Is this Klein legit?

[xxnick1975]

Honestly that's about the cleanest bike, let alone Klein, you're ever going to see.

If the price is acceptable get it bought!

95% of an Attitude for 25% of the price!

 

[Tsundere]

Thanks, I was sure it's ok but just wanted some second opinions. Bike is bought and on the way

 

[xxnick1975]

Look fwd to seeing on the forum

 

[eri]

“Klein style over substance” pah!

Great for climbing, stiff, light, great stand over and short chain stays. The ones with aluminum fork have a much more damped front end feel. Great bikes before the advent of suspension forks.

I had 3 Kleins back to back in the 90s, two pinnacles and a rascal, each bought used. When last was stolen I got the hei hei. Hei hei wouldn’t corrode but I still miss that stiff Klein climbing. I always thought cannondale mtb had uninspired rides. You’ll see.

 

[Tsundere]

“Klein style over substance” pah!

Great for climbing, stiff, light, great stand over and short chain stays. The ones with aluminum fork have a much more damped front end feel. Great bikes before the advent of suspension forks.

I had 3 Kleins back to back in the 90s, two pinnacles and a rascal, each bought used. When last was stolen I got the hei hei. Hei hei wouldn’t corrode but I still miss that stiff Klein climbing. I always thought cannondale mtb had uninspired rides. You’ll see.

It's only what I've read, I've also read that they are amazing, perhaps up with the very best of their class, for out and out racing, but terrible for anything else, some people have mentioned that they couldn't really distinguish them from any other well spec'd aluminium bike. I'll reserve judgement until I've experienced it myself, and I sincerely hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Of all the Kleins the Pinnacle is unquestionably the one for me, as much as I still enjoy trail riding the days of throwing myself down the rocky side of a mountain in a competitive fervour are long gone, so I'm really hoping it's more comfy and less twitchy than the race focused models are described as, although I'm also hoping to experience something of the famous sense of incredible efficiency, where you feel like every watt of energy you put into the bike is translated almost without waste into immediate forward thrust.

 

[eri]

I think I solved the colour scheme mystery, in the 1990 catalogue you could choose how many colours and how the front fork could be painted, the tricolour Backfire you had and most others I have seen have would have been standard, it looks very much like the original buyer of this bike wanted a Klein but was forced to make concessions in order to be able to afford one, hence the DX. The non 'Elite' Pinnacle of that year came without the mission control bar and stem, so this is definitely a 1990 Pinnacle Elite but unlike the fully loaded model you had mine came with DX and one less colour.

View attachment 636632View attachment 636641

I'm not going to pretend I've always wanted one or anything like that, but owning and riding a Klein is certainly a box I'd like to tick. I fully expect the experience of riding to be slightly underwhelming, especially after the Fat Chance, I don't think aluminium can ever compete with steel on that front, although my Cannondale is great on roads and light trails, that's mainly because it has very wide tyres and rims plus an extraordinarily long steel stem which all work to cushion smaller bumps, I doubt this will even be able to outdo that.

Looking forward to finding out though and would be happy to be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time.

Not race focused in that it has rack mounts. That bike, especially with those mission control bars, is probably the stiffest and least comfortable ride that I've ever thrown a leg over. But its sprint is epic, absolutely no deflection, and they can be built light. I rode pinnacles and a rascal for probably seven years straight and they made my hands bleed. I loved how they climbed and handling felt super precise. Probably my mentality I didn't mind being punished. Brutal in hindsite.

The most expensive and allegedly most raciest models - the attitude and adroit - actually had a much nicer ride because the aluminum fork absorbed trail chatter. Was not at all what I was expecting, is totally counter to what I'd expect from those big fork tubes.

Your cannondale is much, much more comfortable but I thought they were pretty boring to ride.

Comparing this with a classic yo eddy... well... they're so different. The yo isn't nearly as sprinty, it is slightly more comfortable but its also quite a heavy bike. The kleins stiffness hits with a snap, the yo is like getting clocked with a lead weight. I liked how the yo eddys tracked on the trail, I liked the steel feel in the knees, but didn't like the yo eddys fit and I missed the zing. The yo had a short flat high top tube so my nards were endangered once I moved to an xl frame with the reach I was looking for, just wrong for my fairly normal proportions and riding style. That high top tube really prevents you from moving the bike around. Yo fit more like a traditional road bike.

Cant wait to hear what you think. My wife has a pinnacle with road tires she uses for groceries and its geo is fine on the road. Totally obsolete for the trails around here.

 

[Tsundere]

Yes, I'm really looking forward to finding out how it rides, if it doesn't suit then no worries, box ticked and there's plenty of headroom for a profitable resale.

Just bought another Klein

A 1988 Mountain Klein, bare metal frame, double U-Brake, this ones going to be a real passion project though, got some nice roller cams for it, don't think that's the original WTB fork, but it could be.
#2M642.

 

[manuelschafer]

some (very few) early Mountain kleins came with OG Spinner forks in rollercam configuration!
#kleiningham will be cool