Dr Dremel
Fat Chance Fan
I remember seeing my first Klein frame in the window of our local bikeshop in 1988. This thing might as well have come from another world. We were used to the heavy, touring based mountainbikes, sometimes still called "ATB" and there it was hanging: Searing neon colour, fat tubes, modern geometry, and super light weight. It was the polar opposite to the then available bikes over here, I had to have it!
I rode the cr*p out of that thing, BMX tracks, gnarly downhills, took it all with a stride. I only managed to break it when a taxi hit me 3 years later. I had the cracks welded up (broken leg took a bit longer to heal) and continued using it, albeit mostly on the street now.
Granted, I´m more of a svelte build, but I never had the feeling they were fragile, let alone prone to frame snapping?! All the frames are from 6061 and heat treated properly, not like later frames with 7000series aluminium (Manitou, Marin, Yeti). AFAIK the only problem they have is cracks developing on the slit for the seatpost binder. Mine has them too, but most likely because I extended the seatpost far too much with my frame being a tad too small.
2 years ago I finallly found the same frame, this time in the right size, used, but not abused, no cracks on the seat binder. My most used bike atm (1500km and counting) and I see no reason why it should be treated gently. Is it stiff? Hell yeah, but the comparison with the oh so comfy steel frames is kind of mitigated with the advent of the full suspension MTB.
So I say: Nothing wrong with the bike (and I don´t know a single dentist with a Klein).
I rode the cr*p out of that thing, BMX tracks, gnarly downhills, took it all with a stride. I only managed to break it when a taxi hit me 3 years later. I had the cracks welded up (broken leg took a bit longer to heal) and continued using it, albeit mostly on the street now.
Granted, I´m more of a svelte build, but I never had the feeling they were fragile, let alone prone to frame snapping?! All the frames are from 6061 and heat treated properly, not like later frames with 7000series aluminium (Manitou, Marin, Yeti). AFAIK the only problem they have is cracks developing on the slit for the seatpost binder. Mine has them too, but most likely because I extended the seatpost far too much with my frame being a tad too small.
2 years ago I finallly found the same frame, this time in the right size, used, but not abused, no cracks on the seat binder. My most used bike atm (1500km and counting) and I see no reason why it should be treated gently. Is it stiff? Hell yeah, but the comparison with the oh so comfy steel frames is kind of mitigated with the advent of the full suspension MTB.
So I say: Nothing wrong with the bike (and I don´t know a single dentist with a Klein).
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