Can yaqui owners givesome feedback on these bikes? Pros and cons? Are they comfortable? Seems like Ves has been around a while and knows what he is doing. Thanks.
I am starting my 3rd season riding my Yaqui Mariola. I have a 700c frame with 76 deg seat angle. I love the bike and the service that Ves offers is 2nd to none. The frame is an excellent balance between ride comfort and stiffness. Like Slowman has said in several reviews, the smaller diameter scandium tubes seem to transmit less road vibration than your typical alum. bike (ie C’dale). But the bottom-line is that it fits me like a glove.
My former roomate and one of my good riding buddies also have the Yaqui Ocottillo and Carbo. They love their bikes too. Ves will sell you the exact bike that you need and want. My old roomate is a clydesdale and Ves actually convinced him to buy the less-expensive Ocotillo because it would be less flexy for someone his size. How many bike shops will steer you away from a more expensive machine to make sure you get the right bike for you (not them)?
And as a final example of the over-the-top service, I aksed Ves a few weeks ago what he thought of the new Easton clip-ons. Specifically, how they would stack up aero position-wise vs my C2s. He actually sent me a full CAAD drawing of the eastons overlaid on the C2’s. That is what remarkable customer service is all about.
Hope this is useful to you.
-kyle
Zero complaints from me. Best handling bike I’ve ever been on when in the aerobars. It’s light, it’s stiff in the rear triangle, it’s comfortable over bumps. But, the best thing is the time Ves spent with me to determine the proper seat tube angle…now, I don’t slide around on the saddle a lot trying to find a comfortable way to get maximum power to the pedals. I never rode a steeper bike well uphill, now I ride at least as fast uphill on my Yaqui TT bike as I do on a road bike. I’m not sure if Ves determined that 76 was better for me based upon measurements, age, riding history, power output, or a combination of all of those factors divided by my Astrological sign. But, I’ve since had a chance to have a pro coach evaluate my power output in several different seat-tube angles…turns out 76 is best for me. Keep in mind, I usually ride a bike that is at 73-74 degrees, so it’s not that I’m simply used to riding a 76 degree bike. Sure, I recommend Yaqui bikes, but it’s Mr. Mandaric that I’m actually recommending.
I have now ridden my Yaqui exactly three times. In the three days I can say that his bike does exactly what a great bike should–it makes you forget all about the bike and enjoy the ride or concentrate on the pain/race.
He built me an 81 degree seat tube bike, recommended 700c when I had 650 and made a few other suggestions. He was always responsive to my questions, no matter how bizarre they were. Now I have the bike I plan to ride the next 10 years. For what more can you ask?
Ves is the man.
Chad
Cons? Do cons exist when it comes to Yaqui? I have the Manzanita, Ves’ entry level bike. However, as I have found, it is far from entry level. I got mine back in October, have raced three times on it (one time trial, one duathlon and one tri), and have logged a pretty good number of training miles on it. I could go on and on about Ves and his service, just like the others have, but suffice it to say that Yaqui bikes are among the best out there. You won’t find a better bike anywhere, no matter which model you decide to go with.
RP
I freakin love my Mariola. If you can go into Ves’ shop in San Marcos I recommend that as he will measure you up, do some CAD magic and send you a CAD drawing of your new setup, then he’ll call you up when it’s ready and BOOM, near perfect fit on the first try. The bike weighs absolutely nothing and I feel like I’m riding on my Lazy Boy it’s so comfy. Very responsive and quick. The frames are made beautifully and he does a top notch job of doing a clean component installation. I can’t say enough good things about my bike. In fact, I love looking at it and riding it so much I am going to post a picture of it.
As for pros and cons there has been discussion on the board before about the added value of carbon seat stays. I believe yaquicarbo (hence the name) has a carbo as well as Tom and/or Dan (on second thought I think Dan has a Mariola and Ocotillo?..ehh what do I know…). But in general, I think Yaqui’s are a great deal considering the amount of time, attention, etc. that goes into this virtually custom made machine.
EDIT: One more thing: I had Ves ship my bike from home to school and I mentioned that felt like I was scooting up on the saddle sometimes when I really started cranking and wanted to pick up a lot of speed. He offered to switch out my stem from a shorter one while he was packing up my bike and shipping it. I feel a lot more powerful and compact now while sitting further back (more comfortably) in the saddle. Sweet!
I have a Mariola DL which is set up as an ITU bike, shorty aero bars and all. It is custom built for me, handles beautifully (even in the aero bars - which is damn impressive), and is just a dream to ride. It is easily as comfortable as the Talon and TCR composite that I tested, and far more comfortable than my old bianchi - especially in the front end. If you can only own one bike, this is the one.
With an unexpected bonus, I was able to purchase a Carbo 78 degree bike earlier this year. I had never ridden a steep bike before, and only tested two others before I bought it. It far exceeded my expectations. The fit is great, it is as comfortable as my DL, and is damn fast. It climbs faster than the DL, descends as well as the DL, and busts ass on the flats. All it needs is a better motor, but I’m working on that.
Both bikes are equipped with Reynolds forks - Ouzo Pro on the DL, Aero on the Carbo.
Ves is great to work with, is damn smart about this stuff, and builds great machines.
I can’t say anything more than what has already been said. He also steered me to the Ocotillo because I’m a Clyde. After seeing my bike, my father had Ves build him a road bike with full Campy Record.
Russ
I bought a Carbo in Dec. 2001, got delivery in Feb 2002. Now, 2 years later, I still remember how amazing that first ride was. I had lots of wrenches in my jersey pockets figuring I’ll ride “around the block” and keep tweaking it. Rode non-stop for 1.5 hours. Not a damn thing got changed.
For about $100-$200 over the P3 complete bike price (at the time), I got a custom frame with top-shelf components. With all due respect to P3 owners (and donning azbestos underwear), it’s a better buy by a mile.
(Should I mention that Ves had a special at the time - buy a Carbo, get a free DeSoto T1 wetsuit…!!)
Since then, 2 other people that I work with have bought bikes from Ves and their experiences were the same.
Great bike. Great service. Period.
Horia
Yaqui Mariola - 3 seasons: Pros - pretty much covered above. Very light & the scandium frame is a comfortable ride. Cons: At least for us east-coasters you’ve got to have faith ordering sight unseen - I’d like to see the Yaqui’s picked up by a few dealers. Other con: “whattayaride? a Yucky - neva heard of it…”
MattinRI wrote: Other con: “whattayaride? a Yucky - neva heard of it…”
I consider that a pro!
I love my Ocotillo. Ditto the above comments about build and ride quality. I couldn’t believe the ride quality when I got this bike. My road bike is a Klein which I’ve always found very comfy. (I know some find them harsh) But I was so blown away by the difference in the ride that I swapped wheels/saddles on the two bikes (handlebars, and seatpost were the same) and the Yaqui still blew it away. The only way I can describe it is the difference in ride quality is that it’s like the difference between a Toyota and a BMW. The scandium/aluminum tubeset rocks.
My only complaint… make the decals in more than one color!!!
He built me an 81 degree seat tube bike,
Chad,
Do you have the 50 rake fork and shallow headtube as well? (ie, the “DE” model?). I am very seriously considering that frame for 2005…
Another fan here. Custom Ocotillo-Carbo. Nothing more to add to what’s already been said. The fit is perfect. The ride is incredible. The service from Ves was second to none.
scott
oh, and as far as:
MattinRI wrote: Other con: “whattayaride? a Yucky - neva heard of it…”
I consider that a pro!
aka Ktalon
I agree. Definitely a pro!
beautiful ride. how did you fit the rear bottle cage for your co2 cartridges? Where did u get that?
thanks,
rock
Thanks! It’s an Xlab Flatwing and I got it from Trisports.com. They also have them over at tri-zone.com. In this picture I only have the xnut w/ C02 cartridges on, no cages, but they would stick out on the sides but not any further than the CO2 cartridges do. It took a little finnagling to get it on the rails of my saddle but it eventually went on. I had to remove the saddle from the seatpost to get the flatwing on. I don’t plan on taking the flatwing off anytime soon as it was relatively tough to get on, but when I have time trials I unscrew the Xnut (w/ the microflate and C02 cartridges) and it keeps the airstream clean. Now, if I could only do something about that thing on TOP of the saddle getting in the airstream…