# Pinarello Catena or Wabi Special



## bergjm

All,

I am getting ready to purchase a single speed road bike to ride on 60 to 100 mile rides. I have seen the posts from happy people with Wabi, but one of the bike shops I frequent would be able to order a Pinarello Catena. Looking at the frame specifications for the Wabi, I am not sure about the fit of the Wabi for longer rides. The Catena seems to be closer to a road geometry, but there isn't much on how well it rides.

Has anyone ridden the Catena on rides of 50 miles or more, and if so how was the ride? Any opinions of one over the other?

Thanks.


----------



## FatTireFred

does the geo of one match your road bike geo better than another?


----------



## bergjm

FatTireFred said:


> does the geo of one match your road bike geo better than another?


The Catena seems to be closer to the geometry of my road bike, but I am not sure of the ride quality of the Catena.


----------



## David Loving

I'd buy the Pinarello on faith.


----------



## wim

From what I can see, the Wabi is the better deal because you can specify type and exact size of a number of components, the frame is made from well-known, brand-name steel tubing, and Wabi gave some thought to the geometry in terms of comfort over long distances. The Pinarello component specs are picked for you, other than a nebulous "CrMo steel," you get no indication of what the frame is made of (my guess is OK but ho-hum 4130), and the bike is marketed by Pinarello in their "Urban" category which may just be meaningless marketing-speak, but also says nothing about long-distance comfort.

I feel that with the ability to custom-size components and with well-respected steel tubing, your chances of getting that "good ride" you're looking for are better with the Wabi. I owned a Wabi Classic (Reynolds 725) for more than two years and it was a joy to ride over longer distances.


----------



## bergjm

wim said:


> I owned a Wabi Classic (Reynolds 725) for more than two years and it was a joy to ride over longer distances.


Wim - How come you got rid of the Wabi Classic?


----------



## wim

bergjm said:


> Wim - How come you got rid of the Wabi Classic?


Old age. Turned 70 and decided shortly thereafter to stop riding fast and just go out for mild exercise one hour once a day. Too many other (non-cycling) things I want to do before they haul me off to the nursing home. Got rid of all my fast bikes now and bought a $300 comfort bike. So far, so good.


----------



## 2:01

I haven't ridden a Pinarello, but I love my Wabi classic. I've done 2 centuries on it and planning to do a 147 miler this year. Great bike for distance riding.

I was also very impressed with the customer service at Wabi. Prompt responses and very knowledgeable.


----------



## bergjm

*Decided to go with Wabi Special*

Well I finally made up my mind and decided to go with a Wabi Special in burnt red with the lugged chrome stem. After seeing all the favorable reviews and talking to Richard I decided that was the best choice. Ordered it last night so hopefully I will be riding it in a week or so since I am on the other coast.


----------



## bonefamily

Great choice, bergjm!!


----------



## gntrobo

bergjm said:


> Well I finally made up my mind and decided to go with a Wabi Special .


you won't regret the choice, lately i've been riding my wabi classic vs the tarmac.


----------



## bergjm

Finally got to do a ride today on the new Wabi Special, and it rides great and climbs really well. Can't wait to do a longer ride on it once the weather warms up. 

As others have said, the pictures do not do the bike justice. I got the burnt red color and it looks orange to me, but I love the color, and the lugged frame.

View attachment 277346


----------



## bonefamily

Looks great!! Enjoy the ride.


----------



## 2:01

Mr. Snook turns out some nice looking bikes. Are you on a B17? I foolishly sold my B17 years ago. Now looking back at Brooks, as the multiple other saddles I've tried just don't feel comfortable after 60 miles. 300g weight penalty is well-worth it, IMO.


----------



## bergjm

Yes I am on a B-17. I have B-17 on this bike and one other road bike. I have the B-17 special on my Ti Road bike and my single speed cross bike I use for commuting once in a while. The B-17 or B-17 special works well for me. If I thought I could get behind it I would have it on my MTBs as well.

Unfortunately they have really become pricey, but if they are properly taken care of, they last forever. Luckily, the last two I have acquired I have done so at a very cheap price from friends that rode them a couple of times and decided they weren't for them 



2:01 said:


> Mr. Snook turns out some nice looking bikes. Are you on a B17? I foolishly sold my B17 years ago. Now looking back at Brooks, as the multiple other saddles I've tried just don't feel comfortable after 60 miles. 300g weight penalty is well-worth it, IMO.


----------



## jtompilot

Nice ride. I was also looking at those two bikes. I ended up with the Wilier Tony Bavilaqua. I've had my share of problems with it and wish I had the Wabi.


----------



## Wrekin

Bergjm, you made the right decision not buying the Pinarello. I'm very disappointed with mine. It's quite heavy, I'm not sure about the quality of the steel - I like wim's description of 'a nebulous "CrMo steel"'. Biggest disappointment of all is that it has a sticker under the bottom bracket saying 'Made in Taiwan"! If I'd known that before I bought on mail order I wouldn't have bought it. I never thought that Pinarello would put his name on a Taiwan frame! And the lug work leaves a lot to be desired - that was the first clue that this was Chinese quality. If I can maintain my rage I think I'll write to Mr Pinarello.


----------



## Wrekin

David Loving said:


> I'd buy the Pinarello on faith.


 As I did and I got burnt!


----------



## Wrekin

Embarrassed to say that until I read this thread that I had never heard of Wabi, even though I did a fair amount of searching to find the 'right' fixed wheel. Prior to my Pinarello mistake I had (and still have but it's for sale, as will be the Pinarello) a British Pearson Touche. I was never really happy with the Touche, that's why I bought the Pinarello. No real complaints - I just didn't like the look of it, particularly the shape of the tubing. I wanted something more traditional, and is there anything more traditional than a retro Pinarello? I like the sound of the Wabi and will set about ordering one. I will inform the wife later.


----------



## wim

Wrekin said:


> I never thought that Pinarello would put his name on a Taiwan frame!


All Pinarello frames are made in Asia. That's not saying they're necessarily inferior. Mass-produced bicycle design and manufacturing expertise (especially when it comes to carbon) shifted from Europe to Asia a few years ago.


----------



## Wrekin

wim said:


> All Pinarello frames are made in Asia. That's not saying they're necessarily inferior. Mass-produced bicycle design and manufacturing expertise (especially when it comes to carbon) shifted from Europe to Asia a few years ago.


Really? Even the high end stuff? Looks like I'd better get with the times. What about steel and aluminium? Also sourced from Asia? I have two older Carrera's. As I thought they were still manufacturing in Calcinato I thought I may approach them to do a fixed frame for me, but perhaps that's unrealistic now. I like to think my Italian bikes are made in Italy, but perhaps I need to get real. After researching Wabi I see that he sources his frames from Asia. Don't tell Ferrari (Enzo, not Michele).


----------



## wim

When it comes to mass production of high-end bikes, very few frames are made in Europe any more. The picture is too murky for me to provide you with a definitive list. As to Italy, keep in mind that it's perfectly legal to affix a "Made in Italy" sticker to an Asian-made product as long as "substantial post-manufacturing work" was done in Italy, like painting. There were efforts to toughen that regulation up, but I'm not sure where that went.

Where these types of frames are made is really no longer a concern. Many knowledgeable riders would much rather ride an Asian mass-produced frame than an Italian one—not because of price, but because of the quality and general level of workmanship on Asian frames nowadays.


----------



## Zeet

+1^ This^...There once was a time when "Made in Japan" was joke! Anything purchased from Japan became an object of profound ridicule. Nowadays, if you own practically any electrical or mechanical device originating from Japan, high quality is automatically presumed. The same parallel exists for bicycles now made in Taiwan. IMHO, the overwhelming number of mass-produced, stock bicycle frames, made in Taiwan, are of a high quality.


----------



## Tig

Wrekin said:


> Embarrassed to say that until I read this thread that I had never heard of Wabi, even though I did a fair amount of searching to find the 'right' fixed wheel. Prior to my Pinarello mistake I had (and still have but it's for sale, as will be the Pinarello) a British Pearson Touche. I was never really happy with the Touche, that's why I bought the Pinarello. No real complaints - I just didn't like the look of it, particularly the shape of the tubing. I wanted something more traditional, and is there anything more traditional than a retro Pinarello? I like the sound of the Wabi and will set about ordering one. I will inform the wife later.


I also never heard of Wabi until last week. I was drooling over the Pinarello, but after reading several threads and looking closer at the spec's, I'll likely go with the Wabi Special in Brilliant Blue.


----------



## 2:01

Tig said:


> I also never heard of Wabi until last week. I was drooling over the Pinarello, but after reading several threads and looking closer at the spec's, I'll likely go with the Wabi Special in Brilliant Blue.


You won't regret it. The only thing I wish I would have done is gone with a Special with a custom paint job.


----------



## gntrobo

2:01 said:


> You won't regret it. The only thing I wish I would have done is gone with a Special with a custom paint job.


same here, wished he still offered the polished frame. but with that being said, still extremely happy with the classic.


----------



## Schneiderguy

gntrobo said:


> same here, wished he still offered the polished frame. but with that being said, still extremely happy with the classic.


I have the Scandium Lightning no longer available. I'm very pleased. Did my first group ride on it today. A mid level ride, flat 50 mile course with light 10 mph wind-averaged 19.5. Just changed the cog from 70" to 80" for the ride to see how it worked. I was not "under biked" on that ride regardless of what bikes the others were riding. The Wabi is great value for the dollar.


----------



## Tig

A club member was on a flat black Wabi Scandium Saturday morning. It was really cool in an understated way.


----------

