It's another Klein debate...!

[Wold Ranger]

Klein

Klein doesn't belong in the same sentence as Chris Chance, TR, Keith Bont', or even Joe Murray, nearly all those frames, barring a major crash would ride just as well today and not suffer any fatigue. Not just a few Kleins broke. 90 percent plus did, I broke one a year over three years and I'm not a heavy or rad rider, the back triangles just broke up, 2 originals and one Trek.
We used to ride in a big group up to 40 of us and we broke a lot of Kleins and a quite a few Pace too, between us, they were nicknamed the Coke Can as they folded so easily!
Aluminium is just totally unsuitable for a rigid bike frame, they are only meant to last a short while and often do FS is different of course. Strangely enough you see more sound old Ally GT's than anything else tho!
This is why Steel is making such a big come back. They sold as they looked cool and had trick paint, but ride and technically they were nothing special at all and extremely over priced. They were a very poor design and deserve to be treated with contempt really.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

Re: Klein

Aluminium is just totally unsuitable for a rigid bike frame, they are only meant to last a short while and often do

you're joking, right?
i quote chris herting:

RBA: What’s your current frame material of choice?
CH: My current material is Easton Scandium with bonded carbon stays. Being a small company it’s hard to do full carbon in custom geometry. Since I don’t offer Small, Medium or Large frames, I have to be able to build custom frames in the most cost effective manner. Scandium is stronger than regular aluminum so you can run thinner walls and bring down the wall thickness which can improve ride quality

http://www.roadbikeaction.com/fly.aspx? ... =83&cid=86

 

[andrewl]

Re: Klein

Klein doesn't belong in the same sentence as Chris Chance, TR, Keith Bont', or even Joe Murray, nearly all those frames, barring a major crash would ride just as well today and not suffer any fatigue.

Sorry I think you'll find that more than one of the above made lightweight steel frames which had a limited fatigue life by design.

 

[Wold Ranger]

Klein

Yes I agree limited in terms of years not just months or days! The reason builders like Aluminium is purely commercial, it is very cheap to manufacture in and THEY BREAK VERY EASILY! So inbuilt obselescence.
I really cannot understand why they are revered so highly having had quite a few, they really are nothing special to ride and I've ridden most incarnations. But hey, whatever floats your boat, the lack of warranty honouring with me and my peers consigned the brand to the garbage heap forever. Stock reply was "you must have been jumping it" or "their not designed to be ridden down drops" sorry we cant do anything.
Funny how all the ad's had lovely pictures of someone jumping one over a log or down a big drop, they were actually encouraging the buyers to break them!

 

[MJN]

Re: Klein

Yes I agree limited in terms of years not just months or days! The reason builders like Aluminium is purely commercial, it is very cheap to manufacture in and THEY BREAK VERY EASILY! So inbuilt obselescence.
I really cannot understand why they are revered so highly having had quite a few, they really are nothing special to ride and I've ridden most incarnations. But hey, whatever floats your boat, the lack of warranty honouring with me and my peers consigned the brand to the garbage heap forever. Stock reply was "you must have been jumping it" or "their not designed to be ridden down drops" sorry we cant do anything.
Funny how all the ad's had lovely pictures of someone jumping one over a log or down a big drop, they were actually encouraging the buyers to break them!

Sounds like you just had a bike shop that couldn't be arsed with your warranty claim,I've done warranty claims involving Trek brands in the past and they sometimes took some convincing from our end.

 

[TheRedMantra]

Re: Klein

Not just a few Kleins broke. 90 percent plus did, I broke one a year over three years and I'm not a heavy or rad rider, the back triangles just broke up, 2 originals and one Trek

I broke one klein. I have owned 5 and ridden them all very hard. My main ride is a 1990 attitude which is still going strong. I am almost 190lbs with gear. The one klein I broke was a 1997 pulse. It broke this past December and was ridden hard its entire life. I call bullshit on your horrendous exaggeration. By my figures its 20% from personal experience, given the thousands and thousands of miles put on that frame in Florida, Georgia, Utah, Colorado, and many more places over its lifetime. I have friend with kleins that have never had issues with any of their bikes breaking. They are aluminum, not the strongest of frames, but they do last for the most part as long as one should expect.

 

[Wold Ranger]

Breakage

Just riding smooth trails and fire roads, they will last, but ride down the gritstone rock steps around here, they won't, the tubes in the centre are very thin and won't stand any impact from flying loose cobbles either and cracks around the seat stay cluster were very common too, it' not bull they were just plain poor and thats why you just don't see many around, they mainly all broke simple as that.

 

[TheRedMantra]

I live in Flagstaff Arizona, I ride regularly here and in Sedona. Do not tell me that I ride smooth trails. I take my Kleins on downhills and over rocks and boulders. They hold up fine. If you are not a proficient rider I can understand breaking a frame, people brake alloy, titanium and steel frames here occasionally. Does this look like groomed singletrack to you?

I am not saying that kleins are bulletproof, they can be fragile. They will last if treated right and not abused. Proper form will do wonders to the lifetime of a frame.

 

[purplewicked]

Re: Breakage

Just riding smooth trails and fire roads, they will last, but ride down the gritstone rock steps around here, they won't, the tubes in the centre are very thin and won't stand any impact from flying loose cobbles either and cracks around the seat stay cluster were very common too, it' not bull they were just plain poor and thats why you just don't see many around, they mainly all broke simple as that.

not true. kleins are everywhere. just BS on internet.

 

[juiceboxx]

kleins

if anyone doesn't like kleins 'cause they break or cost too much should go buy a manitou ht or fs.