Wabi Questions
 

I've been looking into the Wabi lineup quite a bit. I mainly want to know what my next purchase is so I can look out for ebay deals. Probably won't buy for another year. Besides the lugged/brazed frame, how are the Classic and Special different? I'm not extremely experienced in frame design, and I don't understand what lugs do besides cover potentially ugly welds. Do they actually change ride quality, or are they worth the extra $245? I am a city rider who definitely wants to stick with the steel fixed gear category, and Wabi seems to be ideal for this. I'm open to other suggestions, but from what I've seen, I'll take Wabi over steamroller, and most other high end options start getting into track specific AL bikes. I like the pricing, I like the customizable options, and the internet reviews are SO convincing.

Thanks, guys!

Lugs are used to connect the frame tubes, and are NOT cosmetic. The tubes are first mitered to fit togther tightly, inserted in the lugs, and then brazed to form a firm connection. Think of copper pipe soldering as an analogy. Lugged frames are old school, and have mostly been replaced with TIG welded frames, where the tubing pieces are joined directly. Both methods work well if done correctly.

AFAIK, all Wabi models have the same geometry, so the difference between the Classic and Special are mostly cosmetic.

Richard, the original owner of Wabi, claimed the lugged Special had the best ride. I'm not sure I could tell the difference between it and the Classic, but apparently he could. I chose the Special mainly because I fancy the old school lug work.

The Wabi will be lighter than a Steamroller, if that matters to you.

I ride a Bianchi Pista now. Any idea how the geometry compares? I'm guessing the Wabi has a pretty standard road bike geo, which should be okay for me. Ideally, I might want something a little more upright, but it isn't a must.

I have both the Special and the Classic. Both ride like a smooth road bike more than a track bike. Both are also the smoothest most comfortable bikes I have ever ridden. Since the 1970's I've owned a lot of bikes but these are the very finest ride of all.

Although both share the same Reynolds double-butted 725 tubing, the Special is brazed lug construction and the Classic is welded. My perception is the Classic may be a little bit more responsive but maybe it's just the bullhorn handle bars.

I did a TON of research before I bought the Wabi. In my opinion you cannot buy a finer bike anywhere for the money. I did a 30 miler on the Classic today and could have kept going for another 30 miles easy. It soaks up road vibration like a sponge without feeling mushy. They have a unique ride quality that I've not experienced on other bikes. I have Challenge "open tubular" Strada Bianca 30 mil tires on the Special and Challenge Paris Roubaix 28's on the Classic. Both with latex tubes. Those tires are magic on these bikes.

Richard Snook sold Wabi a few months ago to some fellas from Tulsa Oklahoma and I bought my Special from Richard and the Classic from "Matt" one of the new owners in Tulsa. They are carrying on the high quality tradition that Richard started. Go for the upgraded Sub15 wheels. I did for my Classic and they are just unbelievable.

My Special

http://www.drlogik.com/images/wabi-uptown.jpg


My Classic

http://www.drlogik.com/images/wabi_classic_southend.jpg

Thoughts about my Wabi
 

I ride a Wabi Lightning SE as my primary commuting bike. I'm a serious rider, clocking more than 6,000 miles per year on four different bikes. While I like all my bikes, there's no contest: The Wabi is my favorite. Aside from the beautiful (!) craftsmanship, it's the best riding bike in my fleet. The combination of the steel frame, the carbon fork, and the upgraded wheels ($50 option) produces an incredibly smooth ride. It's velvety on the road, while the right balance of comfort and power. You'll have no regrets.

Hopefully. I hate how the new owners decided that putting WE LOVE FIXIES on their home page was a good idea, though. Kinda cheapens the brand a little in my opinion.

The new Wabi website has been totally dumbed down, and is now indistinguishible from other fixie websites. Very sad, folks, very sad.

Can a racing team/shoe company collaboration be far behind?

Wabi x Skechers team gunning for DFL at Redhook.

I contacted Wabi awhile back to inquire about the ability to run a threaded stem on their bikes. Not to bring that well-discussed subject up again, but long story short Curtis not only got back to me but connected me with other Wabi owners in my area riding the right frame size so I could go for a test spin. I never took up the offer, but the customer service was above and beyond anything I have experienced.

:crash::crash::crash::crash::crash:

Curtis, Matt and gang have been very helpful to me also. Give them time. Hopefully they can grow their brand and business...and learn along the way.

This is all good to hear. Sounds like I'm headed in the right direction. Just put 14 miles on my Pista yesterday, which was more than my normal 2 mile work commute. Clocked 16.5mph average and had a blast, but I got home thinking, "That probably would have been AMAZING on a better bike." I do appreciate my $200 Pista, but I hope to be a rider worthy of a better bike soon.

Btw, for a city ride along a busy residential bike lane (all flat, no hills), how is 16.5mph? I have no idea how fast most people ride.

The Bianchi Pista is the finest bike ever produced. There is nothing better.


-Tim-

I can confirm that the wabi is far and away the best bicycle I own to ride and that includes my hand picked components sram red and carbon deep dish rim salsa colossal. I ride that thing every chance I get but I can't really hang with my friends on it at high speed (yet). I have a lightning with carbon fork and carbon wing handlebars. Drove to LA from San Diego to get it. Bought it without ever riding one. It's like an old lover because my first bikes in the 80's rode exactly the same way.

I'll throw my 2 cents in: don't hesitate on getting the Wabi. Like others, I did a hell of a lot of research into fixed gear frames. But 2 years ago I bought a Soma Rush instead of a Wabi. Rode it a lot, but didn't like it for longer road rides.

Then I did a hell of a lot more research into geometry (angles, chainstay length etc.), cut my losses and bought a Wabi Special frameset--porting the parts over from the Soma. The Rush was great in the way that true track frames are great, but for long distance riding there's no comparison for me now which frame I prefer (classic road geo).

The Wabi is my favourite bike, past or present. I can spend a whole day on it and be happy--comfort, acceleration, handling and style. Riding fixed on a frame with road geometry lends itself (in my opinion) to more control when descending, which for me is key to developing good spinning technique. Riding with 75 degree ST/HT angles down long mountain descents wasn't enjoyable on the Rush. The Wabi's extra chainstay length and 73/73 angles are much more comfortable.

Anyway--go Special if you like lugs, go Classic if you want versatility. The Classic has a little more tire clearance and can take fenders, so consider your bike's intended use. A wealthier me would have both.

And ya, not stoked about the new website design. There was a certain charm to the HTML styles of the old site. The new site may as well be State or Pure Fix--and frankly, Wabi's are way above that garbage.

I'm sure they are really nice bikes and the company has good service but you guys sound like you are about to orgasm or something.


-Tim-

It's a wabi think Tim. You wouldn't understand :)

We are a passionate bunch, Tim. We LOVE our Wabi's.

Yeah, I get it. "Velvety" was a nice adjective. Thanks for that.

I love my Wabi so much, I'm holding it right now. :love:

I miss having a Wabi between my legs.

There's a lot of discussion here about the fine, subtle nuances of specific bike frames, right down to brands of steel tubing, lugged vs. welded joints, etc.

The truth is, you'll see bigger comfort and performance differences in your choice of tires, tire pressure, handlebar shape and position, stem angle and length, seat adjustment... many factors. Frame size, of course, is also a very important factor, more than frame model.

I don't doubt that the Wabi frames are very nice, although I've never ridden one. I just think some folks belabor the relatively trivial choices, like Wabi Special vs. Classic, or Reynolds vs. Tange. These factors don't matter nearly as much as the truly important ones that we might overlook.

Wabi's road geometry vs. a track-like one is designed for riding FG for distance on the road.
My buddy is riding his Classic again this year on our annual FG century ride, a good choice for LD/FG efforts.

Road bikes of any drivetrain flavor ride better on rough road surfaces, are less affected by wind conditions and descend with more confidence than those designed for actual/pseudo use on the velodrome.

As always, suit yourself.

-Bandera