While all of our bikes could claim to be ideal for all riding, it depends on what your idea of ‘riding’ entails. Some riders never leave the ground and never let their heart rates drop below redline. Others spend more time sliding through turns, airborne or just plain larking around. Who makes a bike for all of them? Well, we do, and it’s the Five.

The Five genuinely is our true all-rounder. As happy on a race course as it is with a six inch fork going faster than you think you should. The Five has been with us for years, brought up to line with every technological and geometry improvement; you could say it’s as state-of-the art as it’s always been.

There are many reasons that you see so many Fives on the trails. Firstly, with the simplicity of a single pivot and the solidity of a welded-in-Halifax frame, they just don’t break down. Secondly… they’re just the most unflappable bike out there. If you’re going to be playing Trail Bingo for a weekend – a bit of map reading, a bit of ‘let the locals show you the trails’ and a bit of good old getting lost, you won’t find a better partner. The Five’s smooth, capable travel and no nonsense geometry will cope cooly with everything from the rockiest trails that the locals will come up with, to the ‘just over that hill’ misdirected death-march back home from your sketchy navigator.

Reynolds Technology, based in Birmingham, are the company that invented the concept of butted tubes back in 1898, so they know a thing or two about tubing. New for 2009, the Five, ST4 and Alpine 160 all feature custom Reynolds 6061 Hydroformed tubing. 6061 is an aluminium alloy with silicone and magnesium additions that provide high strength and ductility after the welded frame is heat-treated. The top tube profile is hydroformed to create the optimised shape designed by Orange for a light agile ride feel.

Handling, stiffness, balance, geometry and reliability don't come better than on the Orange Five, and together they make for an inspirational bike.