Orange’s new steel trail warrior has big tyre and wheel capability and a rock-solid, damped ride feel. Its handling balance is grounded rather than giddy though, and the tyre and brake spec don’t help first impressions.
The frame
Unsurprisingly, the Orange’s steel frame ($825 separately) looks a lot more traditional than those of the alloy bikes here. The 44mm head tube relies on an oversize externalbearing headset cup to handle a tapered fork. Gusset plates reinforce the junctions with the stout, round down and top tubes. The tapering, swerved chainstays and straightgauge seatstays are much skinnier. Add a long 445mm back end and there’s space for 2.6in tyres in 29er format or 27.5x3.0 rubber if you go plus-size with some fresh wheels.
Neat cloverleaf dropouts house a Boost rear axle. Brake and gear lines run through bolted guides under the top tube, while the dropper seatpost cable exits at the base of the seat tube and runs up alongside the down tube bottle bosses. There are ISCG tabs on the threaded bottom bracket (BB) shell. The 29er is only available in M, L and XL sizes, but Orange also make a 650b P7 with an S option.
The kit
Orange have matched the bombproof frame with similarly durable parts. The Race Face cranks use a long-life steel chainring to turn dependable Shimano SLX gears. MT500 brakes are refreshingly glitch free for Shimano stoppers, but a 160mm rotor leaves the rear low on power. The 130mm-travel RockShox Revelation RC fork gave us no trouble while taking most trail trouble in its stride. Wheel weight is the highest on test, despite ‘Light’ WTB tyres that are undergunned for the fights the Orange encourages. The 30mm-wide rims proved sturdy, though, and Kore also provide the 150mm dropper.
The ride
The P7 is nearly two kilos heavier than the lightest bike on test, and that extra weight is obvious straight away. Skinny rear stays mean power transfer feels diluted rather than direct, too. The harder compound of the Trail Boss rear tyre and the need to run a higher pressure to stop the carcass crumpling or pinch-flatting also undermine traction. This can all make slow technical climbs a real fight, as each stall or slip is harder to regain speed from, which leads to steering wander too.
On the plus side, the rear tyre rolls fast on straighter, smoother climbs and there’s decent ground clearance even with 175mm cranks. On mellower trails the large-volume 29er tyres bowl along nicely – and those long stays mean you can upgrade to bigger rubber than on any other bike here, to max out ground-hugging grip. We’d suggest doing the same up front – while the stock Vigilante tyre uses WTB’s ‘High Grip’ compound, it has the same ‘Light’ carcass as the rear, which means grip turns to slip sooner than on the Maxxis-equipped bikes here in high-load corners.
The Orange’s 66.5-degree head angle means it isn’t as utterly front end stable as the other bikes with their 65-degree head tubes. Its long rear triangle also pulls its handling centre backwards for a less aggressive feel, and the smaller rotor makes it harder to rear wheel steer. Once you’ve switched tyres and heaved your way to the top of the hill, though, the P7 gets a chance to show why steel hardtails still have a fanatical following. That damped feel through the pedals becomes a bonus, as your feet and knees get a smoother ride down rocky descents. Once you’re rolling at a decent pace, the back end screens out stutter bumps better too, sustaining pace and keeping your spine fresher. While the stout front end means the Orange stays precise with its handling, the steel tubes help skim off some of the buzz and chatter that can numb hands or tire arms quickly on long days. It’s definitely on the solid rather than springy end of the ferrous frame spectrum, though, so pick the P7 for durability, not dynamic excitement.
DETAILS
ON THE PLUS SIDE
Long, skinny stays and a Boost rear axle mean the P7 has space for up to 2.6in tyres in 29er format. Swap to 650b rims and you can run 3.0in plus rubber
BORN IN BRUM
The oversize main tubes are chromiummolybdenum- alloyed, cold-workable ‘525’ steel pipes from Birmingham-based experts Reynolds
LIGHTWEIGHT RUBBER
The ‘Light/Fast Rolling’ WTB rear tyre is as quick as it sounds but lacks grip and protection when you’re pushing the Orange hard
HIGHS
- Forgivinglydamped, shock-absorbing steel frame - Balanced handling - Durable Kore and Shimano SLX kit
LOWS
- Heavy and feels dull under power
- Slippery, fragile rear tyre
Solidly-damped big-wheeled or big-tyred trail tamer, but needs better rubber and strong legs
WEIGHT 14.64kg (32.28lb)
SIZE M, L, XL
FRAME Reynolds 525 chromoly steel (main tubes)
FORK RockShox Revelation RC 29, 130mm (5.1in) travel
HEADSET FPD 44mm tapered
WHEELS:
HUBS Formula
AXLES Boost – 110x15mm (f), 148x12mm (r)
RIMS Kore Realm 3.0 29
SPOKES 32x stainless
WHEEL WEIGHT 2.46kg (f), 3.14kg (r), inc tyres
TYRES WTB Vigilante TCS Light/High Grip 29x2.3in (f), WTB Trail Boss TCS Light/Fast Rolling 29x2.25in (r)
CRANKSET/BOTTOM BRACKET Race Face AEffect, 30t/Race Face X-Type
MECH(S) Shimano SLX
SHIFTER(S) Shimano SLX (1x11)
CASSETTE/CHAIN SRAM PC-1130, 11-42t/SRAM PC-1110
BRAKES Shimano MT500, 180/160mm rotors
BAR/STEM/GRIPS Kore Durox M35, 35x780mm/Kore Cubix M35, 35x50mm/Strange single lock-on
SEATPOST/SADDLE Kore 150mm dropper/Kore Conex
Price $2700