Picked up this Klein Frame the other day. It came from the Tail Wind Shoppe in Madison, Wisconsin. It has neat fork crown, Dura Ace headset and bottom bracket, 3 water bottle bosses, Matching Campagnolo pump. Can anyone ID year and Model as well as where its made. Also on the one side of the downtube it has a little piece that sticks out. Anyone know what this is for? Serial Number B369.
Thanks in advance for the help!

My best guess: 1986 Criterium.
Never seen anything like that fitting on the down tube, could it be for a cadence sensor?

Yeah, I'm stumped on that piece too. Do you think its original paint? Did these bikes come with headbadges or do the bike shops just put a sticker on it if they want to?

So was this frame made before trek took over?

Can anyone tell me what frame size this is and what the scribbles in paint mean under the bottom bracket? Did they measure C-C or C-T? Thanks

Trek bought Klein in 1995, this is a preTrek, Chehalis bike. It looks like a 51cm, but could well be custom, that'd maybe explain the downtube doodad too. Klein never had a head tube badge, just a decal... Looks like a shop covered it up, maybe a respray.

Possibly dumb question, but have you looked into the bike shop headbadge? If it or the owner or something are still around you could possibly get some more info.

Pretty nice, good luck with that bottom bracket.

I did a google search on the bike shop and can't find any info on it. I'm assuming its not in existence any longer, though I am going to check with some of my Madison friends to see if it is or might be a shop that changed names. Also are those bottom brackets pretty hard to come by? Not sure if I will build it up for myself or not. I got it through an estate and couldn't pass it up because it looked so clean. I should have measured the frame, since it will probably be too small for me ant 5'10 with 32" inseam. Still a nice clean looking frame regardless.

DiabloScott is likely correct -- 1986 Criterium or Team Super, the difference being boron reinforcements in the chain stays, seat stays and fork blades for the Team Super.

Also, a NDS pic of the Team Super from Diablo's website shows the curious fitting on the down tube, as well as matching Slica pump.

Looks like the same bike - especially with that sticker on the head tube.

Yes indeed. Same head tube sticker, same "stay tuff" chain stay guard sticker, same size.

I remember e-mailing the guy who sent me that photo now. My old e-mail host closed up though and I lost the correspondence. He must've been the one to tell me it was a Team Super.

HISTORY OF KLEIN ROAD BIKES

I STILL don't have any idea what that downtube doodad is though. Does it look like there's a third set of bottle brazeons under the downtube? Maybe it was some kind of custom hanger for camping equipment or something. (I knew a guy who had special brazeons to hold tent pegs)

I wonder if that downtube doodad was a mounting point for a cadence magnet (I note upon further review that DiabloScott guessed this first). Sometimes you saw them on the chainstay.

Also, is it just me or does the pic showing the serial number seem to indicate a bent derailleur hanger?

Beautiful frame!

DD

Whatever was intended to be mounted to the standoff on the DT would wind up being fairly close to the crank arm; the only thing I can think of would be a cadence sensor, but does that make sense for a bike built in the mid/late '80s - and with triple water bottle bosses no less? Maybe, but I guess it doesn't have to make sense to anyone but the original customer.

Great minds and all that

If these were indeed race team frames, the cadence magnet/sensor makes even more sense. The triple bottle setup makes a little less sense, though perhaps the races these were entered in didn't allow for domestiques/handups.

Btw, I think that may be a Henry James fork crown.

DD

I don't think there is a third bottle mount - it's just a shadow or something in one of the photos - doesn't show up in the other ones.

That unusual fitting is filled with a screw instead of an Allen bolt... clue?

I still think you were right the first time: cadence sensor mounting point.

There are two somethings underneath the down tube in the OPs pics and the two pics from retrofit. They're almost surely bottle mounts without the screws in them.

DD

Here is another C&V thread re a 1981 Team Super; some good info there including build spec sheet, including fact that the fork is Columbus steel.

Available options included extra bottle mounts. As an aside, my Klein Pinnacle mtb has triple bottle mounts.

on edit: the 81 team super in the above thread does not have the NDS fitting.

Correct me if i am wrong but i seem to remember the early Kleins did not have a headbadge at all. My Brother has a 1989 Quantum and he bought it brand new and it doesnt have one. the later kleins have a headbadge like my 1997 Stage Comp.

I think you are right DiabloScott, a quick look at vintage-trek's 1989 Catalog denotes in the add on sections, you could have a Cateye Solar Cadence mount added for $3.00

https://www.vintage-trek.com/Trek-Fis.../1989klein.pdf

Klein Fan Page on FB agrees - custom bike with cadence sensor mount.

Wow, I think that's the same frame. I got it from a guy in northern Minnesota, but his uncle had owned a bike shop at some point and had a bunch of nice stuff. It does have a triple bottle mount under the down tube as well!

I think the derailer hangers are straight, they just kind of bend in, but they line up straight. I will post a better picture.