Orange P7 XT

Advantages: Gorgeous piece of kit
Disadvantages: Needs to be looked after to avoid rust

...bikes. Wrong. The Orange P7 is a rare thing these days. A mass produced, fairly posh steel bike. In fact, I've just got rid of an aluminium bike in order to get hold of this one, and I love it dearly. I've never loved a bike the way that I love my P7. The company aren't one of the really big boys. Based in Halifax, they are largely unheard of in many countries. Many Orange bikes are made in the UK, but this tends to be their full suspension bikes, ...
...available with either a rigid Orange fork or a Manitou suspension fork. These four options will take you from £600 for a rigid Deore P7 to £1000 for a hardtail (front suspension) XT P7. So, that's four options. What's the fifth? Well, £320 will buy you a frame with nothing hanging off it. Just a lump of steel. Popping into the pub for a quick bite after picking the frame up encouraged loads of comments like "Someone nicked your wheels, mate?". I ... Read review

Advantages: Steel frame gives a compliant ride with plenty of feel
Disadvantages: not the lightest.

As I'm an existing owner of a P7 already, many people might think the decision to buy a new one was more than a little strange. And I suppose they might be right. Why spend £1,000 on a new bike, when I could upgrade my existing one? Well, for starters, although my existing bike had some nice kit on it, it was getting a little long in the tooth at six years old. The one thing I did like (or rather LOVE) about it though, was the steel frame. While ...
...to make it comfortable and not at all harsh off road. However, I still felt it was time to get front suspension. And so the quest for a new, steel, front susser began. I looked at many other bikes in the price range, but to be honest, there wasn't a lot of choice. Most other manufacturers are using aluminium at this price range and I found that upon even a short test ride, they may have had a more direct power to motion ratio, but they lacked the ... Read review

Advantages: weight, build quility, component spec
Disadvantages: have not found any yet

...First none steel frame i have purchased and have not looked back. Its a completely different ride, excellent in all terrain. It is very light, anything that helps me get up those hills is a bonus. Discs are amazing, once worn in they provide constant breaking performance. Definately worth paying the extra money for the disc option. Fox float forks are an excellent accompliment to the bike. No problems have been encountered yet, fingers crossed Used to own an Orange P7, great bike but not a patch on the 8500. XT/XTR components throughout give great realiabiliy and performance. The build quility on the bike is good. It looks as if is going last and at that price I hope it is, but all in all it is a price worth paying.... Read review

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