_________________
Technical Artisans

A friend of mine went through an absolute ordeal getting his Parlee TT bike. I can't remember how long it took - but it was months overdue. Maybe a year? Poor bloke was in a real state - and as a competing triathlete simply didn't have his work weapon when he needed it. They let him down so many times it was ridiculous. Overpromise and underdeliver. I'm not sure if the bike was any good, because he dropped out of touch while he was still waiting for it.

Two other friends had (from memory) a Z3, Z4 and Z5 between them. And they couldn't be happier. The best bikes they have ever ridden, they say - including some sweet carbon things and titanium in the past. I don't think anyone I know has ever complained about the finished product.

Not a minutes regret, had mine since Dec 2010. Just upgraded to SRAM Red 2013, which makes it even better and more enjoyable.
I have used it for endurance events like 5 Dams Challenge (235 km) and a 1000km event over 6 days, as well as racing Masters for 2 seasons on it (road races in winter, crits in summer

_________________
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

Had my z5 for a year.. It's amazing, not one regret..

_________________
http://fairwheelbikes.com/c/forums/topi ... parlee-z5/

And as you can see on page 1 Ive had mine since End september 2010... I just get that happy face everytime I ride my Z5 - Never regretted it at all - Must say that the rumors about an "Aero Z5" are quite interesting, but as I am not racing I really don't need the improved aerodynamics.. Prolly gonna upgrade my SRAM force to Red and get a new set of wheels (New set 202's or maybe 303) before I think about replacing the Z5..

_________________
Parlee Z5 ML

I only regret getting one bike, my first "real" racebike at 18 years of age, because it was a size 60 and now I ride a 56.
(There were no Internet back then, and I received bad advise)

Every other bike I bought I was very satisfied with.

But I guess most buyers are like that, aren't they? Especially when it cames to high-end stuff, there're mostly satisfied folks.
Firstly it's high-end because it's high-end, isn't it?

btw. High-end audio works like that too. An amplifier might not provide a good frequency respone, but then people will like the "analogue feel", or whatever...

I got to ride a Z5 for some time and did a review on my blog. It's a fantastic bike, II doubt anyone would regret owning one.

_________________
Blog: http://glorycycles.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/glorycycles/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have a z5 that I race/train with. No regrets. Great bike!

Z5 was featured in Prime Rush (one of the messengers rode one) where it was described as "custom carbon goodness" or something similar. Pretty funny thinking of someone locking one of those to a rusty light post while making deliveries...

photo here

_________________
http://djconnel.blogspot.com/
Fuji SL/1
Send your data to Weight Weenie listings!

^referral denied^

let alone with Enve + Red...and brakes.

_________________
Thing 1 & Thing 2 & Thing 3

Started here...

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/default.asp?pg=fullstory&id=4694


Then here:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/default.asp?pg=fullstory&id=6001


Wound up here:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/default.asp?pg=fullstory&id=10001



Of all the brands you chose to ask about regrets, Parlee are likely one to get pretty few... That's a company that hasn't released very many new models and or made a lot ("a lot" relative to bike brands) of changes to current editions because they turn every decision inside out and upside down before launching...

They're a 180 turn from most top line brands (and many other custom places) that feel like they have to change constantly or risk missing a single sale, even in the case that the new [insert bleeding edge product/feature] isn't really an upgrade. Parlee dont give a rats ass what red herring their competitors are chasing. In fact I don't think they look at any other brand as "competition" as much as they do cohorts...

All that is to say that Parlee are not over the top in styling but always fairly classical. They tend to use nothing but well tried and tested standards and wait for a plainly visible need to show up and then fill it. If there is a flaw, I would guess it's that Bob won't move until a tidal wave forces it (figuratively and literally now that I think about it) and he, Tom and the whole crew at Parlee have a knack of settling-in seemingly exactly where nature/ the wave intended...


A better question might be to ask Parlee if they regret any of the models or features they've made so far... You would probably get a lot more examples that might = a "yes", but likely very few that ever made it into customer production. That's why you wont see many / any actual customers regretting their choice...

_________________
charles@pezcyclingnews.com

Another satisfied customer here.

I bought a Z4 with custom paint after the Pez review and was very happy with it. It rode like my C40 or maybe a little better, but with added stiffness and much less weight. Initially I built it with Ultegra then Dura Ace 7900 when that came out, and planned to ride it for 10 years like the Colnago. But then disaster struck after something like 2.5 years. I was dreading the discussion with Bespoke, but they immediately offered me a replacement. Unfortunately all Parlees had sold out at that point, so Tom kindly offered a Z5SL as a replacement in return for waiting a while. I can confirm the Z5SL is even better than the Z4. Recently I had a few issues with the BB30 bottom bracket, and again Tom returned emails within the day to offer support.

I've "only" had my Z3 since February 2006. I've ridden it at least 15,000 road miles (I lost count somewhere along the line), plus a lot of trainer time in the winter. I haven't replaced it because I haven't found anything better. Check back with me in another six years -- I suppose it's possible I could find something wrong with it by then.

Oh, and you won't find better customer service than from the guys at Parlee.

_________________
“Tuco” in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, “If you save your breath I feel a man like you can manage it. And if you don't manage it, you'll die. Only slowly, very slowly old friend.”

It's almost 6 years since that z1 article and shop tour... That bike is now the every day bike of the owner of the physical therapy place I use. I miss it when I see it and it's still basically perfect...

_________________
charles@pezcyclingnews.com