New bike ?

[rob7810]

Hi guys & gals. Well the time has come to say good by to my trusted nomad frame.
But what to get next Got a couple bikes in mind and would like some opinions & maybe alturnatives ? My short list-
LP-zesty or spicy
Orange 5
Commencal META AM
I am just looking for a frame not complete bike. Did an enduro in Ireland earler this year & mite want to do more next year? But mainly ride trails in north Wales. Thanks for any & all advice 8)

[Ken]

From that short list ,has to be the 5 . Simple and it works .

[bird]

Think the 5's out weigh the others where peeps riding on this forum are concerned. Although there are a few of the others. Single pivot is always best for least hassle

[Tarbo]

As one of the numerous 5 owners on this forum, I can thoroughly recommend that bike. It's not the best bike on the market for climbing, but I put that down to the 'engine' and not the bike However, point it down hill and it's like an Exocet missile. All you have to do is hold on or dear life

A couple of things to bear in mind though. Most manufacturers are going down the route of 27.5 & 29 inch wheels, and I believe Orange are stopping the production of the 26". So you may be able to pick up a bargain 5 if the shops still have them in stock and need to move them before next year's nodels come out

However, if you get the chance, get a demo on the bikes you have in mind. Llandegla allow you to demo bike as do most bike shops. i've seen people turn up at Llandegal with a couple of bikes in the boot of the car that they have just picked up from shops. Obviously you pay for the demo but usually get your money back if you buy the bike. Alternatively, turn up on one of the rides and ask someone if you can try their bike out for a couple of sections of the trail. (That's what i did ).

Good luck with whatever you decide to go for.

[Rupert]

Seeing as you already have a Santa Cruz, and you only want a frame, I can highly recommend the Tallboy LT, as long as you don't have an allergy to wagon wheels. Goes like a rocket uphill and downhill. Otherwise I'm sure Gareth would recommend the Bronson which is a bit burlier and more travel for the gnarly stuff and has 650B wheels

[Trailrash]

No dissin' the Commencal though! My old '08 Meta still keeps up with them fancy 5's....well at least down-hill ;-) Having said that, if I had the cash to flash I'd seriously be tempted on the 650 Bronny....in carbon!!....sigh!

[kpt1972]

I have read that the "5" in its new 650B guise is an outstanding piece of kit and has transformed it (not that there was anything wrong with it)

[Bazzle]

TBH there are so many 5's out there just proves how good they are.
and they're british.

[Andy Mac]

Lapierre zesty and spicy are the same frame, just be aware the frames that are carbon fibre have had a lot of frame cracking issues. Oh and they go like stink and climb like a goat. All next years models are 650b

Good luck, its a mine field

[paulcollins]

I normally lurk in the back ground, but just wanted to balance up the five recommendation. I had a 2010 five. I loved it and recommended to every who came over to talk about it. The frame cracked two months ago. Orange just didn't want to know. They would not help in anyway. There excuses was that with the 650 b out there, there was very little stock of old fives and that unless it was under three years old they could not help.

As money was tight I bought a Cube 150 ams. There is not a track that I have not smashed the times of the orange both up and down on. So for me there is life and fantastic bikes half the price after Orange.

Paul