kitzblitz' long and hard ride

What I ride

Part I: My Klein

I’m not very good at bikes and seldom upgrade them or buy new ones. So I’ve been very faithful to those that I use.

As I mentioned earlier, my real introduction to cycling was in the European Alps when I bought a second hand Klein Pinnacle to play around in the hills with my wife and daughter with. This was in 2000 and if I remember correctly, it was already 7 years old then, which makes it about 20 years old now J. It’s a no-suspension, pretty heavy, aluminium mountainbike. Its a little bit too small for me, but I couldn’t be bothered looking any more to buy something when I saw it in the shop, so I just bought it on sight. I think it cost 6000 Austrian shillings, which must be my best investment ever.

The Klein has a great, distinct, Kleinish orange colour and has been my workhorse all these years. It has taken me numerous times on long winter rides, with heavy studded winter tyres and a few bags hanging on it. These rides have included about 10 times around the short, 200 km Mälaren loop and three, 320 km Ötzi XL rides.

Helping Gunnar and Nils along on Ötzi XL 2010

  The Klein loaded with essential cycling energy drink on a short Mälaren loop

 

Apart from these often sociable, often KBCK-inspired, often concluded with a beer or two, training rides, the Klein has been my mode of transport to work for all except for the most summery days of the year. In Sweden, that means pretty much all days of the year. In the years when we still had to take our children to kindergarden or school the Klein was also a great toy to get them there.

Taking kids to school, Swedish style

A few months ago I rode it to my son’s soccer training and while I was watching him, it disappeared. You can ask my family what sort of rotten company I was the following days. "Gee, you’re fun to be with aren’t you dad?!” Not very sociable I think… A few days later, after putting up a “STOLEN” note at the soccer club, some boys rang me and said they had found it, so I went and got it back and was over the moon! Presumably these were the same guys that had stolen it, but I didn’t go into those minor details and actually paid them a reward. The little brats skipped and danced excitedly away after this, utterly convinced they’d succeeded with the best coup ever. Brats!
 
After this emotional reunion the Klein has, at least in my own mind, become even more of a cult bike, and if I can ever afford it I will send it away for a well-deserved new paint job by a Kleinpaintingspecialist. Its deserved it!

Watch this space for other things I ride J

/Toni