MY 'GO TO' RIDE AKA - THE MILLENNIUM FALCON (Fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy)
So I like a mint bike.... any mint or NOS component is cherished and either not ridden or ridden on a gentle ride under certain conditions. For an object that is designed to be ridden, this is plainly not right, but I just can't help myself.
A neat condition Klein with perfect kit is 'it' for me, but while I appreciate form, function and a pretty paint job, I can't ignore that they are also a decent riding machine, so I decided to find a decent (but not perfect) condition MC1 Attitude that would satisfy this need while my other bikes can tick the NOS or sunny day only requirements.
While searching for that perfect combo of 'not too mint, that I won't ride it, but not too beat that it will need a respray' I managed to go one better than an MC1 Attitude. Through being in the right place at the right time, help from a forum member or two, I found this XL MC1 Adroit Backfire. Initially I dismissed it as being too gate like. However thanks to ChiswickCollectables who let me have a quick spin on his XL Attitude it seemed that an XL might actually be ok for this 6ft'er. Looking back at the early 90's brochures it also confirmed that Mr Klein aimed the XL at riders of my height. My biggest concern was both the seat post height and reach of the handlebars, so after a bit of photoshopping, further research and some comparisons to a more modern front end set up, I decided that with the combination of a shorter mc1 stem and the massive headtube height, the geometry will be more comfortable than my other M size Klein. The purest's may run a mile, but for me, it is all about being able to ride the bike comfortably.
2 months later a gate of a Klein arrived at my office. It's big, but not that big. It's bloody light. The paint colour is decent with no fade. It has some nasty paint chips here and there, but no cracks etc - so condition wise, I am not scared to ride this come rain or shine, off road or on road. It currently has a 150mm stem on it, but this will get replaced with a 120 in due course, thus giving me my perfect franken-setup.
Build? Semi period correct M732 XT with a black colour twist which I think goes well with the backfire paint job. No NOS components in sight (apart from the non period correct deathgrip tyres and instinct grips), everything else has a decent patina and all the better for it.
More photos and updates to follow....
So I like a mint bike.... any mint or NOS component is cherished and either not ridden or ridden on a gentle ride under certain conditions. For an object that is designed to be ridden, this is plainly not right, but I just can't help myself.
A neat condition Klein with perfect kit is 'it' for me, but while I appreciate form, function and a pretty paint job, I can't ignore that they are also a decent riding machine, so I decided to find a decent (but not perfect) condition MC1 Attitude that would satisfy this need while my other bikes can tick the NOS or sunny day only requirements.
While searching for that perfect combo of 'not too mint, that I won't ride it, but not too beat that it will need a respray' I managed to go one better than an MC1 Attitude. Through being in the right place at the right time, help from a forum member or two, I found this XL MC1 Adroit Backfire. Initially I dismissed it as being too gate like. However thanks to ChiswickCollectables who let me have a quick spin on his XL Attitude it seemed that an XL might actually be ok for this 6ft'er. Looking back at the early 90's brochures it also confirmed that Mr Klein aimed the XL at riders of my height. My biggest concern was both the seat post height and reach of the handlebars, so after a bit of photoshopping, further research and some comparisons to a more modern front end set up, I decided that with the combination of a shorter mc1 stem and the massive headtube height, the geometry will be more comfortable than my other M size Klein. The purest's may run a mile, but for me, it is all about being able to ride the bike comfortably.
2 months later a gate of a Klein arrived at my office. It's big, but not that big. It's bloody light. The paint colour is decent with no fade. It has some nasty paint chips here and there, but no cracks etc - so condition wise, I am not scared to ride this come rain or shine, off road or on road. It currently has a 150mm stem on it, but this will get replaced with a 120 in due course, thus giving me my perfect franken-setup.
Build? Semi period correct M732 XT with a black colour twist which I think goes well with the backfire paint job. No NOS components in sight (apart from the non period correct deathgrip tyres and instinct grips), everything else has a decent patina and all the better for it.
More photos and updates to follow....
nice pics ps any klein would do me
