Submitted by
GiantMountainTroll
a Weekend Warrior
from Chattanooga, TN U.S.
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2012
Strengths: Strong frame, reasonably light, Good suspension. I love the fox vanilla rear. also looks awesome. No other bike like this one and it gets more attention on trails than my friends new fs trek.
Weaknesses: Outdated parts, brakes are kind of played out. other than that its a great bike.
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike from a friend for a great deal. It belonged to his uncle that passed and the bike was just collecting dustt. Bike looks like its been ridden no more than 3 time so it was a steal! Retailed for way more back in 98 and was advanced for its time. Keeps up with new expensive bike like nothing.
Weaknesses: Stock Manitou elastomer forks suck, overall weight, heavy stock wheel set
Bottom Line:
11 Full years of cross country riding $1500 original price, Same $ in upgrades- WELL WORTH EVERY PENNIE! Keep in mind I do not race. Although, I have become a very strong intermediate to advanced technical cross country rider who can blaze some serious trails. Great frame never a problem, excellent BB clearance. Keeps up with and performs with the best of all the expensive new bikes and designs and the new 29rs on all the technical singletrack you can throw at it. Quick, responsive, climbs very well, never notice the weight, great lateral stiffness. Upgrades have only enhanced all of the best ride characteristics Quicker, more responsive. Keep it clean, tuned, sit-n-spin, flow-n-go... if you find a decent one, well kept or collecting dust BUY IT if you ride cross country only- not for dirt jumps, mountain parks/north shore, big hit or trials riding style!
Bike Setup: Stock 1997 Mantra Comp for nearly 11 years except for 2000 Manitou Mars air/coil (very light 2.9 lbs) fork upgrade completed in 2002. Recent full upgrade early in summer 2008 Bontrager race light stem and carbon riser bar, ODI lock on grips, new avid cheapo brake levers/stock V-brakes and Kool Stop pads, XTR 9sp shifters and front der., XT 760 crankset and rear der., SRAM PL970 chain, new cables, Mavic Crossland UST tubeless with Bontrager Jones dual compound/Stans sealant. Stock Fox Vanilla -oil damped coil, believe it or not...
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Submitted by
Bruce Halliburton
a Weekend Warrior
from Alexandria, Va.
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2007
Strengths: LOOKS, Climbing
Weaknesses: downhill is kinda scary.
Bottom Line:
Bought new in 98, handles great...downhill is a different story.
Submitted by
Joel Devich
a Cross Country Rider
from Wilmington, DE, USA
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2006
Strengths: Very responsive rear shock, Love the Fox Vanlla, Nice looking bike gets a lot of attention, good fit for tall riders, light weight, strong frame
Weaknesses: The stock Manitou Pro C forks suck, little to no travel, some ghost shifting early, but was fixed at 1st tune-up, other than that NOTHING!!!
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike! I have had it since Aug of 1997. Yeah over 9 years!!! I have never had a problem with this bike. The comp is the low end model and does have some cheaper components, but nothing that is to hard to replace. The stock Manitou Pro C forks SUCK and should be upgraded. Im planning to upgrade them soon. Also since this is a pre-disk brake frame im still running the V-brakes. I have found a kit that will convert any bike to a disk set-up http://www.therapycomponents.com/conversion.htm Some people have had problems with the bike cracking a breaking at the rear end. I ride this bike hard im 6'1" and 180lbs, I jump off big jumps, off 4'-6' drop offs, do downhill riding (nothing to serious), bunny hop, wheelie, endo, and still have not had a crack or break in 9 years. Anyone who broke this bike must have done something wrong. Im planning to upgrade this bike extensively opposed to buying the newest wallet drain out there, this bike has been there and been great for 9 years and after the upgrades im sure that I will be riding it in another 9 years.
Similar Products Used: Trek Y frame, Cannondale Raven, and a few hardtails
Bike Setup: All stock except for an upgraded handle bars Bontrager Crowbar
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Submitted by
Jay Davis
a Cross Country Rider
from The Windy City
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2003
Strengths: It's a Klein! It rocks on uphill climbs. Its plush and you never really know how bumpy the terrain is unlike my fellow hard tailers!
Weaknesses: Ghost shifting was a problem until I figured out how to cut a cable. The local shops just didn't get it!
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike brand new in 97 for $1,200. I never thought it would last 6 years but it is a KLEIN! It has been upgraded to the gills and only keeps getting better. It glides over stumps, rocks and fallen hard tailers like "Budder". Being a 210lbs rider this bike gives the confidence other bikes could never match. I abuse this Berryblast wonder on a regular basis and it never lets me down. If your thinking about buying a used one consider a new fork and rear shock! They make all the dirrence over the stock products! You'll have the craziest slepper in the crowd
Bike Setup: Race Face-Carbon Cranks & BB. Cloud 9 Rear Shock, Up Front A Rock Shox - Psylo Race (A must),Chris King Head Set, XT,AVID Brakes, Rolf Uraccooooos!!
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Submitted by
Aaron
a Weekend Warrior
from Stillwater Oklahoma
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2003
Strengths: Bike is awesome, what can I say. The full suspension is the best I have ridden. Bike is a beauty to look at and seems to draw attention from everyone I come across.
Weaknesses: The so-called Ghostshift
Bottom Line:
This bike looks fast sitting still and even faster when flying down the trail. My old carbon fiber couldn't keep up with this thing. The Mantra climbs better than my old hardtail. Upgrading all the components and shocks help greatly from what i understand. I ride singletrack with the Oklahoma State Mountain Biking Team and the bike does great on the trails. The bobbing that I hear people talk about from the f/s can be easily taken care of by adjusting the rear shock. I have also heard people talk about going over the bars from time to time. Well I am 6'4' and the large bike fits me just fine, considering i did put a high rise seat post and a high rise handle bar stem. The bike is great flying down trails and is good for climbing. My dad tried it out one day and liked it so much he is now trying to find one for himself. Now that I have experience the joy of f/s I don't think I would ever go back to a hardtail.
Similar Products Used: Trek Y-11; Giant Cadex (Carbon Fiber Hardtail)
Bike Setup: Bontrager Race Rims and Hubs; Manitou SX front shock; Fox Vanilla Float Rear Shock; XTR components.
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Submitted by
wei
from ny ny
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2003
Strengths: simplicity, quickness, maintence free, graceful look, fun color
Weaknesses: stock components (almost everyting needs to go), no disc mount for the rear trangle (would be nice, however nobody did for that year anyway)
Bottom Line:
i am not a racer. however i do take riding seriously since it takes a long time to get to a trail from the city. i would say i am about average. during the rides if i didnt clear a section i would at least give it a little study and a second try. i enjoy doing thing well. and i am very happy with my klein.
the stock stx rc rear der snapped in half on me, the shifters got loose later, and then the front stx-rc der hanger went open up, the chain snapped a few times (you have to use sram pc-68, no problem ever since). thus upgrading drive train slowly went on and on in a few little episodes. which explains why i am running 8 speed. a lot of people including lbs techs assured me that 8 spd stuffs are the ones that will last to the end. in fact, i would advise people to swap out the gears in one shot if they are going to ride trails often. my rear xtr der looks pretty bad from hugging too many rocks but it's still tight and very fast and precise.
here are some suggestion to problems other have mentioned, i think most can be fixed:
GHOST SHIFTING: for the first time i noticed the "ghost shifting" problem after a tune up last year. after checking the cable carefully i found out the mid section of housing for r der was too long. after taking out the extra 1/2 inch the problem went away and never came back
BOBBING: one needs time to fine tune the rear shock, once done the bobbing problem would be minimized. i got a cloud 9 for a good deal but i never really used or felt the need to use the semi lock out button. when pedaling off the seat, the little swing gives a little boost hopping the rocks and roots in my little experience.
about DH: someone has mentioned about a riser bar, which i would agree. another option is to get a longer front shock, it works well with me. the stock shock (XC pro in my case) really has to go, i switched to mars carbon and noticed big difference right away. and then Black elite works even better (that shock is not very adjustable and heavy, but it's )
it took some time to gain experience and a perfect setup with this bike, now it climbs quite easily. the saddle squeezing technique others mentioned works great on steep downhills (i actually learned to steer the bike a little with my seat). after upgrading the front shock it jumps even easier. the single beam design provides great clearance and also balance. i was turned on to this bike by hypes and i found out they are true.
i have chance to test a few other fs bikes in the past (fuel, jeryll, epic) and nothing make me feel the desire to switch. i am happy to have something that suits me for the years coming.
Similar Products Used: rocky mountain fanatik, RM soul and some other hardtails
Bike Setup: small size frame, xtr 8 spd except xt front der, raceface crank, straight bars on 80 mm 0 degree stem, panaracer fire xc pros, cane creek cloud 9 (an upgrade from ad-10, didn't notice much improvement), manitou black elite 80-100, barends, platform spd pedals (the last 3 items adds 1.5 lbs more weight but they are helpful) the bike now is at 27lbs on my bathroom scale but it feels a lot less since it's nicely balanced)
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Submitted by
kilian weeterings
a Cross Country Rider
from tilburg
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2002
Strengths: overall handling, still turns heads everywhere you ride. amazing, come to think of it..
Weaknesses: rear frame
Bottom Line:
well, in an earlier I had some serious troubles with frame warranty, because of a cracked frame. finally it turned out just fine. I´m still riding the bike, since ´98, and Nothing even comes Close!! after all these years. I´ve ridden the carbon version (year 2000) but it is not as good. that bike is too agile, with en even higher bottom bracket. When the going gets tough, for example high up in the Alps, I like my ´98er best. (and carbon isn´t really gary´s style, I think, so leave that to the trekkies)
Submitted by
kilian weeterings
a Cross Country Rider
from tilburg
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2002
Strengths: overall handling, still turns heads everywhere you ride. amazing, come to think of it..
Weaknesses: rear frame
Bottom Line:
well, in an earlier I had some serious troubles with frame warranty, because of a cracked frame. finally it turned out just fine. I´m still riding the bike, since ´98, and Nothing even comes Close!! after all these years. I´ve ridden the carbon version (year 2000) but it is not as good. that bike is too agile, with en even higher bottom bracket. When the going gets tough, for example high up in the Alps, I like my ´98er best. (and carbon isn´t really gary´s style, I think, so leave that to the trekkies)
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Detroit
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2002
Strengths: Everything
Weaknesses: Nothin'
Bottom Line:
This bike is awsesome. I bought it from my brother-in-law and totally rebuilt it for $1200. When it didn't have all the good stuff it was still awesome. Tracks perfectly, flies up and down hills, and its pretty light(I'm not a weight weenie!!). My friend always whines because the wheelbase grows a little when the shock is compressed, but I guess he hasn't felt the love yet, cause it makes up for it in every other aspect. I love it, but it's gettin a little outdated by those new-fangled susension designs, but oh well, I wouldn't give up this beast for anything!!!
Bike Setup: Sid Race Carbon, full XTR, CossMax UST, Fox Float RL Monkeylite, 858's, 2.1 Mutano Raptors, EA50 post
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Submitted by
Mark Converse
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, AZ US
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2002
Strengths: beautiful paint on a bullit proof frame, low maintenance, single tracks awesome, and climbs great
Weaknesses: That big beam is open to crash abuse, so it's tough to keep the paint sratch and ding free, rear triangle collects alot of grime so you have to clean a little more often, the cable routing puts the cables in line to collect alot of front tire debris, brake jack when going down hill
Bottom Line:
I agree with all positive things said about the bike. I haven't had any problems with frame durability and I weigh 250lbs. I just moved to AZ from OR so i've made a few changes to suit the desert. I dont know if anyone else had the problem of the cockpit being really stretched out. That was fine for Oregon singletrack but I put on a riser bar and shorter stem plus added a four inch travel fork and have been amazed at the difference in the caracter of the bike. I can rip over some narly stuff with the confidence of a semi-freeride bike.Leaves hardtails eating tire poop
Bike Setup: Stock drivetrain,bontrager riser bar,kore stem,chris king headset,and selle italia trans am seat,marzocchi mxc100ecc
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Submitted by
Jonathan Udell
a Weekend Warrior
from Riverton, NJ USA
Date Reviewed: December 27, 2001
Strengths: Nimble, grip, looks.
Weaknesses: OTBs, width of pivot joint between knees
Bottom Line:
I'm new to offroad biking, bought the bike used from an MTBR.com seller who got a Mantra Race. The bike is a stunning confidence builder. Very nimble, very plush. Just crank hard and it gets you out of all sorts of trouble. Pretty light for an FSB so it doesn't hurt as much when it lands on top of you. No bike at any price turns more heads. (Ride the boardwalk with a Mantra Comp pulling your kid on a tag-along for real stares.) It is all attitude, but backs it up with a great ride. I will own mine forever.
Favorite Trail: right up the back of the person in front of me
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$670.00
Purchased At: used, private sale
Similar Products Used: none
Bike Setup: Stone stock except for Klein Death Grip tires.
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Submitted by
Ryan Mccrary
a Weekend Warrior
from Valdosta
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2001
Strengths: frame geometry, low maintenance, color
Weaknesses: front shocks need to be changed, make sure you get the newer model rear triangle bike b/c the old ones crack from what I've heard
Bottom Line:
This is an awesome bike. After you ride for a while the front shock needs to be upgraded, but besides that I have had no complaints. I can thrash in the trails or air over the dirtjumps with no problem. Afte a few upgrades this is the best bike I've ever owned. If you don't have one now, go out and find one.
Favorite Trail: Oconee Heritage Park-Right out of Athens, GA
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$1499.00
Purchased At: Gator Cycles- Gainesville Florida
Similar Products Used: Caloi Pro XC, Trek y-33
Bike Setup: Mars C front suspension, spinergy rev-x roks, raceface turbine lp, syncros cattlehead stem, FSA headset, new bontrager race seat, Avid mag levers, XTR v-brakes, XT front and rear derailleur
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Submitted by
John Rivers
a Cross Country Rider
from tulsa ok
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2001
Strengths: Gogeous,light , fast......easy to maintain.
Weaknesses: Replace Judy upfront ,needs riser or it's over the bars for you puppy!!!
Bottom Line:
I had to right a review only because I see some negative press down below from some esoteric bike weenies. Let us face it...who is racing Full sus? down hillers? It is not a down hill bike so if you don't ask it to be something it isn't then in my opinion it is the best cross country bike of the time. There have been some amzing additions to this market niche since this unit came out.....still I would put my KLEIN up against any bike in it's price range even today!!!!! I race and have a nice collection of soft and hard tail bikes.....but when I am going for the weekend hop with the fellas I always grab my comp,not my race,or my Y-33.....but the comp takes what ever i can give it and never givs me any lip. If you buy one you will have to set it up so that you not doing endos every ten minutes,,,,but I put a n Easton Monkey riser on there with a C.KING ahead set and never looked back. Bottom line, if your really trying to do the down hill thing stay away it is not a DH racer. It will handle technical decents as well as any but it would not be my first choice for a race. Other than that it wares all hats and is well suited to be your daily ride.....Zero hassle...low maintainance.....hot looking .....BUY IT!!!!!!
Similar Products Used: Specialized FSR, TREK y-33 ,Klein mantr Race
Bike Setup: ALL xt and XTR...Cane creek ad-10, Ahead set with riser bar..
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Submitted by
Ken
a Cross Country Rider
from SLC, Utah
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2001
Strengths: The frame, the ride, the color. The way it climbs!
Weaknesses: Came with an OK, but not great, set of components
Bottom Line:
I just have to throw in my 2 cents worth..
Got my Lemon Yellow Mantra Comp in '97 as a reward to myself for finally nailing my BS degree. Took some getting used to after more than 10 years on a Specialized solid frame. I don't race and don't go for the extreme stuff, but I do put in some good hard rides, and the Mantra is amazing. I loved it from day one, and still do. I'm still running the original components, but I'm in the process of doing a full upgrade. When I bought it, it pretty much cleaned out the ol' savings, but the LBS expert pointed out that the frame would always be upgradable. So true. It's too bad Klein quit producing these, but at least I got mine - and I'm hangin' on to it!
Other items of interest: I'm not sure how many hundreds of miles I've put on it, but I have had absolutely no major problems at all. I've had a couple of spectacular wipe-outs, but not because of the bike. It's taken a pretty good beating, too, and always came out of it better than me. Minor problems experienced include: a slight wobble in the rear tire, which a spoke wrench cleared right up. A tight link in the chain on an early ride which introduced the trail to my face rather unexpectedly. Had some minor creaks and squaks in the handlebar area at first, too, but some re-torqueing of all the bolts took care of that. The brakes do tend to squeal when wet, but i'm upgrading that. Other minor tuning has allowed me to keep on riding for the past four years.
