Orange Mountain Bikes’ All Round Range
Posted in Fly Fishing Gear on the July 30, 2010
Based in Halifax, Yorkshire, Orange mountain bikes are a quality British bike company. Although the recent recession impacted the leisure industry negatively, Orange mountain bikes have survived very well thanks to its commitment to providing a bike for everyone and its commitment to quality. The credit crunch prompted us all to try to buy British brands where possible instead of foreign ones. Buying British is also much greener than sourcing our bikes from abroad.
There’s a long history behind Orange mountain bikes and previous sponsoring of big name riders like Steve Peat and Greg Minaar have made the brand more visible. The Patriot was the model that really confirmed Orange mountain bikes’ status as fans’ favourite, because it was incredibly popular on British downhill courses. What followed it, the 222 was the bike that attracted international attention for the brand. Today, it’s the Orange Five model that everyone knows. Orange mountain bikes are now available in 26 countries across the World.
Business partners Lester Noble and Steve Wade started Orange mountain bikes. Before the two joined forces, Noble was selling imported bikes from Taiwan with the name Tushingham bikes. Later, thanks to Steve Wade’s sheet metal business and engineering experience the pair were able to manufacture for themselves. Still, there was a period when the pair assembled imported bike parts.
Now, almost all of the bikes in the Orange mountain bike range are manufactured and assembled in the company’s Halifax factory. However, entry level bikes are still manufactured in the Far East.
Orange has a good relationship with Birmingham based Reynolds who was the first company to use hydro formed tubing. The majority of Orange mountain bikes are made using hydro formed tubing. As a result of the technique employed in making the tubes for the bike frames, the frames are very durable.