Any experience with the Klein Mantra bike?

gassy · 06-14-2009, 02:56 PM

Long story short my sis gave this to me this weekend. It's a '99 she got through work a few years ago. Never ridden. I've done a lot of reading about them this weekend and they seem to get pretty good write-ups. The dual shock is gonna take some getting used to but overall I love it. Any experience with these?

gassy · 06-14-2009, 02:58 PM

Klein was bought by Trek in 96 but I think this frame was still to Klien standards--I've read that after that they changed them. Parts are going to be harder to get now too.

jhc · 06-14-2009, 03:05 PM

There's probably a good reason why that frame geometry is not made anymore. I know that you cannot retrofit some of the older kleins to disc brakes. Having said that, that bike looks like a lot of fun, go out and ride.

Dave L · 06-14-2009, 04:13 PM

If you are looking to enter mtb competitions I know that there will be better bikes. If your intent is to get it out in the dirt and have a nice ride its just the ticket. I ride an out of date Klein Attitude and I love it.

JavaBrewer · JavaBrewer's Garage

Dual suspension bikes just get better each year. Older bike are hard to maintain as newer parts may not fit. If you like it, like the ride, and it's a STEAL then great. Otherwise if you're looking for a "good" dual suspension MTB then look contemporary. FWIW, I was an early adopter to dual suspension. I ended up hating the bike ('90s GT LTS) and now ride a hard tail.

HardDrive · 06-14-2009, 10:01 PM

I have always viewed Klein bikes as top shelf, but that geometry looks like it would 'pogo' like crazy.

gtc · gtc's Garage

I don't think parts availability would be an issue. The shock is a common size and the pivot bearings should be easy to find at a bearing shop, if they ever fail.
I was never a fan of unified rear triangle designs, but the klein was one of the better XC designs of the time. My big beef with them was the spongy rear brakes due to the really long seat stays.

Jagshund · 06-22-2009, 03:31 PM

I believe it was voted one of the worst bikes ever by multiple sources when it came out and in years since. A local bike shop I considered purchasing had one one their ceiling that had been there for years. There's nothing wrong with the craftsmanship (I tend to ride Kleins because of that) but the ride quality was horrible. This is all secondhand info, though, as I've never ridden one but did see the ratings.