What to do with an old Klein MTB?

[NHAero]

I have a 1996 Klein Pulse II with Rock Shox Judy fork. Has been really ridden, not a NOS garage queen. Mostly XT, drivetrain and brakes, 3x9. Deore rear wheel, I think the front is a Specialized. For several years I have had it set up with the winter studded tires, but I run studs on the Big Dummy too, so I don't need this feature. I don't keep bikes I don't ride. I know nobody really wants this as their "real" MTB, but it works fine and is quite light. How do I best find it a good home?

[12snap]

I think Ebay would be your best bet. People search there all the time for old, classic mountain bikes.

[fmradio516]

depends.. what size is it? :)

[dustyrider]

Post a picture of it. I might be interested!

[NHAero]

I think it is a 17" frame. I'll get a photo and post it up.

[Idris Icabod]

My buddy spent an absolute ass load of money having his Klein painted in the gator fade by Spectrum. Resale on Klein is really good. I bet he spent $5K on paint and parts (carbon wheels, modern XTR groupset). Rode it once and then mounted it on his wall in his living room. I'll try to get a picture.

So if your wife (my buddy is single) is understanding, I would vote to throw an insane amount of coin at it and then mount it to a wall.

[bigbill]

The folks on the Vintage MTB group on Facebook wet their pants over Kleins.

[Safepants]

yeah these old mtb are great for "gravel" conversions with drop bars. There's a huge market right now for retro mtb as the geometry works well for these conversions.

https://www.instagram.com/26inchlifestyle/ is a good account to see what i mean

[papa bless]

yeah these old mtb are great for "gravel" conversions with drop bars. There's a huge market right now for retro mtb as the geometry works well for these conversions.

https://www.instagram.com/26inchlifestyle/ is a good account to see what i mean

+1 for the gravel conversion. I'm assuming your bike is pretty beat, so you won't have to baby it when you fling it down some rocky roads.

[NHAero]

That's exactly what I did with my Litespeed Unicoi. Great bike! Don't need two!

+1 for the gravel conversion. I'm assuming your bike is pretty beat, so you won't have to baby it when you fling it down some rocky roads.

[pdonk]

Pulse IIs have a lower value in the Klein hierarchy as they are post Trek Kleins so in the same boat as a Bontrager Privateer in terms of collectability/restorability.

[NHAero]

I thought that internally routed cables meant pre-Trek? Not so?

Pulse IIs have a lower value in the Klein hierarchy as they are post Trek Kleins so in the same boat as a Bontrager Privateer in terms of collectability/restorability.

[NHAero]

Here's some photos

[David Kirk]

Bozeman has a bike co-op that take donated bikes and sells them for cheap to those in need of transportation and uses the funds to keep the lights on. In our little city so many benefit from this.

I wonder if you have something similar near where you live?

dave

[45K10]

Sweet bike! Do you ever come up to Boston?

[NHAero]

Sure, though not very often with a bike to ride

Sweet bike! Do you ever come up to Boston?

[MsRN]

Here's some photos



The dropouts, chainstays and seat tube say ‘pre-Trek;’ the non-oversized head tube screams ‘TREEEEEK!’ Trek owned Klein for a couple years before they really started messing around with Gary’s designs. I have a 95 Pulse Comp III that was Trek-built, and a ‘97 Mantra Race that was Chehallis-built. The Mantra is a bit of a garage queen but is finally getting some use, as my joints aren’t getting any younger; the Pulse Comp is stiffer than sh!+, dented and missing tons of paint, but loads of fun to ride with a Noleen front smartshock and Nokian studded tires for winter riding. I might have to try that gravel setup, though...


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[MsRN]

If nobody else wants it, I’d consider buying it; Klein’s climb for me like nothing else.


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[NHAero]

This one was also wearing studded Nokians. Freddies Revenge

The dropouts, chainstays and seat tube say ‘pre-Trek;’ the non-oversized head tube screams ‘TREEEEEK!’ Trek owned Klein for a couple years before they really started messing around with Gary’s designs. I have a 95 Pulse Comp III that was Trek-built, and a ‘97 Mantra Race that was Chehallis-built. The Mantra is a bit of a garage queen but is finally getting some use, as my joints aren’t getting any younger; the Pulse Comp is stiffer than sh!+, dented and missing tons of paint, but loads of fun to ride with a Noleen front smartshock and Nokian studded tires for winter riding. I might have to try that gravel setup, though...


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[MsRN]

This one was also wearing studded Nokians. Freddies Revenge



I’m thinking that’s a ‘95 or ‘96; I’d have bought one like it if I’d had the extra $$. Do you remember when you bought it?


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[MsRN]

This one was also wearing studded Nokians. Freddies Revenge



With that setup, I could trackstand all day on ice I couldn’t even walk on; Nokians FTW.


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[charliedid]

I'd give it to a kid who could use a bike.

[45K10]

Sure, though not very often with a bike to ride

I would like to check it out the next time you come up. I would give you a fair price for it.

[NHAero]

I am pretty sure it's a '96. I bought it in 1997 from the original owner who'd raced it I think.

I’m thinking that’s a ‘95 or ‘96; I’d have bought one like it if I’d had the extra $$. Do you remember when you bought it?


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[William]

The old Klein mtb's and road bikes are sweet.

I'm kind of in the same boat with an old C-Dale MTB. It's not being used anymore but I haven't been able to seriously consider finding another home for it. Like you Klein, I'm not sure how much of an audience there is for one of the ole M500's these days?







W.

[Nomadmax]

I'd give it to a kid who could use a bike.

I'm with him ^^

I'd go to the local trails, find a young person riding some pure junk and give it to them. All I'd ask in return is that if they stuck with cycling they would do the same for somebody else one day.

[MsRN]

I'm with him ^^



I'd go to the local trails, find a young person riding some pure junk and give it to them. All I'd ask in return is that if they stuck with cycling they would do the same for somebody else one day.



Pay it forward—nice!


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[NHAero]

I'm going to sound like a guy with his pants up to mid-chest here...I see kids here all leaving their bikes outside. They just don't take care of stuff the way we did as kids, and I want this bike to be appreciated and cared for.


I'm with him ^^

I'd go to the local trails, find a young person riding some pure junk and give it to them. All I'd ask in return is that if they stuck with cycling they would do the same for somebody else one day.

[Safepants]

That's exactly what I did with my Litespeed Unicoi. Great bike! Don't need two!

Cannot comprehend why you don't need two hahaha!
Recently I helped a friend by storing his bike in my garage, it was only then when i realized how many bikes i had. That one extra bike disrupted the flow/open space. I think if I'm to get another bike, one sadly has to go too :(

My second old steel 26" frame I have doubles as my studded tire winter bike and as my cargo bike in the summer with the Xtracycle free radical kit. It's as big as my tandem with the cargo attachment but takes up the same space on the bike hook

[NHAero]

It's safe to say that I couldn't lift my Big Dummy onto a bike hook! And it wears studs in the winter, which is why the Klein will be better in someone else's hands. I moved the Nokians to a set of spare 26" disc wheels I have and they can go on the Litespeed if I want to mess around on ice in the winter.

Cannot comprehend why you don't need two hahaha!
Recently I helped a friend by storing his bike in my garage, it was only then when i realized how many bikes i had. That one extra bike disrupted the flow/open space. I think if I'm to get another bike, one sadly has to go too :(

My second old steel 26" frame I have doubles as my studded tire winter bike and as my cargo bike in the summer with the Xtracycle free radical kit. It's as big as my tandem with the cargo attachment but takes up the same space on the bike hook

[binouye]

I've got a '94 Klein Fervor hanging in the garage, now just a frame/fork/hs and some nice canti brakes on it. I don't think it would work for a gravel conversion because it doesn't have disc tabs on the frame, or the original rigid 1" threaded fork (steel Spinner). It was a fantastic light bike and got raced, then lived as a fendered commuter for a while, now its waiting until my nostalgia for it fades enough to give it away....

I don't think there is much market for the old C'dales, especially that year or two when they used the cantilevered rear dropout design -- it had problems with the dropouts cracking. I saw a couple of those frames that had failed back when I worked in a shop. They moved the seatstays back to a more normal position pretty quickly.

[William]

I don't think there is much market for the old C'dales, especially that year or two when they used the cantilevered rear dropout design -- it had problems with the dropouts cracking. I saw a couple of those frames that had failed back when I worked in a shop. They moved the seatstays back to a more normal position pretty quickly.


This one got babied, our daughter rode it for a few years until she out grew it. Never heard that but that maybe true... no cracks on this one and I doubt there will be unless you are out jumping the carp out of it. YMMV.






W.

[weaponsgrade]

Check out the vintage forum on mtbr.com. There's for sure a demand for the pre-Trek Attitudes and Adroits, but demand drops off sharply after those models. That C'dale brings back memories. I had an M700 with the Pepperoni fork bitd. It was like holding on to a jack hammer when the trail got bumpy, but I didn't know any better and I loved that thing. I think these bikes including your Klein make great starter bikes for kids if in the smaller sizes or people who just want something to get from A to B. Put on some slicks and you're good to go.

[charliedid]

I'm going to sound like a guy with his pants up to mid-chest here...I see kids here all leaving their bikes outside. They just don't take care of stuff the way we did as kids, and I want this bike to be appreciated and cared for.

I suggest you keep it :-)

[velofinds]

https://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697976882&stc=1&d=1553688943

This is awesome. To your question, there would be ample audience for this type of bicycle here in NYC at least.