I own a Yaqui and love it, so I biased. Ves is great to work with. I've also heard great things about the Elites. I do believe the Elites are more expensive though and I'd have a hard time believing that you'd be getting a better bike for the money.

If it were me buying a bike?? Well, where I live would come into play. I can be at Ves' shop in 20 minutes, and I think that's a huge plus in the peace of mind category. If I lived near Philly, I'd probably get an Elite. I really like the accessability of a local builder. If you aren't anywhere near Philly or San Diego... well of course I'm gonna say Yaqui!

I'm with Pooks on this one. I have a Mariola and I LOVE it. I know nothing of Elite bikes but Ves is a wealth of information and experience and the attention he put into my ride is well appreciated.

Though it is nice to live near his shop. He simply took my measurements (available on www.yaquiusa.com), put them in his magic bike maker machine, and out came a bike setup that fit well the first time I rode it. There are still some things I want to experiment with but they are simply fine tuning as I am very comfortable in my current position. But if you can't be there in the shop to be fit, Ves has a good system down for long distance fits.

I vote Yaqui Carbo.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Elite - build, service and ride quality. No question.

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Tim
blue seventy / nuun / digitaltriathlon.com

"Elite Razor or Yaqui Carbo?"

Yes!

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

 Those two bikes are a crapshoot as to which is "better"and both are very nice. I bought a Mandaric off the e-bay from Ves and he was the best e-bay transaction I have ever had. Installed a HS and sold me a Campy carbon post at his cost. My vote would be for Mandaric, although the Elite folks may be real good guys too. I don't know them. G

Tommy,

Go with the Elite. You will not find a more dedicated builder than Dave Greenfield - not just dedicated to the quality of his product but also dedicated to you and your needs as an athlete. I really believe you can not find beeter bikes than Elite.



Dave

Hey you might want to check out this thread. I think it covers why you should go with the Elite pretty well

http://www.slowtwitch.com/...;;page=unread#unread



SF Tri Nerd

Yaqui hands down. Best tri bikes made.

I have the Yaqui Mariola DL - best bike I have ever ridden. It made me a better rider because it makes me want to ride more. Mine is custom, and fits me perfectly.

You will not regret it.

To say any bike is the "best bike made" is just ignorant. There are many great tri bikes and few bad tri bikes on the market. It's a matter of finding the right bike for you. If you're going custom you're almost definitely going to get a great bike for you. I don't know much about Yaqui but have never heard a bad word about them. I have personal experience with Elite and cannot say enough good things about Elite Bicycles and David Greenfield. As others have stated, Elite's customer service always is mentioned by Dave's customers. I have a hard time believing you will get a better level of service from any company. The bikes are beautifully made and Dave is an expert in the art of bike fitting. You probably would be happy on either bike but I vote for Elite.

You're probably right. But I still say Yaqui offers the best tri bikes on the market. Period.