Submitted by
kelvis
a Weekend Warrior
from Liverpool, UK
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2008
Strengths: Lovely geometry, fits me like a glove. Its geometry is now my standard which I compare all bikes too! Strong and has all of the steel qualities others have discussed by others(durable, Zing and Spring) Different than off the peg corparate money spinner bikes that we see here in the U.K. Got this in a sale (£269 from Evans). I was expecing the 2005 version and got the later disc only version with no Canti bosses!I had been searching and they were all up in the £370 price range (so a bargin). Overall a perfect mix of cross country and aggressive riding bike that is lightish. Robust feel and great handling on technical trails. Descends and climbs well. Weld quality is great, but I made apoint of checking the frame closely as other reviews had mentioned this issue.
Weaknesses: Stickers.... a bit poor, but who cares, ride don't look at you bike its not art! Buy a picture! Frame rides high so is is very light up front when running a 120mm fork, you need a lock out/eta for long climbs. I run a DH style stubby stem with wide handlebars which certaianly adds to this. Try a longer stem and different stack height.
Bottom Line:
I brought this as my coiler was a pig to climb on (okay for a few hours.... no fun for six). My Mrs and I travel a lot, and spend a lot of time doing trips on our bikes. A light but robust bike was needed as a foil to the fun, weight and travel(wallow) of my coiler. This bike is perfect for that. I ride it in preference to the coiler. Remember that this is a an XC bike as the name says, wake up and dont expect a freeride hard tail- thats what the stiffee is for.
Note: Just because Steve Peat/The Athertons ride it you don't have too, remember they all get paid too! That why it is called Marketing and Sponsorship
Similar Products Used: All sorts (12 bikes over 20 years)a mix of xc hard tails and full sussers.
Bike Setup: Hayes Nines, XT Hubs and Mavic XC717, Conti Speed Kings (2.3's) Marzocchi MX Pro ETA 120mm, Hone crankset with external BB. Sram X7
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Submitted by
peter d
a Weekend Warrior
from wisconsin
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2007
Strengths: Sweet xc/am hardtail
Weaknesses: none so far and I'm 6 months in
Bottom Line:
Sweet steel rig. The hype is all true. Test rode one and just had such a good time on it that I bought one as a winter hack bike. Did 4 months on it as a hack and it's now my enduro race bike - am able to nail singletracks so much faster, descend with more confidence, and am not penalised on the ups at all. All-in-all a great do-everything hardtail, absolutely stoked with mine. A well deserved 5 chillis.
Bike Setup: Cove Handjob frane, Race Face cranks, SDG saddle, Hayes brakes, Fox forks
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Submitted by
Jim Tignor
a Cross Country Rider
from Chapel Hill, NC - USA
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2006
Strengths: Very nice compliant ride. Stiff enough to stand up out of the saddle and really crank, soft enough to bounce pleasantly through our local rock gardens. Cheap steel.
Weaknesses: Well, the stickers are pretty weak, however, I didn't really want "handjob" on my bike...guess I'm getting to be a cranky old man. Paint is also not great, but that's not a big deal, it's not like this is a custom shee-shee boutique bike.
Bottom Line:
Last spring I purchased a Specialized FSR 120. Very sweet full-suspension. I rode the hell out of it this summer. Really a great bike. But, kinda' heavy, and kind'a complicated. When I purchased the FSR I stripped the components off the Cove and set up a bike for my brother. And then I started reading about people riding single-speeds. Well I always seem to like to do things the hard way, so back in July I built up the Cove with the conversion kit from Misfitpsycles, and parts I had left over from years of cycling. I've been riding the Cove since then. I'm a little embarresed to say the FSR has been collecting dust in my barn. But I've not had this much fun on any bike in years. The Handjob is a good deal. They can be found dirt cheap and they have a nice ride. If you are looking for an affordable steal frame (and it's hard to find a good one that is not $1000+) than the Cove Handjob is a good bet. Happy riding. And may I recommend trying single speeding...it's a lot of fun.
Similar Products Used: Bridgestone MB0, Fisher Pro-caliber (last year built state-side), Kona Hot. See the trend towards steel here?
Bike Setup: I rode this bike for a year with full LX grouppo. Nothing fancy. Judy rockshox. Really enjoyed it. I purchased the deluxe coversion kit from Misfitpsycles and made this into a single speed. The rest of the gear is LX and parts I had laying about my barn.
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Submitted by
Kevin Moynihan
a Cross Country Rider
from San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2006
Strengths: Good Geometry, pretty quick at climbing and feels surprisingly supple and stable on downhills. Steel definitely feels better than aluminum for this one.
Weaknesses: Really hollow tubing. If you push pretty hard, you can flex the downtube with your thuimbs. I'm a big guy,(210) and only had a problem if I laid it down or was not very careful about transporting it. Mine has a few sizeable dents that keep multiplying.
Bottom Line:
Good, but unless you are super delicate, this frame will not last a lifetime. The frame is designed to handle riding stresses well, but can't handle things like normal bike racks, pickup beds and small apartments well at all. If you have a hardtail with hardly any scratches, and all of them you get while riding the bike, this would be an amazing bike for you.
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Edinburgh, Scotland
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2006
Strengths: Good price, quality tubeset, good geometry for fast and hard cross-country, good mud clearance, looks awesome!
Weaknesses: None really - maybe the wheelbase could be a little shorter for getting round some of the tight turns at the 7 Stanes!
Bottom Line:
A nice light and tough, hardcore cross country rig. Take off the nasty 'XC' sticker on the top tube and you've got yourself a sweet bike! Thinking about getting a Stiffee in a size down for playing around on.
Bike Setup: Thomson post and stem, Chris King headset, Marzocchi forks, Easton bars, WTB saddle, Crank Bros 5050 pedals, Shimano XTR rear mech, LX Disc wheelset, XT rest (everything colour co-ordinated of course!)
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Submitted by
Brandon
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2006
Strengths: Fast & light, for a steel frame. Steel = strong, bent the hanger twice, bending it back was a breeze.
Weaknesses: None so far - only isue is that using a 120mm fork on this frame is a bit too big for the geometry.
Bottom Line:
This review is for the 2003 Handjob frame (with Columbus Nemo, rather than the Life tubing). Bought this frame on eBay from a guy who detached his retina - his loss was my gain. The triple butted downtube had me a bit worried when riding some of the more technical terrain, but I haven't gotten a ding yet (despite several worthy bails).
Similar Products Used: Kona Caldera, Rocky Mountain Oxygen, Rocky Mountain Vapor
Bike Setup: 2004 Marzocchi Marathon S, Chris King headset, SRAM XO twist shifters & rear derailleur, XTR front derailleur, Truvativ Stylo team cranks, Eggbeater SL, Mavic Crossmax Enduro Disc, Hope Mono Minis, Thompson post & stem, Selle Italia Flight titanium, Easton Monkeylight carbon bars, WTB Weirwolf 2.1
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Submitted by
cris glis
a Weekend Warrior
from west aust
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2006
Strengths: strong, light, hand made with good finish, the ride.
Weaknesses: none thus far, even the stickers have held up
Bottom Line:
Purchased this bike frame as it was reputed to be light, strong, well designed & made.Unlike previous frame. Needed the 21 inch frame and have found it very comfortable, took a month to sort out set up & tyre choice as it is so much more responsive than what I was used too. It handles really well, and climbs powerfully. still having some trouble with jumping not landing as smooth as my previous bike, but hopefully in time.
Similar Products Used: merida alloy & carbon frames
Bike Setup: manitou blacks with spv upgrade, chris king headset, XT/deore drive train,avid, wtb, ike, & easton bits, continental verticals for rubber
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Submitted by
Wendy
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego,CA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2006
Strengths: Unique model names, especially when a girl is riding a Handjob....makes for interesting conversation. Price is nice, and they are a small builder.
Weaknesses: Customer service and refusal to stand by product (see bottom line). Some parts of the frame looked like they'd been banged with a hammer before painting. Not the prettiest workmanship I've ever seen.
Bottom Line:
Originally this bike was my geared canyon commuter, riding to work through a local canyon. Later converted to a singlespeed. What great fun this bike has been. Steel rocks. HOWEVER. Don't climb curb-sized steps, you may crack your head tube. Yep, I was climbing a step up, mis-timed it, but rolled right over the step. Heard a big loud crack from the head tube. No crash even, just thought I'd pinch flatted. Head tube was cleanly cracked, and the inside of the head tube was clearly tucked. Took it back to Jenson, who handled the warranty with Cove. Jenson said No Problem, it's definitely cracked, Cove should send me a new frame. Well. Cove said that the only way I could have cracked the head tube is if I was running a doublecrown fork and was hucking. Well...I am an endurance/24hr rider, I climb, I don't huck. And I had an 80mm fork. Jenson was AWESOME and sent me a new Zion frame for nothing, because they also felt that Cove was being, well, shi**y. I am very pleased with Jenson's handling of the matter. Cove can kiss my A**! And I will never, ever, buy one, or recommend one ever again. It sucks that I chose to give my money to a small builder, and then they don't stand behind their product. Freeride frame? Just don't ride UP some stairs, you'll have a busted frame on your hands. Thanks to Rudi at Jenson, for getting me back on dirt again.
Submitted by
Jonathan
a Weekend Warrior
from St Helens England
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2004
Strengths: Price (beleive it or not) Ride Looks More exclusive than some brands
Weaknesses: None found yet, but I'm trying hard to find some
Bottom Line:
OK, I bought this frame after a lot of searching for a quality steel frame, disc compatible for the future, for all day trail rides, and able to transfer as much of the kit from my Marin as possible. The options were Merlin (leyland UK) Zona, £200, the Rock Lobster 853 £300 (same shop), the new Marin Pine Mountain, with cloumbus Thron tubing £390 and the on-one geared at £225, plus the Cove, retailing at £350.
The Merlin bikes are good VFM, but odd frame sizing meant that they had no Zona's in my size, and the RL 853 was reccomended to me in a 15" (I'm 5'11, and usually ride 19" bikes). Plus the quality was OK, but definately didn't seem up to a £300 frame. they make the mistake of having some american RL frames in, and the difference between the Taiwanese & US frames is immeasurable.
The Marin is £390 for quite a basic tubing, plus is disc specific, so would need a lot of extra outlay for a rear disc & wheel. Plus sold as frame only, so no chance of a test ride anywhere. The price is also a joke, as complete in the uS it sells for £750 with some nice finishing kit.
the on-one, UK niche brand, ridden by some club mates, but with little appeal, left the Cove.
Good branded tubing, the 2003 frame that I bought has canti & disc mounts, and available in a proper size (19") although theis still means a couple of inches more stamdover than the Marin. Becuase it was a 2003 frame, a bit of haggling saw £50 knocked off the price, so to Match the taiwanese RL 853 for price meant the Canadian built Cove became a relative bargain.
First ride, the Marin trail, and this bike is like a springer spaniel, it just wants to play, and the handling through the singletrack is awesome.
I felt no unexpected flex, even under heavy braking, and the rear was quite good at relaying the power. the BB feels a little higher than the Marin, but the lower standover height means a lot of clearance (and confidence) on the tech stuff. There does seem to be a lot of buzzing & rattling from the frame over rough terrain, and it seems to amplify every little noise that occurs, it isn't a stealthy bike, but I'm sure I will find ways of sorting out these niggles.
I'm willing to accept that there are other frames out there which will be better in a lot of respects, but for me the Cove is an amazing find, and really makes me want to ride more & more. I'm rating the value in respect to the price I paid, versus the options listed above, If I had paid retail price it would be one chilli less.
Similar Products Used: Orange C16, Marin Pine Mountain, Spesh Stumpy FSR
Bike Setup: XT drivetrain, Avid disc front, V rear, Easton & synchros finishing kit, Mavic rims
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Submitted by
Sal-T-dog
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago, IL, USA
Date Reviewed: December 8, 2003
Strengths: Very nice, light, steel XC ride. Comfortable and responsive. Made for fast single track. Excellent climber.
Weaknesses: The very thin wall Niva Crom tubing will ding rather easily. Especially for someone like me who's responses can no longer keep up with his nerve.
Bottom Line:
Unlike another reviewer I found Cove customer service to be quick, friendly and generous. Stood behind their product well. I am now riding a 2003 Handjob.
Submitted by
Tbone
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland OR
Date Reviewed: December 3, 2003
Strengths: Damn Tough Frame. Great geometry. The feel.
Weaknesses: No rear disc tab (but I knew that going into it)
Bottom Line:
This bike is perfect for what it is. An aggressive cross country bike. You can dable in some stunts. You can race it if you want. But what it is designed for is long, hard trail rides. Put a 100mm on the front and go to town. I've dropped 5 footers without thinking twice. I had bought a FS trail bike. But have since returned to to the HJ. It just rides so nice...
As far as the complaints below. If you bought the bike from JensenUSA. Shouldn't Jensen fix the problem? Even if the frame left the Cove factory, Shouldn't Jensen have seen the issue and returned the frame for credit then??
As far as no response. Maybe it's just bad timing. Email reponses are slow. Try calling them up. (www.covebike.com) 1 - 800 - 919 - BIKE(2453)
If you try to get the frame replaced through them, it's gonna cost you shipping (international shipping).
Submitted by
karl
a Cross Country Rider
from West Des Moines, IA
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2003
Strengths: Made in North America
Weaknesses: CUSTOMER SERVICE IS HORRIBLE! Below reviewer is apparently right- if they've already got your money, good luck getting an email response.
Bottom Line:
Well, I haven't actually ridden this frame yet- I've got a couple of problems with it but I can't get any response from Cove. First, one of the cable stops for the rear disk is smashed and was so already when the thing was painted- makes you wonder about quality control/inspections. Second, appears there a some cable-stop inserts missing for the top, middle runs as they are too large to hold cable ends.
But I'll be damned if I can get an answer out of Cove. SERIOUSLY REGRETTING THIS PURCHASE ALREADY. SHOULDA BOUGHT A KONA.
Submitted by
Kingtyee
a Weekend Warrior
from Bellingham
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2003
Strengths: Good feel of steel, nice looking frame. Good for hard x-country ONLY!
Weaknesses: None, just use the bike for what it's advertised for.
Bottom Line:
Well, I broke the downtube burying it into a berm six months after I built the bike up, not quite the lite freeride bike I had hoped for. Even though this frame looks tough and is made of steel, don't take your chances. I think 6ft flat landings and the like weakened the frame. Other than my misuse of the frame and the resulting disaster (chipped teeth, broken nose), I really like the Handjob, I thought I was going to have the frame for a long time. Maybe it's time for a Stiffee...
Submitted by
Roj Fitch
a Weekend Warrior
from London
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2003
Strengths: Geometry that seems to let you ride out to your fave spot, get technical and muddy, and ride home smiling. Welds looks fine - got the 2003. Came in a 21" frame. The flex and ride of steel. It's different to most stuff.
Weaknesses: Don't like the socket drop outs - kept gettin the QR hooked out by bushes etc. Decals are poo
Bottom Line:
This bike does everything i ask of it - seen it described in the press as Hardcore XC which sums it up really. I'm 18 stone and am happy riding hard off road or riding down country lanes with the girlfriend.
Bike Setup: Duke XC 100mm, Mavic 519 on Hope XC hubs, Minis, deore groupset...yadda yadda yadda - All white and black, yummy
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Submitted by
T-bone
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland OR USA
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2003
Strengths: Steel. Stregth, this thing has taken a beating. It is exactly what I was looking for in craoss country machine. The cutomer service is great.(I don't what these others are whining about??)
Weaknesses: No disc tabs. But it was a 2001, I could have waited a month for a 2002, and had them.
Bottom Line:
It is exactly what is promised, an XC machine that can take a beating.
I purchased the 2001 in 2002, they made me a deal because of the lack of disc tabs.(Saved me over $100).
When it arrived, it was missing the "Handjob" sticker. I called them up and themailed it out right away. Absolutly no hassle. They have also replided to my email questions as recent as last week...
As far the dropouts being mis-aligned, get the frame warrentied!! That is a manu-defect and is totaly covered. Your fault if you choose to keep it.
These bikes have life time crash replacement! I said Crash replacment!!
I will say this, It is not a light XC race bike. But I hated the Stumpjumper pro because of that. I like my bike to be strong. And that's what it is
If I had to buy it all over again, the only thing I might have changed, was to wait for the 2002 and had the disc tab...I through an Avid disk on the front and that is just fine.
Other than that, I would buy this bike again in a heartbeat.
I'm looking for a bike for XC leaning toward all trail, I suppose enduro
I have narrowed it down to the above.
I propose two sets of wheels, one heavier duty the other XC
an Read More »
Been searching online for them and seems all the US dealers have stopped carrying them? All I can find online are places in the UK that sell them. Anyone have a link to a place in Read More »
