fox suspension, Hope hubs and BB and Stans rims, Thomson dropper etc. I still pinch myself with what I've got for the money - this would have been a £3.5-4k bike when new
I absolutely love it and have no regrets buying used so go for it, there are bargains to be had out there.
I hit the jackpot and paid £950 for it, the bike is like brand new - all Fox suspension, Hope hubs and BB and Stans rims, Thomson dropper etc. I still pinch myself with what I've got for the money - this would have been a £3.5-4k bike when new
I absolutely love it and have no regrets buying used so go for it, there are bargains to be had out there.
Absolutely no offence meant as everyone is different but I still remember the exact feeling I climbed off my Orange Patriot onto a friends VP suspension bike for a descent. It was like night and day.
Why not try something at least more modern?
Again I'm not being inflammatory I just see their single pivot bikes as stuck in the early 00s held together now by better shock tech.
Why not try something at least more modern?
Again I'm not being inflammatory I just see their single pivot bikes as stuck in the early 00s held together now by better shock tech.
Hugo Stiglitz said:
Absolutely no offence meant as everyone is different but I still remember the exact feeling I climbed off my Orange Patriot onto a friends VP suspension bike for a descent. It was like night and day.
Why not try something at least more modern?
Again I'm not being inflammatory I just see their single pivot bikes as stuck in the early 00s held together now by better shock tech.
I've heard this criticism before but having just gone from a multi pivot full sus bike to a single pivot it's night and day on a descent but the other way around!Why not try something at least more modern?
Again I'm not being inflammatory I just see their single pivot bikes as stuck in the early 00s held together now by better shock tech.
That and having suffered the ball ache multiple times of changing 12 bearings in my previous multi pivot as opposed to 2 in this one I'll ignore any real or perceived disadvantage in a single pivot design and stick to keeping things simple. And much easier to clean too.
That, and not being a Danny Macaskill, I'd never notice anyway :-)
Thanks for the replies chaps, much appreciated.
I'm torn between the two, hence asking for advice. My head say brand new Five and get the frame warranty for 5 years, my heart says the Alpine 6 looks a better colour and spec, and was a £4k bike so is nearly half price.
I've hankered after a Five for many years, and didn't even know about the Alpine 6 until recently. If they are both still for sale in a couple of weeks when I'm on holiday I'll have a drive to the relevant bike shops, neither are close with each being a 150 mile round trip.
I'm torn between the two, hence asking for advice. My head say brand new Five and get the frame warranty for 5 years, my heart says the Alpine 6 looks a better colour and spec, and was a £4k bike so is nearly half price.
I've hankered after a Five for many years, and didn't even know about the Alpine 6 until recently. If they are both still for sale in a couple of weeks when I'm on holiday I'll have a drive to the relevant bike shops, neither are close with each being a 150 mile round trip.
I've been riding Oranges for years, luckily I was able to get a great discount from the factory and it always feels good to buy into a British product.
I've had Patriots, 5's and Alpine 6's.
Current steed is a Alpine 6, probably 3-4 years old now, it's a more capable bike than my last 5 (26") as in I feel like I can really abuse it, but the 5's I've had have always been a great all round bike, if you're after more of a trail bike I'd probably go for a 5 over an Alpine 6, but if you're looking for something that can take more abuse then go for the later.
I've had Patriots, 5's and Alpine 6's.
Current steed is a Alpine 6, probably 3-4 years old now, it's a more capable bike than my last 5 (26") as in I feel like I can really abuse it, but the 5's I've had have always been a great all round bike, if you're after more of a trail bike I'd probably go for a 5 over an Alpine 6, but if you're looking for something that can take more abuse then go for the later.
Lotobear said:
I've heard this criticism before but having just gone from a multi pivot full sus bike to a single pivot it's night and day on a descent but the other way around!
That and having suffered the ball ache multiple times of changing 12 bearings in my previous multi pivot as opposed to 2 in this one I'll ignore any real or perceived disadvantage in a single pivot design and stick to keeping things simple. And much easier to clean too.
That, and not being a Danny Macaskill, I'd never notice anyway :-)
Before Santa Cruz swooped in with mega bucks, Danny Mac rode for Orange.That and having suffered the ball ache multiple times of changing 12 bearings in my previous multi pivot as opposed to 2 in this one I'll ignore any real or perceived disadvantage in a single pivot design and stick to keeping things simple. And much easier to clean too.
That, and not being a Danny Macaskill, I'd never notice anyway :-)
missing the VR6 said:
Lotobear said:
I've heard this criticism before but having just gone from a multi pivot full sus bike to a single pivot it's night and day on a descent but the other way around!
That and having suffered the ball ache multiple times of changing 12 bearings in my previous multi pivot as opposed to 2 in this one I'll ignore any real or perceived disadvantage in a single pivot design and stick to keeping things simple. And much easier to clean too.
That, and not being a Danny Macaskill, I'd never notice anyway :-)
Before Santa Cruz swooped in with mega bucks, Danny Mac rode for Orange.That and having suffered the ball ache multiple times of changing 12 bearings in my previous multi pivot as opposed to 2 in this one I'll ignore any real or perceived disadvantage in a single pivot design and stick to keeping things simple. And much easier to clean too.
That, and not being a Danny Macaskill, I'd never notice anyway :-)
Freakuk said:
I've been riding Oranges for years, luckily I was able to get a great discount from the factory and it always feels good to buy into a British product.
if you're after more of a trail bike I'd probably go for a 5 over an Alpine 6, but if you're looking for something that can take more abuse then go for the later.
The only abuse the bike would get would be carrying my weight around! I'm too old / fat / chicken to do anything spectacular - except fall off it!! if you're after more of a trail bike I'd probably go for a 5 over an Alpine 6, but if you're looking for something that can take more abuse then go for the later.
PH5121 said:
I ended up going down the route of getting a new one and bought a brand new Five Evo S on Monday.
I've not ridden it yet as I want to get some frame protection of some sort fitted whilst it's new and shiny.
Nice one. In my opinion that was the correct option - in my opinion it is the better bike (I ride a Four) and it is well worth having the warranty. I sent my frame back to the factory for a repaint, one of the benefits of the factory being in the UK, and they proactively replaced my frame under warranty after noticing an issue with it.I've not ridden it yet as I want to get some frame protection of some sort fitted whilst it's new and shiny.
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