BoTM Novemember 09 Nominations - Mid Range Special

[GoldenEraMTB]

At the risk of inciting the masses....I humbly submit my BOTM entry.




A mid-range Klein, with mid-range components.

So this is just my opinion, right?

Klein's are nothing like mid-range bikes.

Klein definitely had mid-range bikes, like the Fervor and Rascal...there's no way those could be called high-end.

 

[Neil]

At the risk of inciting the masses....I humbly submit my BOTM entry.

A mid-range Klein, with mid-range components.

So this is just my opinion, right?

Klein's are nothing like mid-range bikes.

Klein definitely had mid-range bikes, like the Fervor and Rascal...there's no way those could be called high-end.

So what did they retail for, BITD?

 

[GoldenEraMTB]

At the risk of inciting the masses....I humbly submit my BOTM entry.

A mid-range Klein, with mid-range components.

So this is just my opinion, right?

Klein's are nothing like mid-range bikes.

Klein definitely had mid-range bikes, like the Fervor and Rascal...there's no way those could be called high-end.

So what did they retail for, BITD?

bikepedia is not the most accurate site, but it was an easy find:

http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/Bike ... &Type=bike

all LX for around $1200...definitely mid-range, especially when compared to upper Kleins.

imo, any mfg that made bikes retailing at more than $3000, would have to call their $1500 bikes mid-level. A $3000 bike would be mid-level when compared to a $6000 bike. Anything under $1000 should be considered entry-level. Alivio is not mid-level. stx rc and deore LX is mid-level, even if the frame is can be found with a more high-end build.

 

[Khane]

shouldnt this debate be going on here http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=77625

 

[GoldenEraMTB]

shouldnt this debate be going on here http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=77625

true, but I hate being redundant...most of the time

any further comments will be posted t the other thread

 

[eastcoaststeve]

Ok, here's the story behind my entry this month...


I picked it up ridiculously cheap quite a while back with the intent to swap the nice tight bottom bracket bearings out to another Klein that fits me well but has a ,(loose as Madonnas knickers), set in it now. Then I'd part out the frame to a tall, wealthy German...make a few bucks, and keep the LX stuff for my parts stash.

After an initial wipe down, (it was covered in years of dust, grease, and cobwebs), I just didn't have the heart to strip out the bearing, so....


Plan B: I decided to build it up as a road bike, as the frame size would be more appropriate for me that way. Unfortunately, a few other projects popped up that grabbed my attention, and the Klein got hung in the rafters.



Fast forward to a few days ago...I see the BOTM is going to be an LX-style contest, and I think I'll enter my LTS-2 and go out in the garage to give it a once over. As I'm walking back in I look up and see the Klein and I forget all about the GT...I realize it needs a MAJOR clean up before I can think of submitting it, and I know I'm working the next six days in a row, so I decide it will get my attention each night before bed, (kind of a nice way to end my long days).


After a full can of WD-40, a whole box of rags, 1/2 a can of contact cleaner, a stack of scotchbrite, a handfull of q-tips, and a years supply of busted knuckles and cramped fingers, it came out looking pretty darn nice.


I hope you all enjoy looking at it as much as I did bringing it bake to life.


I've added a bunch of detail shots of the components to my original post just to assure you guys this was really an LX-spec'd bike, (not looking for controversy, just to have a bit of fun and share a cool old bike with people who appreciate them as I do).




Thanks for the opportunity to share my passion,





Steve

 

[GoldenEraMTB]

Ok, here's the story behind my entry this month...

good stuff, Steve

The only issue I see with it, under the rules for this month, would be the Flite saddle...it's a bit high-end.

btw, that is a good way to end the day.

 

[Neil]

bikepedia is not the most accurate site, but it was an easy find:

http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/Bike ... &Type=bike

all LX for around $1200...definitely mid-range, especially when compared to upper Kleins.

Maybe mid-range for a Klein, but most definitely not a mid-range bike compared to the entire range of MTBs.

Boutique bikes are not mid range. Klein bikes are not mid-range - there's no sense arguing with that, I've ruled and it stands, no take backs...

Over the years, I've read countless group tests of mid-range bikes - and a Klein never featured in any that I can recall.

Entry level MTBs were considered to start around the £300 mark. Anything approaching £1000 was high-end (whether or not you could spend thousands on MTBs, the masses didn't).

So mid range was clearly about the £500 mark - perhaps going up to £700 tops.

As I've said before, bike mags never struggled to categorise bikes as mid-range when testing bikes together, so neither should we - and it wasn't higher-end exotica, dressed-down - it was mid-range in most of the production bike line-ups. Which was typically around 500-600 pounds.

Trying to place boutique bikes at the bottom of their particular range, as general mid-range bikes, is most certainly detracting from the spirit of what a mid-range BOTM should be about, IMNSHO.

 

[mrkawasaki]

1992 Dave Yates Diabolo DX

Here's my newly assembled 09 winter hack - sure to be thrown out by the Exage fascists ;-) - however, it's collated from my parts bins, hence is in the spirit of Retrobike 'mid range' as far as I'm concerned ie. would not normally make a regular BoTM (if there is such a thing)!

Frame courtesy of Ed Orange, a weird mix of bi-ovalised and shaped Italian tubing with some fillet-o-fish thhrown in for good measure. Looking to throw on a rigid bladed fork at some point.

All DX gruppo BTW.

Mr K

EDIT: Just read the rest of the thread to find that DX is out. Will there be an 'upper middle range BoTM' coming soon for the chattering classes??! ;-)

 

[legrandefromage]

I'd love to see a old GT Karakoram, one of the older ones like the red and yellow with the black splatter effect paint entered in this, sure they were lx or lower, was my dream bike as a youngster

not an entry, just a pic of one I made earlier: