Submitted by
kleiner1996
a Cross Country Rider
from Milano, Italy
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2010
Strengths: Very balanced ride.
Rides better than it looks!
Great alround MTB
Attention to detail as always with Klein
Comfortable and fast over the terrain.
Joy to ride.
Weaknesses: Challenge to set up correctly.
Weight
Bottom Line:
This bike came as a complete surprise in terms of the ride:
Forget how it looks, try one! My own ability greatly improved with this bike, especially more technical rides. Its perfectly balanced, smooth as silk and climbs really well. My mechanic tells me in his opinion its the best suspension bike Klein ever made. As I've ridden all the jardtails for years, I must admit this bike to me by surprise and rides perfectly all day. Once its set up, you are off.
I switched from disc to V brakes and the Avid Ultimates are the top V brakes you can get, they respond even better than disc. Like the idea of a 29er upfront but won't go with v brakes.
Overall, I am totally satisfied with the bike, the handling, the technical rides and I hate to admit it but it climbs very fast and is quick over the ground. if you can get one, great value cycling for what you pay.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Scalpel
Klein Adept Pro
Bike Setup: Race Face cranks
Bontrager Xlite wheels
XTR rear mech
Avid Ultimate V brakes
Manitou 80mm forks
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Submitted by
O.F.29
a Cross Country Rider
from Candler, N.C. USA
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2010
Strengths: These bikes RIP with a 29" front wheel!!!!! Been riding and racing a Palomino for three years and love it. Do the Maverick mono-link update, put an 80mm fork on the front and go ride.
Weaknesses: B.S. BB-pivot casting with bushings was junk from get-go.Spend the money on the Maverick monolink with bearings and you'll have no worries
Bottom Line:
Everybody thinks the geometry is all F--ed up with the big front wheel. If you run an 80mm fork the geometry is the same as a little wheel with a 100mm fork. The maverick rear is the bomb and a 29 front wheel will roll over a house.It's a blast to ride and you can build one for cheap. Travis Brown was here a few weeks ago and it knocked him on his ass!!
Bike Setup: XT Crank, front der, XTR rear der, XT shifter Hayes disc. Bontrager hubs 9spd XTR casset
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Submitted by
Thomas Ali
a Cross Country Rider
from London, Uk
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2005
Strengths: looks lovely, builds into a light bike, climbs great, descends great, no bob, zr9000,
Weaknesses: setting up front mech was a faff about, have to set up rear shock a little softer than klein reccomend, weird sizing, frame uses bushings rather than bearings, had to buy a bb with a long axle
Bottom Line:
Ive built my dream fs xc/trail bike around this frame, i just love it, handles superbly, inspires me to go fast fast fast and it eats singletrack, flies up hills and then straight down em! You dont really feel the suspension moving about, its quite subtle but it works really well even on small bumps/roots. Frame weighs around 2.7kg with seatclamp/mech hanger/discmount whole bike weighs around 12kg. My 19" frame has a 23" toptube which I could normally just about manage, (im about 5'8"ish) but when i put the seat up to the correct height i was placed too far from the bars due to he dramatic angle of the seat tube, so i had to get a 80mm stem, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the shorter stem speeds up the steering quite nicely! ive read reviews stating the geometry gives a leisurely laid back ride my 80mm stem counteracts this to a degree but you could easily ride the bike all day, its not twitchy. I like the fact its a bit weird and obscure most people dont what the heck it is! Thanks Klein!
Similar Products Used: Giant DS1, Klein Adept pro, Specialized bighit
Bike Setup: Chris king custom headset, on one stem, x lite carbon bars, azonic headlock, fox rlc forks, hope minis, 9sp lx shifters lx front mech, xtr rear mech, rollamajig, dura ace chain, ultegra cassette, chring king pink hubs on mavic 719 rims, nokian boazabeana/tioga blue dragon tyres, advance carbon seatpost, selle royal xc saddle, odi lock ons, azonic x tension pedals, Fsa platinum pro bb and truvativ stylo cranks.
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Submitted by
Marc
a Cross Country Rider
from Disco Bay CA
Date Reviewed: December 16, 2004
Strengths: Great frame, paint job and construction. Absolutly no bob at all even with a big rider like me (230lbs). Suspension works very well, both climbing and decending.
Weaknesses: Klein sizing, I have a L frame that according to Klein should fit me but it is a little too small, if you are 6'2 or above get the XL no matter what Klein says. Component are not the best, but I did not spend much on the bike. I plan on replacing the Avid brakes they are crap.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for overall riding, not really a big drop bike but Klein (Maveric) did not intend it to be. This bike is a bargan for new tecnology full suspension mt. bike. I looked at the Epic but I did not want to drop $3.5K for a Korean nock-off. Plus, the Palamino worked as good or better than the "brain" on the Epic. The suspension on the Palameno can not be beat. I can not get the suspension to bob at all, the bike just soaks up the bumps I mean I do not even have to think about my line anymore I just point the bike and go. I was a hard core hard-tail rider (Yeti ARC), but I am sold on this bike. No problems at all even with the low grade components, and I ride almost every day. I am planning on upgrading to SCRAM X.O. rear and putting disks on it (not sure what brand yet). If you want a great cross country bike that can take some jumping than this is your bike.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Epic, Cannondale Jeckel, Trek Fuel
Bike Setup: Stock with the exception of Egg Beater pedals, Kore stem and extended Thompson seat post.
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Submitted by
Jey Kin
a Weekend Warrior
from Taipei, Taiwan, Republic Of China
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2004
Strengths: Great light weight frameset and beautiful paint job.
Weaknesses: 03 edition cannot fit Shimano XTR rear rerailleur but matches well with a lower end XT or LX rear rerailleur
Bottom Line:
I purchased the frameset from MTB Review and I am gald I did.
I admit that Klien makes a good bike. I would recomend buying this bike to anyone but don't try to get too much expection from the customer service. they never either send me any catalog ( requested twice ) or answers my question. Even the bike worth over 5 grand.
Why the 2003 model cannot fit XTR's front rerailleur ? and I simply want to upgrade to a 04 edition if possible but never get an answer from klein. The local dealer told me it fits well but non of my friends who rides Klien had it.
Bike Setup: Fox F100x fork , Easton Monkey Lite DH, Thompson seat post + San Marco Triathlon Gel seat + Full Shimano XTR ( including wheelset ) but rear rerailleur...
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Submitted by
Russ Craber
a Weekend Warrior
from Bellevue
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2004
Strengths: Nice suspension. Held up well when reaching the top of a hill, only to find massive roots waiting at the summit.
Bottom Line:
I'm not in great mountain biking shape this season, but I rode 12 miles yesterday on a technical course and have no muscle soreness today. Descends great, ascends well, no complaints.
Submitted by
Micky
a Weekend Warrior
from Haifa, Israel
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2004
Strengths: Graet bike. It took me a long to let go off my hard tail, (Klein Attitude Race)The palomino has NO bobbing, descents excellent and climbs like a hard tail. Requires by far less effort to pick the line. Hold the handlebar straight and let the bike roll.
Weaknesses: Customer service. No point in contacting Klein's customer service. They don't answer. It seems that Gary Klein after being bought by Trek, left the premises.
Bottom Line:
Great bike. Lousy customer service. You would expect after spending more than 2K on a bike that swomeone in the factory will do the effort to answer an e-mail. Don't.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Raven 800- nothing to compare.
Bike Setup: Factory setup
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Submitted by
Brian Frobisher
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles, CA USA
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2004
Strengths: Beautiful paintjob. High quality components.
Weaknesses: Original Air/Oil strut sucked. Front shifting very tempermental. Disc Brakes made noise until rear stabilizer bar from Trek was installed by LBS.
Bottom Line:
I was having nothing but problems with this bike as far as shifting and it had to do with pressures in the main strut unit. Also at my weight 190+ the spring should have been replaced and the shock should have been revalved.
I have since found out that the new 2004 bikes have a completely different shock and because it is air only no need for spring changes, also the new shock is physically different in shape I was able to also put on an XTR front derailluer (E-type).
The bike rides and shifts much better now.
Contact Klein to find out about this upgrade, they are offering a discount (I think) on the replacement strut, the new shifter is up to you I guess.
Submitted by
Ed Meyer
a Weekend Warrior
from Wadsworth, OH, USA
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2004
Strengths: Great climber! Handles well in the technical stuff. I like the stock Death Grip tires. They climb anything I can find and then some.
Weaknesses: Lower head tube bearings need to be cleaned out after every wet ride.
Bottom Line:
I'm a converting roadie. This is my first mountain bike in 10 years and so far I love it. I switched to road bikes when I couldn't find a mtn. bike that would take the abuse (without dropping 4 grand) so it's nice to be back in the dirt with a ride that works....great!
Bike Setup: Stock except for Deore disc brakes. Dumped the scrubby brakes after the first "wet" ride......
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Submitted by
Steven
a Cross Country Rider
from Jay, ME
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2004
Strengths: Klein engineering and build quality. Maverick American licensed rear suspension design.
Weaknesses: Seatpost slips a bit.
Bottom Line:
I was considering picking up a left over '02 Klein Adept when I had the opportunity to buy the Palomino at a price I couldn't pass up. After swapping out the original rear shock with the '04 Maverick air shock in order to get the proper sag in the rear, the bike has performed quite well. I haven't experienced any problems with shifting in the front, and the only problem I have encountered was with a slipping seatpost, that has since been corrected. The Palomino has proven a very capable trailbike, that I could see using for 24hr races and epic rides. The bike climbs, descends, and handles very well. But then again, all Kleins do. Overall I'm quite satisfied with my choice.
Similar Products Used: Amp Research B2 (a flexible flyer...still ride it), Klein Adroit hardtail (awesome bike...will always have it), McMahon 325 Ti HT (sweet...why did I ever sell it?), plus bikes from Kona, Specialized, Caloi, Rotec, K2.....so far.
Bike Setup: Mostly stock, sort of. I deep sixed all of the bontrager stuff on the bike and replaced with a carbon flat bar, EA70 stem, Selle Italia slr saddle, a sweet handbuilt wheelset with Specialized enduro s-works tires, Avid SD7 brake levers, Arch rival brakes and Flak Jacket cables all round.
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Submitted by
Kevin Flory
a Cross Country Rider
from Livermore, CA
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2004
Strengths: Great at both climbing and decending. Light weight, especially for a full supspension bike.
Weaknesses: I didn't like the stock shifers and brakes. Replaced both.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike. I have put over 3400 miles on this bike since I got it 9 months ago. This bike has been easy to upgrade as it came pretty much tubless and disc ready. Keeping the dearalers adjusted was weekly chore until I replaced the shifter cable housing to 5mm. A recent upgrade to the Shimano Deore XT STI integrated Shifters/Brake levers has made the shifting flawless now (we see how long it lasts, but it is the best it has everbeen).
Similar Products Used: This is my first (full or otherwise) suspension bike. Previous bike was a rigid.
Bike Setup: Upgraged to Shimano XT STI Shifters/Levers with XTR Disc Brakes. Replaced shifter cable housing with 5mm. Michelin UST Front S UST and XL in the rear with Stan's rimstrips.
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Submitted by
Lyle Langley
a Cross Country Rider
from Springfield
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2004
Strengths: Got 600 quid off it, so off to a good start! Good Spec and lightish, Thomson Seat post, Rock Shock Duke SL. Climbs really well, very surprised. Great for big days out, less fatigue than hardtail. Oh and the paintwork, custom or what, its black then its green and then purple, its a trip man! Great all round XC bike, good enough to race.
Weaknesses: Odd sizing, manual says I should have a small but got a medium as small would be like a kids bike. Oh and tyres 2.3, like a motorbike, gonna wear em out then put some XC tyres on.
Bottom Line:
Great bike, as Mel B would say, its "Fooookin brilliant". Had a GT years ago then a Merlin (preston not US)hardtail which is absolutely fantastic so dubious about how good a full susser would be, but very very impressed. Climbs better than hardtail, maybe geometry I guess, but less slip when out of saddle. Great on descents, plush front and rear and stops on the dot. Fast bike, great all round inspires confidence. Even ok for daily commute. Great value if you get it cheap, do your research and you can save £££, be cheeky and ask for money off!!! Get discs fitted if you like your front teeth as the Avid brakes would be better on a kids bike. Great bike, get one but try it as sizing guidance in manual is useless. I am 5ft 7 and I ride a medium no probs.
Favorite Trail: Any in the Peak district UK, Hope, WIn Hill, Lady Bower etc
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$1600.00
Purchased At: JE James Rotherham
Similar Products Used: Specialised Epic (rip off, crap finishing kit and brain was more like brain dead), Giant NRS (good spec, but that paint job? like a makro bike)
Bike Setup: As standard except got rid of Avid toy brakes, couldn't stop when I tried it in shop so had Magura Julies fitted. Thomson seat post. Changed bontrager select stem as it looked a bit girly and felt long (120mm), got Easton EA50 stem (110mm) which looks better and a bit lighter but yet to really test it.
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Submitted by
Glenn
a Cross Country Rider
from Warner, NH USA
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2004
Strengths: Nimble, it is good in the tight stuff. It is a good climbing bike as long as you have the rear shock set at the right psi for your body weight.
Weaknesses: You can't tell it's a Klein because of the graphics. The rear shock needs a heavier spring for riders over 180lbs, as a result you have poor shifting and chain suck. Stock Klein tires had to go.
Bottom Line:
The design changes for 2004 will do much to improve the bike. I like the bikes climbing and handling ability I just wish I could trust the shifting a little more. My bike and a friends Palamino both have big scares from chain suck due to sag in the rearend from the shock even at higher pressure. Other than that get on it and ride and it will respond well all day long. Those of you patient with bike set-up should be fine, those would don't like to tinker at all should stay away.
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from San Francisco, CA USA
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2004
Strengths: reduced pedal induced bob, excellent traction climbing on rough terrain, comfortable ride, smooth shifting front
Weaknesses: rear seatpost angle may make a good fit harder to find as cockpit length changes (a lot) as seat is raised. Took a special thompson seatpost bracket and a lot of tweaking to get it close to right for me (I'm still a bit back too far).
Bottom Line:
Klein gave me this frame after I cracked the chainstay on my Adept Comp after > 3,000 miles of fairly hard riding (that is about 2X the lifetime of the old sugar which cracked at the base of the seatpost tube). Kudos to Klein and my LBS for supporting their product.
I am extremely happy with this frame - it is a noticeable improvement over my Adept even with most of the same components (new seatpost and front derailleur required in the transfer).
It rides smoother, more clearance to reduce "chain suck" and the front derailleur shifting is much more reliable than either of my two previous FS bikes. It really digs in on rough climbs and makes me look like a better rider than I am .
Hello y'all - first post, nice place you have here :thumbsup:
Got an 04' Palomino, went for the good fork and no discs...now down the road have had the rear triangle and shock Read More »
So my beautiful palomino is starting to creek, and I figured I would rebuild the link. I bought in brand new and they installed the maverick link at the shop, so I don't have the Read More »
I have a 2003 Klein Palomino Team that has been nothing but a pleasure to own and ride. Numerous upgrades have kept it tip top shape over the years, but I can't imagine riding a bi Read More »
Hello,
I am looking for a spare Maverick 7.2 rear shock for the Klein Palomino from 2005. It can be new or used. But must be complete. If you have one to sell, please email m Read More »
My friend's palomino rear shock isn't holding air. Also, the lower linkage has some play. Does anyone know where I can find parts for this bike? I'm not interested in the expensive Read More »
