|
|
|
| |
Submitted by
Dirt Boy
a Cross Country Rider
from Miami, Florida, USA
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Oleta River State Park (High Pass) | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$650.00 | | Purchased At: | Big Wheel Cycle-Hollywood | | Strengths: | Fast, Light, Responsive, elegant frames and workmanship | | Weaknesses: | Paint Chips and peeling!!! | | Similar Products Used: | Schwinn, Specialized. | | Bike Setup: | Race face handelbars, Thompson stem & seatpoast,XTR Cranks, XTR Rear derailer, XT front derailer, XT Shifters,Brakes, race face headset, Time carbon pedals, Mavic Cross ride ceramic rims, Hutchinson Mosqutio Lite tires. | | Bottom Line: | This is a wonder bike that climbs well and eats up singletrack. A little hard in the rear. My paint started to peel of and chip from rocks very easily. I called Klein and told them what happened. Even after 1 year warranty was up Klein re-painted it for free!!!! Yes they even payed for shipping!!! The reason was that all their paint jobs form 98-99 had a inferior paint quality and prep work causeing all their models that year to have the paint peel on many of their colors. They addmitted this to me and apologized. CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE AND DEMAND THAT THEY RE-PAINT YOUR BIKE, ASK NICELY PLEASE. SPEAK WITH ERIC MAVES HE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU! This is far the best service I have ever recived. Klein warrenty are legendary!!! I will only ride kleins in my life. By the way there is no more stickers when they re-paint. Name is now painted on and updated with new graphics and better paint quality. Overall looks better than ever. 1 problem you can only chosse from the 2001 color pallette. many nice colors to choose. RIDE ON!!!! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
nicosia paul
a Cross Country Rider
from agawam,Ma,usa
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Chicopee state park, Ma | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | piche's in NH | | Strengths: | Light & Tight. Super responsive turns in tight situations. Great power transfer, stiff frame climbs like hills are nothing.
'Stack of Dimes' welds the envy of anyone who operates a torch. Few others have one; Trek owners don't know how lucky they are. | | Weaknesses: | Stiff frame. Ouch. Crappy stock components. Paint chips easy. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 8500,DB Sorrento, Univega Alpina 5.8, Cannondale M300 & M600, KHS, Huffy ( when I was 12 ) | | Bike Setup: | Bontrager rims, panaracer smoker II tires, XT all around, all after market. | | Bottom Line: | Great frame, low end components. Total $ invested = about 1200 to get the whole package running smooth. Super handling on CC trails, but kinda skitzy on steep decents. The stiff frame can really beat on your body during long rides. Climbs like a bat out of hell. I look for hills so I can embarrass my friends. This is a great choice if you are into technical singletrack. The bike is very responsive,but unforgiving due to stiffness. Expect to upgrade a lot of components over time, you won't be satisfied with the stock groupo. If you want comfort, look elsewere.
General Note:Roll duct tape around your seatpost where the saddle pack velcros on. You can get about 3 feet there.Do it neatly and it might come in handy some day. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chase Abbott
a Downhiller
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: May 7, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Big Finn Hill/St. Edwards Park | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Gregg's Greenlake | | Strengths: | Stiffest Hard-Tail around. Price is not for fram alone but all other stuff piles on. Great power transfer. I could throw the frame farther than a baseball. | | Weaknesses: | A few lame parts added on when purchased. LX Front derailer. LX crank but not much out when purchased. Crappy headset, crappy cant. breaks. Not much then for V-brakes when I purchased though. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek/Cannondale/Specialized/Giant/GT | | Bike Setup: | XT/Mavic for wheels since I break a lot/SID Front/Rock Shox Seat post/XTR V-Brakes/Chris King Headset/Yeti grips/bontrager handlebrs/Time Carbon Clipless/RaceFace ISIS BB and Crankset/XT rear deraileur with XT Cassette/Continental 2.3 Mudders/SI Flight Gel Pro | | Bottom Line: | Once I added my components to this frame, I became unstoppable on single track. The torque that I deliver goes straight to the wheel and not lost in the frame. Also probably one of the lightest bikes around even though it's now 4/5 years old. I will not buy Klein prebuilt bikes but I will never buy anything but Klein frames (unless full-susp) but I like the hard tail so sue me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sean
a Weekend Warrior
from Barbados
Date Reviewed: April 12, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | The Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | Schwinn in Jax FL | | Strengths: | Light and very fast going downhill - takes loads of abuse. | | Weaknesses: | Makes my back hurt after an hour or two - I think it's time to upgrade to full suspension. Paint also comes off easily. | | Similar Products Used: | Cro-Mo Marin (The one with green lizards on it and the Suntour components, can't remember the name) Iron Horse el cheapo cro-mo crap | | Bike Setup: | IRC Mythos Kevlar tires, bar ends, Control-tech 17 degree rise stem, everything else stock | | Bottom Line: | This is a great bike - it is older yet 4 lbs. lighter than all the other bikes around it, and has taken years of abuse and neglect. Only now starting to make noise after zero maintenance in 2 years.
It's the bomb. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gary Ives
a Weekend Warrior
from Rockford, IL
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | any | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$699.00 | | Purchased At: | Rockford Bicycle Co. | | Strengths: | I bought it in 99 as a closeout. for the price I paid It was a great value I feel. Try finding a new mtb that weighs only 26lbs for $700. Avid brakes are nicer than generics you find in this price range. | | Weaknesses: | Paint looks beautiful untill it chips which it will a lot and when it does watch out because it peels very easily even when washing the bike. Radial lacing of front wheel means I have to true it after just about every ride even though I'm a flyweight(130lbs). whatevever chain it has is inferior to anything I've ever used. Although I lube it constantly it always accumulates rust. Very unforgiving ride. I was expecting it to be a little more compliant given KLEINs reputation. The Icon pedals are a joke but I haven't replaced. If you go with a small size the seat post may be too short. | | Similar Products Used: | discounted steel frames because of fear of corosion and additional weight. I wish I hadn't. Compared with Trek and Gary Fisher. For the price I paid the KLEIN had the nicer components and by far the least weight | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | good value for what I paid, disappointing paint and jarring ride. I still love the 2hour weekend rides I do with it though. Great for a weekend offroader. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a Cross Country Rider
from S. California
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$199.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Klien's are the best aluminum framed bikes available. At the size of X-Small (about 14"), I finally found a bike that fits me! Rides, climbs and downhills like a dream. Unlike others, I do not find it too stiff. | | Weaknesses: | rear facing dropouts are a bit of a problem if you remove your rear wheel a lot. | | Similar Products Used: | I have lost count. I have been ridind off road since 1979. I must have had over a dozen bike by now. Everything from numerous steel frames to aluminum Cannondales, even Carbon. | | Bike Setup: | Purchased this 1998 Pulse Pro as a bare frame for $199. Built up with all XT components except the XTR rear der. I am also using XT/XC thumb-shifters and an 11x32 XTR 8 speed rear cog set. for a fork, I selected a Marzocchi Z-1. For the seatpost, a Cane Creek Thudbuster suspension post. Bike is setup as more of a trail/freeride bike. I stopped racing about 10 years ago. | | Bottom Line: | This is great frame. Does everthing (at leat what I need) very well, and has no aparent drawbacks. It climbs better than any bike I have owned for the past 20 years (that says a lot). The Thudbuster post is a great compliment for this frame. (I decide to purchase it after seeing it on one of the higher end bikes in the 1998 catalog).
All the snobs who downgrade the Klien models without the internal cable routing should ride one for a while. I would never buy a frame with internal cable routing afer having had a few in the past. The are a total pain in the rear for maintenance. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
IL
a Weekend Warrior
from MA
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | The frame. It's geometry definitely eased some of the climbs I'd previously struggled on. The bike is very fast and lends itself to twisty single track. | | Weaknesses: | Frame stiffness. After a ride my lower back sometimes hurts like a SOB. A suspension seat post should help. I'll get one after my wife forgets about the new skis I bought.
Stock Manitou front shock. Can't remember which model (Spyder???) but I'd have preferred to pay a little extra and get something better. Still, the thing works, and I'm not much of a component geek. I'll replace it when it breaks. Paint chips easily, but who cares. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 950 | | Bike Setup: | Stock with Time clipless. | | Bottom Line: | I guess I'm reviewing the 1998 model but the bike is basically (if not) the same as the 1999. It's a fantastic bike, loads of fun, fast and its only limitation is the rider. It mightn't have the high end components, but what difference does that make when you're just riding with your friends and having a laugh, they cost less to replace if they break anyway. I think you could give anyone this bike and they would be more than happy with it, I know I am. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Corey West
a Weekend Warrior
from West Lafayette, IN USA
Date Reviewed: February 29, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Great ride, very light Aluminum frame. | | Weaknesses: | I to have a Pulse with a lot of paint nicks. This is my only complaint. | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale M300 | | Bike Setup: | All XT comps, Judy XC | | Bottom Line: | This is a great bike. I was quite impressed moving up from a much weaker Cannondale. Great for off-road. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ryan lass
a Cross-Country Rider
from bluegrass ia
Date Reviewed: December 15, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
sugar bottom | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
fast, stiff, purdy,handling, dropouts are easier to put tire in. | | Weaknesses: |
stiff hurts, bike is covered with stickers to cover up the cratches in the paint, rear tire falls out if you forget to calmp down the quick release. | | Similar Products Used: |
huffy was my last bike so none | | Bike Setup: |
marzochi atom bomb | | Bottom Line: | the frame is pretty much the only thing i havent broken. much better than other brands in the same price range. | | Overall Rating: |
| |
|
Photo Caption Contest
(sponsored by Maxxis)
|
Enter here
|
|
|
$ 800.00
