
The Wabi Classic is a single speed or fixed gear Reynolds steel bike that weighs about 19 lbs:
https://wabicycles.com/products/wabi-classic?variant=44221622550764
The Trek Domane is an aluminum 16 speed with rim brakes at about 21 lbs:
I suppose it depends on the terrain. Of course the Domane will handle hills better. So assume you have fun routes to take the Wabi with a reasonable amount and type of hills otherwise Domane would always win in my opinion.
I picked these bikes because they are both rim brake, drop bar bikes with similar weight and price. But one is a single speed steel bike and one is an aluminum bike with a Claris drivetrain.
Personally, I think the Wabi would be more fun as long as you can avoid hills that are too steep and long
by humanbeing21
4 Comments
I have a couple multi speed bikes, but my Wabi Special is well special.
They’re two different bikes. If you already have a road bike, I’d say get the Wabi. If you’re getting your first road bike, than you can’t go wrong with the Trek.
I had a Wabi classic and rode it as a commuter, a lot more than my Litespeed Road Bike. I probably had 30k miles on my Wabi before selling it. The geometry were about the same, but tbh they felt pretty close to each other. The reason I enjoyed the Wabi for every day use was more because I didn’t run clipless on them and there were less things to worry about it. For long rides, I would have rode my Litespeed. That being said, I could do all the same rides with my Litespeed as my Wabi, but I couldn’t say the same vice versa.
I started out on fixed gears and still love mine so I’d be drawn to the Wabi
Depends on your vibe, Wabi for the minimalist ‘I don’t need gears’ flex, Domane for conquering hills without gasping like a fish.