I'm seriously thinking about long travel hardtail, but can't decide between the Cove Stiffee and the Ragley Mmmbop.

Ideally I'd like to stick a set of Fox 36 Talas forks on whichever frame I decide on, but both appear to have been designed around a 140mm fork, so the Fox 36 might be a bit overkill.

Has anyone run either of these frames with a 160mm fork and, if they have, did it work without having to resort to the travel adjust?

Has anyone ridden both these frames and can maybe offer an opinion as the pros and cons of each?

ive ridden both these bikes i had a stiffee for about 3 yrs and road the ragley on 2 2/3 hr test rides
the cove is a great all rounder great in single track ,fork at 120mm,
took it to cwm carn upliftday great, flat pedals , fork at 140
great at jumping and play riding
great at trail centers,its biggest weakness is climbing and i wouldnt want to race it,but with an adjustable fork it can do most things well,

the ragley is a great all rounder to but i didnt feel the need to adjust the fork as much as the stiffee and it climbs alot better than the stiffee,
it felt like i could (and did) drop me elbows and hammer climbs and flat stuff better than the stiffee,
i didnt really test it out on many jumps so cant say anything there

i had sold my cove and was close to getting the ragley but on the 2nd test ride i coulnt help notice how harsh the back end was over rough rooty stuff and it put me of,ive ridden and own alot of hartails so it wasnt just me not being used to it,im still thinking about the blue pig which i think will be the best option or i might save for the ti one.

if your more on the side of freeride,play riding the cove is slightly better but expensive,but if your more a bit of everything xc based one of the ragleys is the way to go,i really need to test ride a blue pig

Many thanks for the info lock. I think the Mmmbop will be the one I go for, based on your comments on both.

Evil sovereign? SC Chameleon?

wheelz, what size are you looking for.

Hi Ton,

Looking for an 18"

Stiffee all the way for me. Had one, sold it, and regret it. Have an On-One 456 which I like, but it's not as much fun as the Stiffee. Tested an mmmBop and just didn't get on with it – it felt really "odd" and whilst it would easily outclimb the Stiffee, it would not be as much fun on the way back down, or playing around.

160mm forks would be too much for the Stiffee – Pikes are the perfect fork as you can wind them down to help on the climbs.

it would not be as much fun on the way back down,

???

You can drop the travel on 36 floats (internally).

150mm is the max on the Stiffee. Although, I agree that 140mm is the sweet spot for AM/Trail. Although, I never found the need to wind them down for the climbs.

Got a set of mk1 150mm Fox 36 Talas on mine at the moment and it's lost some of it's XC ability over the Pikes it used to have.

it would not be as much fun on the way back down,
???

Sorry Brant – just didn't get on with it. Love the 456 though!

Chameleon is warrantied for 160mm forks

stiffee all the way!
Cant stand the gas pipes.

ove the chameleon… Seriously nice bikes, and really can do anything. I keep on lusting over them since riding my friends…

+1 for a Stiffee

Doh double post, may as well fill with some picks of mine.

Have a green stiffee (ooerr) with RockShox revelations (140) and fitted with mainly Hope stuff for winter weather (M4's, ProII hubs, etc). Wanted to get a winter HT to offset the damage to the links on my Yeti asr. It is so much more than just a winter HT. Now taking fast, rooty downhills as quick as I would on the Yeti but it just feels more fun. Light as well. Been to Afan and climbed on it all day – up against my mates Spesh Enduro, it held its own. Haven't tried a Ragley but did do quite a bit of research before opting for the Cove.

Been looking at getting another Cove Stiffee but baulked at the cost even at sale prices on Chainreaction. Mine wore 130mm bolt through Shermans or Rebas depending on what it was being used for.

I'd question i'ts ability with forks any longer as it wasn't the best climber with Shermans (510mm axle to crown). Even with that little travel though it was a blast on descents.

Anyway, i've just plumped for a Dialled Bikes Prince Albert. New tubing and a slightly lighter/more responsive design I'm led to believe.

I have a cove stiffee with pike air u turns love the bike had it 2 1/2 years would not change did not get on with the chameleon never had the need to lower forks bike rides lovley

I had a Cove Stiffee, snapped one, second one I sold after the paint fell off and then bought a PA and I have to say personally I found the PA to be a much better ride than the Cove. OK it doesn't have the 'brand name' or the price tag, and it weight's a good pound and a bit more, but the ride doesn't even compare.

Also Cove's warranty in the UK is a joke for such an expensive frame (1 year)

I should add that it was a joy to ride.

Even used it in Verbier for days when the climbing with a Cove G-Spot was going to be a bit much.

One negative is that the paint is often bemoaned as being flaky – mine was no exception but a few battle scars add to it's charachter.

Doubt you will be disappointed with the Cove if you can afford it.

Always find I fall somewhere between sizes with Brant designed frames too which meant I discounted an mmmbop/blue pig. Despite the value for money being waaay up there. The Dialled will be replacing a small Inbred with 130 Vanillas which for comparison purposes probably felt fairly similar to the Cove Stiffee with the Shermans (Chuckable and surefooted on descents) though a little more twang – obviously.

Oh, worth considering a Mountaincycle Rumble too. Had one of those also before the Cove.

CRC's have the rumble frame on offer as well, only in small sizes though.

Mind you looking at Cove's website the new Stiffee looks a lot slacker than what I had as it much have been 4 years ago I gave up on them.

The 66 degree head angle should make it fun descending, not sure what it would be like on the ups, but they aren't really about that.

Wiggly waggly on the ups the Stiffee,had mine since 04,still going strong,good on the downs,.
i have a Blue Pig aswell,which i prefer overall.

I am pretty sure the 04 Stiffee's (which I had) were 68.5 or 69 degree HA, they changed it to 68 in 05 I think. So its going to ride very differently to that, with a 66 degree HA, will be much more waggly on the climbs now.

Hmmm sorta tempted to give one a try 😉

So its going to ride very differently to that, with a 66 degree HA, will be much more waggly on the climbs now.

All depends…
1) How they measure the 66 (static? sagged?).
2) What the seat angle is.

"Ideally I'd like to stick a set of Fox 36 Talas forks on whichever frame I decide on, but both appear to have been designed around a 140mm fork,"

36 Talas' @ 130mm will have a A-C height of 515mm, the same as a Fox 32 140mm QR15. Both should 'work' with a 36 Talas set at 130mm
(RS Pike/Revelation(20mm*) @ 140mm = 518mm)(Magura Thor @ 140mm = 520mm)(Fox 32 QR @ 140mm = 511mm)(*'09 RVL 140mm QR = 521mm)

" i coulnt help notice how harsh the back end was over rough rooty stuff and it put me of"
What diameter seatpost did it have? 31.6mm (no shim). Although you'd have the annoyance of a shim, you could stick a 27.2mm (carbon for more flex?) seatpost in with a shim to improve sat down comfort? Or do you mean harshness through the pedals?

70 degree seat angle, no idea if its the static or sagged HA, looks like Cove quotes static heights though

Youre right Richc they did change it in either 05 or 06..wiggle waggle it does 😉

seat angle is that different to the 04's Richc?

Mmmbop is hilarious static… 65.6deg head angle, 71.6deg seat.