2015 Orange Alpine 160- Review

Haven't posted here since I finished the alpine, So I'm gonna post my thought on some of the bike.


Spec list:

Large Alpine 160, Sterling Silver
BOS Kirk
BOS Deville
Hope E4 Brakes
Hope Tech Enduro Wheelset
Raceface Turbine Cinch Cranks
Raceface Sixc 35mm Bars
XTR Shifter
XTR Mech
XT Cassette + Hope T-Rex
Easton Haven 35 40mm stem
Hope Headset
Easton Grips
Anvl Forge Carbon Saddle
Reverb
X11 DLC chain
Magic Mary/Hans Damph/Rock Razor, All Supergravity. Vertstar MM, Trailstar others.
Hope seatclamp/Head doctor
DMR Brendog Vaults

First off- this is the most fun, lively 160mm travel bike I have ever ridden. Despite it being massive (Wheelbase longer than a large Mondraker Summun, I actually have to compress the fork to get it in an uplift trailer) If feels like a much smaller, much lighter, nimble bike than any other 150mm+ bike I have put time on (except a medium Tracer 27.5 Carbon, which felt like an XC bike).

I may be biased but I think the new alpine is the prettiest of all of the orange frames. Nice clean lines, looking aggressive and balanced. The straight tubing and split rear end look purposeful and it really looks like its there for one thing- to get you over a mountain as quickly as possible. As for the Alpine v Five discussion, The weights are extremely similar and the intended use is more or less the same. If you have to pick one, Look at the geo sheets and decide if you want to go with a traditional front centre geometry with a standard stem, or a long front centre with a short stem, and go from there.
Personally it was a no-brainer for me, as this bike had to be downhill orientated as it was basically replacing a downhill bike, so the longer wheelbase, slacker angles and long TT pushed me towards the alpine.
I only have a couple of niggles with the frame, and both are very minor so ill get those out of the way now. The first is an age old issue with Orange- But the welds while being immaculate in some places, are horrible in others. I have no doubt that they are strong enough but I wish a little more care was put into them as this is a very expensive frame after all! The second niggle is that the dropper post routing could use some refinement at the BB area. It was rather difficult to get the hose around the BB shell, it was almost like keyhole surgery. There was one third point stemming from the rear Maxle loosening off but this has since been resolved and I was actually the last guy in the UK to get the old Maxle rather than the Maxle ultimate style which has fixed the issue so this is not worth hanging up on. Apart from these two things, the whole bike went together flawlessly. First ride out, the thing fit perfectly. I'm a shade under 6' and while the standover could be a little lower the length of the bike is bang on, its a very comfortable bike to ride. I would say anyone under 6' would be better suited to a medium, as I just get away with the large.

On to the way it rides- As said above, the thing is so lively and fun. No doubt down to the single pivot. Even with the standard Float Evo rear shock the bike was lively and supple, although it really comes to life with a proper big hitting shock installed. Climbing wise, its a long travel single pivot, so you have to put the work in but having said that its far from the worst climbing bike I have ridden. It takes technical climbs rather well, with the suspension reacting brilliantly to steep, square edged hits, but there is noticeable pedal bob when you have to get out of the saddle and put some power down but this is to be expected and this is where shocks with a pedal platform really come into their own and this is certainly a bike that benefits from one!

Now, When you point this thing down a hill, Magic happens. Its on point, responsive and jumps amazingly. The suspension is super active, and despite being a single pivot it still responds OK under heavy braking and the suspension curve is spot on. With a properly tuned shock it ramps up right when it needs to, and despite having the BOS set up for 30% sag and being super active, I have only managed one or two noticeable bottom-outs and these were doing things that I really shouldn't have been doing on a 160mm bike. The long front centre really helps with stability and if you want to plow the 160 through any sort of rough stuff, it eats it up without so much as a hiccup in such a way that many riders on full on downhill sleds would be jealous of. This bike really punches above its weight in what it is capable of and in how it handles pretty much any terrain that the UK can throw at you. I urge you, that if you get a chance to demo one of these things, do it without question, within the first 10 minutes it will leave you with a smile that will be stuck on your face for hours. Overall, from all day epic XC rides to uplift days in the alps, this bike is one to consider, It can do it all.

Don't get me wrong though, It does have its limitations. This is not the bike you want if you are looking for an efficient trailbike. It will never be that light, and it will never be able to keep up with XC bikes on the ups and the flats. But for sheer fun factor, It trumps anything I have ever ridden,

Now, the BOS suspension is straight up incredible. Honestly- Believe the hype. It IS that good. Nothing else comes close to the level of control and fluidity that the BOS dampeners deliver. They are controlled, balanced and never seem to get out of their comfort zone even when pushing harder than a bike of this travel should be able to push. Setup is pretty straightforward, and the base settings for both the fork and shock were more or less how I would want them to feel with the only real change being rebound preference as I like it on the faster side of things. Other than this there is a little bit of extra high speed compression on the shock but both are not far from base settings running the recommended air pressure for racing use at my weight. The 34mm deville may seem a little scrawny on paper, but the 20mm (yes, 20mm) axle and stout lowers stiffen it up and it actually feels stiffer than both the Pike and a Marzocchi 350 while still maintaining enough compliance to let it deflect when it needs to.

The Kirk is in a league of its own. It is one of the lightest big hitting shocks you can buy, Has a pedal platform, Plenty of adjustment and all the while it is the most controlled, consistent shock I have ever ridden and this includes DH coils. BOS tune each shock individually to suit frame leverage curves and as such it is pretty hard to make this shock feel bad. Set the Sag, and away you go. On prolonged descents I am yet to ride another shock like it. It handles everything amazingly, from undulating low speed compressions to high speed chatter, it stays controlled and composed. My only gripe is that the compression adjusters are very stiff and can be a pain to adjust when anything gets greasy or wet but this is not really important.

As with anything BOS, the build quality is hard to fault and while the looks split opinions, the ride quality does not. Jump on any BOS equipped bike and you'll be trying to work out what possessions to sell to be able to buy your own before you have even got off of it.


Pretty much everything else on the bike is a standard affair. If you would like my thoughts on anything else just let me know but all of it is pretty well received, solid stuff. Hope this helps anyone considering an alpine!

TLDR;

Buy an alpine, is good ya.