MickE

Does anyone know what's going on with this company? I have a bad feeling that their future is unsure, since their parent company is TREK. The owner of my local shop said that they never got a shipment in 2006, even though they were proudly displayed on the KLEIN website. Suspiciously, the website is still showing the 2006 models. I'm crazy about my Reve XV and would hate to see this company get engulfed and devoured.

I-Like-To-Bike

Maybe they need to get a product placement in the CSI show forensic lab; or on the stage of American Idol. Couldn't hurt.

Michigander

As far as I'm concerned, Klein died when Trek took over. They don't make Klein's anymore, only Treks.

well biked 

I hate to break this to you, but that happened years ago when Trek bought the company. It was a cutting edge brand, and they've also made some nice bikes since the buyout; as for now, I think the brand has been discontinued, although I'm not positive. In my opinion, the Trek/Klein relationship never worked as well as Trek/Fisher-

STewmeister

I do love google....

https://www.kleinbikes.com/us/home.html

mlts22 

From what I've seen, Klein used to be a brand that everyone wanted, but it just seemed to fade away as a brand name. Ironically, it seems that the Gary Fisher name never lost its luster and is still going very strong. Bad chemistry, I guess.

well biked 

In the case of the Gary Fisher brand being bought by Trek, I think it was timing as much as anything that contributed to the success of the buyout. Fisher was of course one of the true mountain bike pioneers in the earliest days of mountain bikes, and during the '80's produced some very nice bikes. But by the very early nineties, the company was nearly bankrupt, the brand was sold (I don't know who bought it), and for a year or two, maybe '91-'92, the bikes were produced exclusively overseas and Gary Fisher had nothing to do with the Gary Fisher brand of bicycles, he had sold the company and was gone. I believe it was '93 that Trek bought the brand, and just as importantly hired Gary Fisher. The mountain bike boom hit about the same time, and with the Gary Fisher brand recognition already in place, Trek's production capacity, and Gary Fisher himself playing a key role with ideas and design, it was a recipe for success-

a77impala

My source at Trek tells me they tried to kill Klein but the demand in Japan keeps it going. Almost all are shipped to Japan, they love them, apparently one big dealer persuaded Trek to keep making them.

MickE

Google -- yes... That URL provided brings up the aforementioned 2006 website. To the rest of you, thanks for your input. I realize there are many fine brands to choose from in the $2,000+ price range. However, I think certain aesthetic touches, like saphire blue fade paint (even on the carbon stays and fork) and the hidden cables are kind of cool.

Michigander

I am lucky enough to have a 97 Klien built in the factory. Here's me with "Old Blue" in 02.

neurocycler

Nice to hear that someone else out there is riding a Klein, I have a Klein Quantum Roadbike, everyone comments on the paint. Luckily for me the bike looks fast standing still.

dagna

I've got a Klein touring bike, and I get an amazing number of compliments on it. No one ever says anything about my Trek (not that they should, it's very middle-of-the-road).

Part of it might be the neon-pink, neon-yellow, neon-orange paint job...

edp773

There was a Klein on Jerry Seinfield.

LWaB

Kleins were also very popular in Germany.

gcl8a

Coming soon to Bikes Direct...

allencb

I love my 98 Klein Pulse (purchased new by me in late 97). The only original parts left are the rear brakes. Out of the three mountain bikes I've owned over a 23yr period, it has been my favorite. So much so, I'm not going to replace it till the frame breaks. When that happens, I don't know what I'll replace it with. Maybe I'll pick up an Ebay Attitude frame.

Chris

Retro Grouch 

I have a 2,000 Quantum Race. It's one of the last Chahalis, Washington built bikes. It's not for sale.

Klein built their reputation on very high tech aluminum frames. They did things that aren't readily appearant if you're just looking at the bikes. They used some relatively expensive manufacturing processes to reshape both the inside and outside contours of their frame tubes. The chainstays were said to be the most expensive parts on the bikes. Rather than use decals they painted the whole bike the logo color then masked the logo and painted the bike the body color.

Any marketing person would tell you to skip all of that and to bolt on a one-step-up rear derailleur. I suspect that the majority of folks who are willing to pay for that kind of quality are riding carbon fiber bikes today.

STewmeister

The 2007 Klein page is active. Perhaps this fine brand still ives...

https://www.kleinbikes.com/

FIVE ONE SIX

it's such a shame, because Klein had some of the best looking paint job's i've ever seen, i heard that the paint they used cost around $10,000/gallon...

eofelis 

At the LBS I used to work at we had a Haro Bikes outside rep who used to call this "The Sucker Spec", and he readily admitted that Haro did it all the time (along with everyone else).

eofelis 

Word around the campfire is that some of the solvents left over from painting those bikes wound up in the creek behind the Chalalis Klein factory, which got Klein (pre Trek ownership) in a world of trouble with the EPA, to the tune of some seriously big bucks.

If anyone knows more about this story, or knows for a fact whether it is true or just a rumour spread by Cannondale sympathizers, I would like to hear all about it.

eofelis 

It was a 1990 or 1991 Pinnacle, in green.

I had a 1991 Rascal in black/day-glo red. It was named Tigger. When the frame cracked at the top tube, I cried. I have not been able to find a mountain bike anything like it since.

Cannondale paid the producers of Seinfeld to replace the Klein with a Cannondale for one season in 1993. I was working in a C-dale dealership at the time, and they (Cannondale) were so excited about this "coup" that you would swear they had just won the TdF or something. One season (or less) later, the Klein was back. So when you are watching re-runs of Seinfeld, look for the handful of episode with the Cannondale. Sheesh.

eofelis 

Trek bought Klein and Bontrager around the same time, about a year or two after they bought Fisher. The Fisher sale had gone so well, and the brand was making Trek so much money, that they had similar expectations from the Klein and Bontrager brands (or so I heard from our Trek outside rep). They were soon diappointed. Loyal Klein fans did not readily accept Kleins built in Waterloo with comparatively cheap paint jobs (just about any production paint job was cheap compared to a Klein). As for Bontrager, Trek soon did away with the Bontrager frameset nameplate, but, as well all know, Trek has done very well with Bontrager componantry. I have no idea how much Gary Klein stayed involved in the company after Trek bought them, or even if he stayed involved at all. By comparison, I understand that Gary Fisher and Keith Bontrager have been very involved. Anyone know anything about this?

cs1

LOL. I wouldn't put it past them.


Tim

allencb

There's *cheaper* paint then there's just plain *cheap* paint. My Klein Pulse has the latter. Don't get me wrong, I love the way it rides and handles, but the paint is horrible. I missing large portions of paint in the BB and chainstay area. I asked a Trek shop about a repaint and learned it would cost me nearly $400. I'll keep it like it is.

Chris