orange five for me, and it keeps getting better

The old 5" Enduro – mates got one. Always wanted it!

The first (I think) Enduro with the 'Itch switch', never owned one, but did own a 6" S-works version for at least 2 or 3 rides, couldn't of sold it quick enough.

My other nomination would be the original stiffee. Just before seeing this thread I was trying in vain to find the STW original stiffee review with 'the tic-tack colour scheme' reference, funny to think back to when a 100mm hardtail was seen as 'stupidly long travel' 😉

soma_rich – Member
Planet X Jack flash as many many bikes were spawned from that design.

Nope. The Spooky Metalhead spawned the Jack Flash. Seem to remember an MBUK article where Brant made a similar reference.

>The Spooky Metalhead spawned the Jack Flash.

That's correct, though I think it's fair to say that the JF was the first Taiwanese mass produced jump frame? – though I can't remember where the Rocket FAB 1 was in the scheme of things. And I think that was the back end of the 90s?

For me, the Cove Stiffee would have to be up there – certainly very influential for me. And I only rode one once! But that'd be back in the '90's too I think…

turner 5spot for me.
Biased cos i have one but still a great all rounder

Others on my mind are…….

Merlin Titanium ( no real change in design)
GT Zaskar

Found it… (see here if you want full on old school STW)

Friday, July 25 2003

Cove Stiffee
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Cove's burly go anywhere bike. The Stiffee.

Price:
Frame only: £450.00
Bike tested: £1599.00
From: On Your Bike
T 0207 378 6669

The Ride
You have to be confident in your bikes' abilities to talk for themselves if you take your colour palette from Tic Tacs, and Cove seem confident, or oblivious enough to send bikes out into the world in hues of lime or tangerine. Look underneath the powdercoat though and you'll find a solid ride that's not happy to be pigeonholed. The Stiffee has the look and feel of a muscle car. It sits there with front high and a squat back end ready to put on the power. The very sloping frame implies flickability, and the enormous 27in risers on our test bike looked like you could easily wrestle the Rockshox Psylos to do your bidding.

Given the name, the burly reputation and the big tubing, we were expecting a beating at the hands of the Stiffee. And the 3in-5in Psylos on the front and big tyre clearance at the back called for some hardcore action. The first few rides were indeed a lesson in damage control. The Stiffee revels in being pushed hard, flicked off lips and down drops showing its North Shore roots. The ride was solid, though we noticed a lot of vibration passed into the rider through the pedals (it didn't get as far as the arse the riding was nearly all out of the saddle).

However, then a strange thing happened. We tried some riding at a slightly less manics pace, still on the same trails (and on the rugged 9feet and Coed Y Brenin ones) and, despite a lap of the Karrimor, with included special 'local' extras, our test rider could still hold a cup of tea and a bun and walk unaided afterwards. It seems our initial test riding had slipped into a stereotype, rather than exploring the ride of the bike. The long seatpin would go some way to giving comfort, as would the ability to run anything up to 2.6in tyres.

But at the end of the day(s) it became clear that the Stiffee is far more versatile than its name suggests it can be a full-on extreme XC bike, yet has enough give for epics. Rev it hard and it'll burn the tyres, yet keep it ticking over and it's mild enough for the teashop run. This is genuinely a bike that grows on you and challenges you to forget your preconceptions about big tubed ally bikes. It's no sofa, but it's not a plywood school chair either…

The bike is readily converted to discs (though you'll want to spec disc hubs if you think you'll be tempted in the future) and even comes with routing for a full rear disc hose, hence the adaptors and zip ties on our rim brake bike. The seatpost isn't one of those 31.6 ones, giving you a wider choice and the option of (heresy?) a suspension post. There really is room for some big meats in the back end, and we can see some gadget-freaks opting for the full disc and big tyres look. We reckon that would spoil the light feel and versatility of the Stiffee as a do-it-all mountain bike. Once laden with jump wheels and discs, it might lose some of that fast response.

Uphill, the Stiffee climbed well, though the stiff back end won't let you stay seated too much on the bumpy stuff. On extreme slopes, there was some wander in the front end and it got very light, but that's a price you pay for having a four inch fork on a hardtail. However, it handles it better than some suspension bikes we've tried.

The Detail
Our bike came from On Your Bike, London Bridge, as a typical custom build (down to the rapid rise rear derailleur) and there's not much we'd look to change on it. Bizarrely, the bars felt a little too wide easily sorted with a hacksaw and the grips were big handfuls of rubber, so we slipped on a slimmer number for an instant feelincrease. The Avid braking department, which gets quite an airing in this issue, was faultless in the 99% dry conditions we rode the bike in.

XT/XTR is good stuff. The cheaper Shimano systems work just as well new, but tend to need a bit more care as they age and we reckon the typical Stiffee customer is likely to thrash the pants off it, so the top shelf spec is a good choice.

Up front are Rockshox' versatile Psylos. Not very light, but stiff and burly. The instant lockout is great for road climbs and fire road sprinting, as is the ability to vary the compression damping on the fly. A long screwdriver can easily adjust the travel from three to five inches the Stiffee is designed for four and you'll get a lot of front end lift if you jack it up to five, mind you, you'll have some fun on the downs.

It's a nimble bike, though not overelegant. It will sweep and swoop through singletrack like a steel hardtail up to a certain point, at which it appears to get bored and will urge you to get a little more off piste and rowdy. After all, the fork can handle it, so why concentrate on the perfect line?

The Conclusion
The Stiffee is certainly a striking bike in terms of its look, feel and that lime paint job. It seems to be an object of lust for many readers in our Forum too, and quite deservedly so. The ride seems dependent on the speed and aggression of the rider on it. Ride it fast and hard and it becomes a fast and hard bike. Take it steady and it too seems to steady out a bit. It's hard to think who wouldn't like the ride. Those who've been full suspension converts for years won't like it, and all-day epic riders might not get on with it, though we think many will be surprised. Steel purists won't like it aesthetically, though they might like the firm, nimble ride. It's even quite hard to fault the price (of the frame, the built-up bike seems a bit steep) after all, it's a Canadian aluminium frame and it's half the price of a Pace.

If you think you might like it, you probably will. And we can't do anything to stop you. The Stiffee is a surprisingly addictive ride that'll suit a lot of riders looking for something a little different.

Technical gubbins
Fork: Rockshox Psylo SL
Frame: Cove T62 aluminium
Drive Train: Race Face/XTR
Brakes: Avid Speed Dial/Single Digit 7
Finishing kit: Easton EA50
Saddle: Fizik Nisene
Wheel set: LX/Mavic 517
Tyres: Conti Explorer Pro
Weight: Fine
Persona: A Butch Queen (burly but fluoro)

Click an image to enlarge

This article was originally published in Singletrack Issue 2/Summer 2001.

Author – Chipps ©

Having followed my mate on it the Spesh Enduro (original style of course) was hell of a bike, that said my favourite is still the 'dale prophet which I'm still riding and still making me smile

The Aluminuim hard tale

Huge at the beginning of the decade, still hanging on now.

versatile, can be cheap, reasonble weight, can be made rigid, comfy, strong whatever the designer wants fun for the masses

A huge step forward over the bikes of the 90's. Lighter and or stronger. Forks getting more reliable, lighter and better fubctionally

Got to be the 2005/06 Specialized Enduro. I've tested loads of new "all mountain" bikes and have to say that it is so much better than any of them. Awesome.

Bosh I agree there Even the mags still judge the new bikes against the
Enduro 2005/2006 that IS a classic.
Friend bought one a few months back a frame only 2006 S works Enduro minus the shock, frame only £ 250.00p

I'm worried that one day I'll break mine and will be gutted when spesh replace it with a brand new model frame.

for stw, orange 5 and on-one inbreds seem to be very popular.

I'd like the merlin malt to be nominated too. They were (until recently) great value and constantly well rated by the magazines. I'd love it to be the zaskar, but if it's not from the 90's it doesnt cut my cheese.

What about SC heckler had 3 in total
1st one in 1999 with pace evo forks

surly that beats the 5 ??????????

I would say that the Sworks 06 Enduro, or the Stiffee.
May be because I own them, or when ever I go for a ride with the Enduro, people seem to go wow thats a classic…

Spooky Metalhead? If ever there was a bike that spawned a million copies it was Franks finest. The Planet X JJF was almost a direct copy and sold in it's thousands.