Klein vs. Trek

Those suck. Unfortunately, they're becoming more prevalent. However, you
should be able to get a retrofit kit, to install a standard headset.

Well, this summer, we did get problems with Elisabeth´s headset in Frisco.
http://w1.185.telia.com/~u18515267/Coloradoeast2.jpg

Although there are some pretty good bike shops in Colorado we were told that
it would be at least a week for them to get the necessary bearing and tools
from Klein. As the darn bike was getting dangerous we phoned Titus who had
an xs Riddler in stock and could overnight it to Salida where we could pick
it up at Absolutebikes the next day. Absolute helped us move everything that
could be salvaged over to the Riddler. She opted for a CK headset for it.
The Kleins may be sexy with idiocsyncratic solutions but it can surely cost
a lot. We had the choice between not biking for week on our cycle holiday,
or buying a new frame, fork, front deraileur, headset, stem, and saddlepost.
We did the latter http://w1.185.telia.com/~u18515267/Raiderridge1.JPG

With regard to retrofiting, there are adapters. They are made by a German
precision manufacturer, Reset Racing http://www.reset-racing.com/ they have
several sets for Kleins http://www.reset-racing.de/reset/reset2.htm
http://www.reset-racing.de/reset/reset2a.htm. Seems to be a fairly
complicated operation, one for which you need a mechanic with plenty of
experience of working on Kleins. At that Reset Racing does not "accept
credit cards yet."

The Adroit is still in Salida. Absolutebikes has since fixed the headset,
got a new bearing and the special tools you need from Trek/Fisher. We are
trying to decide what to do with. Apart from the flaw it is a wonderfully
handling frame.

Per
http://user.tninet.se/~ipg289h/fu99/MTB.html

My wife is 5'-11" and has a 34" inseam, and was told that she needs a 60cm
bike. The WSF models are all too small for her, and thus she's confined
to
the men's models. I guess my question is a difficult one to answer, since
both bikes are targeted to the same market.

I'm exactly the same size as your wife and ride a Trek 5500 size 58 with a
120mm stem. Suits me very well indeed.
Hjalmar

"Per Löwdin" wrote in message
...

Those suck. Unfortunately, they're becoming more prevalent. However, you
should be able to get a retrofit kit, to install a standard headset.

Well, this summer, we did get problems with Elisabeth´s headset in Frisco.
http://w1.185.telia.com/~u18515267/Coloradoeast2.jpg

Although there are some pretty good bike shops in Colorado we were told that
it would be at least a week for them to get the necessary bearing and tools
from Klein. As the darn bike was getting dangerous we phoned Titus who had
an xs Riddler in stock and could overnight it to Salida where we could pick
it up at Absolutebikes the next day. Absolute helped us move everything that
could be salvaged over to the Riddler. She opted for a CK headset for it.
The Kleins may be sexy with idiocsyncratic solutions but it can surely cost
a lot. We had the choice between not biking for week on our cycle holiday,
or buying a new frame, fork, front deraileur, headset, stem, and saddlepost.
We did the latter http://w1.185.telia.com/~u18515267/Raiderridge1.JPG

A lot of people, especially those working at bike manufacturers, seem to forget
that this kind of service is very important. It's what we *should* be getting
when we buy multi-thousand-dollar bicycles, especially from major brands that
supposedly have dealers and service everywhere. We only have so much vacation
time, we have to plan our trips ahead and spend a lot of money ahead of time --
only to have it all ruined by some flaky jackass who can't/won't find a part in
his messy warehouse, and doesn't know what Fedex is.

Kudos to Absolute Bikes for pulling it all together for you. We should all be
so lucky to have a shop like that nearby.

Frankly, I'd send Klein the bill -- just to make the point, if nothing else.

With regard to retrofiting, there are adapters. They are made by a German
precision manufacturer, Reset Racing http://www.reset-racing.com/ they have
several sets for Kleins http://www.reset-racing.de/reset/reset2.htm
http://www.reset-racing.de/reset/reset2a.htm. Seems to be a fairly
complicated operation, one for which you need a mechanic with plenty of
experience of working on Kleins.

Any good machine shop should be able to do this, but unless you're plugged into
the machine shop scene, those are harder to find than good bike shops. And it's
likely to cost some bucks...

At that Reset Racing does not "accept
credit cards yet."

See? Flaky...

Interesting that these appear in Germany -- where it rains an awful lot, and
Klein service is across an ocean.

The Adroit is still in Salida. Absolutebikes has since fixed the headset,
got a new bearing and the special tools you need from Trek/Fisher. We are
trying to decide what to do with. Apart from the flaw it is a wonderfully
handling frame.

If the paint is still in nice shape, it'll sell for a good price on eBay --
especially since it's been upgraded with a real headset.

Matt O.