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<\/figure><\/div>\n\nINFO <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Price: <\/strong>\u00a37,500 (stock Orange Switch 7 SE) Billed as \u2018the mullet with muscle’, the new Switch 7 is a big-hitting, mixed-wheel-size enduro machine with long travel and aggressive angles. It sports Orange\u2019s trademark monocoque aluminium mainframe and swing-arm, but, in a radical departure for the Halifax-based brand, uses a hidden linkage to drive the shock (1) <\/strong>\u2013 something seemingly anathema to the Orange mantra of keeping frames as simple as possible (while constantly refining the geometry and kinematics). This Switch 7 belongs to Lachlan Blair, the Enduro World Series and Downhill World Cup racer from Fort William, who\u2019s built it up with a drool-worthy selection of parts. <\/p>\n\n While Lachlan\u2019s favoured terrain is fast, flowy jump trails \u2013 \u201cthe looser and dustier the better!\u201d \u2013 the young Scot admits: \u201cI tend to get better results when the tracks are tight and wet, as that\u2019s what I rode most growing up.\u201d In either situation, the Switch 7 has his back. The new linkage has enabled Orange\u2019s designers to build in more progression for big-hitting enduro courses, while keeping the top of the stroke nice and supple for maximum traction on technical trails. <\/p>\n\n Lachlan uses a 170mm-travel \u00d6hlins RXF38 m.2 fork and matching TTX Coil shock. \u201cI run both as fast as they\u2019ll go and fairly light on the compression, as I find this a good combination for enduro, where you don\u2019t fully know the track,\u201d he explains. Many enduro riders prefer coilsprung shocks, because of their low stiction and improved resistance to overheating on long descents. \u201cI\u2019m a big fan of simplicity, and a coil shock has consistent feel from the start to the end of the stroke,\u201d says Lachlan, \u201cand, with no air pressures to keep track of, it\u2019s easier when I\u2019m racing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n He adds: \u201cThe smooth progressiveness of the Switch 7 definitely helps when running a coil shock. It\u2019s even better than before [when he was racing the single-pivot Orange Stage 6, also with a coil], with way fewer bottom-outs.\u201d To keep the bike from sinking into its travel with his light compression set-up, Lachlan has switched from a 480lb spring to a stiffer 502lb coil. <\/p>\n\n Another change from the Stage 6 is that the Switch 7 pairs a 29in front wheel with a 650b rear wheel. \u201cThe mullet set-up is fantastic!\u201d says Lachlan. \u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019ve tried a few times, since 2015. I find the bike more nimble when cornering and easier to control in a drift, as the front wheel has more grip than the rear when running the same tyres. At 5ft 9in [175cm] with relatively short legs, the extra clearance with a 27.5in rear wheel is noticeable when things get wild!\u201d <\/p>\n\n Both wheels are Stan\u2019s NoTubes Flow MK4s, shod with Michelin Wild Enduro Racing Line tyres. These lightweight hoops allow Lachlan to accelerate quickly and get maximum performance from his suspension and brakes, because of the lower unsprung and rotating mass. Powerful Formula Cura 4 brakes with big 203mm rotors slow the Switch 7 down. <\/p>\n\n Lachlan runs plenty of spacers beneath his Burgtec Enduro MK4 50mm stem (2), <\/strong>and rolls his 30mm-rise Burgtec RideWide Enduro carbon bar back further than most. The Orange\u2019s steep 76-degree seat tube makes for efficient climbing, aided by a 200mmdrop SDG Tellis post, topped with a SDG Bel-Air V3 saddle. <\/p>\n\n Heading down the hill, an MRP SX guide ensures Lachlan doesn\u2019t drop his chain, while, surprisingly, this high-spec bike sports a mid-range Shimano SLX crankset (3). <\/strong>\u201cI started off with XTR cranks, but bought a set with the wrong Q-factor and they didn\u2019t clear my chainstay protector,\u201d he explains. Unable to return them, or to afford top-end XTR again, Lachlan went for SLX. \u201cThey\u2019re tough and have been faultless all year so I can\u2019t complain about the extra grams!\u201d <\/p>\n\n For racing, he favours 165mm crank arms: \u201cOn EWS stages you often find yourself pedalling in places you normally wouldn\u2019t, through rocks and roots, which makes the extra clearance useful for avoiding pedal strikes.\u201d A 34t Burgtec chainring paired with a Shimano XTR 11-46t cassette gives him a wide spread of gears, for climbing steep transitions between stages as well as pedalling flat-out down fireroads. <\/p>\n\n Lachlan\u2019s bike is finished off with a pair of Crankbrothers Mallet DH clipless pedals. \u201cI prefer the larger platform of the DH pedals over the [Mallet E] enduro ones,\u201d he explains. The ability to clip in backwards (as well as forwards) on Crankbrothers pedals is a feature Lachlan says he\u2019d now struggle to ride without. He switches to flat pedals when playing around between races, but doesn\u2019t feel as comfortable riding fast with them. And that, after all, is what this bike is all about! (4) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n Lachlan is one of those rare racers who has the talent to compete at the sharp end of both the Enduro World Series and Downhill World Cup series. This stylish former Dude of Hazzard from Onich, just down the road<\/span> from Fort William, is partial to a bit of jibbing and rut-smashing fun, too. In his own words, Lachlan sees his role as \u201cgetting professionally sketchy for Orange Factory Racing\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yorkshire brand rewrite their enduro playbook with a shock-link and mullet wheels 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brand rewrite their enduro playbook with a shock-link and mullet 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Contact: <\/strong>www.orangebikes.com<\/a>
Also try: <\/strong>Hope HB.916, from \u00a35,995 (without drivetrain), www.hopetechhb.com<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2022\/09\/MBK_413_front.KA_Petzen_byKikeAbelleira_7308550_preview.jpg\")
All hail the coil<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
Party at the back<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2022\/09\/MBK_413_front.KA_Petzen_byKikeAbelleira_7308581_preview.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2022\/09\/MBK_413_front.KA_Petzen_byKikeAbelleira_7308590_preview.jpg\")
Cranking up the heat<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2022\/09\/MBK_413_front.KA_Petzen_byKikeAbelleira-08745-761x1024.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
WHO IS… <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
LACHLAN BLAIR <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2022\/09\/Layer-1.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n