Parlee Z5SL

[theletterk]

Ok....bartape end has been shortened!
Can't go much shorter than that cos the cables are stiff and any shorter than what I have will cause the electrical tape to over stretch!

Took a quick pic and here you go

Ride safe everyone.

[Elrey]

Yes! No more wonky baretape.

[Geoff]

Here's a little tip for new guys: cables should not be secured to the bar with electrical tape. The proper tool is fibre-reinforced packing tape. That tape does not stretch and is the only thing that will hold the cables securely. Nice build, too.

[bura]

Nice bike. Great build.
BTW I always use Teflon tape to secure cables and housings under the handle bar tape. Light and safe IMO.

[sugarkane]

Here's a little tip for new guys: cables should not be secured to the bar with electrical tape. The proper tool is fibre-reinforced packing tape. That tape does not stretch and is the only thing that will hold the cables securely. Nice build, too.

You are correct electrical tape isn't a good method of taping down bars but fibre tape is total overkill
Cheap clear packing tape is the one. It's super light and doesn't stretch making it perfect for taping cables down.

[Holiday]

Best tape to use is tesa SE 19mm. Does not stretch and leave stains like
electrical tape. Just check them out at www.tesa.com, its cheap and
comes in Black or White. I see a lotta this used by the pro teams.

[Pharmstrong]

Best tape to use is tesa SE 19mm.

Which tesa tape in particular? There's every kind of tape imaginable on their site.

[Naturel]

Very nice bike!
Could you review it? comportement on road?
I read much reviews that say it is not so stiff as R5, SL4,...???

[theletterk]

thank you Naturel.

Here is my honest review without any bias feeling to it. especially without the new bike syndrome feeling.
I am comparing it with my other bike. A Look 695SR with eps.

Comfort level between the 2 bikes are on a different level together. Some cyclist love the stiffness of the 695. some love the apparent 'softness' of the Z5SL. i personally like the softness shown by the Z5SL simply because of my weight. i am 61kg.
On the 695....there are times where the stiffness of the frame comes on when i am doing distance longer than 100km. After using the Z5 for about 1.5 month, the softness (i would actually call it the comfortness) of the frame starts to show and i find that i can maintain the same speed for a much longer duration with the same cadence/HR.

during rides however, i find that sprinting on the 695 is a little easier than the Z5. probably due to the weight. The 695 is not heavy either. Still at a pretty light 6.4kg but i feel that having the extra 900gms makes a lot of difference in a very good way. i seem to dare to sway the bike more with the 695 during sprint training. But it is a different bike altogether when it comes to climbs. If there is something that the Z5 does exceptionally well....its when you climb with it. A light bike like that is never going to let you down but its the ease and smoothness it exudes when you put it through its pace skyward. The components that i have on the bike played a very big part. The M3 crank is just plain awesome. What a piece of work. You in put your best effort while climbing off saddle and it rewards you with smooth accelaration with each turn of the crank.

The other components like the enve bar and seatpost have done their respective job in making the Z5 an amazing bike to ride. I thought my ass will hurt with the CF saddle but the overall combination of the bike has made the ride very enjoyable. I've tried other carbon saddles before but the becker saddle is a supreme saddle in its own right. There is a good level of flex when it is needed that takes away the harshness from most carbon saddle. Shifting with theSR11/praxis/M3 crank is now great after i changed the carbon FD clamp to the Campy FD clamp. Bike has an amazing feel to it now. If butter can be used to describe smoothness, the Z5 would be the butter i crave for everytime!

I love my Z5. i really do....makes me want to go out and ride every single day for it does it job so so well.

[gravlax]

Here is another beloved Z5SL. Put together in late 2012. Weighs in as seen, at 10 pounds and 13 oz.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8380/8551 ... 07cf_h.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[theletterk]

Going for a little revamp on this bike.

*Need to give a lot of praise to Tom of Parlee for this efficiency in dealing with the warranty matter for the frame. I emailed him with some pictures that showed a slight crack on the seat stay which was pretty unsual and no questions were asked. He told me to bring it down to my local dealer. Local mechanic stripped the bike and sent it back to himself using (from the other side of the world). and the frame came back a few days ago. Tom, if you are reading this - Thank you. I am still in love with the frame and i am sure this bike is going to be even stronger!

Received the Berk combo a while ago while the Parlee frame was sent overseas.
Weight is good at 128gms ( savings of 149gms. old combo was 191+86)




Pedals will be changed as well. Time Xpresso. 3gms lighter as claimed! (savings of 36gms)




Handlebar will be changed as well. Lightweight Handlebar!
Weight is EXACTLY as claimed at 168gms. ( savings of 43g)




As of now - with the bike being built up and running with my LW wheels - weight should be 5.32kg

Lastly - a set of enve 1.45 with dash hubs is on order. Not sure what the weight will be but mechanic's estimation is probably below 900gms.

not going to touch the drivetrain components 'for now' as the last setup was very very good for me. I am happy

will upload the full bike pics once bike is done by the week.

[sugarkane]

Haha straight down the slippery slope!
I've got extralite sp hubs built to 1.45s they are 990g
And have proven to be quite tough

[theletterk]

with the enve 1.45 and some other minor changes to the bike.

Bike is 5.25kg and running really really well.

*those dash hubs are freaking loud. i feel really embarrassed sometimes while freewheeling downhill and chatting with friends while pedaling. Can't hear them clearly.

[NiFTY]

Very very nice. Did you change the stem to a zipp? Extralite stem is calling you on your weight weenie mission. What cables are you now running?

[Stammer]

Well built and nice bike! Can you share your thoughts on the flexiness of the bike? I'm at 61kg like yourself and worry about getting a bike that is a tad soft than a full bang on race bike like the Evo or Sworks. Do you feel any flex when sprinting uphill?