The Orange R9 and the Road ahead

The Orange R9 and the Road ahead
Orange Bikes (UK) – Press Release: We are a company of cyclists, not just mountain bikers, and we live in the heart of some of the best road biking in the UK. With the popular rise in enduro and endurance based sports we’ve found we're covering more miles on tarmac for fun and fitness than ever before. It is time for us the bring our own roadbike back to the Orange line-up.

With a feature list for our dream road bike we set: Super strong yet superlight frame construction, built for distance, designed to climb, descends like a missile. we reckon we’ve ticked off the lot.

We delivered our first carbon fibre road model with the Carb-O in 2012, which is now one of our cult models to those in the know.

Now finally with the advent of bolt-through axle standards, much improved disc braking, and larger volume tyres, we’ve reignited our Orange road bike project to develop a frame and spec package that truly meets the needs of the 21st century rider.



Not all carbon is created equal:
Carbon Fibre frames are now ubiquitous in the world of performance road cycling but the quality can varies enormously. The R9’s frame construction is a precision carbon fibre lay-up using materials from Toray in Japan, one of the world's leading suppliers. The frame’s monocoque structure uses a combination of ultra-high modulus unidirectional composite weave, for its high tensile strength. Bi-directional woven sections are integrated into the complex layup to reinforce areas of high stress.

For each different size of the R9 frame, the carbon fibre prepreg sections are CNC machine cut to fit 3D printed mandrels. These custom mandrels are used during the meticulous layup process to construct each of the frame’s sections before the parts go together into the mould. This process creates a strong monocoque structure avoiding superfluous layup material and unnecessary joints maintaining an ultra-light frame. This fastidious process means that when the laid up material is put through the compaction phase, everything is smooth and even, inside and out, avoiding over-built areas that can fail in the curing process leading to structural weak spots.

Precision CNC cutting of the pre-preg panels also means we can fine tune areas where we need to. Adding extra material to strengthen the flat mount brake mount bosses and keeping the subtly curved sweep of the seat stays lean, light and compliant to provide rider comfort.

Designed primarily with modern electronic gear systems in mind, the R9 will happily accommodate ‘old school’ cables.



Overall, we are thrilled with the way the R9 has come together. The perfect lightweight endurance machine for notching up the miles, while being rugged and confident on all kinds of terrain. While we’re not expecting the R9 to compete with its steadfast freeroading stable mates like the RX9, its large tyre clearances and powerful disk braking make it an interesting proposition when it comes to exploring the 'white roads’ that you always meant to follow to the end.

Frame Specs:
  • Frame constructed using High Compaction (HC) moulding
  • Endurance geometry, combining rider comfort, rapid climbing ability and confident descending
  • Unique 3D printed PU mandrels and carbon layups for each size R9 frame size gives es a consistent ride & feel across the range
  • Monocoque frame construction using only four bonded joints for a lighter and stronger frame
  • Oval-shaped, curved, super-thin seatstays reduce road buzz and improve comfort
  • Internal cable routing using injection-moulded stops. Compatible with cable, electric and wireless drivetrain systems
  • Flat mount disc brakes front & rear
  • 12mm bolt through-axles front & rear

Orange on the road:
While road bikes may not be the first thing you think of when you picture an Orange bike, they are an ingrained part of our heritage, since the early 90's when Orange 700c bikes dominated criterium racing.

The diligent Orange bikes scholar will know our road heritage. From the earliest days of Orange bikes with the highly regarded aluminium Orange Dynamo, we’ve since built small batches of road models for our team riders with successes in the televised city centre series in the mid ’90s, with riders like Adrian Timmis and Jonny Clay famously clad in the distinctive spotted orange road kit racing on the legendary titanium Ti-Dy models.

The new R9 is a leap into the future by comparision. Our road bike thinking has always been much like our mountain bike philosophy; "Build the bike for performance, not for show".

R9 Factory 2018 Specifications:
  • Sizes: S, M, L and XL
  • Colour: Matte carbon
  • Decals: Orange/Black Decals
  • Frame: Unidirectional Carbon Fibre Monocoque. Wheel Size: 700c
  • Fork: R9 Full Carbon 100 x 12mm Flat Mount Disc
  • Headset: Kore Dozer
  • Rear Axle: 12 x 142mm OLD Bolt Thru Axle
  • Wheelset: Zipp Firecrest 303 Carbon Clicher Tubeless Disc
  • Tyres: Schwalbe Pro One Evo 28c MicroSkin TL-Easy
  • Crankset: Sram RED 50-34t
  • Chain Device: Sram RED eTap
  • Rear Mech: Sram RED eTap
  • Cassette: Sram RED 11-32t
  • Shifters: Sram RED eTap HDR Shift-Brake Control
  • Bottom Bracket: Sram Road Press Fit
  • Chain: Sram Red 22
  • Brakes: Sram RED Hydraulic Disc
  • Stem: Zipp Service Course SL Stem
  • Handlebar: Zipp Contour SL Bar
  • Grips: Orange Foam Bar Tape
  • Seatpost: Zipp Service Course SL
  • Saddle: Prologo Kappa RS
  • Seat Clamp: Bolted

R9 Pro 2018:


R9 RS 2018:

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