Cove Stiffee Review

The Cove Stiffee is not one of those bikes that attempts to be something its not. The Stiffee is not thoughtful, it is not image conscious and it is certainly not forgiving. It is however dependable, functional and rock hard. It’s like a mate who you would ask to help you cut down the oak tree in your garden but not the kind you would want to go for a drink with afterwards.

The new Stiffee hasn’t changed a bit…and we like that. It’s maintained its root characteristics and yet still evolved with the modern rider. An oversized RAD tubeset from Easton provides the turgid core strength and the more distal components are practically all welded to it, providing a menacingly strong machine that is balanced to perfection. This machine rides on fat 2.3in tires that are very stable and reassuring to ride.

All this muscle and width comes at a cost however, the Stiffee is not fast and not great in the messy stuff. But that doesn’t matter because as we said, it’s not trying to be things. Despite its size the frame only weighs 4.5lb bare and it finds its home on the tough, technical trails where it won’t let you down and when you’ve finished riding the bike with be shaking with adrenaline wanting to go on.

Cove say that its “one of the best aluminium hardtail frames in the world” and we have to say “we agree”.