Finally rehabbing the 1992 Klein Attitude

and yeah, there’s absolutely no shame in hanging it up - nothing wrong with enjoying beauty, for beauty’s sake…😉
I put 2 miles on it today, felt a little better than yesterday and it's probably because I only did 8.9 on the eMTB. We'll see how well I can adapt, but I'm optimistic at the moment. I think a lot of yesterday's issue was just the 175mm cranks; my legs haven't been turning cranks that long this season. I've got a torn ACL I never had repaired (and probably never will), but it typically only bothers me with big changes in routine (say the first 7 to 10 days of the cycling season). I could feel it yesterday, but today it was quite a bit better. I think getting on the Klein a bit every day will resolve it (new range of motion).

Regarding the paint... given its age, it's in excellent condition. There's some missing paint on the right chain stay near the small chainring from the few times the chain came off on the trail way back when, but otherwise it's all intact (and the clear chain slap protector is still intact).

The one sore spot at the moment: I removed the Onza decals this evening (3M adhesive remover). You can see a faint 'onza' in the paint (darker). Doesn't appear to be dye from the decal (the back of the decal was white), but instead it appears to be due to the decal protecting the paint underneath from UV-induced fading. It's subtle. Given what a craze Onza was back in the day, I don't mind the subtle reminder (nostalgia). At least it wasn't a fully opaque Onza porcupine sticker that would leave behind just a blob shape that only us old folks would have a chance of recognizing. :)

And yes, they were rolling art.
 
Very nice condition attitude! I'm also impressed you said you do 13-16 miles per day, ebike or not! I wish I had that time!
 
Very nice condition attitude! I'm also impressed you said you do 13-16 miles per day, ebike or not! I wish I had that time!
Thanks!

To be clear: miles isn't a great gauge for an e-bike. Time and calories are what matters to me, so I should've put it in those terms.

I've allocated an hour per day, from the time I start getting ready to when I'm home with helmet and gloves off, and bike plugged in if I took an e-bike. It just turns out that's usually 13 to 16 miles for me in season on a full power (85Nm or more of torque) e-bike in my area, at around 50 calories/mile average (trying to stay in heart rate zone 2, no long excursions in zone 3 or zone 1 except on my Sunday rides which are longer and more leisurely but with 2 minute bursts in zone 3). Most of my weekday rides are 45 to 60 minutes, and a lot of them involve a stop at a store, intentionally.

The longer story...

Most of my weekday miles are on an 88 pound (!!!) class 3 full-suspension fat tire bike that I've named 'truckster'. Totally unexpected when I bought it. It's the utility that has made it the bike I spend the most time on. I'm not going any faster top-speed wise, and didn't buy a class 3 to go fast. I bought it for the additional torque to carry stuff and get me up the steeper hills at the start of the season without having to go to granny gear and a crawl. And fatty for snow riding (studded CST Toboggans in the winter). It has yielded a faster average speed (15mph) on the dirt roads, with cargo. It has a rack, a fairly large bag and stowable panniers. I've basically used it to create excuses for rides. 'Forget' to buy milk and other staples (that I know will fit in the bike's bags) when grocery shopping in my vehicle, for example. I've been mocked for driving past the grocery store on my way home, only to bike 7 miles back to the store I passed. Yep, sometimes I need to play tricks on myself to maintain the routine. I'm OK with that. I'm still burning 50 calories/mile, still burning over 500 calories per day on the bike. I've lost 14 pounds this season (178 to 164), and I'm still dropping weight, much of it from riding the 'truckster'. I'm no longer an e-bike skeptic. I can get just as much exercise as I do on my acoustic bikes in the same amount of time, but I can cover more ground (maintain that 15 mph on steep grades) and/or carry more stuff. Which means I can use the bike for more than just riding for the sake of riding. Which in my world is easier to find time for day in and day out. And the fact that it's a full suspension fatty has pretty much erased the "I'm sore" evil thoughts that are mental barriers to starting a ride. Those always disappear 2 miles into a ride regardless, but something I battled more to starting a ride with the old hardtail.

Still getting some rides in on the class 1 eMTB, which is a more fun ride. But it's 'truckster' that's been the real factor for me getting 13 to 15 miles in day in and day out, i.e. every day weather permits versus 3 days a week. Small grocery runs, rides to the local dairy farm for milk, take a small package to UPS in the morning, take some food to mom in the evening (9 mile round trip), etc. It's the bike that has allowed me 500 to 1000 calories burned per day for long contiguous stretches this season versus the spottier few days a week. Basically a cargo bike for me, and I didn't expect to put this many miles on it. Who knew?

For me, the other key has been making the time between arriving home and being on the bike as short as possible. Bikes by the door, ready to go, with helmet, gloves, helmet lights, all chargers and a light jacket nearby. Enough jerseys and cycling pants to not waste time thinking about my change of clothes. Vans BMX slip-ons for instant bike-worthy footwear. I'm down to about 5 minutes from arriving home and being on a bike.

Sorry for the long story! I just figured someone might find something useful if looking to find ways to make more time for cycling.
 
Great write up. That’s really impressive how you have made cycling part of your daily routine and are seeing the health benefits 👍
 
8.9 miles on the Klein this morning. Only 447 feet of elevation gain. As expected, painful. :) Obviously it doesn't like dirt road washboard. More importantly, the 175mm cranks with the prone riding position... my body is not happy with it at the moment. I'll keep at it and see how well I adapt. Got a calf cramp 4.3 miles from home, but not a function of the bike (it cramped late last night, probably hydration).

For now it's wearing some PNW Loam XL grips and a Selle SMP TRK seat (the ugliest seat I've ever owned, but super comfy for me). I've put the Attitude in the slot normally occupied by a Canyon eMTB, for now.

Side note... slightly lower calories/mile than rides on the big class 3 eMTB (the black bike in picture). A function of how I ride the 88 pound 'truckster'; lowest manageable assist level, a steady 15 to 20 mph.

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Hmm, attachment failed. Maybe because I'm a new user?

Pre-rehab:

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After a day of work. Removed the faded Kreitler stickers from the crank arms. First pass cleaning (multiple passes on the chain, which is in surprisingly good condition). New SE Cub tires and Theory composite pedals (least expensive blue option with sealed bearings at the local BMX shop). Bar ends removed, Velo lock-on grips from the spare parts bin installed (will later be replaced with RevGrips). Before someone makes fun of the SE Cub tires... the horizon linear fade paint on the bike screams very loudly. Might as well go all in, esp. since I won't be taking this bike on any trails that need a real dirt tire.

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That is a great looking bike, those tyres are an unusual choice but they look good.
 
I really appreciate all the detail on your admirable training and inspiration plan for getting in the saddle. I need to borrow a chapter from your book!
 
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