“PARLEE”
A carbon frame manufacturer known to those in the know. Based in Massachusetts, USA.
The founder, who originally built racing boats, used that know-how to become a pioneer in custom carbon bikes over 10 years ago.
The Z1, a fully custom geometry model, allows for angle adjustments in 0.1° increments and tube lengths customizable down to 1mm. Furthermore, you can choose from four types of carbon tubes—UD (Standard), SL (Light), XL (Stiff), and CL (Comfort)—to match the rider's ideal performance, and the lugs are customized accordingly, making it the ultimate custom bike.
The Z5, a stock frame model, offers fine size increments (XS, S, M, ML, L, XL) and adopts a proprietary semi-custom geometry called Flex-Fit. By offering a "Tall Size" for each frame size with a 2.5cm longer head tube, it provides options that suit various purposes, such as racing or long rides, despite being a stock frame.
Both the Z1 and Z5 are compatible with both electronic and mechanical components. The Z1 also offers the flexibility to choose BB standards (Standard, BB30, PF30), seatpost diameters (31.6mm, 27.2mm, ISP), and more.
An original carbon FD clamp is also included.
And as you would expect from a custom manufacturer, the custom paint options are also worth noting.
You can use the Custom Finishes Configurator on the PARLEE website to demo paint schemes and finish the bike exactly to your liking.
You might think of us as strictly steel-frame fans, but we are flexible when it comes to things we believe are good.
Circles is an official PARLEE dealer.
Z1 (Full custom geometry): From ¥889,350
Z5i (Stock frame with Flex-Fit): ¥451,500
Z5SLi (Lightweight model of the Z5i): ¥553,350
Custom Finish (Paint): From ¥45,570
I ordered a Z5i for myself.
I chose size S with the standard head tube length.
| Frame | PARLEE | “Z5i” |
| Fork | Enve Road 1.0(Tapered) | |
| Headset | Canecreek 40 | |
| Hubs | Chris King R45 | |
| Rims | EDGE 68mm(TU) | F:20H R:24H |
| Spoke | Sapim CX-RAY | |
| Tire | Continental Sprinter Gatorskin | 700-23c |
| Handle | EDGE | 380mm(Standard) |
| Stem | EDGE | 110mm |
| BarTape | Lizard Skinz | 3.2mm |
| Saddle | Fizik Gobi | |
| SeatPost | Thomson Elite | |
| STI | Ultegra 6770 | |
| Brake | Ultegra 6800 | |
| Crankset | Dura-ace 7900 | 170mm 53-39T |
| BB | Chris King | Press-Fit30 |
| FD | Ultegra 6770 | |
| RD | Ultegra 6770 | |
| CS | Dura-ace 7900 | 12-25T |
| Pedal | Speedplay Zero Stainless |
It has a solid kind of stiffness; the bike just moves forward honestly as you pedal. The bottom bracket stiffness, in particular, is amazing. Yet, it doesn't feel uncomfortably rigid, and I feel like it's perfectly suitable for long rides as well. This build weighs in at 6.7kg—even I was surprised by that number. Despite its "wild stallion" appearance, the handling is excellent, and it tracks exactly the line I imagine. I stared at the configurator many times before settling on this color. The theme is a refreshing color scheme that doesn't look like typical carbon. Just between us, I'm planning on entering this month's Hirata Criterium with this machine.
It is on display in our shop, so please feel free to stop by if you are interested.