jay4usc

Anyone know what’s going on at Wabi? I really want to buy one but the customer service seems unresponsive. I know they are sold out but I’m trying to communicate with questions so I can be prepared when they are in stock but no luck. I really don’t want to buy from a company who lacks customer service, especially at their price range.

Scrodzilla

After those wieners from Oklahoma did an excellent job of running Wabi into the ground for a couple of years before conning some poor sap from Colorado to buy what was left of the company, I'll be very surprised to see it last another year.

For the record, they also asked me if I wanted to buy the company as it was circling the drain. I don't recall ever laughing so hard in my life.

walnutz

Not sure what's going, but I did buy a wheel from them two months ago. There was an issue and they were actually super responsive. Weird.

wabi_damon

Jay,

Sorry if we were slow to respond. Lots of messages lately so behind. Responded to last message.

Damon

wabi_damon

Wow. I thought your reputation was overblown. Guess not.

jay4usc

No worries bro, thank you for responding.

jack pot 

sometime when you're high wild or bored why don't you post your take on the WABI saga

Lazyass

Speaking of Wabi, some new colors coming out.

Scottybigs 

As long as the new owners don't tweak their current formula for frame tubing, geometry, and manufacturing quality, I hope that there continues to be a market for Wabi frames. If I ever need to be a return customer I really hope they're still around, otherwise I'd probably have a framebuilder make me another frame to match the same spec.

steve21108

I do not own a Wabi, but have ridden several. Really is, for what is left of the fixed gear thing, worth the money. Hope the back story is a good one. I have a Swobo Sanchez, heavy, but is fun to ride. Wabis I have ridden correct many of the issues I have with the Swobo.

Lazyass

New Classic color.

jay4usc

are those photoshop pictures?

Lazyass

I don't know, all their generic pictures pretty much suck. You can't see how the paint really pops out at you. And they don't show the nice details like the fork ends that are filed and smoothed down into the fork blades. The bikes look 100x nicer in person.

Scottybigs 

Seconded on this point, especially for the Special. There's a missed opportunity not detailing the lugwork, which are long point lugs filed very thinly for a production frame. That and the bottom bracket shell has a cool cut out where the downtube joins the shell--again, something you'd find on a custom frame.

ag4

Been hunting for a 55cm special frameset - on back order until September. Bummer.

wabi_damon

The pictures are mockups for pre-order purposes. We'll have more detailed shots when all the frames come in and we can do a photo shoot. But, agree, we could do a better job. Fortunately, it hasn't stopped anybody from buying them. :-)

wabi_damon

Yes. But they are good representation of the actual frame for pre-order purposes. We'll have more pictures in August.

wabi_damon

Definitely keeping the formula while looking for good opportunities for improvement. And, definitely a market for Wabi. And, Wabi will be around. "Circling the drain" is coming from someone that has no idea what is going on.

TejanoTrackie 

I've dealt in the past with Richard Snook of the original Wabi, and he definitely had a very good idea of what is going on. I've also dealt extensively with Scrod from Retrogression, and he too knows what's going on. You, OTOH, are a complete newbie to this business, who has made some serious mistakes (e.g. the frame that left your shop w/o any water bottle mounts). So, I would advise you to adopt a bit more humble position if you wish to succeed in this very competitive business.

wabi_damon

I think you misunderstood my point. I am not doubting he knows what is going in the industry. However, he doesn't know what is going on with Wabi. His interactions with the previous owners were 18+ months ago. I just take offense to bashing the previous owners (who were very nice people that just made some bad business decisions) and then assuming we are "circling the drain." We're not. We're doing just fine. It is not about bragging or humility, but just about setting the record straight. I also think it is bad form to bash other companies in the industry.


And, yes, we missed that frame issue, but we tried to rectify it as best we could (and the buyer got a pretty good deal out of it). Every company makes mistakes. Even Richard made mistakes (even big ones). I've talked to him about them and know the history of the company.

Scrodzilla

You're right, aside from one email you sent us a while back about sourcing wheelsets from us to sell on your site (which was kinda weird), I have no idea who you are. However, it was painfully obvious that Curtis and that other kook had absolutely no passion for the cycling industry and no business running a bike company like Wabi so I can "bash" them all I want. Wabi went from having a stellar reputation to that of 10 lbs. of crap in a 5 lb. bag almost overnight.

Dealing with them first hand as their "exclusive" retailer was a complete ******g nightmare. Several months after I had told Curtis that my shop no longer wanted anything to do with Wabi, we got a random phone call from him saying he was in NY living it up and asking if I wanted to buy the company. What a jackass.

Hopefully you and Zach Gallardo can turn around the crappy reputation those two yahoos left behind. Also, a lot of people really want to install Sugino 75s on Wabi Special frames. Please address that clearance issue by dimpling the chainstay if it hasn't been addressed already.

wabi_damon

Well, I appreciate you acknowledging you don't know who I am or that your experience is based on things that happened 2+ years ago. I guess it is your prerogative to "bash" them, but it seems unnecessary on a message board.

As for what Curtis et al did, I can't argue that they made some mistakes (and Curtis wouldn't either). However, I don't think they ruined the reputation of the company - at least with customers. Yeah, there were missteps, but I believe the reputation was/is on solid footing (at least based on customer feedback and sales). It seems like they tried to do too much / too fast, got in over their heads and got away from what worked with the brand under Richard. Fortunately, many of the issues were fixable and the business has bounced back quickly.

Yeah, they probably didn't understand the industry and maybe they didn't have a high passion for cycling, but I don't know if that is a prerequisite for success. There are plenty of people that 'know' the industry that have had their businesses implode over the last few years or are scrambling to get out. And, there are outsiders that have been successful.

As for Zach, he is a great ambassador for Wabi and the fixed gear industry. Happy to work with him.

Lazyass

I see the silver yall posted yesterday. One of my favorite colors and I know it has to look 100x better than that pic haha

TejanoTrackie 

I prefer people like Richard and Scrod who are BOTH experienced AND successful, and don’t adopt the position that “everybody makes mistakes” to excuse their missteps. You seem to be saying that retail bicycling is just another business that can be run by someone with no real knowledge or passion. While you may be successful financially, ultimately you will fail to engender true customer loyalty.

AlmostTrick

Wabi's are great bikes. I bought mine from Richard, but guess what, they're still the same bikes! I recommend them and would easily buy another. I wish the present owner(s) well.