What happened to Gary Klein?
#28
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(Sorry for the spaces, seems the forum software is setup to filter out the name of another popular forum. Pretty lame, as if it will make any difference. Putting spaces in will probably get me in trouble somehow)
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#30
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The real reason is not lame, at all. We were being inundated with porn links that lead to that website.
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#31
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Trek needs to resurrect the brand and sell their aluminum frames as Klein.
Carbon frames= Trek
Aluminum frames= Klien
it would be cool as hell and it could place the Trek brand as a more performance/elite option. That isnt to say Klein would be relegated to entry level as they could be spec'd well too with a few groupset price points, but stop below what the Trek models go up to. So maybe stop at 105 for Klein.
...or since the above is total fantasy and Trek will never do something cool, they should just release some Klein frames with cool paint and charge too much, which will tick off those who want the name and not appeal to those too young or indifferent to care. If they released a large enough road frame, I would still consider it, even though its less cool than the above scenario.
Carbon frames= Trek
Aluminum frames= Klien
it would be cool as hell and it could place the Trek brand as a more performance/elite option. That isnt to say Klein would be relegated to entry level as they could be spec'd well too with a few groupset price points, but stop below what the Trek models go up to. So maybe stop at 105 for Klein.
...or since the above is total fantasy and Trek will never do something cool, they should just release some Klein frames with cool paint and charge too much, which will tick off those who want the name and not appeal to those too young or indifferent to care. If they released a large enough road frame, I would still consider it, even though its less cool than the above scenario.
I don’t know about making the KLEIN brand a “‘mid-line TREK, but with flashy paint “ kinda misses the point of the original brand.
KLEINs had the high-zoot paint because they were super-premium bikes, and built with tons of style. The kind of style and presence that would make you stop and go “What IS that?”
I compare my classic Cannondales to Ferrari (or Porsche) , then my KLEIN is a Lamborghini. It’s not as focused a performer as the ‘Dales, but the details and panache of the execution is what really puts it over the top. Here’s the BB on my 89 Pinnacle, which is one of the ‘base models’: Three internal cables, with under-the-stays U-brakes? Yeah, and the cable for the RD goes through the brake post That’s nuts.
Badging all the aluminum models as KLEINs would basically make it the Mercury to TREK’s Ford. It’s depressing; like what happened to GT and Mongoose
Last edited by Ironfish653; 11-13-22 at 08:10 PM.
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one of the guys in an off-road group I sometimes rode with in the early 90's had a Klein Adroit
that bike was almost too sweet to ride off road
that bike was almost too sweet to ride off road
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#36
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I don’t know about making the KLEIN brand a “‘mid-line TREK, but with flashy paint “ kinda misses the point of the original brand.
KLEINs had the high-zoot paint because they were super-premium bikes, and built with tons of style. The kind of style and presence that would make you stop and go “What IS that?”
I compare my classic Cannondales to Ferrari (or Porsche) , then my KLEIN is a Lamborghini. It’s not as focused a performer as the ‘Dales, but the details and panache of the execution is what really puts it over the top. Here’s the BB on my 89 Pinnacle, which is one of the ‘base models’: Three internal cables, with under-the-stays U-brakes? That’s nuts.
Badging all the aluminum models as KLEINs would basically make it the Mercury to TREK’s Ford. It’s depressing; like what happened to GT and Mongoose
KLEINs had the high-zoot paint because they were super-premium bikes, and built with tons of style. The kind of style and presence that would make you stop and go “What IS that?”
I compare my classic Cannondales to Ferrari (or Porsche) , then my KLEIN is a Lamborghini. It’s not as focused a performer as the ‘Dales, but the details and panache of the execution is what really puts it over the top. Here’s the BB on my 89 Pinnacle, which is one of the ‘base models’: Three internal cables, with under-the-stays U-brakes? That’s nuts.
Badging all the aluminum models as KLEINs would basically make it the Mercury to TREK’s Ford. It’s depressing; like what happened to GT and Mongoose
Point is, aluminum isnt coming back as a high volume race material or as a material on a bike to stretch and try to attain.
Yes, Klein was a quality brand 3 decades ago. 3 decades. Trek bought the brand in the mid90s and 10 years later killed it in the US. So as it stands, Klein as a brand is gone. I just thought itd be cool to have the brand around still on what it was known for- aluminum frames.
Trek sells the Emonda ALR, Checkpoint ALR, and Boone as frames- if they were rebranded as Klein, yeah I would think thats cooler. I would even give a second glance at them for the price Trek wants.
If Trek released a limited edition of Klein road bikes with DA and Ultegra, sure I bet they would sell. But thats a limited release and there are enough deep pockets for that to work. I just think it would be neat to have the brand back with aluminum frames, easy serviceability, and cool fade paint. Domane 2, 3, 4, and 5 bikes with Klein logo and paint? Yeah thatd be cool. An Emonda ALR 5 300 series tubing with Klein logo and paint? Thatd almost actually motivate me to purchase a new bike, and one owned by Trek even.
Perhaps its better to be Mercury to Trek's Ford than it is to be simply killed off and never seen again.
Or perhaps its better to burn out than fade away in the minds of consumers.
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As I side note, one of the reasons I enjoy Bike Fourms is the company. Your acronym deciphering really made my night.
Last edited by Writenride; 11-13-22 at 09:25 PM.
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I can't think of a more important resource on cycling history, engineering, and fun on a website than Sheldon Brown's. It would be a great tribute if there was an honorary cobblestone etched with his name on the route between Paris and Roubaix.
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The frame technology that made KLEIN and Cannondale so groundbreaking in the 80's is commonplace now; and the radical designs that made KLEIN distinctive were passed over by evolution or dialed back by corporate ownership, so it's harder to support the premium nature of a boutique brand like that.
Maybe if they'd brought it in as part of the Project One custom program, but it would still just be a TREK with fancy paintwork.
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Badging all the aluminum models as KLEINs would basically make it the Mercury to TREK’s Ford. It’s depressing; like what happened to GT and Mongoose
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What's weird there is nothing on the internet about him since 2019 where he was at a BMX boothcat the big bicycle manufacture show in Vegas, after that nothing, which i find odd if he were still alive, there would be some sort of news on him, but there is absolutely nothing that I could find since 2019; even Wiki has nothing on him, and no reports of his death either. Not sure how someone of his stature in cycling history could disappear off the internet unless he died and it went largely unknown.
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Some people know how to retire, and some just can't let go. Gary is the former type.
Exactly - Kleins were a luxury brand because they were high quality frames with unique features including fancy paint jobs. Trek bought them either hoping they would stay that way or that Trek would incorporate those features into their own products. A Project One Trek Klein-clone could still be pretty cool, but they wouldn't make enough sales to make it worthwhile. The die-hard Klein fans kind of hate Trek, and their opinions matter to the other Klein fans.
Exactly - Kleins were a luxury brand because they were high quality frames with unique features including fancy paint jobs. Trek bought them either hoping they would stay that way or that Trek would incorporate those features into their own products. A Project One Trek Klein-clone could still be pretty cool, but they wouldn't make enough sales to make it worthwhile. The die-hard Klein fans kind of hate Trek, and their opinions matter to the other Klein fans.
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This. Plus, "disappearing" from the Internet says nothing about what happens to any actual person, regardless of that person's stature. Take any randomly-selected elected official (whose role in everyday life is, arguably, more important than that of one athlete) who bowed out of public life 3-4 years ago. For most of them, the online trail is cold. The Internet is not the real world, despite what today's spyware... er... "social media" providers want us to think.
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I was searching for something and came across this thread. This is Kirsten, Gary's wife. I can assure you he is alive and well. His main passion right now, and for the past several years, is helping the local schools and high schools with robotics. He participates in FIRST and travels to Houston and Detroit to help out in the machine shop at the national competitions.
If anyone has questions for him you are welcome to email him at garyklein99@gmail.com
Kirsten Klein
If anyone has questions for him you are welcome to email him at garyklein99@gmail.com
Kirsten Klein
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I was searching for something and came across this thread. This is Kirsten, Gary's wife. I can assure you he is alive and well. His main passion right now, and for the past several years, is helping the local schools and high schools with robotics. He participates in FIRST and travels to Houston and Detroit to help out in the machine shop at the national competitions.
If anyone has questions for him you are welcome to email him at garyklein99@gmail.com
Kirsten Klein
If anyone has questions for him you are welcome to email him at garyklein99@gmail.com
Kirsten Klein
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I was searching for something and came across this thread. This is Kirsten, Gary's wife. I can assure you he is alive and well. His main passion right now, and for the past several years, is helping the local schools and high schools with robotics. He participates in FIRST and travels to Houston and Detroit to help out in the machine shop at the national competitions.
If anyone has questions for him you are welcome to email him at garyklein99@gmail.com
Kirsten Klein
If anyone has questions for him you are welcome to email him at garyklein99@gmail.com
Kirsten Klein
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1987 Crest Cannondale, 1987 Basso Gap, 1992 Rossin Performance EL, 1990ish Van Tuyl, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 2003 Pinarello Surprise, 1990ish MBK Atlantique, 1987 Peugeot Competition, 1987 Nishiki Tri-A, 1981 Faggin, 1996 Cannondale M500, 1984 Mercian, 1982 AD SuperLeicht, 1985 Massi (model unknown), 1988 Daccordi Griffe , 1989 Fauxsin MTB, 1981 Ciocc Mockba, 1992 Bianchi Giro, 1977 Colnago Super
#48
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I was searching for something and came across this thread. This is Kirsten, Gary's wife. I can assure you he is alive and well. His main passion right now, and for the past several years, is helping the local schools and high schools with robotics. He participates in FIRST and travels to Houston and Detroit to help out in the machine shop at the national competitions.
If anyone has questions for him you are welcome to email him at garyklein99@gmail.com
Kirsten Klein
If anyone has questions for him you are welcome to email him at garyklein99@gmail.com
Kirsten Klein
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I was searching for something and came across this thread. This is Kirsten, Gary's wife. I can assure you he is alive and well. His main passion right now, and for the past several years, is helping the local schools and high schools with robotics. He participates in FIRST and travels to Houston and Detroit to help out in the machine shop at the national competitions.
If anyone has questions for him you are welcome to email him at garyklein99@gmail.com
Kirsten Klein
If anyone has questions for him you are welcome to email him at garyklein99@gmail.com
Kirsten Klein