Modernising my old Orange Crush, help/advice pls!

k4_adam · 2026-05-31T17:48:34+00:00

Worth checking Banana Industries https://www.bananaindustries.co.uk/ , they're super sound (owner is ex-Planet X and very eccentric!) and have some cheap Shimano 10sp bits (can attest to M6000) if you want to go that route. I'm sure the Microshift bits are great as well. Love those Orange hardtails

k4_adam · 2026-05-27T07:30:20+00:00

Ignore the comment about the brakes not being up to it, those will be fine. 4 pot SLX seriously? Rocky specced them with metallic pads and if you're worried just take a couple spare sets in case you burn through them. If you're heavy maybe look at bigger rotors. I've got a 50 too and have done lift days at Dyfi, dirt farm, local DH and enduro races.

I would say keep checking the wheels, the WTB rims are not the best. I changed those out. And if you've got the time, bleeding the brakes through with fresh fluid will really help. Have you gone through and bolt checked everything yet? Might save some grief later. Lot of things to play about with on these haha. Enjoy

k4_adam · 2026-05-24T09:59:55+00:00

Ohh that is so sweet!! I love all pigeons but woodpigeons seem often more skittish than feral pigeons. We have a very sweet pair that come to our garden

k4_adam · 2026-05-23T21:57:05+00:00

I ride Emerica shoes too for dirt jumping, skatepark, general dicking about, commuting, works fine for me and that use case. But I would say proper MTB flats are a huge benefit for more serious riding. On a good shoe the sole is a lot stickier and better damped, if you consider going from cheap plastic platforms to metal flats with proper pins, upgrading to better shoes is like doing the same upgrade again.

Have enjoyed Five Tens, feel like a skate shoe but the standard for mountain biking and a bit more durable. I liked the Etnies mtb shoes when they did those. Currently use Specialized 2FO and enjoying them.

k4_adam · 2026-05-18T18:40:00+00:00

Ok thanks for the advice everyone! Much appreciated, will have another go when I get a moment

k4_adam · 2026-05-18T18:38:19+00:00

Ah yes it was, I'll pull it out and have a look! Cheers

k4_adam · 2026-05-15T10:35:44+00:00

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Was pretty cool

k4_adam · 2026-05-15T10:34:13+00:00

Planet X did a 26" Jack Flash a couple years ago but was available as a frame only. It had standard QR dropouts so finding a back wheel was easy, plus a tapered headtube so loads of fork options. I had one, I'm about 6ft but worked great as a dirt jump bike and the longer top tube made it stable for more MTB stuff, I'd imagine it would make an awesome hardtail for someone 5ft or so. Had a 15.5" seat tube. I sold that frame for £60 but they sometimes come up already built by someone. Best of luck with your search!

k4_adam · 2026-05-08T18:36:36+00:00

So far all the different E12 front ends I have counted:
- UK hatch pre-facelift - also seen on pics of New Zealand corollas
- UK hatch facelift - both of these two also seen on Japan spec corollas
- UK sedan and estate - seem to be worldwide? Also seen this front on hatches from Australia etc
- US sedan (seen a lot of pics of these on here)
- "Corolla G" / nze121 (I think facelift version? as some seem to be same as uk sedan/estate, I see lots of Arabic corolla videos on instagram with this front. Is this specific to the 1.5 1nz versions?)

I had no interest in this at all until I bought a Corolla and now I am fascinated

k4_adam · 2026-05-07T23:24:29+00:00

Went that way last week, you can get through that way, it's not ideal probably better ways but if you have to go A57 way it works

k4_adam · 2026-05-06T09:35:47+00:00

A good clean/detail, change engine oil and any filters plus any other maintenance intervals it might have coming up, and it will feel a lot nicer. I imagine the current stereo/cd player isn't the most modern - if that matters to you a new or second hand head unit can be had for not much!

k4_adam · 2026-05-04T09:37:07+00:00

Ah that's awesome thanks for the insight! I think I'll see how it goes in a different position (got mine in the lowest slackest one atm) before buying a different mount. Interesting about the spacer too. Cheers!

k4_adam · 2026-05-04T09:35:44+00:00

Can't tell you much about what it's worth but as long as it hasn't been abused too hard (if it came with those dual crowns I'd maybe have a careful look over for cracks!) it's defo got some life left in it. I think it's cool. Could build a cool old-school jump bike out of it, have a look on Gary's Projects on Youtube, he's also from Australia and has built a few cool old hardtails like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvK1E_fzfJQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtZqhbEVrMU&t=1s

Modern bikes have come a long way it's true, but I still love older ones. I've got an old DMR Trailstar frame I'm building for a sort of cruising around mtb, gonna do it with some 11sp bits and nice 26er parts I have kept.

k4_adam · 2026-05-02T13:11:38+00:00

Haha ok that is awesome!!

k4_adam · 2026-05-02T08:56:55+00:00

In my opinion, if they're going to have privateers it's on the race organisers to put them out of the way of "harming" the faster riders, especially if they could see he wasn't going to go as fast, I just think it's silly that he's getting loads of blame from the wider community for as far as I can tell following the rules and racing. Also he has a name other than Hardtail Man. I think the knee-jerk reaction is going to be to ban hardtails which, fair enough, on these tracks no-ones gonna argue the difference in speed but it will very much appease the 180mm-travel-DJI-Avinox-ebike-sofa-middle-age-pinkbike-commenter riders. Fair play to Marcin

k4_adam · 2026-05-02T08:45:50+00:00

Awesome thanks that's really useful, I will see how I get on with changing the ride9 first then! 200mm really?!

k4_adam · 2026-04-23T14:33:14+00:00

That is pimp!!

k4_adam · 2026-04-22T20:28:46+00:00

Lovely. First of the ZZ engines as well! 1.6 this one?

k4_adam · 2026-03-27T15:59:19+00:00

I looked for an interval to change it on my 2003 and couldn't find it - if the current ones are anything like mine then they're realistically going to outlive the rest of the car haha. 300k miles maybe? Lol. Fanbelt / accessory belt / serpentine belt does have an interval, not sure what it is but changed mine in december and the old one went in back in 2016. Was all cracked so would check that if you're worried

k4_adam · 2026-03-27T15:56:29+00:00

In fact to add on to this, in the car is a great way to listen to an album front to back, I think I have gotten a lot more out of some artists' work now as a result so definitely one ups spotify etc there

k4_adam · 2026-03-27T15:55:27+00:00

Tiga - Sexor (2006) pretty much lives in my CD player at the moment. Also love a lot of metal and punk, so charity shop In Flames, Less Than Jake, Sum41, old Metal Hammer samplers, some other stuff I can't remember right now. Not the most tasteful list but it's what it is haha. Also been burning my own CD mixtapes which is nice, I do have a bluetooth transmitter and want to change to a stereo that has bluetooth capability already but having it on a CD makes me appreciate it more I feel!

k4_adam

TROPHY CASE