Bike porn

yea but have anyone ever ridden one? they aren't exactly that great. plus all the components are crap on these posted. very few old MTB components are worth their weight in dirt

Bollocks. It's always easy to call bullshit on peoples posts on forums and say that they don't know what they're talking about, but this post really makes me wonder what could lead anyone to say what you just said, other than a grave lack of knowledge.
Upon close inspection you'll find these bikes are kitted out with the very best, most expensive and most desirable and exotic components from their era: Ringlé, Cook Bros, Syncros, Shimano XTR, Nuke Proof, full Campagnolo mountainbike gruppos etc, they are all present.

And they were brilliant to ride. I daresay they still are (though it's been 15 years since I swung a leg over one - pre trek attitude, not mine unfotunately).

I still want a Pugsley very much. That one looks very nice.

I've ridden some old Klein's. They may be technologically less developed, but that doesn't fucking matter, they were still great to ride. Essentially there's not much different between those old machines and modern xc hardtails.

And they look great!

I found this today in some little bike store in Midtown Atlanta, only had my phone with me so sorry about the picture quality. It was built for the 1965 Olympic Games. Obviously its been fixed up with some modern parts, but campagnolio groupset and a few other original parts. Think Im gonna buy it as hes asking inly $1200 and to me thats cheep for what it is..

it's hanging there since months

Brake set is a serious bonerkiller. It's nice but no where near 'cheap'.

I know what you're saying about the brakes but if you were riding that around here you would understand why it is probably best to have one, I bought a new bike to get around the city last night and it has no brakes, its fucking scary man because the drivers around here are all in these giant V8 SUV's and don't really care about you.

these bikes are kitted out with the very best, most expensive and most desirable and exotic components from their era: Ringlé, Cook Bros, Syncros, Shimano XTR, Nuke Proof, full Campagnolo mountainbike gruppos etc,

All of which are shit next to 2011 Deore. It comes down to a question of whether it's for riding or for looking at - those bikes are retro porn, and they belong here the same way hairy muffs belong on porn sites, but you might not get such a good ride from somebody whose heyday was 1993

awesome. wanna see riding pictures!!

^ Again...Epic win surely?

you might not get such a good ride from somebody whose heyday was 1993

Teenslain will be upset to hear that

I would say that porn is for looking at though, no?

The Klein's succeed extremely well at this.

(I had an Attitude in the blue/green fade and miss it still- the components were poor, but the whole bike was great.)

All of which are shit next to 2011 Deore. It comes down to a question of whether it's for riding or for looking at - those bikes are retro porn, and they belong here the same way hairy muffs belong on porn sites, but you might not get such a good ride from somebody whose heyday was 1993

Not entirely true but I get your drift. The components still are expensive and exotic, maybe even more so than then they were new. The finish and attention to detail is still better than on 2011 Deore, and I'm sure Deore parts will be a fair bit heavier than some of the high end retro components. Ofcourse contemporary discs are miles ahead of cantis as far as stopping power goes, but that doesn't take away from the craftmanship and ingenuity of any of the parts or the bike as a whole.
The same really doesn't apply to the frames though, you'd have to be one hell of a rider to actually get any benefit at all from riding a modern xc hardtail frame over an early ´90s Klein.
I'm not saying an old Klein is better at being a mountainbike than a contemporary Trek Top Fuel for instance, but it´s certainly as desirable to a lot of folks and calling the creme de la creme odf early to mid ´90s engineering "shit" is just ignorant. Plus Trek might not even have been able to produce such technologically advanced bikes if they hadn't bought Klein and their knowledge in the first place ;)
For the record by the way I own a pre-Trek Klein and although it's not as boner inspiring as the ones owned by Samu, the ride is brilliant, even in 2011.

calling the creme de la creme odf early to mid ´90s engineering "shit" is just ignorant.

Or informed opinion, one or the other. All the fancy purple anodizing can't cover the fact that most of that stuff was extremely primitive compared with current mass produced gear. The computer power available back then made it so, FEA was all but non-existent, and CNC machines had only 3 axes unless you were Northrop-Grumman. On any objective performance criteria, that stuff simply can't compete with even modest modern gear.

Hook the thing up with some proper Paul/Dia Compe/Campag brake set to fit it!

I know what you're saying about the brakes but if you were riding that around here you would understand why it is probably best to have one, I bought a new bike to get around the city last night and it has no brakes, its fucking scary man because the drivers around here are all in these giant V8 SUV's and don't really care about you.

The Bishop is damn near perfect in my eyes, if I owned it I'd change nothing ecxept the saddle because riding out on the street in jeans on a carbon saddle is just not practical.

slipperiness or wear?

The componentry was still evolving in mid 90s from touring stuff, and it got better pretty quickly.
I still ride a 95 Adroit with 8 speed XTR, it's absolutely fine. I also have a 92 Pinnacle with original Deore, it isn't brilliant, but it is still fine, and it marks a turning point in history. First proper complete mountain bike I ever had, and it still allows me to keep up with people on modern stuff.
I also have but don't ride so much a Mantra from 95 with XTR. This climbs steep technical stuff like no other bike I have ever tried. I also ride some very modern stuff off road too, so know the differences.
I once saw a Klein frame cut right through length ways for a display. The manipulation of the alloy was astonishing. Nothing has been done like that in alloy before or since. We are only now getting this kind of sophistication with wrapping carbon, so in that respect as well as many others Klein were truly ground breaking.
Even today few bikes look as good.

All of which are shit next to 2011 Deore... you might not get such a good ride from somebody whose heyday was 1993

Amen.

All of which are shit next to 2011 Deore.

My 1989 Campagnolo Chorus groupset were shit in comparison to my 2010 Centaur groupset on the same bike despite Chorus being superior to Centaur in term of line-up.

it's also a lots lighter - Chorus 8 speeds with Campag hubs and Ambrosio rims - 1800g, whether a modern Centaur 10 speeds with cheap Amborsio hubs and Mavic Open Pro - 1400g.

Having said that, some old component still work perfectly well and still stand the test of time in comparison to modern day alternative.

I've ridden some old Klein's. They may be technologically less developed, but that doesn't fucking matter, they were still great to ride. Essentially there's not much different between those old machines and modern xc hardtails.

And they look great!

apart from disk brakes that stop you, forks that have proper rebound damping that really works (not a piece of elastomer) and doesn't need rebuilding after every ride, tyres made with modern rubber compounds and treads, tubeless, stiff and light components that don't break and most importantly sorted geometry not arse in the air roadie style.
they don't weigh a ton either.

old mtb's are shite compared to what's available today.

The Bishop is damn near perfect in my eyes, if I owned it I'd change nothing ecxept the saddle because riding out on the street in jeans on a carbon saddle is just not practical.

Pff, youre just not trying hard enough ;p
Sometimes its tough being a hipster

Bollocks. It's always easy to call bullshit on peoples posts on forums and say that they don't know what they're talking about, but this post really makes me wonder what could lead anyone to say what you just said, other than a grave lack of knowledge.
Upon close inspection you'll find these bikes are kitted out with the very best, most expensive and most desirable and exotic components from their era: Ringlé, Cook Bros, Syncros, Shimano XTR, Nuke Proof, full Campagnolo mountainbike gruppos etc, they are all present.

all of which rides like crap. You'd take a long cage XTR on ANY bike nowadays? People who had any idea what they are doing wouuld use two inner rings, and a road cassettes with a 105 short cage deraileur on their MTB bikes to avoid such chain dropping sloppy crap. and ringle was a joke. nukeprook symbolized people with too much money. In fact, so did Klein all together.

you don't wanna have this argument. thats all i'm gonna say.

jersey - it sounds like you're argument has no foundation. What do you make these claims that old technology is shite?

I have Cook bros cranks on my bike now as they're the shizzle.

Old technology is outdated but not shite.

The componentry was still evolving in mid 90s from touring stuff, and it got better pretty quickly.
I still ride a 95 Adroit with 8 speed XTR, it's absolutely fine. I also have a 92 Pinnacle with original Deore, it isn't brilliant, but it is still fine, and it marks a turning point in history. First proper complete mountain bike I ever had, and it still allows me to keep up with people on modern stuff.
I also have but don't ride so much a Mantra from 95 with XTR. This climbs steep technical stuff like no other bike I have ever tried. I also ride some very modern stuff off road too, so know the differences.
I once saw a Klein frame cut right through length ways for a display. The manipulation of the alloy was astonishing. Nothing has been done like that in alloy before or since. We are only now getting this kind of sophistication with wrapping carbon, so in that respect as well as many others Klein were truly ground breaking.
Even today few bikes look as good.

tell me youre kidding.

i didn't start this discussion to argue... I said "weird taste, no big deal" but now i have to chime in with more than i wanted to. anyone who had any idea what was good, we drooled over well kitted steel bikes. the GO TO ride was a well upgraded Stumpjumper with an elastomer fork. We all knew that air forks were unreliable. etc etc.

Also the GT avalance in STEEL was a bike to drool over.

Bontrager was another. etc etc.

to the old school MTBer Klein represents the worst of the era.