What do you do when someone is selling a beat up 1996 Klein Quantum II frameset for $100? You buy it for $80.

After over 3 years riding a 6KU Hi-ten steel frameset (this was prior to my wabi), I decided enough was enough: I needed something new.

When I saw this frame on facebook marketplace, I was instantly sold. You just don’t see paint schemes like this anymore – not to mention aluminum construction and a horizontal top tube. This bike was begging for a new life.

Of course, this build did not come easy.

Track Dropouts

The first battle – This bike does not have horizontal dropouts…

In other Klein builds, fancy eccentric axle body hubs like the white industry’s ENO are used to maintain chain tension. BORING.

Instead, I took the budget route and used a “Magic Gear” calculator to find a ratio which should work for riding. This left me with a 46x14 ratio. A little heavy, but ridable.

This method worked, but left me wanting a standard horizontal dropout. The tension was off, and being forced into a ratio isn’t fun. Not to mention the gashes I had to put on my chainring just to get the chain on/off.

Press-fit bearings…

I knew what I was signing up for when I bought this frame. Klein is well known for their press-fit bottom brackets in the 90s. They were quick to install at the factory, but a bad bearing was often a death trap for the consumer. I, however, am not the standard consumer.

When the grinding bottom bracket first started, I hoped a good cleaning + grease repack could at least hold me over until summer. So I deep cleaned, repacked, and prayed. Still clunking.

Enter: The Hydraulic Press

The benefits of a dad in aviation mechanics (apart from insane mechanical know-how) means I get access to some handy tools. This bearing was no match.

With some new bearings ordered online, the plan was to simply reuse the spindle and repress in new bearings, which should be easy: It was not.

Problem 1: Getting an even press is difficult. Even a slight offset put too much pressure on the bearings and made spinning impossible.

Problem 2: I was eyeballing the chainline. I had only gotten it “straight” by flipping my chainring to the other side of the crankarms, so any misalignments on the spindle press-in could lead to some more Aggie engineering down the line.

With some time and luck however, we were able to get the bearings in and spinning “good”.

The Final Product

Parts Breakdown

Component Part
Frame 1996 Klein Quantum II
Crankset Sugino RD2 Messenger (46t × 14t)
Wheelset H Plus Son Archetype + Gran Compe SF (24/20h)
Tires 28c Gatorskin Hardshell
Seatpost Mystery Carbon Post
Saddle EC90
Stem Mystery Quill Stem
Bars Mystery Pista Drops

Conclusion

While good looking and a fun challenge to build up, I can’t say I loved riding this bike.

The pista drops are track specific for a reason. These things are low! It turns out, I enjoy riding on the hoods more than I thought, which are basically non existent on pista drops (especially when you buy track grips for the cool factor)

Second, the lack of proper dropouts left me stuck in a stronger gear than I’d like, and made skidding difficult. Not to mention my inability to adjust tension.

And last, I did not trust this frame. Immediately after posting the build on reddit, people were quick to spot the large dents on the aluminum tubing, a big no-no. Aluminum is not very resistant to crumpling, and one dent can lead to catastrophe. I personally don’t ride my bikes very lightly, so this limited the fun I was able to have without fear of missing teeth.

By now, I’m sure you realize what inspired my more “tracklocross” style wabi special build that I’m currently riding. The Klein continues to live on as wall art, showcasing the beautiful engineering of Gary Klein in the 90s. Maybe one day it will return to the streets.

Later!