Parlee Z1 test ride

[Bruce K]

Parlee Cycles is close to my house and Bob Parlee belongs to our cycling club.

This past weekend he had his demo fleet at our mid-summer get-together. I was not able to try one out at the event so he loaned me a Z1 for a week.

Parlee cycles are all carbon frames with the exception of the rear drop outs and the bottom bracket threaded portion (the shell area lug is carbon). The frames are hand built with custom geometry available. The tubes are set in place and then carbon lugs are compression molded and bonded to create the joints. The frames weigh around 2.3# according to their website.

Last night I rode the bike on our 20 mile Monday night club ride and thought you might be interested in the result. The bike was equipped with the new D-A 10 speed, including wheels, and a Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork, ITM bars and stem, Easton seatpost, and SLR saddle. The bike weighed in around 15# without cages, computer or toolkit.

I am a 210# recreational rider at 5'-8". I generally ride 3 nights per week with longer rides on both the weekend days.

The bike was not an exactly correct fit as the top tube/stem combination is still about 10mm too long and the seat tube is 1 cm too tall (saddle position was OK but stand-over was close), but overall it was close enough.

Fit and finish was excellent. The bike had a clear coat that showed off the weave with white outline decals. The only negative would be the waterbottle mounts. Currently Parlee is using threaded studs with an acorn-type nut. Not only would this not work with all cages, but it is a pain to mount them. Supposedly this is changing for 2005.

When riding, the Parlee felt like it was much lighter than my Ottrott (there is actually about a 1# plus estimated difference), and very fast. In fact, it took some getting used to as my Ottrott felt more solid under me. For me the bike was almost too responsive, but it felt better as the ride went on.

It accelerated very quickly and cornered well. Climbing felt very nice and easy. I can't tell for certain if some of this was the D-A wheels, which seemed to glide every bit as well as my HEDs on the Ottrott.

The frame seemed to absorb bumps well and the bike tracked well.

Overall it was a very nice package. I am not rushing right out to order one, but if I wanted an all carbon bike this one would be near the top of the list.

The new D-A stuff is great. It is all that the reports say it is. Easier shifting, more comfortable hoods/levers, etc.

Along with my Ottrott, I may bring the bike to Saratoga this weekend to see what it's like on those big hills.

BK

[Smiley]

Thanks Bruce , my question is can a bike become too light for its own good ?

[Bruce K]

Smiley;

My guess is you'd have to ask the owners of these superlight bikes in a few years and see how many of them have held up over time and miles.

I know Orbea has a life-time warranty on their all carbon Orca. I don't know what some of the other manufacturers do.

As has been said here many times, my losing 10 -15 lbs would probably help me more than shaving 1.5# off my bike.

It wasstill a very interesting ride and quite a lot of fun.

BK

[BumbleBeeDave]

Don’t worry about that 10-15 pounds. We’ll take care of it at owner’s weekend.

BTW, can you ride OK with one arm?

BBDave

[dbrk]

My own Parlee is a Hampsten. As many know, Hampsten asks Parlee to build their carbon and Moots to build their titanium. (Steel bikes are built by a number of builders, including David Levy, and the aluminum by Co-Motion.) Hampsten goes through a very, very thorough process of determining fit and geometry that customizes the bikes. My Z1 is built more along the lines of the Hampsten Strada Bianca model in terms of fit and style. Like Serotta, I have every confidence that Hampsten will stand by their work to the last. Even if, for some reason, Parlee didn't "make it" (leaving aside any frame issues), I am perfectly confident that Steve and Andy would come through if there were any problem or even a reasonable dissatisfaction (if that makes any sense). So I'm not worried about warranties. Of course, I am the guy who has voided how many Serotta warranties by having my bikes painted elsewhere or by having a different fork made? If a bike was made "right" from the start I feel like there is not much to worry about; this is why I'd go with a company like Serotta or Hampsten. I know less about Parlee personally since all my dealings were with Steve Hampsten but he is confident of them entirely and that's good enough for me.

Today it's gonna be 90d. This is the weather I wait for. Some like it hot and all those years in India...well, this is just right. I'll ride the Z1. Mine, btw, is custom, like I said. We sort of started with a 58cm and worked up towards a 60 to get the properly saddle/bar drop that I prefer and have the knee/pedal position and the balance of the bike right. I use a 12cm Ritchey stem with about 4cm of saddle/bar drop, maybe a tad less. The bike strikes a handsome pose and I think I am still the only one with blue HC decals---going for the more subdued look. Andy's mug looks good in blue. Makes you think of Krsna or something. Ha!! Krsna wouldn't have looked half as good in the pink jersey!

dbrk

[kenyee]

This past weekend he had his demo fleet at our mid-summer get-together.

Where was this mid-summer get-together? I never hear much about Parlee demo days and it would be fun to hit the next one in MA :-)

[Bruce K]

Ken;

It was teh Essex County Velo Summer Bash.

If you would like to join ECV we would be happy to have you. Just go to the website for info.

Bob also had the demo fleet at the Essex County Heritage Ride on Sunday for brief test rides after the riders came in from their regular routes.

I know Wheelworks is his Boston area dealer and they may have a demo bike there or could possibly arrange to "borrow" one from Bob.

It was definitely interesting and fun.

BK

[jeffg]

Like dbrk, I have a Hampsten Z1 (for a few moments I had a bike he did not :p ). For me, that bike is the perfect carbon bike (I had given up on carbon before trying the Z1), but much of my satisfaction is due to the fact that it replicates my Serotta Legend geos (and is very close to Hampsten steel geos). Anyway, the bike is a joy. Comfortable (as in 200 miles comfortable), but with lots of get up and go. Handles beautifully. It doesn't give me the feel the Legend does, but the Legend is in CA for now getting ready for a ride, so the Hampsten and I have been riding a lot together lately. If I had to have one bike, it would be the Legend, but that Hampsten is one wonderful ride. As for weight, the frame is just over a kilo, but the overall bike weight is not that much different than the Legend due to component choices. It turns out DA 9 is quite a bit lighter than Chorus, especially since the Legend uses a PMP compact crank/BB as well. Maybe I'll put a Campy compact on the Hampsten when it comes out if I can get over having a 50-13 as a top end gear for cyclotouring or cobble together a 12-29. For now the 53-39, 13-29 will do, but a 34X29 would be welcome in certain circumstances. ;)

[zap]

Smiley :)

Weight does matter. You need to test my sub 15 lb monster. You know where it is. Bring your knee and elbow pads because it is fast :)

:beer:

[kenyee]

If you would like to join ECV we would be happy to have you.

Thanks. Where do you guys generally do rides from? I'm smack in the middle of Boston :-P

[Climb01742]

kenyee--belmont does have a parlee built up on the floor, so a test ride seems doable.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . any "John Kerry's" built up on the floor? ;)

I hear he keeps switching frame materials . . . just cannot decide which one to use! :rolleyes:

BBDave

[Bruce K]

Ken;

ECV rides on the North Shore in the Hamilton, Essex, Ipswich, Manchester, Gloucester area.

We have Time Trials every other Wednesday night (#2 is tomorrow) and a regular Monday night ride that leaves Bay Road Bikes in Hamilton at 6:00PM for 1.25 to 1.5 hours of recovery-type riding.

Most of the other stuff is a bit more informal.

A lot of the stuff is racing related. (not me)

I would be happy to try and meet up any other time as long as I wouldn't end up being an anchor to a rocket like yourself. ;)

BK

[kenyee]

I would be happy to try and meet up any other time as long as I wouldn't end up being an anchor to a rocket like yourself. ;)


I'd bet I'm the bigger anchor, albeit a scrawny one :-)
I'll check out Belmont first...probably the easiest for both of us. North Shore might be a bit of a haul for weekly rides, but I might have a project up there for a short period...

[dcotcamp]

I don't have a Z1Pro, but -do- have a brand new Hampsten Tour De Suisse, which is essentially a Z3C. I opted for a little HT extension in order to get the bar height where I wanted it, and added a pump peg. I built it with weight-weenie parts, since it's now my bike for hilly road races.

I love the ride and handling - not more than my Sachs or CSi's, but certainly more than my Legend or the now-departed VaMoots. That's not a slam on Ti frames in general, but more a function of fit, I think.

As dbrk has mentioned, working with Steve Hampsten was a joy, too.

Dennis

[RDP]

...a brand new H. "Tour De Suisse"? I have not seen it on the Hampsten Cycles' Website. Please do post a photo (or two) here or in the BikeFanClub Gallery.

Thanks,
Richard

[jeffg]

...a brand new H. "Tour De Suisse"? I have not seen it on the Hampsten Cycles' Website. Please do post a photo (or two) here or in the BikeFanClub Gallery.

Thanks,
Richard

The good news is that a less expensive "stock" Parlee is finally available (this has been a long time in the works, as I recall). The better news for me is that this Tour de Suisse, had I waited for one, now costs just a bit less than the Z1 I got just about a year ago! Then again, I am also glad I bought my Legend a while back too! I can't keep pace with these price increases!

[RDP]

I was aware of the OEM Z3c and Z2 but did not know that Hampsten was offering a "new" model based upon the Z3c. Looking forward to hearing owner opinions about them. I agree with you about pricing in general...but on the other hand it keeps my buying impulses in check. :)

[davids]

I'd bet I'm the bigger anchor, albeit a scrawny one :-)
I'll check out Belmont first...probably the easiest for both of us. North Shore might be a bit of a haul for weekly rides, but I might have a project up there for a short period...
Kenyee,

Where do you usually ride? My group rides south of the City - Milton, Braintree, Randolph, etc.

[drd]

I took delivery of my z3c a couple of weeks ago. I rode a Litespeed Arenberg last year, and plan on keeping the LS as my 2nd bike. I test road a Calfee Luna and a demo Parlee z3c before ordering my Parlee.

I'm not a bike expert by any means, and had been out of road biking for about a decade until I bought the LS last spring, but here's my 2 cents on the Parlee. Mine is a stock size small (about a 51cm) frame, and I weigh about 170 pounds. The bike responds instantly and is very stiff and fast. Until I got the Parlee, I would normally get dropped on relatively small hills when on my normal group ride. Last weekend I rode up Mt. Wachusett (a tiny ski mtn - but huge compared to the hills I normally get dropped on) with the same group and held my own on the climb, and the new bike should probably get half the credit for that (intervals get the other half). The bike is stable and handles very well at high speed. The Parlee is not as comfortable on my butt as my LS, but that maybe partially the result of the Ksyriums I have on the Parlee and/or getting the fit dialed in (and because the LS is just a less stiff bike by design).

The Calfee definitely has a smoother, more comfortable ride (even better then the LS). I bought the Parlee instead of the Calfee because: 1)It is an awesome bike - at least on par with the Calfee in all regards except long distance comfort. The Parlee maybe just a little stiffer/more responsive than the Calfee. 2)the 12+ week delivery time for a Calfee was unacceptable, 3)I like the idea of buying a locally made product.

I bought the z3c from Ace Wheelworks (Belmont WheelWorks' Somerville store). Ace is smaller and less "luxurious" then the Belmont store, but a great place that I highly recommend. The z3c I test rode was a factory owned bike that Ace borrowed for my test ride. It only took 3 weeks from the time I ordered it to delivery.

Doug

[jeffg]

The Calfee definitely has a smoother, more comfortable ride (even better then the LS). Doug

Interesting .. I test rode multiple Calfees and found them all to be exceptionally uncomfortable (versus my Legend), and my Z1 is a good friend up to 15+ hours in the saddle -- every bit as comfy as my Legend, though that is fairly stiff for Ti. I should note all the test rides were with the same wheels, so maybe I just rode some strange Calfees. Also, the Calfee geos do not result in a bike that handles to my liking. Chacu a son gout, or something like that ... :banana:

[rnhood]

I have a Calfee Tetra custom, custom in this case meaning a Calfee with standard Serotta geometry, and it handles beautifully. Not only could I eat lunch going downhill at 40mph but, I could just about cook lunch too. Acceleration is effortless. Quiet, refined and efficient are good descriptive terms here. But, the bike is also brutally stiff in my opinion. I am sure this accounts for much of the effortless acceleration. I hit a pothole in the road on a fast downhill run and it was jolting to say the least. I was surprised the bike survived. I was also surprised that I survived. At my age my bones will not tolerate much of that. I adjusted the tire pressure down a bit and this has certainly taken a bit of the the edge off but, I still feel that I need a more forgiving bike for those riding times when I am taking in the scenery without having to stay so intently focused on the road for ruts and potholes.

[Climb01742]

my look carbon bike has that same nasty habit. it absorbs small road vibrations well, but hit something larger -- like a new england pothole -- and it jars everything in my body made of calcium. parlee's may be quite different, but at the moment, i have zero jonz for a carbon frame.

[RDP]

drd,

Please post photos of your Z3c at the Bike Fan Club Gallery. (http://www.bikefanclub.com/gallery/) The images available on the Parlee website are dreadful (can't see any of the workmanship).

Thanks,
RDP

[davep]

How do you expect a bike of any material or design, except maybe one with a front shock, to not give you one heck of a wallop if you hit a pothole going 30+ mph, or even even 20+ mph?