i tried a orange 5 diva (14') at the weekend and it was way too small for me.

so i tried a 16" normal and the stand over way a bit too high but otherwise fitted me.

 i'm 5'3.

if you have a 5 or have tried one tell me what height you are and what frame size?

im going to test loads more full suss's before i decide but im curious to know what everyone else found with oranges.

thanks

Tis a 16" like mine !

I'm 5ft5" I've had Sub-5 the forerunner to the 5. Now I have a 5 which is 16" both bikes were the same size wise. You might be unlucky. I think I'd be better on a 15" I said that to K8to the other week when we were discussing our bikes. I think she is taller than me.  I thought the Diva was like a kids bike and my friend has a 14" 5 standard and thats the same as well. Unfortunately they don't make a 15". I have quite long arms so I can stand the long top tube and the standover is fine for me.

I'm not the worlds best technical rider and I have a smaller full-sus a Stuntjumper which I find better on singletrack and tricky stuff, but I do love the 5. The 5 is great in the Alps and places like Glentress but too much bounce for some places in the UK. Oh and mine is a heavy b*gger as well 33lb although the new one is allegedly 28lb mmm.......

You'd probably be better trying something else there are loads out there I wouldn't want to spend all that money on something and it's not quite right.  

I am looking at getting a 5 next year and had a feeling I would have exactly this problem - I have sat on a Diva briefly and it seemed tiny.  I'm also 5'3" and ride a 16" kona queen kikapu at the moment which fit's just nice.  It a shame they don't do the Diva spec in a 16" frame option as well. 

I'm hoping to get up to Glentress and rent both the 16" and the Diva this year so I can test them both on some good trails.  I'll give feedback - although, it won't be for several months so you'll prolly be sorted by then

I was worried about this last year when i got my 5. Im 5'4ish and was used to riding a 16" kona which was closer to the geometry of the 14 inch 5 and was worried about standover height. Ended up getting a 16 as the 14 felt too short. Turns out the standover height is fine (the curved top tube does make a difference) and the pain i sometimes got in my wrists has diappeared. Now the kona feels really small and squished up!

The hardest thing is trying to find demo bikes. If you can, get a proper demo not just a trip round the car park. One of my friends has just got a small trek ex 8  which felt fine when she tried it and discovered on the first technical ride she did that her foot hit of the wheel when she turned tight corners. The good news is the bike shop (Terry Wrights in Market Deeping I think) have agreed to sell her the medium at cost price and she has been able to sell on the small already so no-one has lost out.

is that the diva version of the 14 or the old unisex 14 as the geometry is different on both 14' s? - the unisex old 06' 14' is only a tiny bit smaller than the 16 and the diva is way smaller than the 16.

got some contacts at orange - so im gonna be trying an older version of the 14' in the next few weeks. as im 100% sure the diva is far too small for me.

Sorry confusing post! The original 14 was similar to the geometry of my hardtail but i couldnt find one to try. Sat on the diva and knew it was too short for me straight away. It came down to a trade off between standover and reach for me but I guess it depends more on leg and arm/back length rather than overall height!

sorry don't mean to confuse. friends of friends can get hold of an old 14 for me.

im just looking at the geometrys from the site and i reckon the old 14' (2006) should fit me perfectly.

top tube -

14' = 544, 16 = 558, diva = 510 

standover

662, 705, 662

effective tt ( ie seat to handlebars )

560, 580, 530

so you can see how tiny the diva is compared to the old 14'

if i didnt have the option of the old one theres no way id get the diva.

anyway i'll find out soon enough! excited because its a right deal if i like it!

i do wonder if im even or if i have longer arms, legs etc for my height. i've got no idea!

Sorry I meant to say my post was confusing!

I think I could probably have got away with the old 14 so if your an inch or so shorter it will probably be spot on. Well done on getting a good deal! I love my 5 - the only not so good bit is the ridiculously heavy tyres it came with and thats easily changed.

looking forward to joining the 5 club Fi 

powder blue too - so pretty!

Thanks for the info Fi

I bumped into some people from the Hub when in C-y-B last week and they had both the Diva and the 16" there...it was there suggestion to try both out but I guess it is a very good point - better to get up there before the riding season really starts!

Good luck with the new bike when you get it Abs (i'm jealous as hell - especially after the battering my kikapu got today - so many mechanicals to fix - oh to have the joys of a new bike!!)

I've got one and I'm confused

'Old 14"' ? They still do a 14" that isn't a Diva.

carolyn - yeah my fault i thought they'd stopped making the standard 14' - your right.

little rhi - i love the powder blue colour, thats what im gonna get

I'm a bit of freak size when it comes to bikes, and have a problem finding something that fit s all the time....I've just bought a road bike, and have suffered bikes that don't fit me before - it can be a painful experience, so I decided to get properly fitted. 

There's a bike fitting service available around the UK and abroad their site is www.bikefitting.com .  You can put in your postcode to find your nearest shop that does it.  It works for either Mountain bikes or road bikes.  I went up to Boneshakers in Harrogate.  They take a lot of measurements from you, and then put them into the computer and it computes what the perfect geometry will be for you and how your bike should be set up. 

If you just want the service they can print it out for you and you pay £40 for the service.  If you decide to buy a bike from them, they can order in the correct size of bike and then set it up with the correct length stem, bars, cranks, seat post height etc.  You go for a trial ride and if anything doesn't feel right they change it (FOC).  Then you buy the bike (they don't charge you for the bike fitting service) and go back in 6 weeks.  Then they true the wheels, check the cables and change any components that aren't fitting you right - still foc.  You actually end up with a very comfy bike - which really matters when you're 1) riding it for long periods of time 2) paying a lot of your hard earned readies for it.

Hope that might help..... 

Or there's this one you can do yourself - Fit Calculator

But I'd recommend reading this article about women's fit on the Titus website

Hi - if you've not sorted something out yet i've just listed my 13.5 Titus motolite for sale. i found this a bit long so have bought a 14 Diva.

It might be just your thing!

Thanks Claire but i have a 14' (non diva) orange 5 now thanks.

Good luck on your sale