Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Review: Ortre Cinco5

Ortre Cinco5

Ortre is a design studio based in Sydney that create products for ‘everyday cyclists’. You will hopefully recognize the name from the sidebar of The Spoken — they’ve been supporters of the site for a while now. Their range includes the smart-looking B15 Lock, Universal pump and the Multitool, as well as an Urban Cross frame and a nifty cargo/commuter, the Cinco5.

It’s an odd name for an odd bike, but I’ve been hooked since the moment I laid eyes on it. Ortre were generous and brave enough to loan me one, so for a few days it became my ‘go-to’ bike.

Ortre Cinco5

The Cinco5 come in two sizes: a 20″ wheel for small-to-medium riders, and a 24″ for medium-to-large. I’m 6′, and ended up with the 20″ size. That was fine, as I was initially attracted to it because it combined my BMX roots with my current love for classically styled porteurs and cargo bikes.

I live about thirty kilometers south of Sydney so in two days of commuting, I racked up about 120kms of riding. It also doubled as my grocery bike and cafe cruiser on the weekend. Sure, it’s not designed to be a long distance tourer, but it sure gave me a good idea of how the bike handled.

Ortre Cinco5

To be honest, riding the Cinco5 was the most fun I’ve had on a bike for a long time. The 20″ wheels are very nimble, allowing the bike to track around corners like it’s on rails. The frame is large enough for taller riders to feel completely stretched out — it’s designed around full-sized geometry, just with small wheels. The wide bars gave the bike a serious ‘point-and-shoot’ action.

Ortre Cinco5

Ortre is an Australian business, and while their products are ‘made by people in the PRC’, everything is designed onshore. The component list basically consists of Tektro and Shimano’s Tiagra drivetrain, which is perfect for the application, and worked flawlessly.

Ortre Cinco5

The saddle and grips supplied were more than satisfactory, but were swapped out for a vintage Australian leather ‘Bell’ version and cork grips, both for aesthetic reasons and equal comfort. The Yanco & Tracko Ramblin’ Roll tool bag is a favorite of mine and comes with me wherever I ride.

Ortre Cinco5

I’ve already planned a The Spoken edition of the Cinco5, which may or may not exist only in my imagination, and would be equipped with a 1996 Shimano XTR group set. The rims would be replaced with a pair of the legendary SUNRinglé Rhyno Lite rims, shod with Maxxis Hookworkms. Chris King headset, custom saddle with matching toe straps by Busyman Bicycles would be installed onto Thomson hardware, while the cork grips can stay, mounted on Salsa Bend 2 bars.

Ortre Cinco5

That rack is the business, and is quite capable of carrying up to two cases of beer, but I’m quite sure it could be converted to a confident baby carrier if needed. The rack is removable, so you can just run the laminated deck. It’s already been established that a blank Canadian Maple skate deck could be re-appropriated here… The double stand came in handy, especially when the rack was fully loaded.

Ortre Cinco5

The Cinco5 caused a stir wherever it went, everyone was impressed with its good looks and functionality, none more so than I. As far as an urban commuter goes, one that is suitable for both him and her, you’d be hard pressed to find a more suitable vehicle. It retails for $1,349.95 and is available in both pastel yellow and gloss black, and in two versatile sizes. At this stage, Ortre will only ship within Australia but plans are in place to ship worldwide. Email them for details and for more information on the Cinco5, stockists and the rest of the Ortre range, check out the website.

Ortre Cinco5

Special thanks to Alex from Ortre.