Oh dear - head above parapet - my view of Kleins…...
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captaincowelly
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Hotwheels.
Old School Grand Master
I've ridden a '97 Attitude hardtail for years and love it. I then bought a '90 rigid and the difference is quite startling, so nimble and accelerates like nothing else I've ever ridden, but man is it harsh, you feel every blade of grass you roll over.
Nice to see a well mannered and thoughtful discussion on Klein's. I always wanted one and got close on two occasions back in the early 90's to buying one. Finally got one about 3 years ago thanks to a heads up on here. It was local to me and under £500 for a Klein Adroit from after Trek taking over but still built as a Klein with the oversize headset and stem. Photo below just to show that some Klein's have been ridden!
I always used to like riding stiff bikes, I tried a couple of titanium bikes including a Litespeed but they weren't for me. Always felt indirect and slightly lazy in acceleration. I always preferred to run full suspension if I wanted something softer at the back. Riding a Cannondale Super V cross country from about 95 onwards. All personal preference and it would be really boring if we all liked the same things.
The Klein is like an F1 car, sneeze and it changes direction. Accelerates far better than anything else I've ever owned or tried. But it is not a bike I'd pick for an all day ride or a gentle cruise. For a race it would be my first choice. And I will completely agree that Klein's are over priced. They have gained a mythical status far beyond the reality. The original appeal for me with a Klein was two fold. The first is that they always look stunning, the second is the no compromise engineering. Rear facing drop outs for strength, internal cable routing, their own headset size and originally their own bottom bracket's. And aluminium specs that were different to the main stream bikes. Add the price in and they came across as the money no object ultimate rigid bike - emphasis on the rigid!
I always used to like riding stiff bikes, I tried a couple of titanium bikes including a Litespeed but they weren't for me. Always felt indirect and slightly lazy in acceleration. I always preferred to run full suspension if I wanted something softer at the back. Riding a Cannondale Super V cross country from about 95 onwards. All personal preference and it would be really boring if we all liked the same things.
The Klein is like an F1 car, sneeze and it changes direction. Accelerates far better than anything else I've ever owned or tried. But it is not a bike I'd pick for an all day ride or a gentle cruise. For a race it would be my first choice. And I will completely agree that Klein's are over priced. They have gained a mythical status far beyond the reality. The original appeal for me with a Klein was two fold. The first is that they always look stunning, the second is the no compromise engineering. Rear facing drop outs for strength, internal cable routing, their own headset size and originally their own bottom bracket's. And aluminium specs that were different to the main stream bikes. Add the price in and they came across as the money no object ultimate rigid bike - emphasis on the rigid!
mishmash69
BoTM Winner
Its v interesting.. prices have gone crazy for everything... but in particular Kleins.
I was looking at one, but I think the market has maxed out and if I sit tight for a couple of years they will be much cheaper
Thoughts?
I was looking at one, but I think the market has maxed out and if I sit tight for a couple of years they will be much cheaper
Thoughts?
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I had a Chehalis built Attitude for a while I found it to be nothing special, I much prefered the ride of my Santa Cruz Chameleon, I also much prefer the ride of Cannondales too, far cheaper and less painful...
2manyoranges
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One key issue for me was that my Klein Pinnacle was a poor climber, which surprised me on something so stiff and so responsive on the flat. At the time I attributed it to a very slack seat angle but I have been trying to check that recently with a Klein geometry chart, but haven’t found one. I wonder if the seat was too far back because the frame was too small, thus giving a very slack virtual (literal) angle....
From a 2004 MTBR post:
‘...Older Klein's were notoriously under-sized. I can't tell you how many people bought Kleins that were one size too small. You try to convince them to go up a size, but in the end, they would insist on the smaller size - only to come back 6 months later with a crack in the seat tube radiatiing out from the seat tube slot. If you are 6', you would probably be better fit on what they called the 22" (if I recall correctly, their sizing was center to top of seat tube - and they had a lot of seat tube showing - so that 20" is almost like an 18" center to top of top tube).
But - most important - don't size the bike by the seat tube. Size it by the top tube. That's the crucial factor. And if you end up with the 20", do yourself a favor and make sure the seat post is burried in the seat tube to well below the bottom level of the top tube...’
From a 2004 MTBR post:
‘...Older Klein's were notoriously under-sized. I can't tell you how many people bought Kleins that were one size too small. You try to convince them to go up a size, but in the end, they would insist on the smaller size - only to come back 6 months later with a crack in the seat tube radiatiing out from the seat tube slot. If you are 6', you would probably be better fit on what they called the 22" (if I recall correctly, their sizing was center to top of seat tube - and they had a lot of seat tube showing - so that 20" is almost like an 18" center to top of top tube).
But - most important - don't size the bike by the seat tube. Size it by the top tube. That's the crucial factor. And if you end up with the 20", do yourself a favor and make sure the seat post is burried in the seat tube to well below the bottom level of the top tube...’
A bit late to this - but I have ridden my Attitude an awful lot since I bought it about a year ago. I absolutely love it and it is my favourite bike to ride.
BUT - I am mostly doing circa 2 hour rides on road / light gravel - nothing too hardcore.
If you do 'proper' mountain biking on proper trails, on very rocky, broken or uneven ground, or your thing is doing long touring type days, then of course a Klein will be a disappointment.
As to whether it is worth the money - it's just subjective I suppose - I think its OK if you are going to use it, personally I wouldn't buy any bike to hang it on a wall as I would want to ride it.
All I can say is it is much cheaper than trying to buy the dream cars of our youth!
BUT - I am mostly doing circa 2 hour rides on road / light gravel - nothing too hardcore.
If you do 'proper' mountain biking on proper trails, on very rocky, broken or uneven ground, or your thing is doing long touring type days, then of course a Klein will be a disappointment.
As to whether it is worth the money - it's just subjective I suppose - I think its OK if you are going to use it, personally I wouldn't buy any bike to hang it on a wall as I would want to ride it.
All I can say is it is much cheaper than trying to buy the dream cars of our youth!
