Beautiful bike. It looks more modern with the upgrades. Klein’s always have a good appeal to me since My dad bought a full suspension back in the mid 90’s and it’s the only bike he rides with no plan on getting rid of it or getting a different one even with most of our rides being paved/smooth paths.
thanks, appreciate it. also totally a fan of people using the bike they have instead of chasing upgrades. i ride a lot of country roads and see older folks riding 40 year old bikes not because they are cool but because they had them for 40 years and there's nothing wrong with them. ride on.
I would suggest getting another fork and cutting it correctly instead of chasing a different stem to fix the mistake. The stem would likely be a cheaper fix, but you would probably be much happier since this is a “dream build” situation and you already spent money replacing parts that weren’t broken. I’ve replaced a couple things after making cosmetic mistakes myself because it was bugging me🤦🏻 The “blems” just became a different project. I really like that many newer bikes come with disk brakes, cable or hydraulic. Having had many wheels that have become out of true or not even round, they are a great advantage for bikes seeing rough service. But rim brakes have worked fine for probably over a century. I even have a few newer bikes that came with them. While it’s possible, I don’t feel the effort to convert one system to the other is an advantage if the frame or fork isn’t compatible. Do what makes you happy. That’s a really nice build !!! 👍😎
thanks for the comment and thanks for watching. lots to unpack here. yes, my first thought was to buy a new fork. they are far from cheap but fairly priced and i could probably use this one for a different build. that said, i'm not married to this stem and changing them around a little bit might be enough to get the geometry i want. i'm open to keeping this bike a work in progress and eventually settle on the perfect combo of components. it's true that rim brakes depend on a fairly true rim but disc brakes rely on a fairly true disc as well. i find the tolerances on disc brakes are so much tighter (like 1 or 2 mm vs 3-5 mm on rim brakes) so it's harder at times to get them tuned in just right. also i think even a disc brake bike should have a true rim. with rim brakes you're only truing one disc. with this build i was definitely trying to stick close to how the bike was designed with the major change being rigid vs suspension fork. i think its a worthwhile change while the rest of the bike functions well as is.
It would change the aesthetic of the build but you could also consider higher rise bars with like 30 or 40mm of rise, to also compensate for the lower cut steerer alongside changing the stem
To me a stem with more angle to it would take away from the aesthetic of the bike. I was just introduced to a riser bar and fitted a 38mm one myself. I think one could work really nicely here. Nice build though, love the deepness of the blue and the white accents! :)
i was always curious about the mantra. it's one of the wackiest looking bikes from the 90s, i'd love to try one someday though i doubt it would fit my needs all that well. thanks for the kind words, happy riding.
I like the build. The component selection. I personally might add some lightweight Ritchey bar ends though because they make longer rides a lot more comfortable having the option to move around. Just the little stick ones not the large L shaped behemoths.
thanks, i'm sort of open to the suggestion. it's a dated look but when i had ones like that on a bike i did use them a fair bit. i also have a set of VO crazy bars that might not fit the aesthetic but would also give me a bit more hand position options.
Klein is definitely on my list but I live in the Pacific Northwest and anybody with one thinks it's gold. Yeah it is gold, but I want to be able to afford it at least a couple hundred bucks for a gutted out scratched up frame from somebody sketchy.
honestly i would have been fine with like 11-36 but the hub can't do road 11s. little extra range at the low end is always welcome in my book, i'm a high cadence kinda rider.
it's not so simple anymore unfortunately. i bought mine second hand or took them off used bikes. one thing i considered for this build though is building some. you can still buy the alex adventure 2 rim which is 26 + rim brake + tubeless which is the exact combo i wanted. i may still go this route in the future if i can't find a built up set with those 3 parameters.
I still have a 1998 sworks m2 missing a fork, wheels and pretty much everything else. Was starting to think my only way out is to weld a DB mount onto the frame and move on from there😥
Beautiful bike. It looks more modern with the upgrades. Klein’s always have a good appeal to me since My dad bought a full suspension back in the mid 90’s and it’s the only bike he rides with no plan on getting rid of it or getting a different one even with most of our rides being paved/smooth paths.
thanks, appreciate it. also totally a fan of people using the bike they have instead of chasing upgrades. i ride a lot of country roads and see older folks riding 40 year old bikes not because they are cool but because they had them for 40 years and there's nothing wrong with them. ride on.
Beautiful bike, I had a the opportunity to buy a kona hei hei in 2001 and passed on a magnificent klein. Always wanted one...
thanks, they're still out there if you look around... better late than never
Klein's paintjob always awesome. Great job anyway.
totally, mine is not one of the most elaborate paint jobs but still really nice... much nicer than any other bike i own. thanks for watching.
I would suggest getting another fork and cutting it correctly instead of chasing a different stem to fix the mistake.
The stem would likely be a cheaper fix, but you would probably be much happier since this is a “dream build” situation and you already spent money replacing parts that weren’t broken.
I’ve replaced a couple things after making cosmetic mistakes myself because it was bugging me🤦🏻
The “blems” just became a different project.
I really like that many newer bikes come with disk brakes, cable or hydraulic.
Having had many wheels that have become out of true or not even round, they are a great advantage for bikes seeing rough service.
But rim brakes have worked fine for probably over a century.
I even have a few newer bikes that came with them.
While it’s possible, I don’t feel the effort to convert one system to the other is an advantage if the frame or fork isn’t compatible.
Do what makes you happy.
That’s a really nice build !!!
👍😎
thanks for the comment and thanks for watching. lots to unpack here.
yes, my first thought was to buy a new fork. they are far from cheap but fairly priced and i could probably use this one for a different build. that said, i'm not married to this stem and changing them around a little bit might be enough to get the geometry i want. i'm open to keeping this bike a work in progress and eventually settle on the perfect combo of components.
it's true that rim brakes depend on a fairly true rim but disc brakes rely on a fairly true disc as well. i find the tolerances on disc brakes are so much tighter (like 1 or 2 mm vs 3-5 mm on rim brakes) so it's harder at times to get them tuned in just right. also i think even a disc brake bike should have a true rim. with rim brakes you're only truing one disc.
with this build i was definitely trying to stick close to how the bike was designed with the major change being rigid vs suspension fork. i think its a worthwhile change while the rest of the bike functions well as is.
It would change the aesthetic of the build but you could also consider higher rise bars with like 30 or 40mm of rise, to also compensate for the lower cut steerer alongside changing the stem
Beautiful Klein! So jealous
thanks! they're out there and sometimes not so pricey though i waited a while to find this one.
To me a stem with more angle to it would take away from the aesthetic of the bike. I was just introduced to a riser bar and fitted a 38mm one myself. I think one could work really nicely here. Nice build though, love the deepness of the blue and the white accents! :)
you're right, i don't want to make it too dopey looking but i definitely plan to ride this thing so comfort is important. thanks for watching.
It's perfect. Congrats
Thanks, I'm quite pleased with it.
super sweet 90s gravel bike. Just dont tell others its a gravel bike or it'll trigger a roadie meltdown
i'll keep our little secret
I owned a Klein mantra and it was a great bike until I broke it . Your build is really good ,and those carbon Forks are cool looking.
i was always curious about the mantra. it's one of the wackiest looking bikes from the 90s, i'd love to try one someday though i doubt it would fit my needs all that well. thanks for the kind words, happy riding.
Awesome video, thanks for making it. Subbed!
thanks for watching
I like the build. The component selection. I personally might add some lightweight Ritchey bar ends though because they make longer rides a lot more comfortable having the option to move around. Just the little stick ones not the large L shaped behemoths.
thanks, i'm sort of open to the suggestion. it's a dated look but when i had ones like that on a bike i did use them a fair bit. i also have a set of VO crazy bars that might not fit the aesthetic but would also give me a bit more hand position options.
Klein is definitely on my list but I live in the Pacific Northwest and anybody with one thinks it's gold. Yeah it is gold, but I want to be able to afford it at least a couple hundred bucks for a gutted out scratched up frame from somebody sketchy.
i was searching for this frame for a while. it wasn't cheap but worth every penny. hope you're able to snag one for a decent price.
I have a Klein Attitude bike for sale, it’s beautiful excellent conditions!
That’s crazy low gearing for a 26” bike. You’ll be able to get up anything.
honestly i would have been fine with like 11-36 but the hub can't do road 11s. little extra range at the low end is always welcome in my book, i'm a high cadence kinda rider.
anyone knows where/ how to get new rim brake 26" wheels in 2024?
it's not so simple anymore unfortunately. i bought mine second hand or took them off used bikes. one thing i considered for this build though is building some. you can still buy the alex adventure 2 rim which is 26 + rim brake + tubeless which is the exact combo i wanted. i may still go this route in the future if i can't find a built up set with those 3 parameters.
I still have a 1998 sworks m2 missing a fork, wheels and pretty much everything else. Was starting to think my only way out is to weld a DB mount onto the frame and move on from there😥
Ali express, they have everything
You can even get complete wheel sets with modern or old spacing. You can also find brake pads and various bits you need to keep a 90's bike healthy
Unrelated to the bike (which is absolutely beautiful), but as a Washington State gal it's pronounced shuh-hay-liss 😋
thank you and i 100% expected this comment. i had a feeling i was butchering it, sorry folks from shuh-hay-liss!