MOUNTAIN KLEIN/ 25,5 pounds/ 11566 gramm. |
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MOUNTAIN KLEIN, about $950 |
MOUNTAIN KLEIN No bike has been looked forward to with as much excitement as the Klein. And once it was assembled and on the track, no bike has attracted as much interest. Imagine the reaction an Enzo Ferrari built Jeep would receive and you´ll have an idea how mountain bikers react to the Klein. Invariably, the first thing everyone did was pick it up, then, almost as a double take, pick it up again. The bike is light ! Ours came out of the box weighing 25.5 pounds, including water bottle cages and bottles ! Despite manufacturers´ claims of bikes weighing anywhere from 24 to 27 pounds, the Klein was the first bike we´ve weighed that broke the 27 pound barrier. After lifting it, riders exclaimed about the shifter and brake cables disappearing into the down tube, the massive, square chain stays, a beautiful aero fork, and the radial wheels. Gary Klein´s aluminum road bikes are justifiably famous and those qualities that made them so have been passed on to the Mountain Klein. This is the first mountain bike we´ve seen with brazed–on front derailleur mount and cables inside the down tube. The derailleur mount looks sharp but can be a problem if you want to change the large chain ring. The reason for it is simple: the seat tube is too large for derailleur clamps. More unfortunate than the relatively fixed large chain ring size is the limited front derailleur selection. The best wide range, triple ring derailleurs can´t be used with the mount. Gary is currently using the Suntour Cyclone II. |
While the shifting is excellent between the middle and large chain rings and middle to granny, it´s terrible from the granny to middle. |
braking action is subjective and roller cams and cantilevers each have their adherents but more importantly, both types stop a bike. |
smooth riding, stable bike. It climbs like a Dahl Sheep with hardly ever a loss of traction even when standing. In fact, the bike eats up out–of–the–saddle climbing. The 69 degree head and 2 inch rake gives it the smoothness required for fast riding over rough ground while the short wheelbase makes it nimbler than a rabbit chasing fox. It´s a bike that encourages speed. |
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Radial spokes as well as internally housed cables on the Mountain Klein. |
knowledge that I´d have to do something really stupid to get the bike in over its head. |
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