Strengths: very burly construction welds look good and the finish is good.
Weaknesses: coves service. i ordered the frame 3 months ago. their web site said it had v brake mounts so it was excatly what i wanted. i order it and its out of stock. call cove directly they say we need to make more. ok ill wait the frame is exactly what i want. frame is finally produced after 2 months of waiting and takes them another month when all said and done to get it to me. pull it out of the box and the der. hanger is completely smashed but thats no big deal. call them and they are sending a new one. then i realize that they didnt put the rim brake mount on the damn thing. call cove and the only responce i got was "oh we arent doing them that way anymore." waited 2 months for absolutely nothing it will be on its way back tomorrow and i will be buying a blk mrkt mob frame at half the price of the cove.
Strengths: Easton tubing, great geometry, really neat welding, looks great!
Weaknesses: Not deepcup compatible, it was just enough to get my diabolus headset down the headtube.
Bottom Line:
You cant blame Cove for cranks coming loose, last time i checked COVE does not make cranks! (any crank will come loose unless you tighten it every now and again).
It was a split decition, but i ended up with a Cove frame and this far i have to say that i am really glad i got it. It looks good, feels really good and is way more agile than my Jackal ever was.
I built it up as an all out street machine, and so far its really living up to my expectations.
It probably could be a bit cheaper, but then again quality costs money, and as long as i feel i got quality i dont mind paying for it, Cove has not let me down!
Similar Products Used: You name it ive had or ridden it, Spooky, Kona, Cannondale, Santa Cruz, Evil..anything.
Bike Setup: Lowerd Argyle 409, Profile cranks, SAINT and Tioga parts.
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Submitted by
kitto
a Downhiller
from Lancaster, England
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2007
Strengths: Awesome jump frame
Weaknesses: None - has saved me a gew broken bones - I love it
Bottom Line:
Awesome jump frame. Super stiff, responsive and very chuckable. Great down the XC BMX park, at the 4 cross track, and for a bit of DH action. Well impessed with it, rigid, strong, stiff, good pop off the lip. Looks the money too.
Weaknesses: Cove mechanics service and warranty weak paint
Bottom Line:
Wish I had seen review from guy below. He's right cuz Cove sux!
I wanted either a Cove Foreplay or .243 and I now wish I bought the .243.
I saved my parttime job money and my parents paid half to buy this POS bike.
At first Cove was really nice when I was buying the bike. They even let me upgrade the stock Hayes brakes to Avid 5's. Sweeet!
Then after a week and a half, the damn Race Face Evolve crank strips off! And I wasn't doing anything harsh. I went for two trail rides on local single track and maybe did a few jumps no more then three feet to tranny. BTW I'm 15 and weight 135 lbs and been DJ'ing for 3 years so I'm not a beginner.
Me and my dad take the bike back to Cove and they phone later saying they are charging for warranty. My dad was pissed! Whats a waarranty for then?
My dad called Race Face and some other bike shops and they all said it was prolly installed bad to begin with. So Race Face replaces the crank but Cove still wants to charge labor for putting a crank on which takes 30 secs and they prolly screwed the install from the start. What a scam!
Oh yeah the paint sux too since its flaking off all ready near headtube and BB. Dude below is right cuz this is def not a boutique bike.
I dont want this bike anymore so Im sellin it next year and getting a .243 or Norco. Besides after looking at the internet I think England is the only place that lieks Cove bikes. Why? jus cuz its from canada?
Heres some news for y'all most local guys in BC ride Norco, P3, or konas and not coves cuz they all know cove sux. Now i know too but wish I knew sooner! :(
Weaknesses: - Quality Control - Abhorrent customer service - Overpriced
Bottom Line:
Bottom line is that this is a decent enough bike and rides well but there are so many other contenders that are as good or better than the Foreplay...and much cheaper. Norco immediately comes to mind.
It's a good bike but not worth what Cove charges for it. It's way overpriced. It is NOT a boutique bike. Not even close. The fit and finish are stuff you'd expect from a bike from a department store. It just pales in comparison to the big boys like Santa Cruz, Specialized, et al.
I admit, I was sucked in by the "Made in Canada/Designed on the North Shore" marketing angle. Frankly, after this bad experience I don't care where a bike made in. Just that it is made well.
Don't know if Cove still uses YessPro BMX as their manufacturers but they gotta get their sh-t together and do something about the quality control. This one should have never made it to the showroom floor.
The rear chainstays were off but were disguised by an overdished wheel. Unfortunately, I didn't discover this until after the warranty expired.
The powdercoat suffers from that pitted, orange peel effect of a bad paint job.
It suffers from chain-suck when it gets muddy too. Okay, maybe I'm nitpicking but let me tell you the biggest weakness...
I think the biggest weakness is Cove's customer service. At least the rude, and arrogant warranty/R&D manager.
I can excuse a defective product if a company, or their rep, comes to the plate and stands by their product, but the (unnamed) warranty manager's behavior was intolerable when i approached him about a crash-replacement (since it was out of warranty).
- He implied that I had abused/misused the bike before he had even looked at it. - He implied I had done harsh urban assault riding which the bike wasn't designed for. NOTE: I don't urban assault ride AND their advertisement claimed it was an urban assault bike. - He refused to accept even the possibility that it was a defect. In his words, "That's impossible". Easy way out I guess. - He promised an assessment in two or three days but it dragged on for two months! - He wouldn't give me a price quote on a crash-replacement. - I had to chase after him with emails and phonecalls to have anything done or to get a response.
After all this, he presents me with a very high priced crash replacement offer. After I declined, he said it would cost me over $80 to get my bike back due to all the service charges (which he never mentioned I would charged with).
Bottomline. If you're buying a Cove bike, make sure it is properly made. Don't guy a stinker like the one I was dealt. Check it over twice or three times.
Also, insist on a written warranty, written policy, and make damn sure they give you a quote on all service charges. Nothing is free at Cove.
BTW, the warranty manager thinks there is nothing illegal or unethical about not disclosing all fees. He needs to read the Consumer Protection Act.
Bike Setup: Entire factory build bike purchased new from Cove.
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Submitted by
shaun
a Weekend Warrior
from sudbury, ontario
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2006
Strengths: nice looking and strong frame, adaptability of the frame allows for a wide range of components. huge tire clearence allows for fat botrangers
Weaknesses: came with crappy forks but that was just a bad descision on the previous owners part
Bottom Line:
I purchased this bike online preowned from a guy who hardly ever used it. he spent alot of money building what was for the most park a pretty sick bike. The frame itself provides lots of options for a variety of components and an unmatched stiffness. I havnt changed much on it except for the fork and the brakes but the sick look says it all!
