Z5

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Ozrider - Western Australia
Parlee Z5 XL 2011 (6055g/13.32lbs) Raleigh RC Ltd 2008 (7.6kg) Reynolds 653 Custom 1990 (9.8kg, now 8.8kg)
The accumulation of marginal gains is what makes the difference between winning and losing

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Exp001

I don't think he would be asking unless sex appeal was first priority. So, go with the sexiest bike.

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Specialized Allez 06' "Rain Bike" 21.50lbs
Neuvation F100 11' "Road Bike" 16.80lbs
Specialized Tarmac Pro 11' "WW Bike" 14.25lbs

SL4 but color is ugly (IMO)

Sl4

Race bike or dream bike?

Race bike: SL4

Dream Bike: Custom Z1 (....or in this case a Z5)

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Road bike: Pinarello Dogma 60.1
TT bike: Trek Speed Concept

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4XxCZagAjk

SL4, Just got mine a few weeks ago and love it. Always had Roubaix's before this Tarmac is fast!

Just got an SL4 on Friday. Tested it an a Z5 and you can guess which came out on top. The Z5 is good, but its not earth-shattering.

Perhaps you might consider trying one of each and decide based on your own riding impressions. Here (and elsewhere) you will get a variety of opinions, none of which may pertain to your particular situation.

KAC

Best response so far.

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Exp001

SL4's downtube and chainstays are absolutely massive (pretty dramatic if you look close). I imagine for out of the saddle riding, the SL4 will have an advantage.

But the Parlee will have a huge advantage in uniqueness points (they are the madone of WW, but in the real world, they are still quite scarce).

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I live in a city of 5 million people... Have only seen 2 other parlees I built one for a friend, the other is a friends and they are both z4s.. Any parlee is pretty rare round here.. SL4s on he other hand

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http://fairwheelbikes.com/cycling-blog/ ... ee-z5.html

if your name is john hammond i'd go parlee

That's not always so easy. A lot of Parlee dealers, such as mine, do not stock the full line because the demand isn't high enough to have a full run of sizes on the floor. Also, some dealers aren't too helpful with the selection process. Its also helpful to get opinions because the demo bike may have a different setup and its often hard to get a full feel of the bike in a very short ride on one type of road.

I have to say without a doubt the SL4 is laterally stiffer and I feel that its just as compliant. I have owned every iteration of Tarmac since the 2008 S-Works and I can say that this is the first that truly beats the Z5. I felt that the SL3 was stiffer as well, but a bit more harsh with no perceived benefit to the detriment in ride quality.

I like my Z4 for my style of riding than I did my sl2 s works