jpdemers

I got one in the late '70s, when I started riding the hills between the South Bay and the Pacific (mostly route 84 to/from San Gregorio.) The Palo Alto Bike Shop carried them early on, and I picked one up the day after my first high-speed descent on a twisty (and a wee bit sandy) stretch of road, with my choice of boulders or trees to slam into if I left the pavement. I'd never ridden that fast, and it scared the crap out of me. (Still have the Raleigh I rode on!)
My housemate bought one of the very first Kleins - they were absurdly expensive at the time - and wrecked it on that same road within 6 months. (Klein actually replaced it.) He bought a helmet afterwards.