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About Parlee
Bob Parlee founded Parlee Cycles in 1999 in Beverly, Massachusetts, an hour north of Boston. Parlee came out of high-performance sailing-yacht composite work, where carbon-fiber engineering was already advanced, and applied those construction methods to road bicycle frames at a time when most carbon road bikes were stock-size monocoques imported from Asia.
Parlee set the benchmark for frame weight in 2004 with a sub-900-gram carbon road frame, and the brand built its reputation on custom geometry and rider-specific layups. The Z-Zero is still made to order from each rider’s measurements rather than to a stock size, with tube layups tuned to the rider’s weight and power output and the frame hand-built in the Beverly factory.
Bob Parlee sold the company to John Harrison in 2023 and died in September 2024 after a battle with cancer. The brand continues to build out of Beverly under Harrison’s leadership, with a current lineup spanning the RZ7 aero race bike, the Ouray endurance and all-road platform, the bespoke Z-Zero GT, and the Taos gravel bike.
Most popular Parlee models
Parlee builds carbon road and gravel frames in small batches, with every Z-Zero made to a rider’s measurements and the rest of the lineup shipped in five stock sizes. The RZ7 is the aero race bike, optimized around 28 mm tires with clearance up to 32 mm and offered in Shimano Dura-Ace, Ultegra, SRAM Red, Force, and Rival builds. The Ouray replaced the long-running Altum in 2024 as the all-around endurance and all-road platform, clearing up to 40 mm of rubber for mixed-surface days.
The Z-Zero GT is the bespoke flagship, made to order in Beverly with custom geometry, weight-and-power-tuned layups, and clearance for 28 to 40 mm tires across road and all-road builds up to Campagnolo Super Record 13. The 25th Anniversary Edition is a limited Z-Zero build celebrating the brand’s 1999 founding. The Taos is purpose-built for gravel with 50 mm tire clearance and the same composite construction. For a hand-built carbon frame at this replacement value, stand-alone gravel bike insurance from Velosurance protects against the kind of crash and transit risk a homeowner’s policy will not.
Parlee’s aero race road bike, optimized for 28 mm tires with clearance up to 32 mm. Sold in Shimano Dura-Ace, Ultegra, and SRAM Red, Force, and Rival builds, plus a frameset.
Parlee’s endurance and all-road platform, replacing the long-running Altum in 2024. Tire clearance up to 40 mm and a build ladder from Tier Seven to Tier Two on Shimano and SRAM groupsets.
The bespoke flagship. Made to order in Beverly with custom geometry, rider-specific carbon layups, and clearance for 28 to 40 mm tires across road and all-road builds up to Campagnolo Super Record 13.
A limited Z-Zero GT build celebrating Parlee’s 1999 founding, made to order with the same custom-fit and rider-specific layup process as the standard Z-Zero GT.
Parlee’s gravel platform. Optimized for 45 mm tires with 50 mm clearance, with a build ladder from Tier Five to Tier One plus a frameset for custom builds.
Why Velosurance is best for your Parlee
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