Parlee Altum - Comfortable?

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qorwlch
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2013 3:03 pm

by qorwlch

altum frame weight??
:x

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eaglejackson
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by eaglejackson

Mr.Gib wrote:That work by Calfee is amazing. But it is a bit of a shame that Parlee didn't leave enough room for tires on their older models.

And @eaglejackson, if you were asking if I needed a taller head tube for a good fit my answer is sort of. I bought the Altum for the light weight, tire clearance, understated looks, brand desirability, and geometry. I do have a spinal injury, and although I am very flexible and don't ride in an upright position, I want a frame that will allow it if my spine gets worse. I run between 8 and 9 cm of drop from saddle to bar.

Thanks... very helpful

kode54
Posts: 3740
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by kode54

nice work on the Z5. maybe thats something i have to take a look at. i still have my Z5 SLi laying around as a spare frame just in case one of my bikes gets crashed.
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spdntrxi
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by spdntrxi

If I was not enjoying my z5 so much I would for sure do this calfee mod... hell I just want to run 25s with no rub


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eaglejackson
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by eaglejackson

rst72 wrote:
kode54 wrote:the Altum fits larger tires better than the Z5. yes, i got tire rub all over the place using 25mm in the rain where the tires picked up grit and small debris. and the chain stays were narrow as well as the top of the fork.


For those who love their Z5, but frustrated with tire clearance...

I sent my Z5SLI to Calfee...now fits 28mm tires with room to spare.

Image

Image

Nice! How's the fork clearance?

The Vittoria Corsa G+ tires are slightly narrower, I've found, than the Conti GP 4000 SII's in the same size.

rst72
Posts: 33
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by rst72

eaglejackson wrote:Nice! How's the fork clearance?

The Vittoria Corsa G+ tires are slightly narrower, I've found, than the Conti GP 4000 SII's in the same size.


Plenty of fork clearance with 28c Corsa G+

Broid
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Dec 21, 2011 7:39 pm

by Broid

qorwlch wrote:altum frame weight??


My Altum R frame/fork weighed just over 1100g...

GothicCastle
Posts: 302
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2016 1:52 am

by GothicCastle

Mr.Gib wrote:3. The seatpost clamp uses a 4 mm hex bolt and asks for 8 nm of torque. That is too much torque for such a small bolt. It works but you have to be careful.


The hidden seat post clamp on the Altum is the most annoying thing about that frame. I can't get mine to be noise-free. After ~500 miles it starts creaking regardless of torque, grease, paste, etc. I don't think think the interface between the expander and frame is well designed. I wish they had bonded in a metal face to better hold the clamp.

Otherwise, great frame.

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kfreytag
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by kfreytag

rst72 wrote:For those who love their Z5, but frustrated with tire clearance...

I sent my Z5SLI to Calfee...now fits 28mm tires with room to spare.

Image


That's fantastic. What did Calfee charge you? With used Z5 frames so cheap in the secondary market, I've been thinking about picking one up.


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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

GothicCastle wrote:
Mr.Gib wrote:3. The seatpost clamp uses a 4 mm hex bolt and asks for 8 nm of torque. That is too much torque for such a small bolt. It works but you have to be careful.


The hidden seat post clamp on the Altum is the most annoying thing about that frame. I can't get mine to be noise-free. After ~500 miles it starts creaking regardless of torque, grease, paste, etc. I don't think think the interface between the expander and frame is well designed. I wish they had bonded in a metal face to better hold the clamp.

Otherwise, great frame.


OK, you may have a problem. You need to check the seat post in the seat tube for too much play. There are some frames where the hole in the seat tube is just too big. If you can rattle the seat post around in the seat tube without the clamp installed, than the bike should go back to Parlee - they will fix it perfectly at no charge but it is an unfortunate pain in the ass. The clamping system will simply not hold the seatpost steady if the fit isn't very close. When the fit is good it holds very well. (I have experienced both).

But first I would grease all surfaces of the clamp components and the bolt and then reinstall with a torque wrench to 8 nm. I have found this makes a difference.
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rst72
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Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2015 3:19 pm

by rst72

kfreytag wrote:That's fantastic. What did Calfee charge you? With used Z5 frames so cheap in the secondary market, I've been thinking about picking one up.


exactly...Z5 frames can be had for cheap.

$675 in total (that includes paint).

10 year warranty.

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kfreytag
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by kfreytag

rst72 wrote:Z5 frames can be had for cheap.

$675 in total (that includes paint).

10 year warranty.


Where are you getting these prices, @rst?
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rst72
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Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2015 3:19 pm

by rst72

kfreytag wrote:
Where are you getting these prices, @rst?


It's what I paid.

eaglejackson
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by eaglejackson

rst72 wrote:
kfreytag wrote:
Where are you getting these prices, @rst?


It's what I paid.

To clarify, that's what you paid Calfee for the work to widen the chainstays. Not to buy a used Z5 frame. Right?

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rst72
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by rst72

eaglejackson wrote:To clarify, that's what you paid Calfee for the work to widen the chainstays. Not to buy a used Z5 frame. Right?


correct...price for the work. although i think you can get a z5 frame around a $1k or less these days.

i wish i got mine that cheap, but i bought used before parlee released the altum.

i love my z5 and felt i couldn't do much better, so $675 was more than worth it. the ride quality was amazing on 23s, but now it's a whole other level of comfort for me.

no longer have that itch for a new frame.

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