Friday, November 4, 2011

1994 Klein Adept

Here is another very interesting Klein, the Adept.  Effectively Klein combined some of the best pieces of their other bikes with a 700c wheelset and made an excellent touring bike (an early 29er if you will).


The Adept uses the same oversize headset, Mission Control bar/stem and sealed bottom bracket and most of the tubing from the Attitude model.  The oversize 2" downtube is borrowed from the Adroit, while the dropouts are from the Pinnacle.  Combined with a customized uniklein fork that accommodates 700c wheels and the result is one killer touring bike.




The Adept was only available in 1993 and 1994, and this specific example is from 1994.  The color is Candy Apple Red and it's simply amazing, almost looks like it's dripping off the bike.  The paint has a richness and depth unlike any other.  A quick ride to work and back (even though this bike is waaay too small for me) leaves me with a wonderful impression of the long term touring capabilities of this frame.  The Shimano 700cx (equivalent of 600 Ultegra) components are simple and easy to use but not all that sexy.


Unlike other XS Attitudes and Adroits that use a full wrap around cable guide for the rear brakes the Adept only has a tiny little tube to provide the same cable routing.

It seems as thought the Adept is a commonly overlooked and really misunderstood bike (if a bike can be misunderstood) in the Klein line up, but I for one would welcome a larger one into my stable as a daily commuter.

4 comments:

  1. On the klein adepts,gary started production in the fall of 1991,for 1992 line up of klein adept,the XTR adept came in candy blue.Klein adepts were made for 1992,1993,1994 for the States,and1995 was the last year for the european market.As you can see for yourself,by looking up the 1992 Klein catolog,the adepts were for sale,take care Dave

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  2. I did forget about 1992, you're right. I would argue however, that just because something was in a catalog doesn't mean it was for sale...

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  3. They were for sale,I ordered my 1992 Adept in the fall of 1991,and picked it up in May 1992,and I still have it.If one advertises a product in their catalog,and its not for sale,your business will not survive.Gary made the best bicycles,and they are still the best.

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    1. Case in point, do you see any Klein bikes sold today??? In 93 Klein advertised the Smart bar suspension system that was never released, in 94 they advertised the zip grip system on Adroit/Attitude which was never released, a few Pulses made it out but were all recalled. Not to mention a bunch of tires and rims that were featured in the catalogs but never sold...

      Anyway you're right about the Adept being available in 92, I simply forgot.

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