Sold Klein Adroit Gator 1992 MC1 complete frameset size 19"

That's about the age of most JMC fans ;-)
I'm a bit older so they mean nothing to me, I am Klein age though and I didn't like them back then (they were available around here and one or two had them).
Just not my sort of bike.

Still there are people with plenty of money and 4grand is nothing or have the money to splash on a hobby. It's nothing compared to some modern gravel bikes or car restorations.
As far as modern bikes go, £4K isn’t even ‘high end’. It’s more upper middle. I guess these are for collectors and they’ll appreciate in value. I’m not keen on Rolex watches but I bought one as an investment. I guess same applies here and again, £4K is a lot of money but it’s not hell of a lot for a bike. Personally I wouldn’t spend much on a bike but that’s just me. People spend thousand on cigarette cards ! Or spend £4K on Charlie and hookers
 
People did spend thousands on cigarette cards, including my father who collected for 40 years. Now they are basically worthless compaired to the prices 20 years ago.

The market has gone.....the same will happen with bikes. When nobody remembers them, or lusted after them as a kid, the price will tumble as there will be less demand.

Unless you have another 70 years to hang onto it, before you cash it in as an vintage bike.
 
I've got a couple of Kleins purely because they were the bikes that I lusted over in the early 1990's. Kind of like the girl you remembered from you never managed to get from back in the days lol.


I couldn't afford the Ultralight Gator Adroit in Evans shop window, or the Attitudes at the Earls Court Bike Show and I jumped at the chance when I could.


IMO They are not a lot of money when you compare them to some of the bikes of today. For example, I sat on a £10K Specialized S-Works Epic Hardtail the other day and there was nothing to it.


Then I went home and looked at my Kleins and thought dam what that would cost to manufacture today!!

You have to appreciate the skill that went into building those bikes and I doubt if someone could create one for less than £20K today!!

They still are the Lamborghini or Ferrari of bikes, and worthy of a place in any bike collection.
 
I've got a couple of Kleins purely because they were the bikes that I lusted over in the early 1990's. Kind of like the girl you remembered from you never managed to get from back in the days lol.


I couldn't afford the Ultralight Gator Adroit in Evans shop window, or the Attitudes at the Earls Court Bike Show and I jumped at the chance when I could.


IMO They are not a lot of money when you compare them to some of the bikes of today. For example, I sat on a £10K Specialized S-Works Epic Hardtail the other day and there was nothing to it.


Then I went home and looked at my Kleins and thought dam what that would cost to manufacture today!!

You have to appreciate the skill that went into building those bikes and I doubt if someone could create one for less than £20K today!!

They still are the Lamborghini or Ferrari of bikes, and worthy of a place in any bike collection.
I agree
People selling ugly carbon and resin bikes for £10k+
 
And these okd Klein are a work of art
They’re worth every penny as the market demands it and people want them. As regards intrinsic value - there’s far more work gone into these than modern Specialized £10k plastic Taiwanese made machines and a lot more satisfying to own
 
I agree
People selling ugly carbon and resin bikes for £10k+

This is why Trek will never re-start production because its far easier for them to knock out carbon bikes from Taiwan for maximum profit.

And there is not enough demand for brand new alloy Kleins anymore on a huge scale.

That is what is making them so valuable in todays market.
 
And these okd Klein are a work of art
They’re worth every penny as the market demands it and people want them. As regards intrinsic value - there’s far more work gone into these than modern Specialized £10k plastic Taiwanese made machines and a lot more satisfying to own

I agree too.

That Specialized I sat on was lovely but £10K for what.

Carbon S Works frame, Roval Rims, and SRAM Eagle AXS.

I like to see that some craftsman has put his time and effort into the bike for that kind of money.

A bit like buying a Mercedes AMG C63, where the engine is signed by the person that built it.

So £4000 for a pristine 1993 Adroit doesn't sound that bad.

It just depends what you want to do with it.
 
This is why Trek will never re-start production because its far easier for them to knock out carbon bikes from Taiwan for maximum profit.

And there is not enough demand for brand new alloy Kleins anymore on a huge scale.

That is what is making them so valuable in todays market.
I agree too.

That Specialized I sat on was lovely but £10K for what.

Carbon S Works frame, Roval Rims, and SRAM Eagle AXS.

I like to see that some craftsman has put his time and effort into the bike for that kind of money.

A bit like buying a Mercedes AMG C63, where the engine is signed by the person that built it.

So £4000 for a pristine 1993 Adroit doesn't sound that bad.

It just depends what you want to do with it.
Yes. Understandably some people get put off by £4K for what’s ultimately a bicycle. But some people get put off by £k’s for a luxury watch, Leica 35mm camera, a saville row tailor made suit, bench grade shoes etc etc. We can have a nice talk about what constitutes ‘value’ and ‘worth’. I for one wouldn’t pay a quarter of that amount for a modern top end carbon bike - I just don’t think they’re worth that unless I was involved in competition and sponsorship and needed the right equipment to win.
 
It is a bit like the classic cars versus modern cars discussion. Aficionado versus practical daily use. Yes you can do the supermarket run with both but a modern car is much easier. There is no versus in this discussion I think.

My mountainbike collection includes models from the early nineties, noughties and modern bikes today. Funnily enough, nowadays I ride more than I ever did and that’s because of the very cool bikes they produce now. It is amazing how much abuse a modern day bike can handle. I love the modern hardtail I have as it is so quick and handles like a BMX. I love my carbon Stumpjumper Evo because it gets me everywhere I want to go.

As a result, I ride my retrobikes less and less and I’m slowly converting them in pieces of art that I admire. I’d love to own an original paint Adroit or Attitude but I haven’t found one I thought was worth the asking price. If I get one, it will hang on the wall and sees daylight maybe once a year.
 
It is a bit like the classic cars versus modern cars discussion. Aficionado versus practical daily use. Yes you can do the supermarket run with both but a modern car is much easier. There is no versus in this discussion I think.

My mountainbike collection includes models from the early nineties, noughties and modern bikes today. Funnily enough, nowadays I ride more than I ever did and that’s because of the very cool bikes they produce now. It is amazing how much abuse a modern day bike can handle. I love the modern hardtail I have as it is so quick and handles like a BMX. I love my carbon Stumpjumper Evo because it gets me everywhere I want to go.

As a result, I ride my retrobikes less and less and I’m slowly converting them in pieces of art that I admire. I’d love to own an original paint Adroit or Attitude but I haven’t found one I thought was worth the asking price. If I get one, it will hang on the wall and sees daylight maybe once a year.

And you probably never will because I don't think Klein put a lot of thought into the longevity of the paint work.

They built the bikes to hit the trails and most of them would have seen a fair amount of use.

I would never have taken my Nike Air Jordans out of the box if I knew that they would have been worth big money later in life and I regret throwing them in the bin.

There are not many good examples of Kleins around and there is nothing wrong with a repaint providing it is a good one.

I would rather have a decent re-painted bike than one with a damaged and/or faded one.
 
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