2019 seems to be the year of Orange giving almost its entire range a full update. Starting with the Five and Alpine 6 at the beginning of the year, its EPO electric mountain bike got updated and renamed the Surge in early summer, and now those updates have trickled down through to the rest of its range.
2020 Orange Switch 6 details
As a genuinely new model in Orange’s range, the Switch 6 is its first from-the-factory mullet bike, which means that it has a 27.5in rear wheel and a 29in front wheel.
Taking elements from both of Orange’s hardest-hitting enduro rigs, the 650b Alpine 6 and 29er Stage 6, the Switch 6 is a bespoke, built-from-the-ground up mullet bike.
2020 Orange Switch 6 suspension
The bike comes supplied with a 160mm travel fork and has 145mm of rear-wheel travel. It features a range of new bits and bobs seen on the Stage bikes, such as a metric shock and similar pivot placement giving it the updated suspension characteristics.
2020 Orange Switch 6 geometry
The Switch 6’s geometry figures are unique to the bike, but like the two Stages it only comes in medium, large and extra-large sizes.
It has a 64-degree head angle and a 76-degree seat tube angle. Reach numbers start at 467mm for the medium and extend to 503mm for the extra-large.
Likewise, the wheelbase figures go from 1,272mm for the medium to 1,316mm on the extra-large bike. All bikes feature a 447mm chainstay, however.
These figures represent a blend of Orange’s bikes, hopefully giving it the ideal geometry for the mullet set up.
2020 Orange Switch 6 prices and models
Once again there are four models: the Pro, RS, Factory and XTR.
Prices start at £4,300 and top out at £6,500 for the range-topping XTR bike.
2020 Orange Stage 5 details
Keeping the same 135mm of rear-wheel travel and silhouette as the outgoing model, the Stage 5 gets bottle cage mounts on the underside of the down tube, new Trail Tuned geometry (more on that later) and improved cable routing over the outgoing model.
2020 Orange Stage 5 suspension
The new Five now gets a metric 210 x 50 rear shock and, along with moving the pivot placement that’s added a level of progressivity to the bike’s suspension curve, has adopted an asymmetrical swing arm which places the chainring directly below the main pivot, helping to reduce anti-squat and pedal kickback numbers.
2020 Orange Stage 5 geometry
Geometry has been updated, too, with the Stage 5 getting a 65-degree head angle, 1.5 degrees slacker than the outgoing bike and an impressively steep 76-degree seat tube angle. All of the bikes get a reduced 42mm offset fork specced as standard.
The Stage 5 is available in three sizes: a medium, large and extra-large with each size having 463mm, 481mm and 499mm reach figures respectively, which makes the previous size large equivalent to a new medium bike.
Wheelbases go from 1,242mm to 1,264mm and 1,286mm for the biggest bike. All the sizes share a 461mm chainstay, however.
To top it off, the bottom bracket has been lowered by 10mm across the range.
2020 Orange Stage 5 prices and models
Prices start at £4,100 for the Pro Stage 5 but like the rest of Orange’s range there are more expensive RS, Factory and XTR bikes.
2020 Orange Stage 6 details
Like the Stage 5, the Stage 6 has been given a similar host of updates.
The swingarm features Orange’s new updated cable routing underneath its front shock mount section and the front triangle’s cable routing has been moved forwards and the cable’s entry angle has been reduced to help stop the cables bowing outwards.
2020 Orange Stage 6 suspension
The Stage 6 still has 150mm of rear-wheel travel but its suspension has been updated in the same way as the Five’s, giving it more progression and less anti-squat and pedal kickback.
2020 Orange Stage 6 geometry
The bike’s geometry figures have grown considerably, too. There are still only three sizes — medium, large and extra-large — but the outgoing large bike’s geometry is akin to the new Stage 6’s medium figures.
The medium now has a 467mm reach, a 1,272mm wheelbase and a steep 76-degree head angle.
The reach extends to 503mm for the extra large and the wheelbase tips over the 1,300mm mark by 16mm, making it 1,316mm long.
Chainstay length across the sizes is 469mm. That’s all impressive stuff.
2020 Orange Stage 6 prices and models
Like the Five, the new Stage comes in four models: a Pro, RS, Factory and XTR.
Each model has its own level of spec appropriate to the bike’s price, and the Pro model starts at £4,300.
2020 Orange Phase details
As another bespoke mullet bike, the new Phase has 160mm of front and rear wheel travel, features Shimano’s 504Wh 8035 battery and E8000 250W motor and has an in-built power button on the top tube.
This system is said to give up to 100km of power-assisted riding.
Like the rest of Orange’s new range, it’s only available in three sizes: medium, large and extra-large. It has a 64-degree head angle and 76-degree seat tube angle, the reach figures span from 467mm for the medium through to 505mm for the extra-large.
Wheelbases are shorter on the electric mountain bike model and range from 1,248mm through to 1,290mm. Chainstay lengths are 439mm across sizes and this has to be one of the shortest figures for an electric mountain bike.
Prices start at £6,700 for the Pro model, and like the rest of the range there’s an RS, Factory and XTR build sitting above it.
