Submitted by
hunt3180
a Cross Country Rider
from pittsburgh
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2009
Strengths: can take anything you throw at it.
Weaknesses: random ghost shifting
Bottom Line:
i consider myself luck as a dog to grip this machine for 250 bones. Thanks Shelia!!! Unbeatable all around performance. Climbs hills like a monster truck. Kinda lacks on drivetrain components but when they break ill upgrade. Going to put Avid BB7s on the front. I highly reccomend this bike to any XC rider.
Similar Products Used: randon P.O.S. bike i have owned along the trail called life.
Bike Setup: Stock except the manitou fork i toasted on a DH run replaced with a judy TT i had laying around 31.8 sette bar and stem upgrage, t.h.e. comp saddle, crank brothers smarty pedals, sette lock on grips, panaracer xc pro kevlar tires
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Submitted by
Panos Kazanelis
a Cross Country Rider
from Athens, Greece
Date Reviewed: January 12, 2009
Strengths: 99 model size L
lightweight, flexible, great climber AND donwhiller, firm control
Weaknesses: heavy wheels, Manitu fork whci was replaced by Marzoki
Bottom Line:
Klein's Mantra bike has been a loyal outdoors companion for some good 8 years now. The bike simply rules for all-round riding and made my 200 pounds almost "disappear" assuring great and safe control, excellent flex, smooth descends and very comfortable uphills, by far a superior construction.
Having ridden thousands of miles with it, I can only hope for two things for my next ride. Smooth behavior and firm control.
Bike Setup: Fox suspensionm Marzoki fork
Shimanos XTr V-brakes (M970), XT 9 speed M770, XT Chainset Hollowtech II M770, XT M770 pedals, XT M770 Shifter Pod 9sp
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Submitted by
Fred Norrick
a Cross Country Rider
from Lower Burrell, PA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2006
Strengths: 97 model size: M solid ride. smooth. quick handling, great climber. I've ridden regularly for nearly 9 years now... never a problem.
Weaknesses: mid-grade components, heavy wheelsets. Stock fork (manitou SX-R)sucked in comparison to Mars.
Bottom Line:
great XC ride... not for the extreem DH\Big Hit. Quirky ride characteristics require a skilled rider. Feel much the same as Charles Rivers(previous review). Well worth the $$ spent. i have seen a few online 4-sale. Hard to pass up one that's only collecting dust.
Submitted by
Charles Rivers
a Weekend Warrior
from San Francisco
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2006
Strengths: Durability, have had it for 7 years
Weaknesses: Some cheapo original parts: LX, some weight compromises.
Bottom Line:
This is an update from my last entry in 1999. Does not seem that long, but altogether been mountainbiking for 19 years now. The halcyon years of Mountainbiking seem to have passed. Even my favorite mags are no longer being published,(Zap what happened to you dude?) Klein seems to be drifting back to Road Bikes. Alot has changed. Many of my old riding buds are now riding Harleys and have sold their mountainbikes. My Mantra Comp, however, like all of my Klein products, has held up well. I weigh about 175 so maybe I am not that big of a banger. It has suffered through crashes, and culverts, but is still holding up. Have had some repairs, but nothing out of the ordinary. The frame has held up and does not seem to age. Sometimes I see some of the newer bike designs on the trail and I receive stares and then sometimes snickers from the young riders watching the old guy on the ancient Klein Mantra. One fellow in his 20s who was a semi pro "trials rider" said the Mantra was too bouncy and unsophisticated. Ya ya, until I waxed his ass climbing up the next few hills, his heavy "downhiller" kept him back. I still think the Mantra is a great loose/soft trail climber. No regrets purchasing the Mantra 7 years go. Even the LBS chain store I bought it from no longer exists. I often ride the trails alone now. My kids are grown and off to college. The wife has "outgrown" mountainbiking. But, when I climb a tall hill, peer down the other side, sit back and accelerate to 50 MPH down a screaming fire-trail, with nothing but the wind and sunset in front of me, my Mantra eating up the road irregularities, and knowing how to brake this blue monster, I become one with the universe again..... Greaaat bike, grrreaat activity! Keep on riding!
Bike Setup: Mostly OE, some minor mods, ie seats, brakes, cranks, weight saving components, nothing too radical.
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Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2005
Strengths: Held up fairly well.
Weaknesses: I finally broke it.
Bottom Line:
This is an update from a post from 6 years ago. I feel that this is a good long term test ride. I had a pretty good life with this bike. It is fairly tricky to get used to the geometry and the suspension action but once you do it is a good all-around bike for xc.
The bottom line now is that I finally broke the frame. Not through abuse as I am 44 years old and don't beat the bike up but I do use it in harsh conditions a LOT. Klein has stepped up and said that they will switch me out with a new Palomino (good) but I have found out that many of my components will not switch over to the new frame (very bad), so I might have to spend big bucks. This really does upset me as many of the older items still had lots of miles left in them. I don't replace stuff because its cool or just to get the newest thing but only when it breaks or wears out. I will try to see if Klein will back their good reputation up by replacing any components that won't switch over. After all the only reason that I'm going through this is that their frame broke.
Bike Setup: Stock except for fixing parts with like items as they wore out.
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Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Warren, VT
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2004
Strengths: Lightweight; non-technical climbs and flats; looks great
Weaknesses: Everything else
Bottom Line:
I have ridden this bike on epic Big Sur jeep road climbs, non-technical Massachusetts singletrack, and some of the gnarliest, steepest, rootiest- most rock-riddled terrain in Vermont. I just plain hate it. My riding partners have ridden it, fallen off it, and also hate it.
Terrible F-S geometry: The bike has an extremely high center-of-gravity. In addition, actuating the rear brake causes the rear end to rise about 1", thereby steepening the geometry and making the bike severely endo-prone. I switched to a riser bar, which helps but is just a band-aid. Bike handling is sketchy.
Gary Klein's 2" headset design was a market failure, leaving owners with a proprietary-design fork and no (or at least SEVERELY limited) options.
This bike is absolutely GREAT at a limited range of capabilities, i.e., non-technical climbs and flats. All others should stay away.
Bottom Line: Klein dropped the ball BIG TIME on the Matnra - it is definitely not a confidence-inspiring bike. It is my 3rd and final Klein (one road, two mtn) - I am a very disappointed owner.
Submitted by
John MacRae
a Cross Country Rider
from Warwick RI
Date Reviewed: December 24, 2003
Strengths: Great climber and singletrack bike works very well in tight technical trails nice suspension bike with little or no pedal induced feedback
Weaknesses: top tube magnifies noises from cables etc... minor gripe
Bottom Line:
This is an update of my August review. I am very pleased with the bike, I am finding it works very well in tight gnarly situations. I am cleaning sections of rock gardens and steep climbs that stopped me in the past. I am riding faster and longer with less effort. Some of the issues I mentioned in my earlier review have been resolved, ghost shifting with longer section of cable, BB noises have pretty much gone away on their own. I am still thinking of upgrading fork, but the Manitou SX has been doing OK for now.
Submitted by
Jups
a Cross Country Rider
from Warwick RI
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2003
Strengths: Light and stiff frame plush suspension great climber very good descender nice component mix
Weaknesses: has been noisy at times ghost shifting
Bottom Line:
Have had the mantra about a month, and I am very pleased with it. The bike is very light for FS, climbs very well, and gives a nice plush ride. A lot of reviews praise the mantras climbing ability, and I have to agree, goes up hills easier than my hardtail. Have gone down some short steep singletrack, no problems so far, like any other bike you have to get back and not grab a bunch of front brake, felt very similar to my hardtail, maybe a touch lighter in the rear, but nothing like I was expecting having read some of the other reviews here. Coming down normal hills the mantra is faster than my hardtail, even standing the rear suspension absorbs bumps and gives me better control of the bike.
Have had some ghost shifting, I added some length to the r-der housing and that helped, but it is still happening. I am going to try adding some housing length to the middle section and see if that improves it. The top tube acts like an echo chamber magnifying noises. I have had some creaking from the bottom bracket, I will bring to LBS and see if they can fix it.
This is a great x-country bike that works very well on tight trails. I don't ride serious downhills so I don't know how it would work there. From what I have read here at mtbreview.com and elsewhere that is not what the mantra is for. I will update my review when I have more time on the bike.
Similar Products Used: demo'd trek y 33 and Cdale super V own hardtail with susp seatpost
Bike Setup: stock except for time atac pedals stiffer fork spring on order
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Submitted by
Philip Fontana
a Cross Country Rider
from Anchorage, AK
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2002
Strengths: Paint job, of course! Super plush, lots of travel. Climbs well.
Weaknesses: That lots of travel listed above makes you feel like you're being lauched on the way back down the mountain. Feels unsteady and too bouncy going down.
Bottom Line:
Well it's better than other 1998, 1999 era bikes that's for sure. There's a million single track technical trails around Anchorage, and the Klein coasted over all of them. Comfortable going up, not so going down. I didn't really have other troubles other people had. URT pivot point is still tight, although the bushings around the rear shock need to be replaced every so often. Cheap and easy to do. Would I bye another Klein? Debatable. That sweet paint job you've got...well you paid a sweet premium for it that's for sure, cause the components you're getting on the Klein's are subpar for the cost. (actually i said to heck with it and just bought a Turner O2. all people should!)
Weaknesses: -Stock Fork -URT can get funky sometimes
Bottom Line:
After many months I decided to update my first review. This is what I've found after riding the Mantra for a year. This bike rules. Its very plush rear end is great for all-around trail riding. This is easily one of the best trail bikes of all time. Its totally bombproof. The welds are incredible and make the bike super strong, and its lightweight. The frame is plenty stiff. I'm 195 pounds and it dosen't flex at all when climbing or sprinting. Mine is setup for all around riding and is excellent for it, but its still light enough to race (25lbs), this is the first lightweight bike I haven't busted up. Climbs are made easy by the Mantra's streched out top tube. The fok lockout is also a huge advantage. Decending on the Mantra can be tricky at times. The best way to ride out of the seat is to pinch the seat with your knees to keep the suspension active and use it to its full advantage. Its high bb height (13.5 inchs) makes rolling over logs and other obstacles easy. There is no fallen tree that it cannot make it over. As for the URT traits, the pedals will kick back when you hit a big sharp obsacle but it is not anything to change my prespective of this bike. In conclusion, the Mantra can be a kick @$$ trail bike, climbs great and decends like a speedin demon as long as it is weilded in the right hands of a skilled cyclist. If you get a chance to buy a good used one, do it. You will not regret it. -The RatchAttack
Similar Products Used: 2000 Giant Rincon SE, GT outpost, Diamondback Topanga, Trek Y1
Bike Setup: Manitou SX fork, Fox FLOAT R shock, LX/XT/XTR
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Submitted by
Lyle Domico
a Cross Country Rider
from State College
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2002
Strengths: Frame material and weld quality. Incredible climber.
Weaknesses: URT design is heck on landings/impacts - jerks feet rearward, bike/rider geometry is constantly changing! I've had this bike for 4 years and still can't be comfortable hitting downhill rocks or logs - I just brace for the bang and hope my knees stay together. Rear drop-out entry impedes wheel changes and I can't change rear wheel without having tire deflated 'cause tire won't clear brakes, even with brake cables totally unhooked- this is a huge pain in the butt. Top tube length too long. At 5-10 I'm right in the middle of Klein's recommendation for MED frame. However, the sharp angle of the seat post when set to my height causes me to be too stretched out even with short stem, although this arrangment does seem to be part of the bike's secret at climbing. Shift cable housings needed replaced and precisely cut to accomodate for stretch and compression by the URT causing ghost shifting.
Bottom Line:
Mine is actually a leftover '97 Mantra Comp that I bought new. Would not buy again (I know, it's discontinued). I fell for the looks. I can't believe Klein stuck with this design as long as they did. Avoid all URTs, especially the Mantra.
Similar Products Used: Schwinn, Trek, Giant hardtails.
Bike Setup: Azonic riser bar. Flite saddle. MC-4 clipless pedals.
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Submitted by
jef fisher
a Cross Country Rider
from seattle
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2002
Strengths: nice ride, fast climber, not the heaviest bike out there
Weaknesses: rear triangle weak, cheap components
Bottom Line:
loved the bike hard for nine months then bushing ( rear triangle) loosened up, really irritated me, then the day before calling klien about it the rear triangle broke, daRN NOW I GOTTA WAIT, but klien said they might upgrade to an adept, i like their business style. overall i liked the bike and kicked alot of nicer bikes outta my way with it so i would buy another if it came by. by the way the riders who called this a "bucking bronco" or flew over the bars got to cum to grips with thier skills( lack of) and quit blaming your equipment. ride on
Similar Products Used: specailized fsr comp, kestral rubican
Bike Setup: all upgraded
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Submitted by
Eric Ratch
a Cross Country Rider
from Delhi, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 17, 2001
Strengths: Great frame, light, good parts, good fork, great shock
Weaknesses: Squeaky and loose suspension bushing, no name seatpost + stem.
Bottom Line:
This bike is great. I love it. Great single track performer, good decender, climbs very well. Sweet paint job, looks great. Lightweight, fast. Also attracts alot of attention, get ready to answer lots of people's quesions. This is definetly a great bike for a recreational rider/racer who can stand lots of curious people.
Submitted by
Beavis Rulz
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA, USA
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2001
Strengths: Goes fast over rocks, roots and stuff.
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
I now agree that poor riding skills will make you wary of this machine. You might say, That bike's too fast for me and my balance over obstacles, bumps and jumps is not that good. After my ride today, I say, That bike's awesome because it's so capable. I just need to ride more. This year, I've been to Tsali, Yellow River, Mason Mill, Bull Mountain area, Clemson, Macon area, Chiccopee, Blanket Creek, Clinton Nature Preserve, Silver Comet off road and path, Emory, various power lines, East Carrollton, ect. The Mantra climbs very well and descends very well. Single track is my favorite. Sometimes if I'm tired, it'll turn too fast and I'll scrape trees with my shoulder or nick my helmet. What bike won't? and actually, mine has a long stem and so it's not twitchy, just fast and ready. I don't find any problem with the bike design or the ride or the way the suspension acts. I just wish I could ride more than once or twice a week. Waa. After two years, there are no loose parts or technical issues. Bontrager wheels and parts are great. Thompson seat post. Shimano, Avid. It's a great out of the box product. Till next time. Thu Beav
Similar Products Used: Recently tried a couple of different high end XC bikes.
Bike Setup: New spring in the fork to fit my weight, 195 lbs. New seal kit for the rear for normal replacement. I have now let the rebound all the way out on the rear shock. The only other change I made was when I had to replace the front duralieur after the chain nibbled on it, LX to XT. No troubles since just routine cleaning and maintainence.
