Midwest Ullrich

Saw an ad on Detroit craiglist..$200 for a Klein Quantrum Pro frameset. Looks kind of nice from the pictures. Google searched and realized the company is no longer in business. Anyhow, most of the reviews I read are posiitve: responsive, light, stiff and good paint job. Anyone owns one and minds posting some pictures?

waterrockets 

I had a training partner with one. Great frame. I didn't like the rear-facing dropouts though, no one-handed wheel swaps.

Trek bought Klein and killed the brand off like Lemond. And I don't think Klein badmouthed Lance either. I wonder what he did besides build one of the best aluminum frames imaginable?

roy5000x2

If that frameset is still available for $200, buy it. It's a steal. Klein made a great frame back in the day, and also innovated a few of the "new" technologies in cycling today. You know bb30? He was doing that ages ago.

cyclezealot

I have one. I like the ride.. Compared to the Cannondale I rode before buying my Klein Quantrum Pro, I thought the Klein ride to more flexible than the Cannondale.. Klein offered home made craftsmanship up their at their plant in Oregon and I will curse Trek's name for doing them in.. But, then no surprise there. That is how business works... Kill off your competitor...I'd buy another if they still existed...

eric01

I went through 3 Kleins back in the early 90's -- two Quantums and a Quantum II. As you mentioned, stiff, light, awesome ride. Above all else, the paint jobs were to die for.

Previous poster was right about innovation. Klein was first with press-fit, large diameter axle bottom bracket. First with an ahead-set style fork/stem setup. First with a fork with a larger diameter lower bearing. Not the first with carbon fork, but I believe one of the first to spec carbon fork as std equipment. Actually come to think of it, they were first with a one piece stem / bar combo -- their misson control mountain bike setup.

Great stuff. But I think the innovations did start to fizzle out once Trek acquired them. Also around that time, the carbon craze started setting in and expensive, aluminum frames -- no matter how well engineered -- started losing market share.

(shameless plug -- I'm selling a 1993 51 cm Quantum II frameset in "horizon linear gray fade". About 100 miles on it --seriously. PM me if you're interested)

pkcain

Let's not forget that Gary Klein was the innovator of using large diameter thin-walled aluminum tubing and compact mountainbike frames. These two alone have influenced pretty much every mountainbike since, and a good majority of road bikes.

FitzM

Midwest Ullrich, I have a 2001 Klein Quantum with Shimano 105 and Rolf Vector wheels, it is beautiful. As everyone says it's a fantastic bike stiff but not harsh with a stunning paint job. I don't have a recent photo of mine but this blog has some history of the brand. In two words "buy it" it will be an investment.


https://bit.ly/84Nm1s

cyclezealot

Most Klein paint jobs look alike... ?.^.... Mine is white with grey.. Beautiful... How about yours?... Think I"ll keep this bike as long as it is functional. Mine has Rolf Vector wheels also.. Think those a Klein standard.? Seems I read Rolf's also no longer exist..?

carpediemracing 

Nice, very informative. Now go in, edit HTML, and get rid of all the line breaks Also, the fork that's "gotta" be steel may be an aluminum fork, a Kinesis I think. Pretty popular to spec out on bikes because it actually worked, it was cheap, and it looked like a steel fork. Cannondale spec'ed them out on their 2.8s for a while. It may be a steel fork too, but I suspect it's an aluminum one, at least if it's circa early 90s.

I like your bookmarking date idea too.

cdr

zerocool33

I remember back when I was in high school (96'-00') how bad ass all of Klein's bikes were. Everyone wanted one of the Attitudes as MTBing had exploded at that time. I am a loyal Fisher/Trek follower but I will be the first to kick Trek in the balls for getting rid of Klein. All they did was phase the brand out and take their awesome paint schemes and call it "Project One". Pure bulljive!

waterrockets 

You had me hoping there, but no, it looks like they're still around <sigh>

Quick check:



Yeah, maybe Klein's bottom bracket shells were to strong to keep in the lineup next to Treks.

big john

At least that's what he claimed when he sued Cannondale. The guy who started American Classic had actually done that in 1974.

Rolf wheels are supposed to be better now that they are divorced from Trek/Bontrager.

FitzM

Hope url now works.
As for folks mine are carbon.

FitzM

Mine is Purple Haze it can look green through gold from certain angles.

Rolf were absorbed by Trek but a new Rolf Prima has emerged from the ashes https://www.rolfprima.com/ . I was in email contact with them only last month as I was in the market for new wheels, sadly they have no UK dealers so I've gone the custom route. Even thought I 'm happy going with custom, I still reckon Rolf Prima make some of the best looking wheels available. https://rolfprima.com/products-VigorSL.php

One Way Rider

Or maybe they just realized people were no longer willing to spend $3000+ on bikes made of aluminum. ;-)

Grumpy McTrumpy

My folks are/were human.

big john

That would make them carbon-based, yes?

Grumpy McTrumpy

yeah.

but I would worry that Hydrogen, Oxygen, Calcium and the rest of them might feel left out.

waterrockets 

Or in my case, on bikes made of anything

Homebrew01

How do you maintain or replace press fit BB bearings ?

carpediemracing 

There's a kit for them, big clunky press things. With the adapters they're good for Kleins, Gary Fishers, Merlins, some other odd ball frames.

cdr

SlimAgainSoon

That Purple Haze paint job was a dazzle ... lots of cool color shift.

You can blame Trek for Klein's demise, and that my be legit, but I think it was carbon that killed the brand, or at least put it on the stretcher.

nayr497

This summer I saw a VERY nice Klein Quantum locked up at NC State. It had a spaghetti-thick cable lock just around the front wheel (quick release) and the TT was leaned directly against the lock-up rack. It was probably early 90s but in great shape; I'm guessing a father gave it to their child to use around campus, which is kind of nice, but I couldn't believe the treatment it was getting. I spilled a tear...and I should have left a note in the spokes making them as offer!

waterrockets 

Yeah, but who's to say Klein wouldn't move into carbon frames with the same spirit? I think the ramp-up on carbon mfg is cheaper than it is for aluminum. You can still outsource your tubes. I was in KirkLee's custom shop and saw everything in there. I left thinking that it looked much easier than I thought.

The argument that aluminum isn't worth as much as carbon is ridiculous as well. If you look at the time it takes a real craftsman to build a frame, the material doesn't matter much. Engineering super efficient carbon lay-up would add significant one-time cost, but a nice frame is a nice frame out of any material.

FitzM

I've had my Klein Quantum since 2001 and I shall keep it. But last month I decided that it was time for a new bike and I was invited down the carbon road. But I couldn't do it and went aluminium again with the Cervelo Soloist. Long-live aluminium frames.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/4523039...7623881028002/