I have never told anyone what they could and couldn't do with their bikes. I have not advocated the police coming over and confiscating bike goodies that don't meet my approval. If someone posts something on a public forum, maybe, just maybe, it won't be a mutual masturbation society. If you want such a society, then why not set up a list and just post our approval by specifying a letter:
A) Wow! Amazing build. Keep them coming.
B) Fabulous! I like how the even-numbered spoke nipples match the handle bars and the odd-numbered ones match the brakes.
C)...
If I was assisting you with a build and you filed an American stem, I would just tell you that you were on your own for the rest of it. I've helped a number of people with their Klein builds and many times they have followed what I suggested and many times not but no one has mutilated the bike. Oh, and I've hardly "gone crazy", I just don't care for what you've done with some of the build. Credit to you for doing your best to keep the paint as is. As for the person who said, "why not buy them (American stems) all up"? Actually, I've been doing that. I picked up one last week (Thanks SS!) and it's a beauty. I've been getting every one that I can.
The welds on an American are really what make it unique. They are high quality bikes but many others were just as good. When I see a picture of an American, I can identify it by the welds without seeing dropouts or decals. Take the welds off an American really isn't any different than removing the spoiler from a Superbird. It's still a cool car but not the original. Oh, if you think any apprentice can lay down welds like that, you really haven't looked around very much or the bike industry has hired a bunch of monkeys without opposable thumbs.
Replace the stem bolt, sure, I’ve done so to an American stem that I have when the Allen bolt was getting rounded. Take an American stem or frame, paint it, anodize it, de-anodize it, polish it or brush it, it's all good. File the welds and you've stuffed it all up. As far as polishing it to a jewel-like finish, that part of the equation is far more Americanish than Kleinish. American offered polished, brushed and anodized frames. The anodized were polished before anodized. Their most popular finish was polished, then anodized, then brushed. So most of their items were like that frame in terms of surface finish. Klein may have sold a few polished items (I've not been able to confirm it) and if so, they were very few and very far between. Oh, and Ducttape is correct, that stem is much too new.
> But the reason Penguwin went crazy is 'cos the stem isn't Klein it's 'American' somehow fitted to this Klein
Uh...I have a Pinnacle Elite that...ummm....you should...you know....
As far as the person who says Kleins are just about paint. Bull. The people who rode them loved them for their ride and most Kleins I saw, had plenty of "patina". Ridden and raced hard. If Kleins are just about paint, why didn't some of the "custom" Trek-era Kleins generate the attention of the earlier models? The glow-in-the-dark bones model was every bit as wild as the earlier stuff and there were other highly unusual paint jobs. A 94 nightstorm will be much more highly desired than one from Trek era. Why is a single color blue Klein from 96 worth more than a koi colored from 97? It's not about paint. If to some it is about the paint, fine, that's not anyone I know.
but I don't think pingwuin is criticizing, he is famously the owner of a KLEIN that has, let's just say 'unusual' custom paint...he's just being a hypocrite.
I am criticizing. Anyone who looks even a little can find my bike. Here, I'll post some just in case you can't find it.
I had a backfire-colored Attitude which was replaced, due to headset issues, by Klein without asking me which color I wanted in 96. One day the bike shop called me and said, "They didn't repair it, they replaced it." I didn't particularly like it and didn't ask for it. After a couple of years of hard riding and much patina later, it was repainted it. I would have repainted it when it was brand new but was saving $$ for travel. The bike is directly inspired from backfire and is far more that look of the Klein I actually chose years before.
So yeah, it's basically a backfire bike. Oh, yeah, the spots. They aren't Klein-like at all. Wait....
Remember those "custom" Trek-era Kleins mentioned above? So yes, Trek offered a limited edition spotted bike. The decals are a 100% deviation from the original. Hell if I'm going to pay for decals to put someone else’s name on a bike when I can create decals using a computer program that I've 100% written from scratch and a font that is 100% designed by me. So yes, I have repainted a Klein to get back to my original Klein. Hypocrite? Hardly.
the more somebody tries to insist that I shouldn't have done it because of the offence to *their* values, the more value I derive from the fact that I have done it
Then I hope you're having a good day (that sort of crapola sounds like my five-year old niece (on a bad day)).
Hey, just roll with it. If you don’t want people to possibly criticize you, don’t post. Heaps of people like my bike, some don't. Doesn't matter either way. You should hear what people say about my tights.
Maybe you'll want to rescue this one and get it restored, but what could you trade me? What light tubular stem from back in the day has this look???
