Follow heart or follow head? Which frame?
 

Hello All:

Although I've been a visitor here many times, I thought I'd join-up in the hopes that someone here might have the words I need to help me decide between two frames. Being a very visual person, I really like the vintage look and history behind the Bianchi Pista Classica, but I see many practical reasons for doing this build based on a Wabi Special. Love the track look of the Bianchi/understand the common sense behind the Wabi philosophy. I just need the right push in one direction or the other. In case you need more info about my riding style:

I'm in my late fifties. Currently I ride two very different bikes. One is a completely restored 1972 Dunelt 3-speed for relaxed use around town. The other is a Felt Brougham with a flip-flop hub that I've upgraded with a Brooks Swallow saddle, White Industries Platform pedals/straps, and VO Postini flat handlebars with Brooks leather grips. While I'm not wowed with the Felt frame and stock parts, I really enjoy riding single-speed and want to give fixed a fair try. Currently geared at 47/17, it's the bike I use to travel longer distances and I love not having to think about gears. My plan is to build a new bike using a collection of select high-end parts that will include the move to drop bars. The bike will be used for flat-out recreational riding on a loop of about 12-15 miles that is nearly all flat, with the exception of 3 bridges (Clearwater Beach area) that would have to be crossed. I climb them just fine now on the Felt.

Help! I want to build something that looks really beautiful, but that will also perform well for the intended use. Thanks for any constructive thoughts you might have.

Bianchis are the BMWs of bikes

Bianchi is love.

If you have the money get what you want. I don't see much in the way of practical advantages for the wabi except for price. If anything the classica's geometry seems more appropriate for your needs. It sucks to settle.

as a bianchi pista (not classica) owner.. I'd say go wabi.

You mean they are ridden by d0uchebags?

Is it that you dislike the Pista for some reason, or do you like the Wabi better?

Always follow your gut.

Oh no, no. I love my pista. Absolutely. But the classica is hard to find for a good price.. It's a great frameset I'm sure, but Wabi is breaking ground. Get the Lightning, not the special.

I think you should go for the gusto and go with the Pista Classica. Visual person that you are (in your words), I think you will ultimately be disappointed with the Wabi, a great bike to ride (by all accounts) but hardly an objet d'art. Settling rarely ends well.

Pista Classica seems very expensive for a regular steel frame. Couldn't you get something made of higher end steel for that price. Reynolds 853 or something?

Just asking. Seems like Bianchi's are just made in Taiwan frames with better branding due to the company's history.

Thinking something like the no longer made Soma Van Ness (also probably Taiwan made but better steel).

Full disclosure I once owned a Pista, the battleship grey one of the early 2000's. Thought it was pretty meh.

If you have the time and patience, you could probably find a very nice steel lugged 1970's road frame with chromed lugs and horizontal drop outs and build something truly classic.

Maybe he doesn't need it.

Yeah, the Pista Classica will be more than plenty.

Guess my point is that no one "needs" a nice steel frame but they sure feel nice to ride.

If you are going for something with the looks of the Pista Classic why not get something that has the feel that the looks refer to. Seems like for the price you are paying you might as well get the full monty.

I can see someone feeling a lot better riding a bike with chrome lugs with an easy going geometry. Are there other options?

No idea what size the OP is but:

Vintage Atala Giro D'Italia Italian Lugged Steel Frame Set Made in Italy 53cm 56 | eBay

Masi 3 Volumetrica Columbus Lugged Steel Bike Frame Set 57 Cm | eBay

If you really want to go for the gusto check out the Cinelli Supercorsa Pista, or the Zullo Pista, or a Pelizzoli Curdomo Pista. :P

Thank you for taking the time to reply with these eBay listings. Both are compelling but at somewhere around 5'7" tall, I'm looking at a 51cm frame, or even smaller if I want to feel on top of the bike.

Speaking of this smaller frame size, in researching the Pista, I read somewhere that the smaller sizes might have sloped top tubes. Can anyone here verify? I really want a traditional parallel top tube. Thank you everyone for the replies.

There's also Bob Jackson's Vigorelli

I was already aware of the Cinelli Supercorsa Pista. While something like that wouldn't be out of the question, I dismissed it awhile ago because it wasn't drilled for a brake, and I usually don't like cutting into brand-new expensive stuff. Now those other two bikes, especially the Zullo; why? Why did you have to tell me about them? They are GORGEOUS. If I had one I could easily enjoy myself simply looking at it over a few glasses of wine.

A 51cm Pista will have a parallel top tube. If you are 5'7" or close to, then that should fit you pretty much perfectly.

Thank you for that. A sloping top tube in my size would have taken the Bianchi Pista out of the running as I like it largely for the vintage look. As it is, it took awhile for me to come to terms with the threadless fork. Nothing against them; they make a lot of sense unless you are trying to capture the look of a bygone era.

If you are mechanically inclined and willing to experiment or pay someone to do it for you, then you won't need to -- a threaded setup is possible on the Pista. Where there's a will, there's a way...

http://www.velospace.org/files/DSC_0799.jpg

(not mine -- you can see more here: Bianchi Pista Classica fixed road on velospace, the place for bikes)

You could get one of these and have it painted, for an inexpensive lugged and threaded option.

Colossi Mondial track?

I'd like to think I'm just a bad influence that way. **:-)


Really now, curly braces are censored why, exactly?