On Test: Cove Foreplay MX (formerly the Stiffee SL)
RRP (frame only): $1499
Distributor: South Shore Distributors
Contact: Adam - adam@southshorebikes.com
Foreplay MX – Vital Statistics
Size: Regular
Head Angle: 68 deg
Seat Tube Angle: 69 deg
Top Tube Length: 603.25mm / 23.75”
Chain Stay Length: 406mm / 16”
Bottom Bracket Height: 336.55mm / 13.25”
Angles measured with a 130mm fork.
The North Shore of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada has produced a culture and style of riding admired and often copied around the world.
It was on the North Shore that Cove Bikes were born and their range of aluminium downhill, freeride and cross country frames were built, tested and refined with input from riders to deal with the abuse and technical demands they faced on the areas treacherous networks of skinnies, elevated bridges, drops and gaps.
The good news for Australians is that thanks to Adam and South Shore Bikes you can now get these hardcore Canadian pieces of metal down here in Australia and to spread the good news he hooked Farkin.net with a brand spanking new Cove Foreplay MX to generally thrash about on for a few weeks.
The Frame
The Foreplay MX we tested was sized as regular, with a 603.25mm / 23.75” top tube but it’s also available in a 577.85mm size for those who would like a slightly shorter top tube.
Manufactured from Easton’s top-of-the line RAD square-to-round tubing, the 13.5” frame was burly as hell with wrap around ‘moustache’ gussets at the top and bottom of the head-tube junction and extra struts at the seat-stay / seat tube junction.
With the super beefy RAD front end and moustache gussets the bike looked purposeful and ready to take a beating while the bright orange paint was deep and tough and the sort of colour that makes traffic controllers jealous when you ride past them on late-night street riding missions.
The 603.25mm / 23.75” long top tube was perhaps a little too long for my 175cm frame, but it was eminently bar-spin and x-up friendly and gave plenty of room to throw the bike around when paired with the low stand-over height of the frame.
The bike’s 406mm / 16” long chain stays easily cleared the 2.1” Schwalbe Racing Ralph tyre’s and there would have been ample room to squeeze a much bigger tyre in, a 2.5” Maxxis High Roller cleared easily. 406mm / 16” chain stays are the bomb, let me make that absolutely clear. The bike was super easy to manual and bunny-hop and was a joy to control on the back wheel at the skate park and on the street.
The Bits
We’re primarily focussing on the frame in this review, because the bike we tested was Adam’s personal ride and not necessarily representative of the complete bikes South Shore Bikes hope to offer.
Being the importers personal ride the Cove came suitably tricked out with brand spanking new Fox Vanilla 125R forks, Hayes hydros, a trick Race Face Diabolus stem and Air Ally DH bar and DH cranks. It rolled on Mavic wheels shod in Schwalbe Racing Raplh tyres, with Shimano XT handling shifting duties.
The build was light but sensible, the perfect light-weight street and dirt jumping build for a lighter or more experienced / smooth rider. The Schwalbe tyres, provided courtesy of Lifecycles NSW were pretty special, rolling unbelievably well both on dirt and on concrete.
These tyres have a great rep in Europe and the United States already and it’s easy to see why, I’d be interested in checking out some of Schwalbe’s more downhill-oriented offerings in the future.
The Ride
Built small, light and stiff the Foreplay MX was a nimble and predictable handling bike in most situations, the quintessential freeride hardtail you could easily ride dirt jump in the morning and epic cross country in the afternoon if you invested in a quality seat post like a Thomson.
The top-tube, while overly long for me (though I’m on the short side) was long enough to allow heaps of room to move around at the dirt jumps and skate park while allowing me to ride cross-country with the seat up in a comfortable position.
The 406mm / 16” chain stays were a revelation, making the bike super easy to manual, bunny-hop and pop-off lips with. The Hayes brakes were as predictable and powerful as I’ve come to expect from Hayes and coupled with the super-short rear end they allowed for all sorts of rear-wheel stalls and combinations.
With the days getting shorter as winter approaches in Brisbane, the majority of my riding on this day-glo orange fun machine was at skate-parks and on the street, with a few dirt-jumping missions and cross country rides thrown in for good measure.
At the skate park the bike genuinely helped my riding, in the time I had it I learned regular tail-taps, 270 tail-taps and 270 tail-tap x-ups. I learned to air more comfortably and started getting above copings I had previously felt uncomfortable on.
I attribute most of this to the super-short chain stays that made finding the bikes balance point and boosting off lips feel easy and almost instinctive.
As a dirt-jumping bike the Cove couldn’t be faulted by me either, it was small, nimble and went where you pointed it, allowing me to pump through rhythms with confidence.
On one particular mission we took the bike out to Finn’s trails in Redbank Plains, Finn himself, the chief digger and Chief Maintenance Officer of the trails turned up, jumped on the Foreplay and after a couple of warm-up runs through the small six-pack at the trails busted out the big set and transfer line on his first attempt.
“Tell them Finn said it was sick!” he told me when he pedalled back around to the top of the trails, so there you have it, I’m telling you now, Finn said the Foreplay was a sick dirt jumping steed.
With the seat-post boosted way up and some air let out of the tyres the Foreplay made the transition from hard core play bike to all day trail bike comfortably although personally, I didn’t feel safe with the Race Face XY seat post at full extension, give me Thomson reliability any day if you need to run this much seat pole exposed.
The Schwalbe tyres, which had already impressed me with their low rolling resistance and grip at the skate park and dirt jumps were absolutely unreal on swooping single track, leaving me coasting through literally hundreds of metres of swooping single track I would normally have to pedal through out at the Jinker Track cross country trails.
Schwalbe have really hit the nail on the head with these tyres, they provide great, consistent grip when cornering and climbing and roll like it’s nobody’s business. Upon further investigation I discovered these tyres already have a great reputation in Europe and the United States as a cross-country racing tyre and it’s easy to see why. I’d highly recommend looking at some Schwalbe tyres if you get a chance.
The long top tube, lightweight, steep angles and fast-rolling tyres combined to make the Foreplay a nimble, predictable, point-and-shoot, single-track rocket. It devoured swooping trails and climbed like a mountain bike, rewarding the rider who stays in the saddle over someone who stands up and honks. The chain stays are simply too short for this approach, try it and you’ll have the front wheel popping in the air and out of control.
As a street bike the Cove performed well too. While probably built a little too light for constant street abuse in the guise we tested the Foreplay’s sharp handling and light weight allowed me to attack urban obstacles with confidence. I was able to foot-plant and tail-tap a number of different spots around Brisbane I had never really explored before which made me look at riding simple obstacles in a whole new way.
*Doms Say* Ok so Ty and Ryan do alot more jibbing then I do so im reasonbly new to stalling on coping etc. The Cove made me feel like i was Aaron Chase! In less then 1 hour I was 180 tyre tapping quarter pipes and loving the light weight setup as I manualed around the park looking pro and stuff. As Ryan stated above for park / jump missions your Cove frame brings it home with it's short chainstays and jibtastic geometry.
The Verdict
A tough aluminium hard tail from the country that invented free riding, the Cove Foreplay MX is a frame that embodies what I, a somewhat cynical Australian believe free riding is all about. It’s a frame that’s tough, light weight, sharp handling and built with geometry that’s a perfect compromise between technical ability and all-day comfort. Personally I would probably choose the Junior size for myself, as the Regular was just too long in the top tube for me.
The only downside that most people who look at the Foreplay MX will see is the price, at $1499 for the frameset this hand built Canadian beast is by no means cheap, but you get a bike that has geometry that is as close to perfect for a tough, all-purpose hard tail as I can imagine.
Adam is in the midst of working out a complete-bike option for the Foreplay MX, with a less-pimp but more wallet-friendly spec than the bike we tested, we’ll be sure to let you know when prices become available.
So there you have it, a sweet, light, tough little bike that represents a serious investment for someone willing to treat themselves to a bike that’s just a little bit special and definitely unique.
*Doms Say*
I've noticed most of the newbies on the forum choosing hardtails due to parts spec's etc and looking closely at how big the gussets or welding is rather then the quality of the geometry. Take a close look at the Coves build, although the Cove is a boutique frame which comes with a "higher then average" pricetag, the Foreplay MX frame is spot on with it's angles.
If you have never ridden a hardtail with awesome geometry and are more used to riding whatever was cheapest by all means give yourself a ride. The Cove makes you a better rider! The shorter stays allow easier manuals and it also allows you to pick your landings when tapping quarter pipe coping etc.
Although in personal sizing as with Ryan I would choose the "Junior" sized frame due to the shorter TT length the Cove we tested was a little to long for me but this is what scares me. If I was having so much fun on an uncomfortable TT length then what the hell would I have felt on a perfect sized TT ?
Move over Chase and Leech team farkin will be jibbing your way Cove style in no time. Bottom Line is the Cove Foreplay MX is a high class frame and although more expensive than one shipped out of the factory by the dozen, it delivers on your larger investment and I guarantee provides you with endless fun as your rip through your favourite trails or skate parks.
Overall: 8/10
Words: Ryan Gardiner, Dominic Lennon
Photos: Pip Campbell, Ty Fitzgerald, Natasha Mackinnon, Ryan Gardiner
Riders: Ryan Gardiner, Ty Fitzgerald.
Copyright 2004, Farkin.net
