icyclist 

"I only use single speed freewheels, perhaps because I'd "forget" as move among my bikes."

If you ride fixed and you forget that's what you're on, and you start to sit up off your saddle and try to stop pedaling (to coast over train tracks, e.g.), you'll experience a jolt. After that happens two or three times.

I am not knocking the single speed experience. But if you try riding a fixed gear bike, you might discover you love it. I suppose you know you can go ss and fixed on the same wheel, too, with a flip flop hub.

streetcore

Are the rear cogs interchangeable between the fixed gear and the single speed? If I order a Wabi I'll be getting a flip-flop hub so I can try ss and fixed. I was also thinking about getting two different cogs so I can also try different gear ratios.

Thanks.

bowzette

No. One side is threaded for fixed and the other for freewheel. You can replace the hub with a track fixed/fixed hub if you want. Or build up another wheel fixed/fixed which is what I did. The Wabi wheel is fixed/freewheel and the other wheel is fixed/fixed.

streetcore

Thanks for the info. I just watched a few videos and have a better understanding of the differences between the fixed and freewheel sides of the hub. It looks pretty easy to change the fixed cog to gear up or down, but I guess you have to change the whole freewheel if you want to change the single speed gear ratio.

bowzette

yep

kingston 

I recently clicked over 3,000 miles on my Wabi Lightening SE that I picked up about a year and a half ago. I have several bikes, and I would have to say that the Wabi is my favorite right now. When I got it I also got three chainrings (44/45/46) and three cogs (16/17/18) which provides a lot of closely spaced gear ratios for different conditions and different fitness levels. I also bought a freewheel, but only used it once. I have plenty of other bikes I can use if I want to be able to coast.

Beardogger

I bought the Wabi Classic, and got a freewheel cog on side, along with the fixed double cog on the other side.

bowzette

That's a great setup. I had a double cog and quick release rear skewer but later went with heavy duty track drive train with 1/8 chain and lost the ability to use the double cog. I'm too lazy to flip the wheel during a ride but even a lazy guy can use the double cog.

Beardogger

Mine arrived set up to ride in SS mode. My fixed cogs are on the opposite side, and I haven't flipped the wheel yet. My first 18 miles of riding the Wabi (three 6 mile round trips, commuting) have been in hilly, Arkansas terrain. I must admit that coasting down the backside of a big hill has been a welcome respite from the intense quadriceps work getting up the other side! I am very quickly spinning out, and find myself coasting, as a result. On the positive side, I have only had to stand up one time, and have otherwise been able to get up those big hills with my butt on the saddle. It may be a few weeks before I get the courage to flip the wheel and try FG riding.....the prospect of working hard on descents is a bit daunting! I am hoping that my quads get strong enough that the uphill work won't be so hard, and therefore the downhill pedaling/slowing down will be less fatiguing....I hope that makes sense....

kingston 

I have one of the dual cogs at the bottom of my parts bin. It's one of those things that seems like it would be cool but is actually useless in real life. If you run a chainring that works for one of the two cogs then the other one is either way too high or way too low. If you run a chainring that splits the difference then neither one is quite right. Far better in my experience to just get the cogs and chainrings you need and change it if your fitness or the conditions change. It only takes 5-10 minutes to change gearing.

Bandera

Here's the Secret-Handshake FG insider info on Descending: Use your brake(s).

The myth of Zen consciousness and massive quads powerfully resisting the inevitable hamster-in-wheel-on-meth overspin on hills just that: Myth.
Sounds good over a few PBRs at the hipster dive bar, doesn't actually work that way on the real hills and the long miles.

The well designed for actual FG road riding Wabis come w/ brakes F/R for a number of good reasons, including descending.
The front will give ~70% of braking but a deft touch on the rear on a descent is good for control.

You do have proper foot retention as well? You'll need it.

-Bandera

Beardogger

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm sure that I will try the FG route, sooner than later!

As far as "proper foot retention" goes, I ordered a set of Exustar PM811 SPD style clipless pedals with my bike. Right now, while riding SS, I am just using the platform style side. I am researching what shoes to buy, for when I decide to go fixed gear and clipless.....

bowzette

++1. And replace the brake pads with better quality pads such as Coolstop. Pads that fit Shamino will fit.

bowzette

Not useless for me. The dual cog gives me a 75" and 70". I've done a number of fast charity rides with geared riders and need the 75". When/if dropped the 70" riding by myself would be great to have but I'm too lazy/hardheaded to flip the wheel so I just stay with the 75 and whine a lot

dcting

Thank you! I appreciate your input. Those are all helpful points

Beardogger

I may try the FG double cog on my Wabi Classic this weekend, but I must say that riding it in SS mode is awful sweet! I don't have any shoes for my clipless pedals yet, so I will have to be careful, and ride on the platform side of the pedals at first...

AlexGS1

In addition to my daily 18-ish mile city commutes, I've done two 30-ish mile suburban/semi-rural rides this week on my (650c) classic. I'm working on a self-indulgent, longform review for my own site. But, here are a few observations:

- I find that I really enjoy climbing on it. More than on any other bike (Fixed/SS/Geared or Otherwise). It could be that the gearing is optimal, or that I happened to acquire it in a moment of peak fitness. But, I'm impressed.

- Same goes for general acceleration. Putting my foot down at a light isn't nearly as frustrating as it once was.

-These particular road levers don't play very nicely with my tiny hands. I'm used to getting all of my braking done with the front caliper, but, I've been using the rear more than I'm used to. That said, adding the rear has made my stopping/unclipping more precise. I may "upgrade", but, its likely that normal-sized people won't have the same experience. I'm also curious if new brake pads will bring some relief.

- Stock saddle is better than I would have guessed, though, probably will eventually be swapped out.

-Toe overlap is virtually non-existent. I've gotten used to riding with it, so, its a nice change.

-I could've used just a little more slack in the cables/housing, and perhaps 5-10 more mm of steerer. But, nothing that can't be dialed in.

Overall, I love it, and I think its priced very fairly.

AlmostTrick

My Wabi came with a fixed/fixed hub and that's what I run: two different fixed cogs. The nice thing about a fixed/fixed hub is that a freewheel can still be used on it if you'd like... leaving you the most options.

I'm guessing all Wabi's come with a fixed/fixed hub for this reason.

Beardogger

I flipped the wheel on my Wabi today, and tried both fixed cogs that came on it. It really is simple, and I am beginning to get the hang of riding FG, after about a mile of careful riding. I will try to post some photos of the Wabi in both SS and FG setups when I figure out how to do it.....every forum that I frequent posts up photos differently..

Beardogger

Here are some photos of the flipped rear wheel, with the chain attached to the FG double cog. The free wheel/SS cog is now on the opposite side:

streetcore

Sorry if this is a off topic, but I'm wondering what kind of bike locks you Wabi owners are using and how you're carrying them? I hope to be placing an order for a Classic in the next couple of weeks and I'm looking for a lock that won't ruin the nice clean lines of the bike or rattle around and scratch the finish.

Thanks.

GiZMOSOLiD

Hello streetcore,

Depends on how far, and how long you plan on being away from your bike.

I use a Bulldog ulock purchased from a Walmart BUT these are the same locks that are also sold at stores like REI (although they have more options for lengths/thickness).

Many other ulock of the same size ("mini", although smaller/thinner exist) are significantly heavier. It is probably on the lower spectrum of the strength scale because of this but the weight:size ratio is very good. You can slip it right into your belt or back pocket.

I am usually not too far or stray too long from my bike, so this lock has been good so far. (Although, I have on occasion went to full length cinemas, do groceries, walk around a mall but YMMV.) It is long enough to lock my front wheel and my bottom tube to most bike racks. Sometimes I bring a cable to lock the rear wheel to the ulock, but usually not necessary for me. If need be, I have a 2nd ulock to secure the rear.

If you do not plan on having a bag or wearing pants without belt loops, there's front racks (woo Wabi!), panier, and frame mounts which I have not used either of these methods.

dcting

Yes I saw that page! It was helpful but I'm still just not sure. I was hoping to find more reviews on other bikes to see how they compared to Wabi in general

streetcore

Did any of you Wabi owners buy the bike with the Wellgo Road Racing Pedals pictured below? I've never ridden a fixed gear, but I'd like to try and will order my Wabi with a fixed and a freewheel. I understand it's important to have pedals with toe clips that are easy to get into if you're riding fixed and these pedals have a flip tab for that. However, I also read that it's a good idea be able to ride on the underside of the pedals when you're practicing.

Can you ride the underside of these pedals without your feet slipping off or the cages scraping on the ground? I'm not talking long distances, just a few pedal strokes until I can flip the pedal or when practicing things like trackstands.

Philasteve

If you feel the Zen from riding SS, wait until you flip that hub. I remember when I first built my first SSFG I rode home from my friends SS and rode that way for a few days. When I finally flipped the hub to fixed I literally couldn't stop riding and when I stopped all I thought about was riding more. Whenever I was hanging out and my friends needed something from the store I was the first person to volunteer to go ride there for them. I think you'll be surprised how easy it is after your first week.