Rowan Sorrell is a former World Cup downhill racer and the main man behind Back On Track, an acclaimed trail building company based in South Wales. Designing and building trails means you have to try them out, and that means having one very versatile bike. Say hello to the machine Rowan is struggling to put away at the moment
My first bike was an Orange Clockwork, way back in 1996. Over the following five years I raced a host of different DH bikes before settling back with Orange in 2001, and I’ve been riding their bikes ever since. I like that they’re a British brand, hand building frames in the UK and supporting our economy. The bikes mirror my attitude to things – no frills or nonsense, just simple good design that works. They’re ultra reliable and really fun to ride.
I’m lucky enough to own a Five too but my 160 has been getting more use since we built BikePark Wales. It’s the perfect bike there – nimble, aggressive and stable, and it can cope with all the big hits. I’ll be experimenting with a few different frame options through the year, to do some testing for future developments.
The key parts for me when building up a bike are the suspension, tyres, bar, stem and pedals. I’m really happy to have Fox suspension, and the guys at Mojo are just down the road to help with set-up. Bars and stems are important, as they can really alter the ride of a bike. I like my bar to have a particular sweep and struggle with ones that don’t. As for pedals, I ride flats and like them with a particular shape – a gentle concave curve and not too big a platform.
I never ride clips – it’s just not for me. I did try them a couple of years ago out in France because I thought I might need them for the Trans-Provence, but I just didn’t enjoy riding on them.
If I’m racing or uplifting I’ll change tyres to suit the trails or conditions. Otherwise I tend to run a dry or intermediate tyre all year round. It’s always fun to get the bike drifting!
I’m pretty heavy on wheels, particularly the back one! Rocks and whips tend to mean they have a pretty short lifespan. Otherwise, I don’t think I’m an overly hard rider on the bike – I like to ride smooth but go big when the terrain allows.
Innovation is a key part of any industry but there’s also a lot of hype. People need to be able to see beyond the marketing spiel. Clutch mechs are a great move forwards and really help control the chain, especially with a single-pivot bike. I like the new 11-speed, wide-ratio gearing too. One thing I can’t live without is a dropper post – it’s hands-down the best bike invention of the past few years.
I’m super-lucky to have some of the best underground trails in the UK on my doorstep so I spend a lot of time riding there. I love going to BikePark Wales for a session too – you can ride such a variety of trails in a day and they cope well in all weathers.
Rowan Sorrell’s Orange Alpine 160(video)