Fresh Produce: Orange 322
We gave you a sneak peak at Orange’s new 322 DH steed in our Fort William coverage, but it has now officially been released…
Of course we’ve seen this design around for well over a year now under the likes of Rowan Sorrel and the MTBcut guys, but now it’s finally going to be available to everyone else. Why such a long wait? Well I suppose that’s just proper testing and development for you, Orange were never going to release this bike until they were truly happy with it, and now they are.
The most obvious difference to previous 22X models is the way the shock is now dropped through the downtube, and this has been done to produce a more progressive spring rate, which in turn gives supple performance at the start of the stroke alongside decent levels of progression at the end of the stroke to cope with the biggest impacts. The pivot has also been lowered slightly to further increase the active feel of the suspension.
We can’t wait to test one out as we’ve got a feeling it could well be one of those ‘classic’ Orange’s. In the meantime though here’s the press release and pricing from Orange…
322 leads the charge – Orange Bikes 2013 model roll out.
With 2013 builds hitting the workstands, here’s the first in a long line of fine-looking bikes queuing up behind the 322, ready to be released on an unsuspecting mountain near you.
The constant honing of the 22X series led to a string of World and National titles through the 2000s, and the 322 is the next step in our evolution of the long travel, single pivot design. Dropping the top shock mount through the downtube and using a low pivot position allowed us to achieve the shock curve we desired leading to a more progressive spring rate compared to previous efforts. The resulting effect is a bike that can handle the smaller bumps and chatter with limited feedback to the rider, while being progressive enough later in the stroked to take the big hits without a hard bottom out. A confidence-inspiring suspension system that means you can concentrate on going fast.
Several years of real world testing in the hands of some of the fastest UK talent (Team MTBcut and Rowan Sorrell) attested to the success of the original prototype. Angles and suspension design lend themselves perfectly for the demands of World Cup racing, the 322 is ready to race out of the box at every level of competition. The beating heart of the frame is still the tried and tested stuff, but lightweight, mainframe mated with our amously reliable and slop-free oversized single-pivot assembly.
At the beating heart of the frame is an oversize single pivot based on 32mm sealed cartridge bearings. The privateer racer has always featured very highly in who Orange make bikes for, and a pivot based around 2 bearings ensures infamous reliability and ease of maintenance at little cost. All this is of paramount importance when a you are the mechanic, the pits and the rider. The monocoque aluminium mainframe that characterises the Orange full suspension range ensures a light, strong and stiff ride that inherently lends itself to an even greater longevity of the pivot and its bearings.
The result of all this is a stiff, light and nimble downhill bike capable of shatteringly fast runs out in the Alps, at a local downhill race or at the cutting edge of World Cup competition where every tenth counts.
For 2013 we’ve kept it simple, one spec that’s ready to race out of the box with the very best from Fox Racing Shox, Shimano, Hope, Thomson and Renthal. Upgrades are available to fit bigger stoppers from Hope as are Cane Creek Double Barrel Coil shocks. Let off the brakes and this bike will fly; rock, root and dirt are all the 322s best friends. The only thing holding this bike back is the fleshy bit up top. You.
Highlight features at a glance:
- 6061-T6 custom butted monocoque aluminium frame
- Lower pivot position/drop-through shock mount gives a more active suspension feel with 8 inchs of travel
- 135 x 12mm rear wheel spacing
- Progressive rear shock curve
- ISCG 03 (Old) chain guide tabs
- Race-winning geometry
- 15″ Seat Tube with Short or Long Toptube Option
The Orange 322 will be available as follows:
Frame only at £2,399.99 RRP (Including Fox DHX Factory RC4, CCDB + £100) from July 9 2012
Complete bike in full 2013 spec at £4,999.99 RRP from July 23 2012
Looks tasty, hope there are some suitably ludicrous colourways…
Might be a great bike, but ffs, Orange, please hire a copywriter and a proofreader…
looks like an orange
looks good but i think for them to sell well there going to have to sign a couple of big names and be seen to be competative at the world cups, being a good privateer bike wont cut it nowadays. i do hope it is tho as ive got a soft spot for oranges, like the colours and the decals.
wow same as the last 10 years. boring………….!!!!
Stevie, do you think the same of porsche 911? some call it boring like you but others see it as refinement. I can comment as I’ve rode one and while it feels familar to a 224 evo it seems to be more planted and use its travel better than before
Looks like a further evolution of a great bike. No bad thing in my books. But £2.4k? OR perhaps that how much all bikes cost now?
Also, not that sure about the gusset between the top and down tubes. Saw this on Rowan’s bike and it doesn’t look up to usual Oranange refinement.
Still behind the times then, 135 back end? iscg old?
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If they went back to a 150mm back end and iscg 05, Orange would sell a lot more frames as you would have to change all your components!!! I bet it’s a 73mm bb and a 27.2 seat post
But I do love the oranges ride,
Change the above and I would sell my v10 carbon to buy one!!!!!!!
I want one! Long or short for a 6fter?
Love it
I want 1
Is it fast?
like has been said above, why oh why does it have such antique features as a 135mm rear, iscg old, skinny headtube etc? renders it incompatible with nearly everything
The new demo carbon has old ISCG tabs and a 135 rear. I suppose that is also old and incompatible with everything, apart from the bits that hang off the production bike of course. A skinny head tube renders a bike incompatible with an angleset I suppose but that is not an issue if a bike company get the geo right in the first place, something orange have a pretty good record on.
On closer inspection, that aint no skinny headtube. Angleset away if that is your thing.
Only the Sam hill works demo carbon has a 135 rear wheel, to fit the new dt Swiss 5 speed mini cassette!!!!!! It’s more of a custom setup.
The rest of the demo range keep the 150mm rear to fit the standard dh size!!!!!!
I kind of like the fact that Orange keep it simple, but the price does not reflect that.
I think they need to sponsor a big name rider again in order to warrant the price and actually prove it is capable.
British engineered and designed bike fully built with all the good stuff for £5k THAT’S WHAT I AM TALING ABOUT!!! Well done Orange for not being like the rest out there, looks like my trusty 224 will be replaced by more Patriotic equipment, and not a minute too soon I might add
phew, for a minute there i thought i was going to have to defect to the foreigners and their complicated and perfectly subtle suspension platforms with massive pricetags.
Good stuff, keeps the simplicity and hopefully improves function. Yes the frame price is a bit eye watering, but worth it to keep jobs in the UK.
I always thought the whole point of the wider rear end is that you can build a stronger wheel by having less dish.
So if most 150mm rear hubs (yes you Hope) have flange spacing the same as on a 135mm hub, doesn’t that negate the whole benefit of the wider spacing? Your wheel is no stronger but it does end up being a little heavier. Which seems kinda pointless no?
I have to say I don’t understand the ISCG old though I’m sure there’s a good reason for it but the 135 back end makes sense. 83/150 is more of a help when you have a lot of linkages to cram in and space apart to generate some stiffness but this doesn’t need it so they’ve saved weight slimmed the bike down by keeping it at MTB standard not necessarily DH “standard”
I’d buy one – if I had the cash to blow in that direction.
Yeah you are right GeeTee, for some stupid reason a whole load of hub manufacturers don’t change the flange spacing on their 150mm hubs when compared to their 135mm ones, which does completely wipe out any benefits of the wider back end. This is part of the reason why Orange have decided not to use a 150mm back end, but they have also found that 135mm allows them to use a wider axle clamp which increases strength and stiffness. The narrower back end also works better with a 68/73mm bottom bracket (in terms of chain line) and by avoiding an 83mm bottom bracket it gives the end user a far greater selection of cranks. I.e. you could use some super light ones if you wanted to.
As for the old style ISCG mount, Orange have only ever used this and whilst it ain’t broke and every chain device manufacturer makes something to fit it, that is what they will continue to use. I really don’t think it’s a problem whatsoever.
yes i need this. I’ve never liked how multi linkage bikes feel
now they just need to do the same thing with the patriot it’s looking very old and out dated now.
Fresh Produce? More like re-heated leftovers.
Why 135 over 142 I wonder? Granted it’s a small difference, but anyone who can remember when 20mm forks didn’t always have hub seats will agree that it’s nice difference. I’d love to see X-12 dropouts appearing on the back of Oranges instead of Maxles, love the X-12 on my Cotic.
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ISCGold makes sense with that pivot being lower, I can’t see ISCG05 tabs clearing it. More to the point unless you’re using a press fit bb it makes no difference anyway.
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But why no guard on the forward shock mount? That’s going to be full of shite in time.
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Still want one
If only i could like the sense made by Ed’s post all these home based engineers with no qualifications spotuing shite
I’m not an arm chair engineer. I’ve literally just come off the back of riding and racing a 224 for 2 years and from having owned one for so long I feel qualified to say they do feel a bit unrefined and a bit of a relic. Swapping to other frames is made difficult, the headset stack height is pretty tall, the noise is never ending and it just lacks lots of sophistication and touches that you can get elsewhere for the same money. Saying that i had fun on it and it was damn reliable.
Im really glad to see this is now going into production. Simple and staight forward! I also think its great that they have stuck with 135mm rear spacing because lets be frank, the average rider out there will not notice the blindest bit of differnce in stiffness and gives your feet more clearance and saves a bit of weight. It looks great too.
I can see Peaty on this bad boy! British rider on a British machine = lots of sales. I would love this bike, but I can’t part with £5000 green queens! At a push I would get the Patriot.
How much??? You can buy a complete bike from zee Germans for the same as the frame. I think Orange are getting a little too greedy. I always would buy British, but look at Canyon, Rose or YT and you’ll be amazed.
Good point Dave, but do you actually think they are anywhere near the same quality engineering and reliability wise? I don’t. There is a lot to be said about Engineering from the UK. And Orange are far from greedy pal – their pricing is pretty stable, my 224 was 4.2k 3 years ago – bear in mind how much everything has gone up in price in comparison, take Trek for example, they were like 3k only a couple of years ago, now they are 7k plus…..
Genuinely not trying to start an argument, but are they that reliable? Plenty of talk of cracked rear triangles on the net, and I have seen a few myself despite only a few of my friends riding them. Some very much new. Isn’t the warranty only 2 years also? No problem paying a little more for local stuff, but they need to stand behind the product…
I can only comment on my knowledge and experience, I am 16stone, lowest i have been is 14.5 in the last 5 or so years, i race every year and hammer the shit out of my 224 each ride, I do not shy away from any big lines and i have only had 224 underneath me. I am sure there have been cracked frames out there as with most bikes. Mine have been fine. Let’s put it this way, I would rather take my monocoque age old design with a single pivot to a fight with trees and rock over something like a Trek or Giant etc etc. And i bet a pound to a penny that Orange will honour broken bikes if in fact they are faulty. Most complaints on the web (which is a very big place and full of liars by the way) are usually frustrated people slagging off a company because their complaint hasn’t been dealt with quick enough, I can share this frustration and we all know what nearly happened to Commencal with their 55′s because of this sort of mass complaining and scaremongery. Lot’s of complaining saying this saying that – every genuine customer got sorted didn’t they, much like the Revolt and all the customers of that bike, you just have to wait sometimes which isn’t pleasant but hey that’s life, most people turn to the web to vent until they get noticed. For me, my Orange 224′s have been indestructable hence why i am on my 3rd and looking at a 4th. 322 FTW.