Adding to the current test fleet is arguably one of the greatest trail bikes ever made. Redesigned, revamped and generally modernised over the years, the subtle tweaks and alterations to the Five’s already proven resume take us here, to the current 2012 offering. While keeping true to the Five’s 10 year heritage, the new bike is everything the original was and more, adapting to the ever changing world that is trail riding. This bike is built up around a size small frame with the Maxle swingarm, a 1 x 10 drivetrain and a component selection that we hope will accentuate the Five’s playful nature for creativity with the trail and the exploration of the path less traveled. Factory Jackson photographer Callum T, takes us through the build…

Words & Photos: Callum T

Drive.

First things first; it was decided quite early on in the build that running a 1 x 10 drivetrain was inevitable, so looking at the right components to the job became quite a task – cassette and ring ratios, what kind of chain guide and of course Sram or Shimano? With the brand new Shimano Zee rear mech and shifter looking at me, Shimano got the gig and with it an 11-36 XT cassette and a 36t Hope DH chainring. Keeping the chain firmly on and taking advantage of the ISCG ‘old’ pattern tabs the five now has, I went with the superb MRP Mini G2 guide, which can accommodate anything from a 32-36t ring.

Rolling Stock.

Moving on from the drivetrain; lets talk about wheels. Both wheels were built my me, lacing a pair of ‘old style’ Hope Pro 2 hubs (15mm front and 135/12mm rear) onto a mix of a different rim front and rear. Up front I went with the Pacenti TL28 rim – this is pretty damn special and another rim in the ”DH wide yet XC light” area that some rim brands are developing and pushing right now. The rim weighs in at 360g with a 28mm width. The rear rim is something slightly more mainstream and is a new model in the popular Stans Notubes lineup. The Arch Ex is still crazy light a 395g but it’s a tad narrower (2.4mm externally) than the TL28 upfront – this will give a nice rounded profile up front for cornering and slightly squarer and narrower profile in the rear. The Arch Ex is also stronger due to the rims internal profile and ideal for a rear wheel application. Currently both wheels are laced with DT Swiss Supercomp spokes and running standard tyres tubeless, with yellow Stans tape, universal valves and Stans sealant (~60ml each wheel).

Rubber.

The tyres mounted up are perhaps a bit of overkill for trail use in the UK, but the bike is currently set up and ready for some high Alpine ripping on the continent! With a trip to the Alps inked in for August, the support of a thick casing up front to allow for DH pressures, and a rear higher volume and generally meatier tread of the Maxxis High Roller 2, should certainly be a treat and one that will hopefully keep me from interrupting my fun with fixing punctures. For general UK trail use, I’m experimenting with seating non UST tyres tubeless and comparing them to my much loved Specialized Purgatory 2.2 ‘2Bliss’ tyres, which again work like a dream on the rims and inflate with little effort.

Extras.

“Flat Pedal Thunder” It seems that everyone here at FJ loves the feel of the Burgtec Penthouse MK3’s doesn’t it? Clips have there place, but the fluidity and freedom offered with a good ‘flats’ set up only encourages fun and accentuates style on the bikes. But why Burgtec? They just feel different to everything else out there and it certainly doesn’t take long to see where the extra money than has gone over your average flat pedal...

Cockpit.

Easton Havoc bar and stem, Shimano XT shifting, Odi x Troy Lee Designs grips and of course, it’s kind of against the rules not to fit Hope to an Orange. UK manufacturing represent!

Keeping with the lightweight theme of the build we managed to get hold of some Easton Havoc carbon bars; they look factory as ever and their weight is among the lightest in the 750mm width market. Stopping duties are handled by some pre EVO Hope tech X2 brakes. Again, the power and modulation matches the bike perfectly, however I think the Limited edition Hope RACE x2 brakes will see a stint on the five for Morzine along with some bigger rotors as the current 183mm Front, 160mm Rear setup might be lacking some bite while descending at high altitude.

Keeping everything clamped together, is a masterpiece of American machine work; the Thomson 50mm x 0 rise stem and this really is ‘that’ well made! Not a lot else you can say about Thomson products… They ooze quality.

Bits N Bobs.

I haven’t spoken too much about the other, perhaps more sneaky items we have on there to play with… The geometry on the Five is near perfect, but I like to play and experiment and being a DH’er at heart, I decided to utilise the new tapered headtube and a Cane Creek Angleset set with 1 degree offset and along with some of the superb Burgtec Titanium offset bushings, and we’ve got the head angle somewhere in the 65.5 degree region with the 140mm x 32mm Fox Float’s. I have put some trail time in on the geometry already and first thoughts are it’s bloody awesome!

Part Deux of the build will be up soon and well have some sensible rubber on there, taking the weight back down to around 27lb (Pictured its 29lb) and I’ll let you know how she faired in the Alps. We’ll also see how the geometry mods are going and talk more in depth about the suspension and general feel of the bike. We’ll also talk more about the heart of the beast and the custom butted 6061-T6 Reynolds tubes that make the Orange Five more than the sum of its parts.

In the mean time, let us know what you think of the current build, what you’d like to see tested on the Five and or any thoughts about what could be done with this already fantastic bike. Happy trails!

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