In recent years, Orange Bikes is perhaps better known for its simple, single-pivot full-suspension bikes with a marmite love-or-loathe design aesthetic (I sit firmly in the love camp), but folded-alloy full-suspension bikes aren’t what Orange originally cut its teeth on!
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No! Back in my day, Orange was known for its classic steel hardtails, the Clockwork (or was it C16R?), and P7 were many a mountain biker’s frame of choice. This was back in an era when you could rock up to a cross-country race, downhill race, or trials event and compete in all three on the same bike.
Over the decades, the classic hardtail has undergone a massive makeover, becoming more and more hardcore, and at the same time, more versatile than ever before, and the Orange P7 has been one of those hardcore hardtails that has led the pack.
Announced today, the latest Orange P7 sees geometry updates across the popular 27.5in and 29er versions, plus the introduction of a mixed wheel version named the P7 MX. Running up to a 140mm fork, a 29in front wheel and 27.5in rear, the hand-welded Reynolds 525 frame offers that much-coveted ‘steel is real’ ride characteristic many hardtail fans live by.
The Orange P7 MX features a 64.5-degree head angle and a 75.5-degree seat tube angle, with a 480mm reach on a size large. Geometry figures appear to be listed at static, meaning that once sagged, the head and seat angles will steepen slightly and reach will increase — something worth double-checking before settling on a size. On top of the geometry updates, the new P7 MX gets an accessory mount on the top tube for either an extra bottle or a trail tool, a UDH rear end, and easy-to-service external cable routing.
Sitting alongside the slender steel P7 MX is the full 29er P7 29, which shares the same headline geometry but sees an extra 20mm added to the reach compared to the outgoing version, along with an increase in stack thanks to a 10mm longer head tube.
If agility is what you’re after, then the full 27.5in version sits at the opposite end of the range, with the same core geometry but just a 13mm increase in reach.
All three frames are available now in a range of colours, priced at £650 / €800 / $900. Head to the Orange website for full geometry charts and build details.
