Well this might be one of the longest names for a suspension fork, but its also one of, if not THE most versatile suspension fork I've ever ridden. I've had this fork for 12months & logged some serious mileage in that time! I've been a long time lover of travel adjustable forks & the Fox Talas 3 is by far the easiest to use travel adjuster out there. Simply turn the dial on the left leg & you can change the travel from 110 to 130 to 150mm.

I'm lucky enough to have some exceptionally steep trails & this is where the Talas feature does more than just reduce the amount of travel available, shortening the fork also increases the head angle which makes climbing steep climbs considerably easier. I know there's still a large percentage of riders who use the "lock out" feature. While this lock does have "lock out" I've never had cause to use it as with the rebound set to the correct speed this fork never bobs excessively anyway. I do however frequently use the Talas travel adjuster as it really does make that much of a difference when climbing in shorter travel mode & slacker head angle in long travel mode.

Previous Talas forks were very linear (the L in Talas stands for Linear, Travel Adjust Linear Air Spring). A little known fact is that the 09 (& now 2010) Talas forks are considerably more progressive like the Fox Float forks, that because the Talas internals have been reworked. Essentially the Talas is actually a travel adjustable float. So how does it ride? 15QR plays a big part in the fork's performance. I'm a strong believer in thru axle dropouts for longer travel forks in eliminating flex. When you consider that the 36 Talas RC2 fork weighs 1lb more than the 32 Talas rlc, yet has only 10mm more travel it makes you realise how versatile the 32 fork is. Certainly the more user friendly, faster, lighter 15qr dropout is very nearly as stiff as its bigger 36 fork brother without the heft & for cross country, all mountain types the lower weight makes it more of an all round fork.

So, the ride. Certainly the 15QR stiffens the fork & improves feel & steering in the rough & on offcambers, but the damping is awesome. The speed senstive valving is spot on & the more progression feel lets the fork ride higher in its stroke than earlier model Talas forx. When faced with an unknown section of steep rocky trail like in Luchon in the Pyrenees a few months ago the fork was flawless giving me perfect feedback & control. I see mentioned time to time people moaning about maintenance issues with Fox Forx. So I'll make this simple. High performance products require maintenance. If you're logging lots of miles in filthy conditions you're going to need to perform more maintenance. There's demonstation videos on Mojos site http://www.mojo.co.uk/Website2010/html/MTB.html Generally either a quick clean of the upper seals, followed by lifting, further cleaning under the main seals & oiling of the foam rings every few rides (a 10min job). Or for a more thorough clean, remove the fork lowers & clean the seals from the inside (a 30min job).

 In Summary: The 32 Talas 15 QR is a 3.9lb fork that can be run at either 110mm fully locked out for your morning commute, then ridden down the side of an Alp at 150mm on your way home from work. Its by far the most versatile fork available & ideal for everything from XC racing, enduros & all mountain riding.

Well, consider this a long term test. after 2.5yrs, or 6 months after the warranty had expired the orange 5 cracked at the side of the seattube. The crack had spread unseen under the paint into both the seattube & toptube. My british airways welding friends think it was most likely a contaminated weld.

I'm now riding a Trek Fuel EX & what a relevation that is! Full review soon.

The Orange 5 frame has received widespread acclaim through the many mountain bike websites & magazine over the years. I've been riding the same Orange5 frame since 2007 & logged many miles in that time (like 400 miles a week in July this year!). So consider this a long term test.

The Orange website http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/bikes/2010/five_s/
states "The Five genuinely is our true all-rounder." & after riding this bike in such varied locations from the lake district to the
pyrenees, the north downs to the brecon beacons I'm inclined to agree. The first thing you notice when you sit on an orange5 & have ridden a few miles is the riding position. Neutral might sound boring, but it actually means comfortable for extended periods. The toptube length, combined with the head & seat angle make for a comfortable all day in the saddle ride. The second thing you notice is just how sturdy, solid & confidence inspiring it feels. I've ridden bikes that weigh 8lbs more but feel more twitchy & nervous handling than the "5". This feeling is reinforced even more on rougher & faster trails where the 5 just remains unphased. This neutral handling combined with confidence inspiring stability allows you to concentrate purely on the trail without ever having to worry about odd handling quirks. Unlike some other full suspension designs I've ridden I like how I can still get a sence of "feel".

Reliability.
I know a friend whose bike needed £90 worth of bearings after 6 months. I'm all for performing routine maintenance but that's an awful lot when you consider my 5 needed one new set of bearings costing £12 after 2 years. Unlike a lot of other frame designs theres not a massive amount of rotation on the lower shock bush either, so they tend to last quite some time too. Oh & I had one rock to rear mech incident needing a new rear mech hanger (not that I consider that maintenance) Thats it, one dropout & one set of bearings in 3 years of riding.

Negatives?

If you were to rename a bike based on its performance a lot of suspension frames wouldnt be printable here! The Orange5 would be "old faithful" due to its utter reliability & composed nature on the roughest of trails. If pushed I've got a few very minor quibbles. On my 2007 frame the split on the seattube (for the seatpost) faces the rear. I've placed tape over mine to prevent water & mud entering the seattube. I'll check to see if the 2010 frames still have this? Or is it moved to the front now? The rear disc brake hose is routed through the swing arm. This is a one-off thing that wouldnt ever need to be done again, although intional fitting is slightly more hassle. I've routed mine across the top of the swingarm with stick on cable guides without a problem. The tides have turned & camelbaks are now the norm. The position of the bottle cage mount isnt so much of a problem, aside from that I havent found a single bottle cage yet that can carry a full size bottle without loosing it by the bottom of the next downhill. Maybe this is more of a bottle cage problem! Any decent bottle cage suggestions are welcome!
In essence, the 5 doesnt have any real problems.


In Summary:
You tend to see a lot of Orange 5s on the trails & for good reason. While other companies might claim to make bikes that do other single things well, the Orange5 is the best all round frameset available purely down to its confidence inspiring, sturdy feel & utter long term reliability on the most varied of trails.

Bike Radar are reporting 2 revamped MTB trails are being built around Ashton Court and Leigh Woods, with a spanking new visitor's centre.

The trails are being done Phil Saxena. Phil was also involved in the DH track at Cwmcarn, and is the UCI's 4X builder, so I'm definitely looking forward to giving these trails a go in the summer.

Perhaps more unexpected from Fox Racing Shox is this prototype Titanium tapered steerer & fork crown. Its a reported 90g lighter than the current alu steerer & fork crown. Given that the 1 1/8 to 1.5 tapered fork steerer is gaining widespread acceptance amongst the many frame builder (strange how the previous 1.5in headtube never caught on) this looks to be commonplace. Rumoured release date is Spring 2011. It will be interesting to see if this fork crown is only for the shorter travel 100-120mm F series race forks, or universally used on such forx as the longer travel Fox 36 range (my current favourite forks ever)

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/interbike-2010-fox-racing-shoxs-rad-float-ti-fork

The heavily rumoured Fox Racing Shox dropper seatpost has made an appearance at the Las Vegas Interbike.
Fox has stated that their intention has been to produce a reliable dropper seatpost. After seeing the early maverick seatposts develop 30mm of lateral movement (no joke!) & needing a full service every 3 rides; this is something to be applauded!
It remains to be seen if Fox will use its Kashima Fork coating to great effect on the seatpost shaft. I personally hope they produce a layback clamp design for those of us with long femurs. Look for a production date sometime in 2012.

Check out the video link
http://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/Interbike-2010-Prototype-Fox-Shox-Adjustable-Seatpost,1606/Slideshow,11306/sspomer,2

Dates for monthly guided rides for the rest of 2009 are:
October 18
November 8
December 13

There may also be a ride on Mon 28 Dec, which is a Bank Holiday, so watch this space.

These guided rides are limited to a maximum of 10 people and cost just £10pp for a 5 hour ride from 10am-3pm. They are really popular, so email mail@cwmride.co.uk to book your space.

Some interesting things coming out of Interbike. I'd love to be there this year.

Not so surprising is the apparent confirmation that Shimano a releasing a 10 speed XTR in 2011. Well, it was only a matter of time. I really rate the current 9 speed (which retails for £160). I suspect the 10 speed will be absolutely amazing, but eye wateringly pricey.

If you haven't seen it already, check out this link:
http://www.singletrackworld.com/2009/09/interbike-2009-day-1-video-diary