Wabi has a good reputation for customer service. Why don't you talk to them about your sizing?

hairnet, how tall are you and what size are you looking for? I ask because I'm 6' 4", my geared road bike is a 64cm (605mm TT, 100mm stem), and Wabi's 61 (580mm TT) fits me well with a 120mm stem. The bike is plenty tall for me (I have less than two fists of post showing).

As mentioned before talk or email Richard. He will respond quickly and is very helpful. The Classic is now the only model made with the 650c wheels. The entire frame/fork is built to a smaller scale which make it far easier to build a frame for a small person with correct top tube and seat tube angle. I am in between the 650 wheel frame and the 700 wheel size 49 frame. Either can be made to fit me. I choose the 650 and it has worked out fine. The head tube is too short for me but I use a long stem with a high degree of angle. With the 49 frame I would need a very short stem. My "guess" is Richard will recommend the Classic with the 650 wheels. You will go just as fast on the smaller wheels you just adjust the gearing two teeth if using 46 chain ring. Don't worry about the seat tube height. Focus on the top tube length, seat tube angle and head tube length. If the 650 is your best size this make choice of frames easy as the other two frames are not made any longer in the 650 wheel frame size. Talk to Richard.

6'5" but I have a long torso and long arms. I have dealt, and still am dealing with one, 80s road bikes 62cm with 58cm top tubes. I can make them work but it isn't always perfect. I would rather not deal with small frame as a nice new bike. My new Surly is a 64cm and it feels great.

Yeah, he recommended me the 49 cm frame. I told him I was 5'4'' with 29'' inseam and he said to choose from either a 80mm or 90mm stem depending on my position. I chose the 90mm so my position isn't as upright

Question to Wabi Lightning SE owners - how does its handling compare with track bikes?
Considering one for commuting, but NYC traffic requires some sharp turns

The geo is similar to the Special, which has very quick handling. If sharp turns are an obstacle, traditional track geometry might lead to toe-overlap with the front wheel due to a steeper headtube angle. I have size 11.5 feet and have zero toe overlap on my Special, if that helps.

Thanks a lot for quick reply! Basically the main manoeuvre I do is riding in tight small circles while waiting for a traffic light to go from red to green - I understand it's a minor thing, but really makes a lot of difference for me when I can do it on a bike (Fuji Track Pro) or not (some Centurion touring bike I have).

Do you think Special / Lightning would be good for such a, well, trick? My second option is State Undefeated 2 (sorry can't post URLs yest) -I can't figure what I would gain with Undefeated's geometry.. If nothing- I'd get lightning.

Re: ability to ride in small circles, I don't have an issue doing that on my Special. But it may be worth posting in the Fixed Gear/Freestyle forum to ask about what geometry is best for that.

To your second point--I don't see Wabi and State bikes as being in the same league of quality, even if the Undefeated is their 'higher end' model. There are plenty of forum threads on here that will attest to State's poorer quality, and I will admit my bias towards a frame made of high quality steel like Reynolds 725 or Columbus Spirit. Not being a State owner, though, I can only speak to the superb ride quality of my Wabi.

If you are moving from a gnarly old department store mountain bike to a Wabi you will think you are riding in heaven!


I like heaven.

Learn to track stand.

+1

I'd also imagine the Wabi will have better resale.

I've had mine for 2+ years, and it's my favorite among 5 bikes. Here are a few thoughts:

-I bought the lighter weight wheels and the enhanced tires, although I wouldn't repeat the tire purchase. I use my Wabi for commuting, and the tires weren't durable enough. A flat rear wheel on a single speed when it's cold and dark is a drag. I switched to a race version of Thick Slicks, which only weigh 250 grams.

-I ride with an 18T freewheel, which results in 19 mph at 95 rpm.

-Its incredibly light weight, and the carbon fork makes the ride incredibly smooth.

I have bikes ranging from $700 to $12,000 in my garage, but the $1,300 I spent for my Wabi was the best value.

saw a nice blue one ride by me today.

I bought mine six months ago, and love it. It's my go-to bike for everything except mountain biking - It's completely replaced my road bike. The bike is extremely comfortable, even on long (125+ mile rides). I got the lighter wheels, and the total weight, with bottle cages is 17 lb. I run it freewheel, 48x16 gear normally (in the flatlands of Illinois), but flip the wheel over to the 19 tooth side when I do a ride in hillier areas (like Eastern KY.)

I did a four-day tour (lightly loaded, total weight was 30 lb) a few weeks ago, and the bike performed great. I'm going to try a coast-coast tour on it this summer.

Sorry to bump an old thread, but this was the most recent one for this model. I watched a year old you tube video someone made of his. He said it had the Sub 15 wheelset, but it had a dual cog hub (4:00 in vid below). On Wabi's site it says nothing about a dual cog hub, just states it's a regular flip flop, and the pictures are horrendous so you can't tell by looking at it. Did it change for 2018?

https://wabicycles.com/collections/c...speed-wheelset

I love my Wabi Classic. Also don't really have much to compare it to but it's super light, classic looking, plus everything everyone else's mentioned. I don't think your missing TOO much going with Classic vs the Lightning. Maybe color choices too but if anything you're saving a bunch of money =)

If I get a new bike it will probably be the Retro. But I was just checking out the Lightning and decided to research those wheels. Dual cogs would be awesome but I don't know if they come like that anymore.

Ask Wabi. They seem to be good about answering questions like this.

They tried to scam me on size.

I went through their fit process and they told me a 55 was perfect but when then checked, none in stock.

Then they said a 52 would be a great fit but suddenly out of stock.

They double checked the numbers and a 48 would be great and they happened to be in stock.

Bunch of BS, trying to sell me the wrong size just to push product out the door.


-Tim-

That's sad. Richard would never have done that.

Wabi site states they are not available. But check out https://www.harriscyclery.net/produc...-3-32-2464.htm. Probably other sites as well "dingle" or "dual cog". I have a Wabi I only used a couple of times before switching to 1/8 chain. if interested in buying contact me. I think mine is a 16-18t.