Filed under: General
I first rode the Klein Palomino when Trek came down to Rock Cut for a demo day early in 2005. I had purchased a Klein Attitude only the season before, so I admit, I held a bit of brand loyalty. I loved the art of the Klein frames. The gradient paint job, the smooth welds, the internal cables. It is so pretty. But I wanted a dual suspension mountain bike.
Trek had their full line of mtb brands there to try that day. I rode the Trek Fuel and the Fisher Cake. But that Maverick monolink shock on the Palomino was so radically different than other dualies I had tried. It was like riding on air. And I found out that the 2005 Palomino would also include the Maverick fork. Cool!
I ordered mine in early 2005. It finally arrived in April. So sweet. The inverted stansions on that Maverick fork get a lot of looks and the monolink smooths out the trail. I hate to admit it, but the hardtail spent the rest of the year up on the rack in the garage.
The 2006 Klein catalog came out late last summer, but the Palomino was missing. It looks like the short run of the Klein Palomino is over. Why did Trek, which owns the brand, pull the plug on this fantastic bike?
There’s been no official word from Trek, which purchased Klein in 2002. Financial woes? Changing times? Here is a post with some background on the decline of Klein. http://no.oneslistening.com/193
The days of the Klein mountain bike are over, and one can only hope that their road bike division keeps the tradition alive. With Trek at the helm, however, the future of Klein may be a foregone conclusion.
Are patent disputes and lawsuits the reason for the Palomino’s disappearance? Read more about that at BikeMag. Scroll a bit on the page to get to the part about Maverick History.
Had I known the Palomino would be discontinued, would I have purchased a Fuel or Cake? I don’t know. I love my Kleins. I know a couple guys who ride Mantras and swear by them. Being the proud owner of one of the end of the line I feel like the last of the Mohicans. I hold an emotional attachment to my Kleins and I’m sad to see them go away.