Submitted by
geoffparkyn
a Cross Country Rider
from BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2008
Strengths: Frame design and pivot
Weaknesses: cable pop on frame, minor
Bottom Line:
Still turns a few heads, light and great climber, definitely old school but tyou have to love gary klein a guy way ahead of the curve in the 80's/90's. This bike was a XC amateur racer but kept in excellent condition, rider would wrap the frame to keep the scratches to a minimum. wish I had a 99 race carbon model
Weaknesses: Rear lifts up under braking but this is something that you get used to and counter by siting back.
Bottom Line:
This bike has served me well for 5 years now and is still going strong. I have done numerous enduros and cross country race on it. The thing is fantastic at anything offroad but especially climbing. Many times I have sailed past better riders on technical climbs due to the bikes traction and amazing ability to just ride over stuff. I couldn't recommend one highly enough.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Enduro, Univega Ram 990, Marin Indian Fire Trail, Klein Pulse
Bike Setup: Stock plus riser bars
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Paul Clements
a Cross Country Rider
from Lynchburg, Virginia USA
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2006
Strengths: Gorgeous. Amazing climber. Super nimble. Fast. Tough as hell. Awesome clearance. Lightweight.
Weaknesses: Too Gorgeous- have to keep a close eye on it. Ive had to change out the pivot bearings after two seasons and since then, have had no play at all. Ghost shifting. Stiff rear end when braking downhill.
Bottom Line:
This bike has served me well. The dream bike I always wanted. Some jackasses tell me my ride is outdated or something but they cant keep up with me for a moment. The ghostshift is something ive learned to expect. As with the stiff braking. Ive adapted and we get along awesome. Er.... Got along- past tense..... I just cracked my frame by the rear dropout on the chain side.... Hoping for a replacement triangle..... or a Palomino frame, but no- Looks like they are going to put me on a Trek Fuel EX8- Awesome for a six year old well ridden rig replacement- but a bummer to have a mass produced machine..... Well see- Ive only heard awesome reveiews on the Fuel... See ya Klein. You shouldnt have sold out to the man.
Bike Setup: I bought the frame with fox shock and ICON seatpost- other than that it is a pricey custom- Reba shock, Magura hydraulic brakes, XT/XTR goods.... Carbon fiber bars.... yada yada yada...
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matt Gittleman
a Weekend Warrior
from Bethesda, Maryland
Date Reviewed: August 24, 2003
Strengths: Great Components; graphite crankset, graphite seatpost, graphite handlebars etc... Fox FloatR and Manitou Mars 1. For a FS bike goes uphill very well, and absorbs the downhill very well with the Manitou Mars 1 front suspension.
Weaknesses: Some components a little brittle. This is probably just my bike, however i had a few caps snap off. But no real complaints
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike, for any type of rider interested in a FS bike. It's very light, and works great no matter where you are, whether is XC or DH or just street riding and jumping and stuff. Light blue color is very stylish and always gets the attention of other riders, who will be at our mercy because you have such a kingly bike.
Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins, CO
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2002
Strengths: Great on downhills. better on uphills, especially for a FS. Good stability. Bontrager wheelset, xtr rear derailure.
Weaknesses: Icon components. Some like the graphite cranks, but I think you could do better w/ a Truvativ stylo set. They don't make the model anymore.
Bottom Line:
Great ride. If you've had a subpar ride before, you will notice the difference on this bike. I felt much more confident and stable on the downhills, and was right on friends' rears as I used to lag 50 to 100 feet behind. The bike gave me a noticably positive difference, something I had been searching out for a couple years. I haven't had any problems w/ the shock like others have and I have a good local resource who will service it for cheap if it needs it. One problem was, initially, my rear derailure was not engaging. This was because the housing over the cable was too short, and when I sat on the bike, the cable would tighten to the point of disengaging the derailure. The problem was fixed for $10 and I've had no problems since.
Bike Setup: bontrager race lites, xtr rear, lx front, lx brakes and shifters. icon - cranks, handlebars, seat post. fox float r rear shock.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
B
a Weekend Warrior
from Columbus, OH
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2002
Strengths: Climbing, XC...I love this bikes ability to "dig in" to your surrounding conditions - rock gardens, fast single track, logs, fire roads, street - I just find this bike combfortable to ride.
Weaknesses: Descending (especially steep inclines) takes finding your comfort level - I just drop the seat down alittle more that i used to...to keep the center of gravity closer to the pivot.
Bottom Line:
Love the bike, love the look! Has anyone out there switched over to disc brakes with this bike? Any suggestions/reviews on brakes and/or wheelsets for the upgrade drop me an email - Curious to see how it has performed.
Time to get off the computer and get on the trail!
Strengths: very light, sucks up the downhills, climbs well while seated, best lookin bike on the trail.
Weaknesses: the back wheel spins when climbing steep ascents standing, you gotta stay in the saddle. this is my only gripe, sometimes you need to change it up a little.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Scalpel, Giant NRS 2, Trek Y-frame
Bike Setup: Carbon Fiber Full Suspension, XTR everything, Mavic 517 rims, Easton neck and Monkey Lite handlebars.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
cobbs
a Cross Country Rider
from Sammamish, WA
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2001
Strengths: Great ride. Climbs like a champ, sucks up the bumps, just an all around great performer.
Weaknesses: some of the stock components are leaving something to be desired. particularly the icon graphite cranks.
Bottom Line:
I finally got this thing out on the trails yesterday. After my first loop, any worry about buying the wrong FS bike was erased. (Before my purchase, it was between the Mantra and a GF Joshua) The Mantra is awesome. A better climber than I am. Going through some pretty squirrely terrain the bike was with me the whole way. If I could've managed to turn off my brain and just pedal and point the bike in the direction I wanted to go, I would've never gone down. This thing just performs incredibly. Ride on...
Strengths: It is bullit proof. However, when I first took my bike in for a 'tune up,' they said, Damn. What did you do to this thing? I just rode it a little. What's the problem, Mr. Mechanic? Anyway, I ride so much that I get a professional tune up between 4-6 weeks even though I take care of my machine at home too.
Weaknesses: None that other mountain bikes don't all have. (we love double negatives here in the South) Mud will kick your but here in Georgia. We don't really have just mud. Sometimes it's really wet clay.
Bottom Line:
Just a great machine. I love to be able to bomb down fire roads, trails, or street and some of the riders can pass me on the downs, but then I can pick off almost every single one of them on any climb. After a few good hill climbs, I'm out front or in the "tete de la trail." Look for us on Yahoo at Wheelhopper.
Similar Products Used: None. And the other single pivot full suspension bikes are...?
Bike Setup: Stock. I'd love to have discs and I'd love to get the Carbon Race.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Puzman
a Cross Country Rider
from Wallingford, CT
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2001
Strengths: plush when seated climbs well when seated low maintenance
Weaknesses: Many suspension quirks poor descender weight is OK, but not great overpriced given component spec Gradient tubing prone to dings and dents
Bottom Line:
This is a parting review of the Matnra (After riding a Mantra for 2.5 years, I recently made the switch to a LocoMoto.) The Mantra climbs incredibly well, but there are other FS rigs that climb just as well (the Loco being one of them). Also, the ride is very plush when seated. However, there are so many suspension quirks that it takes awhile to get used to. The saddle height changes when you slide off the back for a technical descent, so its harder to get back on. Brake jack is noticeable even with full rebound dampening on the rear shock. There's a lot of bob when stomping on the pedals. Given the wheelbase changes when taking hits, the steep angles, and the brake jack effect, the bike is a mediocre descender. Weight is average for a FS bike- my medium weighed 27.5 lbs. The Loco is a far superior bike, IMHO. I can't really recommend the Mantra now, given all of the other choices out there
Bike Setup: '97 Mantra comp w/ Z3 Flylight 100, Cane Creek AD-10, risers... upgraded essentially every original component
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
E. Rodriguez
a Racer
from Washington DC
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2001
Strengths: Just wanted to give you the bottom line on replacing the bushings. I've had mine for 4 years and I replaced my bushings today. I should have done it a year ago, after noticing the side to side play. Check out the Klein website and notice the last pages of the 48 page tech manual. They describe how to do it in detail. IT IS NOT DIFFICULT, BUT YOU NEED THE PROPER TOOLS! Basically, you need a C-clamp (costs around $7 at a hardwear store). The operation is similar to pressing in a headset. I'm a bike mechanic, so it may seem easy to me, but may be difficult for others. Using a 1" headset cup remover is great, but you can get away with wacking out the parts with something else. The parts are soft aluminum, so if you use a screwdriver to push them out, you may deface the main pipe in there. MY BUSHINGS WERE F*CKED UP!!! The old bushings have a cut in them, why? I don't know. The teflon coating, similar to a frying pan, was completely worn down and shavings were inside the tube. Please contact Klein if you're rear end has developed play and they will probabely warranty them, if not, get them anyway. If you choose to replace them yourself, go for it, don't be scared. If not, pay a shop to do it.
Weaknesses: It weighs 26lbs.
Bottom Line:
I love this thing. I've worked at several shops over the years and I've tried a lot of bikes. It's really comfortable and if you're strong, it's really fast. I weigh 130lbs and I have the bike set up specifically for me and it's great. I love the way the bike centers the rider, my riding position is perfect on this bike. I will probabely ride this bike for several more years, as long as it holds up.
Bike Setup: SID Race, FSA Headset, Ti bar, Magura HS-33 brakeset, ESP 9.0 SL Shifters, rear der., xtr front der., thompson seatpost, integra saddle, Kooka stem and crank, real rings, FSA Ti BB, 858 pedals, LP carbon barends, AD-10 rear shock, Valiant rims, revolution spokes, alloy nips, ringle hubs, xtr cass, kosmic tires, ultralight tubes, rox rim tape, ti qr's.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Barry
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2001
Bottom Line:
I have had the bike a year now. I stand by my review which I already posted, but I wanted to just mention something I found out about my bike, as it may be of interest to other Klein full suspension owners.
Towards the end of the season, my bike developed some play in the rear suspension pivot. I had a bike store look at it, and they told me that the bushings had worn.
It turns out that as the rear suspension bushings are teflon-impregnated, they do not need lubing. In fact, lubing the bushings actually causes them to break down, which is the cause of the problem on my bike. It would have been nice if the owners' manual had mentioned this, because lubing the rear suspension strikes me as a pretty reasonable thing to do if you are not told otherwise.
Moral of the story, do not lube your rear suspension pivot.
Fortunately, Klein is going to replace the parts under warranty, so the story does have a happy ending.
Submitted by
R Seva
a Weekend Warrior
from La Jolla, CA
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2001
Strengths: Ride is is the most plush compared to others I've tested but not squishy. Don't have to get up off seat for cross country trials with big bumps and holes. Handling is excellent. This bike handles just as well as my Specialized hardtail on downhill tight single tracks but hurts a lot less afterwards (I'm 39 adn 155 lbs). Relatively light weight (small frame) @ 26 lbs with seat pack full.
Weaknesses: Bounces a little initially at start of quick hard pedalling when standing off the seat but can be controlled easily once you learn how to ride it. LX front derailleur should be an XT or XTR to match the rear. Difficult to hang on my garage wall using standard bike holders.
Bottom Line:
Awesome bike! If you're in my age range (39) and can afford to spend the money to save your back and ass - buy this bike. The other bikes were a little stiffer and handled about the same. The Sugar 3 was more of a "rocket" but hey, I'm no racer. I love to ride and this bike makes riding even more fun and comfortable.
Similar Products Used: I tested the Gary Fisher Sugar 2,3 the Specialized FSR comp and the GT XC3000.
Bike Setup: Manitou SX front, Fox Float Vanilla R rear, XTR rear derailleur, LX front, LX cranks and gears. Bontrager hubs and Bontrager Race tires. Bontrager pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Brad Moulton
a Cross Country Rider
from spokane, wa. united states
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2000
Strengths: Great climber. very nimble through the turns, and technical trails. LOOKS ! This is the best bike I have ever riden. BAR NONE. WHY, WHY GARY are you getting rid of it?? Your new bike looks like a FREAKIN' diamondback/gary fisher sugar.
Weaknesses: GARY himself (sellout) I cannot believe he is not keeping this bike around. It has a cult following. Now he is just following the crowds. The MANTRA was something special, now he has a bike that is NOTHING special.(kinda UGLY too). I will never purchase another bike by him, or TREK (father co.)again. Not worth buying bikes from SELLOUTS.
