Bicyclists - what did I buy?

I was at an auction bidding on some stuff. Saw this bike.
Klein Adept Comp

Havent ridden a bike in decades, but thought (and therein lies the problem)
“Gee that looks like fun”
So I put in what I though was a low bid figuring it would get taken by someone else.
Well, it’s mine now (If you don’t think too good, Don’t think too much).
I have got to stop doing this kind of thing – luckily the other stuff went beyond my budget…

I know nothing about it.
What’s It?
If I deciede it’s not as much fun as I thought,
What should I try to sell it for?
Thanks,
All the Best,
Jeff

I've heard that Klein is a good bike company, but I don't know bikes that well.

Check out Bikepedia. Klein Adept Comp

Thanks,
Looks like I bought a 20 year old bike!
Didn’t look like it was banged up all that much.
I get to pick it up Monday.
Like I said, I have no actual knowledge of anything bike related.

Other than - If I try to buy some bike shorts, I’m told people in my weight class need to file an environmental impact statement. - before appearing in public.
All the Best,
Jeff

Klein is a very good frame. I rode the quantum road bike for years. A little old but still a good frame

klein made the very best bikes
i have 2 of their road bikes, one was $4000 new (only 475 18 years later)

anyway,
selling, at least 900
bikes are up now

but i would ride it

one huge feature i see that many other bikes do not have - sUPER lOW gEARS

if you are out of shape, hills are still a breeze

you can get cheap street tires for it, slicks, easier on the road

wle

Thanks all,
I paid $425 for it. Forgot to add that in the OP.
Hopefully it will check out OK after I get it home.
I noticed what I assumed to be super low gears.
Just perfect for out here where there may be 50Ft of elevation change over the whole town!
Good tip about the road tires. I’ll look into that.
The ones on the bike were flat - I assume from lack of use (I hope). Looked like it’s been sitting a while.

I watched the mountain bike races in the Olympics.
Geez-Louise are those people fit!
All the Best,
Jeff

First, is it the correct size for you? It’s very frustrating trying to buy a used bike from someone who doesn’t even know that frames come in different sizes, but that’s how I know a lot of people think the only size a bike has is the wheel size. If this one doesn’t fit you, get rid of it.

That’s a pretty hard-core mountain bike. At that age, you might want to have a mechanic look it over before you get too far from home with it.

I don’t know about rear shocks, but Answer products doesn’t supply parts for some of their forks just a little older than that one. That fork is probably a coil spring with oil damping. Oil rebound dampers require regular service, and the seals don’t last long, even in storage.

Looks like you can still get parts for the rear shock, and those seals will probably need replacing, also.

Klein made good frames, and this one came from the factory with good components. But it looks like this one has Grip Shift shifters. That’s a very controversial subject, but I hate them. Since the photo isn’t the component side, I can’t tell if they swapped anything else out.

The original target audience for this bike was mountain bikers with an emphasis on fast, technical downhill. Even if you’re not in that group, if you can get it in good running order without too much expense, it’s still a much better bike for almost anything than any department store bike.

How much you can sell it for will be highly dependent on the modifications made to it, and the condition. Check the Blue Book, but if it’s in “Very Good” shape, you might get $300 if you’re lucky.

you may be able to ‘lockout’ the shocks, if so you don;t have to worry about replacing the oily or rubbery parts

will also be faster on any surface

99% of the time shocks are unnecessary and just soak up energy

i’d lock em out anyway

disagree about a selling price, $700 at least

flat tires are to be expected, air usually comes out in a couple months even if there are no actual holes

super low gears may lower the effort to climb hills, but you better have cardio to spin those cranks

Maybe try a couple of stunts out before it sells?

If the pandemic shortages are still going strong, the blue book could be low.

Dude those Kleins are collectible. Good score!

Something no one has mentioned is that the bike uses 26in wheels and cantilever brakes. The industry standards changed years ago to what they call 29in wheels and disc brakes. I’m afraid most avid bikers would not be interested in this bike as it would be considered obsolete by most. From what I understand quality 26in tires and tubes are getting hard to find. If you keep it that shouldn’t matter as unless you ride it often or long distances a set of tire will probably last years.

If you decide to sell I’d initially ask around $500. Klein’s haven’t been made since 2009 but still have a small following and you might get a guy who’d buy it out of nostalgia.

A collector wouldn’t be interested in this bike for several reasons.

100%
Nice bike, but its a Trek klein. the collectible stuff is from Chehalis (pre-klein), and then only certain frames and premium paint jobs

I still mountain bike often and have a 29" wheel hard tail/ crows country Felt 960 with about $1800 in parts on it.

the industry standard WAS 29" when I bought mine in 2017, it's much more of a standard to have a 27.5" bike now, although 29" is still,popular. 26" is still very popular too with the downhill and stunt community of mountain bikers. I still have a 20year old jamis 26"bike.


OP-

id keep the KLein, they made great bikes. Your parts are outdated but the frame isn't. Biggest things to try and update are drivetrain and BRAKES. especially BRAKES.

have fun on it and if you like it, ride it! Upgrade parts (if you can) as hints BRAKE. The bicycle community is fill with a bunch of snobs like any community. People will always disagree, but just like here. If you enjoy your $20 Convoy triple, don't throw it out for a d4v2 lol..

Thanks again all.
Looks like I have me some learning to do to see if it’s in ride-able shape. I have a buddy who is an ex-racer. If I can convince him to leave his hiddy-hole down in Alpine. To take a look at it.
There is a really nice bike shop here in town but I want to put as little extra money into this as possible until I figure out if starting to ride again after all these years is in the cards for me.

It does have grip shifters. And I believe all the gear is OEM.
I’ll know more after I get it home tomorrow.
I should have asked this before I put in my bid. But the moment overcame me.
Always nice to find such knowledgeable and helpful folks at the BLF.

A further question. It has the little clippie looking pedals that obviously are made for specialty bike shoes.
I’ll need to change those out to something that works with normal street shoes.
Trying to stay on the cheap side.
Recommendations?

All the Best,
Jeff

I have a pair of these on my hybrid, use them as a guide, there are cheaper options. Pedals One thing I can stress to you is sizing the bike. You haven’t said what size the bike is, nor what size you are. If you and the bike aren’t a fit don’t drop a penny on it, flip it and move on.

I’m kinda large 6’3”, 33” inseam.
Don’t know what size the bike is.
I didn’t even think about fit until after I pressed the button. Actually I apparently didn’t think all that much……
Frame size is measured from the crank axle center to the top of the seat tube (I believe).

About what size would be correct in a Mtn. Bike frame?
Thanks,
Jeff

In a road bike probably a 60cm, and XL in a mountain bike. You MIGHT fit on a 58cm/L.