Klein Mountain Bikes - Aren't All Gems, Right?
11-22-09, 01:34 PM
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Klein Mountain Bikes - Aren't All Gems, Right?
I live in Corvallis, a bubble of bicycles and smugness, and yesterday was forced to go to Lebanon, OR, for a Wal-Mart jaunt. This is a bad enough thing, having to visit Wal-Mart, but fortunately as we turn in I see a thrift shop with a few bicycles. Nothing exciting. As I make the turn, I see a purple MTB that looks good - and what do I see but the KLEIN logo on the side.
Of course it is like 4pm yesterday and I figure, "I'll check it out after we leave" and we get stuck in Wal-Hell for a few hours. Store was closed by the time I got back.
Anyways I'm wondering if a jaunt back there is a good idea. I know that some Klein MTBs are ridiculously inflated in resale value but I'm guessing like many other companies they had plenty of entry-level (and possibly craptastic) bikes too, particularly after Trek bought them.
Even if it wasn't a great Klein, this may be my first official "let it slip through my fingers" move. I passed on a World Sport and Voyageur 11.8 for cheap before and regretted it. Let me know how much I may regret this decision.
Of course it is like 4pm yesterday and I figure, "I'll check it out after we leave" and we get stuck in Wal-Hell for a few hours. Store was closed by the time I got back.
Anyways I'm wondering if a jaunt back there is a good idea. I know that some Klein MTBs are ridiculously inflated in resale value but I'm guessing like many other companies they had plenty of entry-level (and possibly craptastic) bikes too, particularly after Trek bought them.
Even if it wasn't a great Klein, this may be my first official "let it slip through my fingers" move. I passed on a World Sport and Voyageur 11.8 for cheap before and regretted it. Let me know how much I may regret this decision.
11-22-09, 02:25 PM
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A jaunt back there is a very good idea. If it is a pre-Trek Klein will worth your time. Here is a list of their specs by year https://www.mombat.org/Klein_Specs.htm
11-22-09, 03:32 PM
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Some go for good money some dont. Kleins didnt always follow conventional mtb design so it can take a certain eye to appreciate them.
11-22-09, 06:42 PM
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If you didn't write it, I wouldn't have believed it. Just recently Fujis sold at Costco were posted here at half price. Not a fan of Kleins but I van't think of a good enough reason to head back there. It doesn't matter that I think they look like Mylar Balloons, some people like them. Go there alone this time.
11-25-09, 09:57 PM
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Heck yeah - some were REALLY sweet. I had an Attitude for awhile in the late '80's/early '90s. Had these super thick aluminum forks that somehow smoothed out the ride almost like suspension. Amazing things. Never have been quite able to figure it out - they should have been super stiff. I was on n expedition in Moab once with my buddy on a steel Stumpjumper. I hadn't had the Klein for very long and liked it but didn't really fully appreciate it yet. My buddy was envious of it so we switched off at one point. I couldn't believe how rough the ride was in comparison to the Klein. Absolutely shook the hell out of me. We only went a couple of miles before I demanded my ride back and never loaned it out again......when I got my first suspension forks a couple of years later I was super disappointed. They didn't make much difference over the Klein forks at all.
11-26-09, 08:01 AM
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it is like 18 miles. I would certainly head back over and look
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
