# Old Klein Quantum for road bike noob



## EJR91172 (May 18, 2012)

Hello, all, first post here. I've just come back to riding after a long layoff and have been riding my ancient Miyata Elevation 250 with Avocet slicks on it. It weighs about as much as a small car. I've been putting on some miles on the rail trails and commuting to work. (Short commute, steep hills though.) I love this old beast and I've had it since new, but it isn't suited for the kind of road riding I'm longing to do: nice long forays out onto the country two-lanes. Like when I was a kid on my Huffy 626, which was so long ago I consider myself new to road bikes. 
So I started thinking about road bikes and found a local reseller with two nice old Kleins. The one I'm interested in is a 60cm 1992 Quantum. Beautiful deep red paint. And, naturally, about half the weight of the Miyata. (The other one is a 54cm Quantum Race that looks to be from the late '90's. And that has really sick aqua paint with this like purple fade in parts. Amazing in the sunshine.)
I took it for a couple of test rides. One thing I noticed is that I banged my heels into the chainstays a couple of times. They kind of curve out in a convex way towards the hub. Now the seller told me this had been owned by the wife of the man who owned the Quantum Race. It has a flat bar with white grips and a white Soma seat with copper rivets. The stem is almost vertical so despite the larger frame, I feel a little scrunched up. (I'm 5'10".)
I'm sure much of these things could be replaced by a competent LBS dude, but what about the heels in the chainstays? Is this my technical fault as a rider of an old MTB, or do you think this is something the lady may have changed that brought the pedals closer in?
Also, the price is $550. Would I be better served just getting like a new Jamis Ventura or something like that? I've spent the past two days reading about Gary Klein, what his company stood for, the Trek saga, etc. I'm just drawn to the bike's history and charisma. The frame looks fantastic. 
Happy to hear anybody's thoughts on the topic. Thank you and be well!


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## SolitaryRider (Oct 20, 2011)

Man, I'd love to have that Klein with the aqua/purple paint!(my size, too!) Always loved Kleins...... just where is that dealer?!


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## RotatingShifts (Nov 12, 2006)

*There's a huge difference between 54cm and 60cm...*

If you read this forum at all, you'll know that the one piece of advice never to ignore when purchasing a bicycle is *get the one that fits*!

A 60cm bike generally is for someone, say, six feet two or three.









.


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## EJR91172 (May 18, 2012)

Here's some pics of the Quantum Race. I think it might be a custom order because it has the original owner's name on the other side of the frame by the seat post, Gerald something or other. That sticker on the top tube says "Odyssey" in a red and yellow circle; the seller told me he peeled it back and it hides a chip. The pics don't do this paint justice. I can't post the seller's link because my post count must be 10 or greater, and this is but 3... He's in Barto, PA, though; should be easy to search.


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## paule11 (Jun 11, 2011)

The blue one would be a better size frame for 5 foot 10 plus the running gear looks like ultegra . The red one looks like older 105


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Give some thought to the bottom bracket. Older Kleins before a certain model year (can't remember which year) took a proprietary unthreaded pressed-in / glued-in bottom bracket. While it's possible to repair / replace those, some people really don't want to deal with this BB.


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## EHietpas (Feb 9, 2012)

Troll..... How can you even compare the two bikes. That's more or less apples vs oranges


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

*????*



EHietpas said:


> Troll..... How can you even compare the two bikes. That's more or less apples vs oranges


Well, both are older Kleins with the word "Quantum" on them, so it's pretty easy to see how you could compare them. If you're refering to the size difference, keep in mind that someone new to the sport may not really appreciate the difference between the size numbers "54" and "60." Being new and asking questions does not make someone a "troll."


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## SolitaryRider (Oct 20, 2011)

Thanks for the info, EJR! That's definitely a nice bike!- But as has already been said, that's the one that would fit you. (I thought maybe I had misread 60cm/5'10")


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

EHietpas said:


> i am a Troll


Fixed it for you.


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## heybrady (Jul 3, 2011)

Fist, 54 vs60 is a giant difference. 

Second, fine, but none of those are worth $550. Maybe $250, max for a 10+ year old bike. 

You can goto man an lbs and fine a new bike for $550. And even 2011 Sora is prob as good as 1997 105, especially considering the other components.


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## darwinosx (Oct 12, 2010)

The Quantum Race is a Trek built Klein. You can tell by the knobby crappy welds. Probably not as good a paint job as the real Klein either. I wouldn't bother with it. I had that same Quantum in red and loved it.
I would be concerned about fit. Doesn't sound quite right for you especially the banging the heels on the chainstay. At 5' 10" t a 60 cm is definitely too big for you. I'm 6' 3" and rode a 59 cm Klein.


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## DaBlackRev (May 24, 2012)

In my search for my first bike I've come across a few Kleins. As it has been said fit is the most important thing. The fearlier Kleins with better weld points and per trek are better. It's up to the individual on what they think of the ride.


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## DaBlackRev (May 24, 2012)

Pre* trek not per trek - auto correct


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## clydeosaur (Jan 5, 2010)

Yeah, I've seen his ads here in PA on craigslist. He sells a lot of older stuff for WAY too much money..


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## Makaveli6103 (Aug 30, 2012)

I found a Klein Quantum Pro in KC that I want to buy. On another forum they think it is a '99. I am going to go look at it tomorrow but it looks in great condition from the photos he sent me. He is asking $500. Is that to much? And this is my first road bike also


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## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

*Old Kleins*

I was just wondering....Are there anymore older Kleins out there like the Quantum? Whatever, the case maybe this dinosaur of a bike should most definitely NOT be sold for a nickel over $200, almost despite the component level. You're even at risk to lose, even at the $200 level. Like how much longer should you expect a Klein to last? While, I once had deep respect for Kleins while they were in their heyday and were still great riding bicycles, I do seriously suspect Kleins being sold today, as possibly far too battle fatigued to be considered as viable cycling candidates.


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## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

As much as I love Kleins (I still ride my first road bike in SS form - below), I'd walk away from both of those. For your budget (assuming the $500-600 is in fact your budget), I'd look at 2009+ used aluminum frames, Ultegra equipped bikes. There are TONS of bikes out there bought with good intentions and hardly ridden.


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## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

OldZaskar said:


> As much as I love Kleins (I still ride my first road bike in SS form - below), I'd walk away from both of those. For your budget (assuming the $500-600 is in fact your budget), I'd look at 2009+ used aluminum frames, Ultegra equipped bikes. There are TONS of bikes out there bought with good intentions and hardly ridden.


 Beautiful bike! Doesn't look like she's been ridden much at all!


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## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

Zeet said:


> Beautiful bike! Doesn't look like she's been ridden much at all!


Thanks Zeet. The Klein is a '95. It's got several thousand miles on... no clue really. The way Klein painted their frames would be a lesson for lots of companies. It looks like it was dipped in fingernail polish. Actually, even the prep before paint is a work of art. They did something cool with the welds - something like heating the frame after it was welded, letting the welds to "melt". The typical "stack of dimes" look typical to aluminum welds looks more like smoothed butter. (someone will surely have a better description of said process). I've been asked "who repainted the frame?" many times.

Sorry for the hijack - more of a testament for the old Kleins, but still think a newer bike for the money is the way to go - particularly for a primary/daily ride.


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## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

OldZaskar said:


> Thanks Zeet. The Klein is a '95. It's got several thousand miles on... no clue really. The way Klein painted their frames would be a lesson for lots of companies. It looks like it was dipped in fingernail polish. Actually, even the prep before paint is a work of art. They did something cool with the welds - something like heating the frame after it was welded, letting the welds to "melt". The typical "stack of dimes" look typical to aluminum welds looks more like smoothed butter. (someone will surely have a better description of said process). I've been asked "who repainted the frame?" many times.
> 
> Sorry for the hijack - more of a testament for the old Kleins, but still think a newer bike for the money is the way to go - particularly for a primary/daily ride.


Yes, OldZaskar! Those welds were things of beauty alright, and the paint jobs were nothing short of spectacular! I do remember! However, I'm still curious as to how many old Kleins are still out there and how they've been performing. I mean, are there still many '95's like yours out there, that have been faithfully rolling along or what? Just what has become of most of these bikes? I saw a Klein Rascal MTB, just about a couple months ago on the Bart train. It too, looked practically new, just like yours. This is just an example of Klein's handiwork! :thumbsup:
View attachment 283132


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## Agent319 (Jul 12, 2012)

Here is a 1981 Klein Performance that is in great shape. Weighs in at 21lbs that I ride a few times a month. It would be more if I could find adapters for the 1" to 9/16 so I could put clipless pedals on them

View attachment 283135


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## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

Agent319 said:


> Here is a 1981 Klein Performance that is in great shape. Weighs in at 21lbs that I ride a few times a month. It would be more if I could find adapters for the 1" to 9/16 so I could put clipless pedals on them
> 
> View attachment 283135


I'm just lovin' it!


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## Steve B. (Jun 26, 2004)

FWIW, the blue Klein is a rear entry dropout, which I believe was from about '95 and on. Trek did not start making the frames until 2003. The Quantum I purchased in '95 was a warranty replacement (so probably a '94 or '93 frame set aside) and had vertical dropouts.

The red Quantum has side-of-downtube mounted cable stops, so probably around '91 or so, as it needed to be STI (1990) compatible. The green Klein that Agent posted has the top-of-downtube shifters, so no cable stops, so probably pre-'90.

I would think that $200 is way too little to ask for a Klein in good condition, $350 might be appropriate. If it were Durace and in terrific condition, maybe $600-$750. 

What's forgotten is that these were the best made aluminum bikes of the time. The ride rivals most current carbon. They were also built like lightweight tanks and I would have no issues about buying one of these as long as they are free of obvious corrosion (aluminum was prone to sweat corrosion), and/or dents.


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## N184PM (Sep 11, 2011)

Zeet said:


> Yes, OldZaskar! Those welds were things of beauty alright, and the paint jobs were nothing short of spectacular! I do remember! However, I'm still curious as to how many old Kleins are still out there and how they've been performing. I mean, are there still many '95's like yours out there, that have been faithfully rolling along or what? Just what has become of most of these bikes? I saw a Klein Rascal MTB, just about a couple months ago on the Bart train. It too, looked practically new, just like yours. This is just an example of Klein's handiwork!
> 
> I'm still riding my Quantum Race that I bought new in 2000. I have about 55,000 miles on her now. Still looking good. The bike not me


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## siclmn (Feb 7, 2004)

There was nothing magic about their welds. They just took a lot of extra steps to sand and finish them before paint.
I rode one for 10 years, in those days I was riding about 6,000 miles a year.


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## Monkeymsp (Feb 4, 2013)

I agree with the other posts that said the most important thing is to get a bike that fits. 

FWIW I have a pre-trek Klein Quantum with well over 100,000 miles on it and I still ride it every week. I would not worry about buying a pretrek Klein that has thousands of miles on it at all.

Good luck!


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## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

N184PM said:


> Zeet said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, OldZaskar! Those welds were things of beauty alright, and the paint jobs were nothing short of spectacular! I do remember! However, I'm still curious as to how many old Kleins are still out there and how they've been performing. I mean, are there still many '95's like yours out there, that have been faithfully rolling along or what? Just what has become of most of these bikes? I saw a Klein Rascal MTB, just about a couple months ago on the Bart train. It too, looked practically new, just like yours. This is just an example of Klein's handiwork!
> ...


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## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

Hey! There's just gotta be more Kleins out there somewhere that are in good condition...Where are they?


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## Seattleblu (Jul 28, 2006)

I have a 97/98 Klein Stage Comp (Beautiful Blue/Purple paint w/ yellow lettering) that is still in great condition. It came with 105, but has been upgraded to mostly Ultegra and upgraded wheelset to Ksyrium SL's.

I haven't ridden it for a several years now and was going to convert it to a fixie, but is now for sale if anyone has an eye on one.


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## Awal767 (May 3, 2013)

@seattleblu

I'm riding a 61cm quantum with a busted hanger that's now a single speed. How big is yours? (Klein Über Alles!)


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## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

Awal767 said:


> @seattleblu
> 
> I'm riding a 61cm quantum with a busted hanger that's now a single speed. How big is yours? (Klein Über Alles!)


52:16 Good for hilly Atlanta. Counter intuitive I know. But keeping up with my group on the flats and slight downhills (where you still have to pedal) was not possible with a 52:18. I spin out now at about 32 mph.


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## Awal767 (May 3, 2013)

OldZaskar said:


> 52:16 Good for hilly Atlanta. Counter intuitive I know. But keeping up with my group on the flats and slight downhills (where you still have to pedal) was not possible with a 52:18. I spin out now at about 32 mph.


I see. I haven't been riding single speed for very long at all. Seattle can be really hilly or really flat depending on where you ride. Right now, I live in a particularly hilly neighborhood. I find myself feeling generally frustrated with 52:18 as it is. What to do, what to do.


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## Seattleblu (Jul 28, 2006)

It's a 57cm...probably a little small if you're on a 61.



Awal767 said:


> @seattleblu
> 
> I'm riding a 61cm quantum with a busted hanger that's now a single speed. How big is yours? (Klein Über Alles!)


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## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

Just noticed the "How big is yours" was referring to the frame size, not gear size... ooops. Coincidently, my old Klein is too small - it's a 58... would rather a 60 or 61.


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