Klien Adept Race

If I had to sum up my Klien...ATTENTION TO DETAIL is what springs to mind.

From the awesome paint job (to which no photograph will ever do justice), to the considerable time and trouble taken over the de-bossed graphics, cable routing and perfect full penetration welds and even the Technical Handbook you get with the bike you get a real feel for Gary Kliens love of bicycles and with the Adept - I think he has done himself proud.

Constructed (or should I say, crafted?) from Kliens ZR9000 oversized aluminium tubing, the bike really is a work of art and is suitably equipped; from the LX drive-train to the Fox Float-R rear shock and the basic (but capable) Marzzochi MX Comp front forks and with the stopping power supplied by a set of Hope Mini's plus a splash of carbon fibre goodies for good measure, you get a lot of bike for your money. Although so you should for £1500-00.

I don't want to bore you with pages of Geometry but Klien have a real understanding of the subject and have produced what is a fast steering, rigid and responsive frame which is extremely strong and, thanks to Kliens pioneering Gradient tubing - extremely light.

The Adept truly is a joy to ride and soaks up whatever I throw at it. With 'hard-tail' feel courtesy of the Klien 'K-Link' system and bear vertical axle path which allows the rear wheel to move over the small stuff with a minimal in change of geometry. The Adepts slightly falling shock compressive rate which combines with the progressive nature of the Fox rear air shock to yield a more linear suspension. This means you can use all off the 75mm suspension travel when it's needed yet the bike feels firm under normal pedalling.

In brief, it's a great bike. Yes I've seen cheaper bikes with similar or even better equipment and yes there are better bikes but owning a Klien gives you something extra. The build quality, the looks, the attention to detail - this all counts towards making a good bike a great bike.

Park it up next to a load of other bikes and it'll be the Klien people are drawn to. If you don't want to be parting with some serious cash then look out for second hand models for around £500-00 and bag yourself a bargain!