Gary Klein and Rishi Grewal put on a great show at our Los Altos store on March 24th!  Rishi was an unexpected treasure, as his stories about racing, training and bike setup were interesting to all.   And of course Gary Klein didn't disappoint either! "That was great last night!  I still can't believe I told my wife to find a date for the Sharks game (they lost against the Kings) and drove up 280 in the rain to meet the "daddy" of my Mantra.  My only regret was not bringing my bike up to get Gary to sign the frame, as some others did.  The Q&A session was excellent and I learned even more about my Mantra.  After listening to Gary and getting some "1 on 1" time with him, I'm really happy I bought a Klein. KM""That was great last night!  I still can't believe I told my wife to find a date for the Sharks game (they lost against the Kings) and drove up 280 in the rain to meet the "daddy" of my Mantra.  My only regret was not bringing my bike up to get Gary to sign the frame, as some others did.  The Q&A session was excellent and I learned even more about my Mantra.  After listening to Gary and getting some "1 on 1" time with him, I'm really happy I bought a Klein. KM" You're right, you should have been there!

WHAT MAKES KLEIN SO SPECIAL?

So what's the scoop with Kleins? Sure, they're the most beautiful bikes in the world to look at, with many models featuring their own special "debossed" graphics, "fileless" smooth welds, specially-manipulated tubing (called "power" and "gradient") that makes these the most perfect machines ever built in terms of delivering power to the real wheel and precise control to the front...

Heck, I'm on a roll here. Did you know that the Attitude, Adroit, Quantum Race, Quantum Pro, Mantra and Mantra Pro frames are welded using a special patented process at low temperature (my rep says "freezing")? Apparently this imparts something magical to the ride, and hey, who am I to argue? This guy know his stuff!

But wait, there's more (I'm a very fast typist, so this should be no surprise). Did you know that the Kleins mentioned above have welds that are not filed? I challenge anybody to look at one and believe that...you won't, but it's the truth! The closest thing that ever touches one is some mildly abrasive cloth, applied by hand. Hey, we used to sell Cannondales (the poor-man's Klein? NOT!), and file marks are everywhere! Now, ultimately, does this really matter? Well, if you're buying a $2000 bike with super-thin tubes, we think so, for two reasons. First, filing can leave nicks & gouges that definitely threaten a frame's life (and you'll notice you don't see any warning labels about such on a Klein). Second...what's more aesthetically pleasing...something done with a special process creating a smooth weld when it's made, or a bike whose welds are smoothed out by some guy with a miniature belt grinder (called a dyne file)?

Even the least-expensive Kleins feature tubing and technology found nowhere else, including "gradient" tubing which begins its life as Aerospace-grade 6061-T6 aluminum, inspected every single foot for imperfections (bicycle industry standard is every 6 feet), and specially formed, tapered and manipulated into something very special...your new bike frame! Check it out...look at the chainstays of any Klein and the differences will be obvious. Look at the headtube/downtube junction, and the manner in which they've created a special shape for the downtube to ensure a better joint.

The differences are everywhere...you can see them, and better yet, you can feel them when you ride. And today, you can buy a superior Klein aluminum bike for pretty much the same price as the inferior wannabes!