I use this bike as my daily commuter. Serfas drifters tires. Kicks rear.

None.

Picked it up for $100 well loved and used.

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Own 7 bikes. 82 De Rosa to 14 Marin.

My body frame is thus: 5'9" shorter legs, longer torso and arms. I had a 98 Large Pulse Comp. This was the best bike I will ever own. It climbed like no tomorrow. It was nimble on crazy downhill trails. It could take amazing amounts abuse over an incredible variety of terrain and it absolutely saved my life on a particularly gnarly downhill.

One of my fav rides for this bike was from Oakland up Claremont Ave to Tilden and then down skyline trail to the bottom of Wildcat and then back up to the top of the Berkeley hills with a stop at Barclay's for essential re-carb.

Once I took this bike up 3000 ft over 3.5 miles - on Raptors! It was made to climb. Took Mt. Tam from top to bottom on a fire trail no problem.

Nimble, solid, unstoppable. If you can find a little ridden second hand Pulse, it's a gem.

None. Well, you can always upgrade the stock parts but out of the box, this thing is A-ok.

Wish I still had this bike today.

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2001 Klein Attitude L

Light, stiff frame ready for any upgrades

none!

This is the best bike for you money. and if your tall(im 6 foot 5. the geometry is perfect. i would reccommend this bike for any one thinking about getting serious into biking. the frame is wicked stiff. and will beat a novice to pieces.

Strong, Lite, Reasonable Price with Usable Components (Mostly Deore LX), Beautiful Paint, Welds, and Tubes. Stiff Rear End Flys.

Very Stiff Rear End.

I have a Trek 950 that is truly beat to death, I even replaced the frame(duh) Heavy and fairly stiff. Good bike, Tons of Miles with routine tuning. I rode a friends Klein in college, went into LBS to get Trek 7000, came out with this Beautiful Green Metalic finish. The rear rim just got killed on a curb. Otherwise, this is a superlight(Under 25lbs with my new seat and Ancient SPDs) fast cheap ride that is built to last. Everything else posted here is true, Stiff Punishing Back End. They do come in many variations, two friends have pulses with different configs. I believe that my frame was made in the Trek factory in Wisconsin. For the money you still can't beat this if you want a good bike for A wide Variety of uses. 5 chilli's.

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Trek 950.

stiff (you know exactly where it's going to be)
light
climbs like a beast
$ value
looks gorgeous

stiff (it'll beat on you if you are careless)
it's a little short coupled for me

I'm 6'2-210 with a fair amount of shoulder to hip length. I sometimes feel like the cockpit on the large frame I have is a little short (there are seatpost solution possibilities I have not really felt like trying). Otherwise I just *love* this bike. I got it on sale for $650 during winter last year and nothing else was even close. I liked it better than the $1100 Cannondales and Treks. You can always go up with components but this frame just hauls ass. Things that I could barely climb at all with my old CroMoly Giant hardly make this bike break a sweat. The power transfer through the stays is incredible. I think it's very nimble on tight single track to. The back end of the bike is always where you want it to be. It's a little rough bouncing through rock gardens, but that's a price I'm willing to pay. If you come across this frame.... Snap it up.

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Trek
Specialized
Cannondale
GT

Light
Strong
Stable
Fast
Great climber
Great acceleration
Stiff but not harsh

Make no mistake: It is a HARDtail

I created this page because the other Klein pages are reviewing several different Pulse models from different years and with different characteristics. I thought potential buyers could use a shortcut to info on the 1998 Pulse Comp, which as of summer 1999 is still available and affordable at local bike shops. The info here would also largely apply to the 1998 Pulse, Pulse Race and Pulse Pro. They all have the same frame, just diff. parts. I paid $750 for mine and others are finding them for $700 or so. It retails for $900. This is clearly the best hardtail frame I have ever ridden and I'm sure that anyone who likes aluminum would be hard pressed to find anything as good -- let alone better -- accept another Klein. The workmanship is excellent. The Gradient chainstays are phenomenal. There's a box section at the downtube-headtube juncture, etc. The tubes are tapered -- some both inside and out -- not just butted like others. Power transfer and climbing are astonishing. Why it goes so blazing fast downhill I don't know, but it does pick up speed like crazy. I once referred to the frame as being like a slab of marble. It's that solid, stiff and stable. It is NOT harsh (my Fisher CroMo was harsher) but there's no compliance at the rear either. No flex but no vibration is one way of looking at it. This means it's a bucking bronco on the rough stuff. Bottom line? If you want a high end aluminum frame and decent parts on a budget price, this can't be beat. If you've got more cash, get a new 1999 Klein Attitude ($1,100 retail). It's frame welds and paint are nicer because they're done by the Klein guys in Washington, not the Trek guys in Wisconsin, and it's 3.1 pounds instead of 3.4. If you're wary of aluminum's ride characteristics, forget the Klein and go get Ti or a really good, compliant CroMo frame. -- Then again, there's always suspension seatposts!

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Trek 7000
Fisher CroMo

Accelerates like a rocket, extraordinary climber, durable and reliable componentry. Nimble and responsive.

Susceptability to chain suck on the smallest sprocket, paint gets chipped easily

If you're looking for a barcalounger type ride, look elsewhere. The Klein's stiff aluminum frame makes sure you feel every bump. If you are into that kind of responsiveness, then for you the Klein is an excellent ATB platform. Combine the great geometry with tried-and-true Shimano compomentry and you have a winner. When you get in the saddle, you feel like you are strapping yourself to a rocket. It will do anything you ask of it. Chances are you will run out of guts before you run out of bike.

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Mongoose Switchback, Mongoose Maneuver, Gary Fisher Hoo-Koo E Kii