What happened to Klein Bikes?

[DM]

Maybe Trek suppressing Klein (and other acquired brands) is for the best....
Like many formerly prestigious brands, there's no knowing what type of bikes they would be producing today under corporate ownership... :shock:

 

[nporternz]

I guess the really surprising thing is that Trek can charge $7,350 for a bike and they sell. Why does anybody with that amount of cash buy a Trek? I certainly wouldn't. If they had found that their brand couldn't sustain sales of top models, then maybe they would have branded them as Kleins and maybe that's why they bought the name. Then they found they didn't need it.

But some people just like that plain old middle of the roadness I guess.

that trek needs a clean - its got something grubby all over it

 

[steveyadams]

Not sure if this thread is still active, but this topic really interests me...


I remember fondly the first Klein I saw in 1990 at school in MBUK magazine, it was the Team Issue with the box crown and the large 'KLEIN' fork logo.

I remember going to a specific newsagent to buy an imported 'Mountain Bike Action' mag, with the sole purpose of reading the 'Supergo' advert which listed the bikes at competitive prices. I remember being gutted that they would not import! I remember marvelling at their arty adverts (‘The Only thing better than a Klein… Is two’)

I remember walking into a rare UK dealer in 1994 who stocked Pinnacle's, Attitude's and Adroit's all in linear fade jobs.
I remember test riding a Gator Attitude, and buying one the same day, paying for it with my student loan. I remember absolutely everyone looking at the bike as I pushed it through London Bridge station. I felt like a celebrity!

I remember shipping my old Team Issue Attitude over to Chehalis and getting it fixed, and speaking to the guys there about local rides in Olympic Park and telling me to 'come over and visit the factory'.

I remember flying to Chicago with the sole intention of picking up a NOS burgandy Adroit, I remember being broke as a result, but fortunately I also remember the 1993 catalogue with the banner
'truck - $500 bike - $3200...’

OK I have rambled on, but with a small amount of method.
I think if ever Klein was reincarnated - be it by corporate means or private investment - it would not evoke the same charm of the company that Gary built in that workshop in Chehalis that I regrettably never visited.
Perhaps if Gary was to establish a new brand in his own uncompromising reflection, then I think a market might exist. But the company must be driven by passion, and perhaps that is what diminished for Gary, I can only guess.

 

[mikee]

only had time to read a bit of this , but a good thread
miss the interesting non agressive debate threads

 

[yagamuffin]

I think Trek bought Klein as it had a reputation for quality and great design, more so than Trek themselves.
They continued producing Klein bikes for 10 odd years. I think it's demise was more to do with aluminium becoming the mainstream frame material. Once it had lost it's edge, sales really plummeted.

Tech companies are just the same. Microsoft, Google, Symantec, I'm sure Apple too are constantly buying up competitors and smaller companies to assimilate their products. In fact it's often see as the best form of R&D, let someone else do all the hard work and once they have a good product buy the whole company.

 

[lrh]

Hand making anything in low volumes in the US would have been very tough long-term. Trek brought economies of scale (materials, component buying, labour) even if this upsets the purists. Even then the flood of cheap aluminium from the far east must have really put the boot in.

Gary Klein had already been designing bikes for 20 years when Trek came along so I can imagine him wanting to take a back seat and find some new challenges.

 

[mkaavin]

Not sure if this thread is still active, but this topic really interests me...


I remember fondly the first Klein I saw in 1990 at school in MBUK magazine, it was the Team Issue with the box crown and the large 'KLEIN' fork logo.

I remember going to a specific newsagent to buy an imported 'Mountain Bike Action' mag, with the sole purpose of reading the 'Supergo' advert which listed the bikes at competitive prices. I remember being gutted that they would not import! I remember marvelling at their arty adverts (‘The Only thing better than a Klein… Is two’)

I remember walking into a rare UK dealer in 1994 who stocked Pinnacle's, Attitude's and Adroit's all in linear fade jobs.
I remember test riding a Gator Attitude, and buying one the same day, paying for it with my student loan. I remember absolutely everyone looking at the bike as I pushed it through London Bridge station. I felt like a celebrity!

I remember shipping my old Team Issue Attitude over to Chehalis and getting it fixed, and speaking to the guys there about local rides in Olympic Park and telling me to 'come over and visit the factory'.

I remember flying to Chicago with the sole intention of picking up a NOS burgandy Adroit, I remember being broke as a result, but fortunately I also remember the 1993 catalogue with the banner
'truck - $500 bike - $3200...’

OK I have rambled on, but with a small amount of method.
I think if ever Klein was reincarnated - be it by corporate means or private investment - it would not evoke the same charm of the company that Gary built in that workshop in Chehalis that I regrettably never visited.
Perhaps if Gary was to establish a new brand in his own uncompromising reflection, then I think a market might exist. But the company must be driven by passion, and perhaps that is what diminished for Gary, I can only guess.

What a great story! I think you just described what was lost when Trek bought Klein. No one travels far anymore to buy a Trek like you did or feels like a celebrity riding he's bike around town. There was something very special about these bikes. That special thing is gone and thats why so many of us are in here and on e-bay and local graiclists and what not....looking for that lost art of the early to mid 90's bike making.

But it's gone and will never be reincarnated as you say. But that's the way it is. Hopefully something else very special will turn up in the future. In the meantime we will have to enjoy the old Kleins still available.

 

[muddyfox_courier]

Saw one just today. Actually glimpsed it on the housing estate near my mums last week. super recognisable obviously.
Anyway , driving through today , there it was.
Looked fairly right from a distance ; but upon closer inspection. ...
Looks to have had some newer bits cobbled on.
Liked these when they came out.
First one I saw was ( Ithink) about 98. Mate got one shipped over from Cali.
Werent many about.
Anyway . Here....

 

[novekili]

I guess the really surprising thing is that Trek can charge $7,350 for a bike and they sell. Why does anybody with that amount of cash buy a Trek? I certainly wouldn't. If they had found that their brand couldn't sustain sales of top models, then maybe they would have branded them as Kleins and maybe that's why they bought the name. Then they found they didn't need it.

But some people just like that plain old middle of the roadness I guess.

Ouch my stomach. Going pukin' now....

 

[tintin40]

only had time to read a bit of this , but a good thread
miss the interesting non agressive debate threads

It wont last