Despite all the innovations and paint jobs, Klein found it difficult to compete against larger competitors, so in 1995 the company was bought by Trek, a giant then and now.
BHPian amol4184 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Let’s talk about the now defunct (circa 2007) American bicycle brand called Klein. Everyone knows Cannondale and its legendary CAD/CAAD alloy wheels, but Klein actually outdid Cannondale back in the day.
In 1975, Gary Klein, an MIT graduate, designed a frame that would later change the perception and performance of aluminum frames. Most frames at the time were made of steel or aluminum, but were heavy and often considered pliable. Klein frames, on the other hand, were lighter and incredibly stiff. So much so that today, decades later, Klein frames are still considered far too stiff compared to any other bike on the market. These frames were also about 15% lighter than CADs from the same era.
But stiffness wasn’t the only parameter that Klein improved. His frames were also groundbreaking in many other ways.
Oversized tubes? Checked. Ultra-smooth welds? Checked. Internal cable routing? (!) Checked. Pressfit bottom bracket? Checked.
My 2014 Cannondale CAAD does not have internal cable routing. Cannondale didn’t offer ICR in their alloy frames until 2016-17, so you can imagine how ahead of their time Klein was.
So yes, while Cannondale gets the credit for introducing pressfit bottom brackets to the masses, it was actually Klein who had them long before C’dale. Luckily for Klein, they ceased to exist before pressfit bottom brackets garnered almost universal hatred.
Now we come to an even more interesting aspect of Klein. The paint schemes. Kleins are known for having some of the best paint jobs ever made, and even today these paint jobs are considered the benchmark. While not all Kleins featured insane color-changing paint jobs, even the standard single-color paint jobs were incredibly deep and extremely well done. The paint jobs became Klein’s trump card, as no one else had these types of paints.
Here are some notable paint jobs that Klein offered back then that are unmatched today:
An example of color combinations from 1992. I wish today’s bike manufacturers offered such colors.
Incredible green through blue to yellow
Solid dark purple
Two-tone red-orange
Beautiful ice cap blue
Jade fade
My favorite of all, Purple Haze – goes from purple to brown to pink to green etc.
Blue-green fade
Another one of my favorites, orange to red to yellow and so on
As you can imagine, it’s the color that makes Klein a Klein. These days, Klein frames in good condition generally command a high price, but if they also feature one of those beautiful color changes, the price goes up considerably.
Touching up or reproducing the color isn’t easy either. A good paint shop will charge between $1,500 and $3,000 for the Moonrise or Purple Haze color combinations, and even then there’s no guarantee that the color will be 100% factory-matched.
Gary Klein was also known to listen and take an interest in custom paint jobs for customers who weren’t happy with the standard colors offered. This meant you could get a custom painted frame straight from the factory. There are cases where Klein would not only paint a frame a specific color, but also add bottle cages, air pumps and other accessories to match – these frames/bikes are super expensive and rare, especially if you have the paperwork.
Despite all the innovations and paint jobs, Klein found it difficult to compete against larger competitors. It started out as a small company in a small sleepy town. In 1995, it was bought by Trek, a giant then and a giant now. Trek kept the brand alive but moved production from Klein’s home to another state – this is the turning point in Klein’s history, as many people feel that Kleins from their original factory in Chehalis, WA were better.
If you search for Kleins on eBay, you’ll find that the frames made by Chehalis command a premium.
After remaining in ownership of Trek for about ten years, the brand came to an end and the name was abandoned as Trek incorporated much of its technology into its own bicycles.
The reason for this history lesson? I finally found a Klein bike in my size, in the color I wanted, and at the price I could afford! At first glance, the bike seems to be in pretty good condition, but it’s not pristine. However, after almost a year of searching, I gave up and bit the bullet. There are still a few things in the pipeline, but for now, it’s pretty complete. Did a complete overhaul with 11-speed groupset and new wheelset.
For more insights and information, see BHPians’ comments.
