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Pinarello Catena or Wabi Special

21K views 27 replies 12 participants last post by  Tig 
#1 ·
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.
 
#5 · (Edited)
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.
 
#8 ·
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.
 
#9 ·
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.
 
#15 ·
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 :)
 
#17 ·
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.
 
#19 ·
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.
 
#24 ·
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.




 
#22 ·
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.
 
#23 · (Edited)
+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.
 
#28 ·
A club member was on a flat black Wabi Scandium Saturday morning. It was really cool in an understated way.
 
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