1997 Klein Pulse Comp

mattbrown

Retrobike Rider
Kona Fan
GT Fan
Feedback
View
I had bought one of these new in 1997 because i needed a work horse as previously I had a 16" Kona Lava Dome (I'm about 5.11 btw), and had tricked it out but needed something that fitted better and to get me to and from work as i couldn't drive and wasn't in a rush to learn either.

How I ended up deciding a Pulse Comp was the bike for me, was because i wanted a aluminium frame, top tube cable routing, replaceable dropout (I know this doesn't have one) and if possible the new V brakes. Seeing a Klein for £599.99 I couldn't resist so I saved up (thank you student grant) and purchased one. I spent about 3 years riding it, and ever so slowly replacing the worn out parts (it was slowly compared to how quickly I tricked out the previous Kona), but I eventually moved to the city and need to cycle as a mode of transport died out as being a lad came first, and I could walk to the various workplaces instead.

So it got broken down in to parts and stored for a about 6 years (3 years riding and 6 years in pieces). i had bought a new pair of tires, and a new flite seat with the intention of rebuilding it, but by the time I came to look at rebuilding it, i thought it was now too old and a new bike was what I needed, so i sold the parts on including the frame etc. Oh boy was I wrong, I had purchased a 2006 Cannondale thinking this was what I needed, but I didn't really liked how it rode. Then about 6 months after selling the Klein frame, I discovered Retrobike and my passion for nineties bikes was reignited.

So I kept a look out for 1997 Pulse Comp, and thought I'd found one in 2010, but it turned out to be a 1998 version after I went to pick it up. Other things took over my life so looking for a 1997 Pulse took a bit of a back seat, and then a few weeks back one came up at a distance that wasn't too far away and i made sure I was going to win it.

So now a proud owner, but what was I to do with it. I have a few good parts lying around that I've collected over the years, but I wasn't happy tricking it out as I felt I needed to restore it to how i had it shortly before I broke it up. And so this is pretty much what you see - I still had the original 1998 Marzocchi Z3 forks (failed to sell them on here a while back) and also the original Magura brakes. i just needed to buy the period correct cranks, find an original seat (thank you FMJ), and replace the stem with a lower rise one (as i did bitd after I fitted the forks). I also replaced the front mech with M751 1997 XT front mech bitd, in conventional version (as the original Alivio one had worn after 6 months of use and I trusted conventional version more back then).

This was the first bike I fitted spd's to so the correct models were also sort. I've also sourced the grips i fitted bitd as well (I have bought blue and black ones as I cant remember what colour I had fitted back then).

I remember trying to source a suitable seat quick release back then, but the 36.4mm size collar with a quick release didn't exist, so I had drilled the original one then fitted an X-lite seat q/r. When I had picked up the 1998 Pulse Comp I was able to buy the correct size made by Hope that's been fitted in stead.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20160326_174525 (Medium).jpg
    IMG_20160326_174525 (Medium).jpg
    296 KB · Views: 1,210
  • IMG_20160326_174542 (Medium).jpg
    IMG_20160326_174542 (Medium).jpg
    280.5 KB · Views: 1,204
Re:

I have a 96. No, its not one of the really desirable Kleins. But I like how it rides, and that's what is important!

21994518722_477ca36b77_c.jpg
 

Latest posts

Back
Top