Bianchi pc

Understandable, it's nice to have a bike you can easily carry up and down stairs as I had to last year when our elevator was out for several months - my Alloy bike is about 16.5 pounds as it's currently built and my steel bike which I posted in this thread is about 17.2- they could both be lighter with different components.

Personally if it's within your budget I wouldn't rule out the Wabi for being too aggressive - it's a pretty roadish geometry (not track) and with a few spacers and bullhorns or townie handlebars would put you in a pretty upright position. Sub 16 pounds...

the 650c wheels would balance the smaller frame better and improve the handling - I bet it would be a real joy to ride and not a compromise at all. I was on the list because my girlfriend is 5'3 - she has since concluded she doesn't like to ride in the city.

The bike pictured below is the Wabi Lightning not the special - but you get the idea I'm sure.



Hope you don't mind me reposting your Wabi TT - much respect....

arug

It looks very yummy provided that I could adjust the seat height and riser bars to give me an appropriate position. Kind of scary to spend $1000+ on something I can't ride first and will also be a thief magnet (I live in a university town and have had one bike stolen while locked on campus and another attempted theft from my carport but I ran out of the house and pulled the bike off the thieves' truck bed as they backed out of my driveway).

There's a 43cm vintage Bianchi Pista Via Brera Sugino Messenger at the bonanza dot com site, looks kind of similar to the Wabi. Asking price seems high. Drools.

It's easier for the 52-58cm crowd for sure.

IAmSam

That Lightning is a very nice bike but I'd be willing to bet it is the Alu model that Wabi discontinued years ago & replaced with a steel one.

I am a 49-50cm rider myself but back in my more social riding times there were a couple people in the groups on 42-43s that we let each other try just to see the difference. One had 650 wheels that made it so much better riding than the one with 700s.

You've been going on and on with this so I almost wrote a TL;DR screed to justify what I'm about to say but I'm into simplicity nowadays and I'd think you'd like to get to riding so here goes:
You may want a light, ecstatic, lifetime bike...but you hinted at a limited budget and that don't go together.
If there is any way you can squeeze out the $ run don't walk to Wabi's site cos they might sellout & immediately get your pre-order in for a 42 classic model like Tejano Trackie did.
Wabis are pretty light, have roadish not tarck geometry and you can customize some of the bits, which are decent enough, to your preference at the purchase so there will be no need for you to do anything but make sure everything is together properly and adjust the fit a little when you get it. And unless you want to start blinging you can ride it as is till stuff starts wearing out. And besides the headbadge they are unmarked so shouldn't attract thieves more than any other bike its near.

Have fun - Good luck