Welcome, Parlee!
Contender Bicycles is proud to bring Parlee Cycles into our line-up. Bringing more than 25 years of experience in carbon bike fabrication, they have been trying to find the best frame solution almost as long as we have! As one of the few American brands that still makes carbon framesets in the USA, their history and expertise are impressive.
Carbon Expertise
Parlee is famous for breaking carbon milestones including the first sub 900 gram and the first sub 800 gram frames. Founder Bob Parlee, fine-tuned his craft for carbon manufacturing from his time spent designing and building sailboats, multi-million dollar high-end racing boats, to be exact. Years spent obsessing over carbon hulls for high-performance sailboats where there is similar search for the perfect balance of stiffness and damping gave Parlee a head start in bike frame design.
Parlee’s Offerings
The name of the game with Parlee has always been customization, something we can really appreciate here at the shop. Parlee’s lineup falls into two categories: Built to Order and Custom. Each of these includes a road and gravel option. Built to Order means the frame, made in a new state-of-the-art facility in Portugal, is 98% ready to go waiting for decals and a final wax finish to be applied stateside. Although the Built to Order models are "production” framesets, Parlee still allows for some customization, which is detailed later. On the other hand, the Custom framesets are one-of-a-kind, unique geometry suited to each individual rider. These frames are handmade in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Built to Order Models
All-Road | Ouray (pronounced “yur-ay”)
The Ouray is the most popular option and will appeal to most riders. Slotting right into the endurance/all-road category, this bike is right at home on long, all-day adventures. The single-piece, monocoque frame, handmade in Portugal, lends itself to being lightweight and comfortable. Clearance for 700x38 tires and a UDH derailleur hanger means it can be built up to the rider’s liking and is somewhat future-proof. The Ouray’s high-end competitors might be the BMC Roadmachine or ENVE Fray.
Gravel | Taos (pronounced “tows”)
The Taos is built with gravel adventure in mind. Also featuring a monocoque frame handmade in Portugal, the Taos frame comes in at an astonishing 950g, even with integrated frame storage, clearance for 700x50 and a UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger). The UDH offers flexibility—whether you want to go with a mulleted drivetrain or something more race-oriented like SRAM RED XPLR. The Taos is eager to explore and is most similar to the Mondraker Arid, ENVE Mog, or Santa Cruz Stigmata.
It’s worth mentioning that even though the Ouray and Taos are both “Built to Order,” Parlee still offers customization to a point. Besides custom graphics, the rider can also select stem length, handlebar width, saddle, seatpost setback, and crank length can all be chosen to ensure they’re getting the bike built for them.
Custom Models
The Z-Zero is available in two models showcasing what put Parlee on the map. The RD and XD—road and gravel-specific models, respectively are not built to any specific geometry chart. That’s because these bikes are made to measure. Whatever geometry fits best is possible on this bike. Lower or higher stack height? Ok! Longer chainstays or reach? Can do. The possibilities are endless to make the perfect bike for the cyclist who knows exactly what they’re after.
Road | Z-Zero RD
The RD was one of the first road bikes to embrace the wider tire trend, with clearance for 32c tires. While by modern standards, this seems like a requirement rather than a special feature, keep in mind that Parlee was one of the first to do this almost 5–6 years ago. They were ahead of the game, determining that riders would benefit from this new approach. The RD is handmade one at a time in Beverly, Massachusetts, using the “Parlee Tube Joining Process.”
Gravel | Z-Zero XD
The XD is the gravel version of the RD, also fully custom-made in the USA. It offers 40mm tire clearance and fender mounts, making it ideal for mixed-surface exploring, all-day races, sportifs, and granfondos.
To top off the customization of the Z-Zero RD and XD, Parlee also offers custom paint through the Parlee Paint Lab. With the mentality of “whether it be mild or wild, we do it all,” the sky is the limit with Parlee’s custom paint. Understandably, the more elaborate the design, the higher the price. To make this easy, Parlee has broken their custom paint into four Paint Packages. It’s worth taking a look at what they offer—even if you’re not in the market, it’s fun to browse. Click HERE to check it out.
Welcome Parlee!
We are stoked to offer Parlee here at the shop, and as a boutique brand, they are made to order. We do have some on hand if you want to see them for yourself, but shoot us an email at info@contenderbicycles.com for a different model, size, a custom build, or to get one custom painted! Contact us