Description
The suspension was designed by Paul Turner, the founder of Rock Shox. Gary Klein lent his signature aluminum tubes and deep sparkly paint to the project. Bicycle behemoth Trek, enjoying the publicity surrounding Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France dominance, made everything come together.
The Klein Palomino featured Paul Turner’s Monolink design. The idea was to get rid of the standard four bar linkage found in most suspension designs without resorting to the old unified rear triangle design. Klein’s big aluminum tubes mated with the rear linkage perfectly, providing wide and stable mounting points for the long Fox shock unit. Trek marketed the bike as a full suspension bike for people (roadies) who didn’t like the looks or added weight of a full suspension design.
The Palomino was not much of a success given the horsepower driving it. Mountain bikers were probably more interested in industrial-looking designs. Klein paint jobs were too pretty to get dirty. Trek, a midwestern company, lacked a bit of credibility for the “mountain” part of mountain biking. Without a suspension lockout, the bike would give up a bit of rider power on uphill trail sections, and the forward ‘90’s style cockpit position lacked some of the high-speed stability mountain bikers were looking for when tackling knarly downhills.
- Frame: Klein Gradient ZR9000 alloy, Ding on non-drive seatstay (See Pictures). The drive-side chainstay had a good scrape.
- Rear Shock: Fox Coil in Oil with Air Assist and Rebound Adjust (holds air)
- Front Fork: RockShox Duke SL 100mm (hold air)
- BB shell: 73mm
- Headset: 1 1/8
- Seat Post size: Bontrager Race, 31.6mm diameter
A little about the seller: I’ve been in the cycling industry for more than 30 years (I know, that makes me old!). I’ve been a professional bicycle mechanic for most of those years, including working locally at Lee’s Cyclery before they became Trek Stores. Now I work from home as a Customer Success Manager for a software team. But I still love fixing up and working on bikes, and riding them too! Purchase from me with peace of mind. Not only can you trust my years of experience, but I will also fit you for the bike and provide any mechanical insight at the time of purchase. No warranties or refunds are provided. The bikes are sold as-is.
Shipping information: I ship UPS Ground and the bike is disassembled. I do have a video to help in putting back together. Usually, it’s the Bars, Front Wheel, Pedals, and Seatpost that need to be put back on. I try to keep it simple. It will be packed very well, but if you see any damage to the box or bike keep the box and packing material plus, take pictures. I do insure all bikes that are shipped and require a signature. In addition, if shipped out of Colorado, there is no Sales Tax. Colorado customers, try to buy Local. Info below:
For Local Purchases Only:
If you’re local to Loveland, Colorado, it is highly recommended to come to check it out in person. A professional fitting is included with each bike sold to ensure you have the right size bike and it fits you. All bike showings are by appointment only, so feel free to grab some time off of my calendar.
Purchase from me with peace of mind. Not only can you trust my years of experience, but I will also fit you for the bike and provide any mechanical insight at the time of purchase. The bikes are sold as-is. No warranties or refunds, provided. But it INCLUDES follow-up minor adjustments and fitting if needed within the first 30 days.
