I’m looking at slapping some clip-ons on a new bike. I won’t go into the details of why not a tri bike etc. My question right now is, at 5’7" and 135 lbs, with a few long course tri’s in my immediate future, am I going to feel more beat up on the aluminum frame? I have faith that Ves is a master craftsman, but Craig Calfee is no slouch, and while it may be a bit more of a struggle to get a good position on the Calfee since it’s not designed for aerobars (I’m working with a good fitter, so I may be okay), I worry about the impact on my body toward the end of the bike and the effect on my run.
If you’re looking at a road geometry, why not look at Mandaric bikes (http://www.mandaric.com/) instead of Yaqui? It’s Ves’ road bike line. The geometry would be more comparable to Calfee. If you really want something that’s made for an ITU-like setup, then I’d go with the DL.
Calfee bikes are schweet though. I’m just not sure I’d get one setup for aerobars.
You won’t feel beat up on the Yaqui - my Mariola DL is very, very smooth and a joy to ride. It is as smooth as a Kestrel talon or a Giant composite - never rode a calfee, so I can’t say on that one. It is MUCH nicer to ride than my old aluminum Bianchi.
My DL is set up with some Vision Tech clipons that I cut down. I had some syntace bars, but I moved these over to my steep bike.
They will both fit you up perfectly. Both bikes will be very comfortable. The Yaqui might be a little more aero because of the aero downtube.
Both of those guys are master fitters and builders, so I would suggest going with your gut and buy which of the two you think will be the biggest thrill to ride.
FWIW – I just put a deposit down on a new Yaqui (in the DE geometry). But, if I were buying a road-style bike, I would awfully tempted to get a Calfee.
Sparky,
I dont know much about Yaqui but Calfee’s are one of the few bikes out there WORTH the money they ask for them. If you know me at all, you know that I have a generally poor outlook on almost all bikes because I think they are all overpriced for exactly the same thing. My bike is a cheap ass 200.00 alu frame that I can TT under 60min for 40K. Its all about the legs.
I rode a Calfee frame for a few days and it was the best bike I have ever been on. At the time I owned an OCLV that I loved and it put that bike to shame. No other bike has ever fealt that much better than every other bike I have had the chance to ride and that includes Look, Merlin, Gios, Trek, Ritchey, Klein, and Cannondale.
I say get the Calfee, you wont regret it.