I thought maybe making the headtube angle higher with a more modern fork could be a neat upgrade to this bike, I’m just not sure if forks are that universal? I also wanted to get new handle bars that potentially have a slight raise and was looking for recommendations. Along with that I thought a modern fork with more travel might perform a bit better. Any advice would be appreciated!
by Gunsmoke961
2 Comments
I don’t have experience with Mantras so I hope somebody else steps in as well, but the simplest option to check would be measuring the diameter of the steerer tube. Klein used weird measurements, especially in their earlier years, but if you’re lucky you have a 1 1/8″ steerer so you can replace it with another 1 1/8″ fork. Fork looks like it’s 1 1/8″ straight and not tapered.
Or if you want to get the full palette of options, you have to remove the headset as well and measure the diameters of the cups and note the type of headset you need. The lower cup looks pretty big, maybe you can get a tapered fork in there even.
Keep in mind though that getting a modern fork will bring a lot of differences with it: probably a change in geometry, probably only a disc-brake mount so you will need a new wheel and brake lever as well, option to run a 29″ front wheel, etc.
It’s a lot of work for an “old” frame, but if it’s really worth it is all up to you. I fully built a custom Klein and it has been awesome 😉
Edit: typo
What makes this bike cool is that it’s retro. That red Bomber (*I mean Manitou) is already awesome.
I would not invest in trying to make this bike more capable, it will never be a modern bike and that would be a waste of money. It’s awesome as a retro bike though, and good on you for keeping it rolling.