We’re not supposed to have favourites, but the P7 has been in the Orange line-up for so long now, its place as our favourite is well earned. Over ten years of subtle geometry tweaks and construction refinements have kept the P7 at the forefront of its performance envelope, namely leading the pack in hard-riding CroMo hardtails.
The current P7 will comfortably run a 140mm fork, it has a unique sliding drop-out system on the rear triangle so that when you find yourself gripped by singlespeed frenzy, flip out the allen keys and in a few minutes you’ll be cranking the one-true-gear in brutal style. Optional dropouts mean you can run a derailleur, no nonsense singlespeed or a Rohloff Speedhub™ on a P7 by design, not bodge.
But all this tech-talk is just babble in comparison to the P7’s true purpose in life – the ‘ping’ of its steel, the ‘snap’ of its response and the flick in its handling that sets the P7 apart. Its geometry is tuned for real-world back-woods situations where it excels as a pure bred iron horse that responds to a rider with spirit.