With its base in Halifax, Yorkshire, Orange mountain bikes are a well known English 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 recession has placed a bigger than usual emphasis on choosing British brands over foreign ones. There are also obvious environmental benefits to buying from companies within our own country.

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. Being a fans’ favourite on British downhill courses, the Patriot was the bike that really cemented Orange mountain bikes’ status amongst the industry’s favourites. 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. At the beginning, Lester Noble was importing Taiwanese bikes and selling them in the UK under the name Tushingham bikes. However, Steve Wade brought with him engineering experience and a sheet metal business, so the pair were eventually able to manufacture themselves. That said, they did begin by important bike parts and assembling them themselves.
Today, the vast majority of Orange mountain bikes models are assembled in the business’s Halifax base. However, entry level bikes are still manufactured in the Far East.

The company has a strong relationship with a Birmingham based company known as Reynolds who was the first to implement the use of hydro formed tubing. Orange mountain bikes generally use hydro formed tubing. Thanks to the technique used when making the tubes for the frames, Orange frames are very durable.