Oh dear - head above parapet - my view of Kleins…...

[sinnerman]

To be fair though, its not just Klein its retro bikes in general.

Had a roofer arrive at mine a week ago, nice fella, and we got talking about mountain bikes, the guy was so keen to talk about bikes, where he rides, what he rides, where he buys, what gear hes got, real enthusiastic.

i happen to have my Bontrager in the house, and when he came in for a cup of tea he saw it.

GENUINELY, YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGH I HAD TWO HEADS.

he had no clue, of any of it, and no interest either. As far as he was concerned the XTR equipped Bontrager with 26" wheels was a boneshaker, his attitude changed instantly, as i clearly has no clue or idea of modern bikes, or bicycles at all.

i found it alarming, blinkered, and quite sad really.

 

[jimo746]

If you treat a Klein as a high end race frame, which the Attitude I had was, then you won’t be disappointed. Think of it as a vintage Ferrari... a thing of beauty to behold, but not all that comfortable to drive for several hours.
First time I rode a Klein was in the early 90’s whilst visiting a friends family farm in Devon, the boyfriend had a Dolomite Attitude that I took for a ride up some lanes, man that thing was quick!! every bit of power from your legs went straight to the rear wheel to propel you forwards and it literally skipped over the rough farm tracks.
I can honestly say the Attitude frame is right up there in my all-time best “retro” bikes I’ve ever ridden, alongside the Pace RC200 chassis, they’re race frames, if you want a day-long rider then go steel.

 

[greencat]

To be fair though, its not just Klein its retro bikes in general.

Had a roofer arrive at mine a week ago, nice fella, and we got talking about mountain bikes, the guy was so keen to talk about bikes, where he rides, what he rides, where he buys, what gear hes got, real enthusiastic.

i happen to have my Bontrager in the house, and when he came in for a cup of tea he saw it.

GENUINELY, YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGH I HAD TWO HEADS.

he had no clue, of any of it, and no interest either. As far as he was concerned the XTR equipped Bontrager with 26" wheels was a boneshaker, his attitude changed instantly, as i clearly has no clue or idea of modern bikes, or bicycles at all.

i found it alarming, blinkered, and quite sad really.

Probably true of many sports or hobbies, show anyone stuff from 25+ years ago when their interest began just a few years ago and if all of the stuff they read and see is modern - I think they'd be similarly WTF?! Especially if said sport/hobby doesn't actively celebrate retro or vintage stuff. Most people can look at a vintage sports car or aeroplane and even if they don't want one, it'll conjure up certain cultural touch points of appreciation.

An old bike doesn't do that for most people. Until a retro mountain bike reaches e-type jaguar type status of cool in the mainstream or even in modern mountain biking, I can't see that reaction changing.

 

[tintin40]

I think they were/are wonderful bikes. Had two BITD. Rode one a couple of years ago and it was still wonderful. Equal to my Trimble then and now. But the prices people want for them now is madness. Simple don't pay. Then when not sold the prices will come down.

 

[mattr]

I feel the same way about Zaskars.
Have ridden both (Attitude and Zaskar) in the early/mid 90's, and i found that for the money, and what i wanted them for, they really weren't all that. I bought something much cheaper (Team Titanium Raleigh) and kept the extra for race entries and travel etc.
Put the raleigh through hell for several seasons until i got picked up by the team, then promptly cracked my original frame

If you treat a Klein as a high end race frame, which the Attitude I had was, then you won’t be disappointed. Think of it as a vintage Ferrari... a thing of beauty to behold, but not all that comfortable to drive for several hours.

I was looking for a race frame. Had the budget for any of my choices (frame + rigid fork) but would have ended up with a slightly different build (More XT, less XTR!)

 

[MartinYorkshire]

Times have moved on, but Klein were almost works of art and deserve some additional consideration. They were quite a way ahead in certain aspects of design. They are not unique in that bracket, with certain other manufacturers certainly at the top of the desirability list also, but it's undoubtedly their initial rarity, especially outside the USA, combined with a lack of durability, that is driving values. It's understandable. Also, unlike a manufacturer such as Merlin USA, who were also super boutique at the time, Klein had a cut off date, whereas Merlin continue to make high grade frames.

So with Klein, it's basically a work of art where the artist's work saw increased value upon their "death", in this case brand death upon sale to Trek, no offence Gary!

 

[MartinYorkshire]

Probably true of many sports or hobbies, show anyone stuff from 25+ years ago when their interest began just a few years ago and if all of the stuff they read and see is modern - I think they'd be similarly WTF?! Especially if said sport/hobby doesn't actively celebrate retro or vintage stuff. Most people can look at a vintage sports car or aeroplane and even if they don't want one, it'll conjure up certain cultural touch points of appreciation.

An old bike doesn't do that for most people. Until a retro mountain bike reaches e-type jaguar type status of cool in the mainstream or even in modern mountain biking, I can't see that reaction changing.

Because it doesn't have 180mm of travel, innit.

 

[pw_pw_la]

I might not give a flying f*** about Klein's, but I have to say, I do very much like this thread!

Lots of interesting points and opinions contained within.

 

[2manyoranges]

well...indeed I thought it might be interesting to start it....it's good to have these differing perspectives...

 

[captaincowelly]

Have to say,there's been some great input.Mixture of experiences,bit of racing,some very well presented cases on both sides.And to anyone who's never ridden one (myself included) a great explanation of the brand,it all actually makes sense!
And nobody's got the hump or waded in with an abrupt rebuttal.Which isn't common but does happen occasionally as I'm sure we all agree.
Top marks to all involved!Hoist this one up the RB flagpole!Maybe a few more pics for the cherry on the cake.
Let's hope we haven't just upped the Klein market value