fixin2ride

My special should be coming on Friday....

95strat

Congrats! Be sure to post a pic.

fixin2ride

Wabi Special in Anthracite came in yesterday! Love it! Mini review to come...

bowzette

Great looking bike. I changed out the tires as I found the Kenda were harsh riding. I do long road rides on rough chip sealed roads. I have short fingers so I changed the brake levers to Sram 500 alloy Single Speed. I was having trouble with the saddle tilt slipping. I borrow some anti slip cream and really tightened the bolt and it is working great. The chain didn't wear well so keep an eye on it for wear. Have fun. I rode 50 today with geared riders and kept up fine. It was a lot of fun.

thewilson 

Great lookin bike, @fixin2ride, Welcome to the Anthracite club.

95strat

Very nice @fixin2ride! Why did you choose the Special over the Classic? Just asking because that's where I am in the decision process.

fixin2ride

The Kendra tires are kind of harsh... what kind of tires do you recommend switching to?

I chose the Special over the Classic because I knew I was going to be keeping this bike for the long run and I don't like to go cheap on long term investments plus the lugs look amazing. I never had the Classic to do a side by side comparison so I can't comment on ride quality but Richard himself said there's very little difference. Whether or not lugged vs TIG is better in terms of long term durability is widely debated but the peace of mind was worth the price for me. I'd say if you're budget conscious, go for the Classic. Can't go wrong it's an amazing bike sans the costly lugs.

bowzette

I have the little Wabi that uses 650 wheels. There are only a few choices in tires in this size. I ride Vittoria Rubino Pro III that I buy on sale for $22-$25 dollars. Just bought 4 at $22 from Pro Bike Kit which includes shipping. These are 23 width tires. In the 700 wheel size you have all the usual options. I like the Conti 4000S. and the Conti Ultra Gator Skins. These are good performing road tires. If I were riding around an urban area most of the time I would probably go for a wider tire. Gator Skins would be on the list to consider. The lugs provide a really traditional look that Tig does not IMO. I have a custom steel lugged bike. Lugged bikes are repairable but that it expensive with new paint job. As inexpensive as Wabi frames are that shouldn't be a consideration. 95strat determine how you will use the bike. If it is a do it all bike, you will ride in the rain a lot, and maybe carry stuff with a rear rack and the idea of really wide tires has appeal, save $200 and buy the Classic. If you want a really traditional look, 23-28 tires will work for you and you don't want a rack, spend $200 more and get the Special. Make the decision on how you think you will use the bike. I don't think you will feel any difference between the bikes. You may or may not feel a little difference with the Lightning as the tubing is thinner and stiffer.

fixin2ride

That's interesting I never thought of doing wider tires. So the special accepts up to 28? Does that slow you down considerably vs the stock 23? I'm guessing the trade-off is stability vs speed...

95strat

@fixin2ride it seems the classic has more clearance for wider tires. I'm not sure about the Special.
@bowzette I plan to use the Wabi commuting to work, which is primarily an urban ride. I think I will get a wider tire for that. Other than that I'll use the bike for recreational exercise.

hockeyteeth

I love riding 28mm tires on a commuting bike. It isn't much noticeably slower and rides far more comfortably. I found 32mm tires to be too slow-rolling for my preference.

bowzette

I have two geared road bikes and the Wabi. They all have 23 tires. I've never ridden tires wider than a 23. I only weigh 145 lbs and around 137 when fit. So i don't benefit as much from wider lower pressure tires than a bigger rider. 25s or wide rim 23s are is wide as I would have an interest in. For my size and type of riding I don't think I need or would want 28s. I could be wrong as I have never tried them.

bowzette

My "guess" is that the Classic will suit your purposes a bit better than the Special for the reasons stated above. They will ride the same and weigh the same. It is cheaper to Tig weld than to use lugs. So you will save $200 that you can use for better and wider tires, fenders, lights, and rack if you want to carry stuff. The Classic is Richard's biggest seller. Can't beat the price.

95strat

Thanks for the feedback @bowzette. I'll continue to mull over it until I get the money together.

palu

My 2 cents is that if your commute and urban ride consists of more than usual abuse to the bike (i.e. locking up the bike outside, very rough roads, etc), I'd go with a Classic. The Special is too good-looking for that. My main reason for regretting not getting a Special is that my bike is only used for long road rides and always just kept in the garage. I just love the looks of the lugged frames, so pure vanity and nothing else. I think the ride will be very comparable and geo will be exactly the same.

95strat

That's a good 2 cents. The good part of me riding to work is I can take my bike inside and I'll avoid locking it up. I'll probably do longer rides on the weekend. I'm an aesthetics person as well. I'm drawn to the Special for it's looks. I'll probably place my order tomorrow. I have one more night to sleep on it.

fixin2ride

If you have the opportunity to take it inside instead of locking it to a bike rack and you're really drawn to aesthetics I'd say go for the Special. When I asked Richard for his recommendation and stated I'll be keeping it for the long run he suggested the Special. It's a little more expensive but long term investments are always worth it and down the line you'll never say dang I wish I'd had gotten the Classic instead. Plus the bike will technically pay for itself with the amount of gas you'd be saving by commuting instead of driving. The lugs are beautiful... I definitely have no regrets and after doing some research and going to the local cycle store anything above 28mm on a road bike would be overkill in my opinion. I think even 28 is going overboard but that's just me... Here are some more pics to help you decide

95strat

I'm thinking the same way. I'll avoid buyers remorse going with the Special. Thanks for sharing the pics. I'm going for the same color as well.

Thanks for your help @fixin2ride!

I don't think I'll go anything over 25mm on tires. Richard suggested the larger the tires the less essence of the ride you get.

Anyway, I may wait a week before I make my purchase. I'm going to borrow a friends MTB and ride my commute a few times just make sure I'm going to stick to the commitment before spending so much. My wife's suggestion

fixin2ride

Definitely a good idea! This is my first fixed gear and I've noticed little nuances about not having a freewheel that make it more 'difficult' to ride. Difficult in the sense that it isn't second nature yet but once I get used to it I'm sure it will be no problem. Just simply coming to a stop and not being able to coast isn't as easy as it was on a MTB plus the first few rides hurt my back. Definitely come back and let us know what you decide!

idc

Hmm, so the Classic will fit wider tires?

I have been looking at these bikes on/off for about 12 months but just haven't pulled the trigger as I already converted an older bike to SS/FG with an Eno wheel.

The problem is I keep visiting the site every few weeks and coveting the Special's lugs (in burnt red) and the weight of the Lightning (none of my bikes weigh under 20 lbs). I sorta wish I'd bought when the lighter wheelset was available, but a part of me is also wishing there was a SSCX model!

95strat

You can go as wide as a 28mm on the Special. I don't think I'd really need anything over a 25mm to be honest, but that's all personal preference. The classic will handle 32mm tires.

idc

For road riding yeah, but it'd be nice to be able to take one of these bikes offroad a little bit every now and then.

Thanks for the info!

bowzette

I don't "need" another bike but I keep lusting after the burnt red Special!

jmcl

First time poster, have read up on the Wabi's on this forum, could use an opinion: I'm looking at the classic ($695) or the old aluminum/scandium Lightning ($850, they still have my size in stock). Any opinions on which is the better choice? I'll be using it for commuting, some fun local rides (in the bay area, which means occasional hills), and generally around town; it will see rain in the winter. My only other bike is a geared TIG-welded steel Diamondback Master TG, so I'm curious about Aluminum, but a bit worried about it not holding up to around town abuse (being Locked up, etc). Slight preference for the black color which is available on the Lightning, but that's not a huge issue.

The only other complete bike I'm considering is an Iro Mark V Pro complete ($750 shipped, still in stock in my size), but I'm leaning towards one of the Wabis. Any insights appreciated. Thanks!

TejanoTrackie 

The Scandium Lightning, hands down. I have the 650c wheel version, and it weighs only 15 lbs ! It rides just like a steel framed bike, but is much lighter. Also, you don't have to worry about rusting with an aluminum frame / carbon fork.