Parlee RZ7

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

johnnyle123
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:52 am

by johnnyle123

Allenewb wrote:
Wed Sep 29, 2021 1:45 pm
Thanks guys. Too bad about the ACR system. If only Parlee came out with a nicer cockpit. Otherwise I am very pleased with this bike.

My local shop will be getting the new Evo bars in the spring so I'll see if the cables can be routed correctly. But the diagrams online show the cables being routed in front of the steerer tube.

Appreciate the info!

***edit

Looks like the new Pro Vibe Evo bars will be compatible. The video shows 2 routes for cables. One of which is down the steerer tube.
The Pro bars look pretty neat on the RZ7.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWZwgkvBCL9/

Shame they're so ridiculously pricey!

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



WM3
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2022 4:19 am

by WM3

I’m anxiously awaiting arrival of the new Shimano Ultegra 12 speed groupset so that a Parlee RZ7 bike build can be competed. My riding buddy ordered the same bike with SRAM and he is ready to go. One item we want to improve is the stock Parlee handlebar. I bike screams for the need of a true aero set of handlebars. Unfortunately Parlee has not been able to produce a gen 2 bar worthy of matching the rest of the bike.

Issue No. 1: The Parlee stem is designed for a 35mm diameter handlebar. There are aluminum spacers out there for a 31.8mm to 35mm diameter conversion from the BMX world. Anyone have experience with these positive or negative?

Issue No. 2: We need a small slot in the center of the handlebars to route the brake cables through. There are some nice bars out there. The Specialized Rapide and ENVE Aero are examples. But they do not come with a slot. Strangely the ENVE SES AR Road does have a slot; but it’s not really aero enough. The PRO Vibe Aero may be an option ($$$).

A small slot could be milled into the Rapide and ENVE Aero; but questionable if that automatically voids any support. I could argue that a carbon cylinder with an aluminum spacer is equal to or stronger than the same carbon cylinder alone. Also the slot would be along somewhat of a neutral axis and have less stresses applied than at the outsides of the stem/handlebar contact area.

Another thought is to do an experiment and buy a ~$50 RXL (Chinese) bar on Amazon and then get a $36 carbon fiber starter kit and wrap the center section to the 35mm diameter. Or use “as is” and use with the aluminum spacers and mill a slot. The ~$85 dollar experiment is appealing on the price vs. the PRO $420 price tag!

I’m not a racer by any means. I’m 64 and just trying to hang with the youngsters a little longer. I’m thinking if I ever broke a bar it would be due to a significant crash (Yikees!). The photos show the stem along with some 3D printed spacers I printed. The full cylinder shows how much space we are talking about (1.6mm wall thickness). The split design is similar to aluminum spacers out in the marketplace. Interested in other’s thoughts and experiences. Thx!Image[/img]
Attachments
Parlee Stem (1).jpg
Parlee Stem (2).jpg
Parlee Stem (3).jpg
Parlee Stem (4).jpg
Parlee Stem (5).jpg
Parlee Stem (6).jpg

Charlie Chan
Posts: 129
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 2:59 am
Location: NorCal

by Charlie Chan

Im using a deda superzero aero carbon bar along with a Furriers 31.8 to 35 carbon shim and so far Ive had no issues. I had to drill a hole in one of the shim plates to pass the hose through but it was mostly an easy job.

The stock parlee bar shape is awful with long tops that hit your wrists if sprinting in the drops. I wish they had just made the stem work with 31.8 bars. I also think the fork design was not well thought out. They should have given the option to run the front hose out the side if you wanted to run external hose and the wierd front caliper mount only alows for 160mm rotors which are overkill for lots of people.

Dont get me wrong, aside from those issues I love the bike, it rides like a dream!

WM3
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2022 4:19 am

by WM3

Belated Thx for the input.
February Update
OK. Here’s the current solution we went with. I’ld be OK with giving ENVE, Specialized or Shimano Pro my money if it was the best or good solution. BUT! This bar from Chain Reaction (Prime branded) meets our needs. AND it is $199 USD! Compared to 1.5 to 2X+ times the price of the competitors and in stock. I ordered two(2) and they came within a week. They check the boxes of: (1) being aero and (2) having a slot for cable routing. I pinged Chain Reaction customer support regarding using a spacer and they did not see an issue using it with a 35mm stem + 31.8mm spacer.

The spacer is from Reverse Engineering. Their web site photo does match what I got; but it works. I had to make a slot for the cables. There are a few things going on with respect to everything lining up that was hard to visualize and measure. I ended up 3D printing a stem at the Parlee Large frame size spec of 73.25 degrees. I wanted to know about where the slot was in relation to the intended/optimal handlebar rotation AND the alignment with the stem AND the alignment with the stem/clamp alignment. In the end I milled the slot at 90 degrees. The opening in the stem is huge! Lots of flexibility. I might rotate it 5 degrees down in the search for perfection on the next iteration.

I milled the slot in the spacer a little bit undersized to eliminate any possibility of causing a stress riser. I milled the slot in a Bridgeport mill since I had access to the equipment. With some creativity and patience, you could do a good job with drill/Dremel and files. I smoothed the holes with a file and sandpaper.
Our LBS installed the bars without an issue. I think they look schaweeeet! The aero form factor matches the bike WAY better than the Parlee stock bars in my opinion. The photos are with a SRAM groupset. I’m waiting and waiting and waiting (since November) for the Shimano Ultegra 12-speed groupset to be obtainable. No road miles to report on yet as we have plenty of snow and salt on the ground/roads. No way we are exposing a virgin bike to those conditions.
Hope this helps others.
3D Printed Stand (1).jpg
Prime Aero Bar and Sleeve.jpg
Reverse Adapter Shim - Back.jpg
Reverse Adapter Shim - Front.jpg
Reverse Adapter Shim - Weight.jpg
Sleeve slot 01-24-22 (1).jpg
IMG_1810.jpg
IMG_1811.jpg
IMG_1812.jpg
IMG_1813.jpg

morrisond
Posts: 1325
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 8:34 pm

by morrisond

It's a very elegant solution and very well done - but don't you negate any potential Aero benefit by wrapping the bars that far? Why would the ENVE SES Ar bar be any worse?

I had the ENVE SES normal Aero bar on a Parlee ESX and it was quite comfy even on the tops. Don't ask me about the BB stiffness though - Parlee ended up taking it back as it was scary cresting hills and putting down power, the whole frame would wobble due to that flat DT I think.

Other than that I loved the bike though and am seriously considering an RZ7 as they reportedly got rid of that issue. I never had that issue with a previous Z5SL.

What are the timelines like these days?

WM3
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2022 4:19 am

by WM3

No argument on your point with respect to the full wrap. The full wrap is an initial setup on my friend's bike. If he doesn't like it . . . it will be easy enough to do a half wrap. The Enve SES AR comes with the slot from the manufacturer. The more aero design of the SES Aero Road does not. :-( Although you could drill it yourself; very questionable if a manufacturer/LBS would be able to stand behind it if something were to happen.

We both ordered in November. He went with SRAM and Enve Foundation 45s. He got his bike late January. Oh yeah, plus custom paint!
I'm holding out for the new Shimano Ultegra and went with Enve Foundation 65s plus the stock color. The frame is in; but the groupset and wheels are not.

jzinckgra
Posts: 175
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 10:55 pm
Location: Maine, USA

by jzinckgra

So I bought a campy 160 rear caliper to use on the front since it has the proper bolt spacing for the caliper/fork attachment. When I put the 160 rotor on, the rotor barely reaches up into the caliper to engage the pads. Can I not use a 160 rear on the front? It seems the caliper standoffs all too much space between the rotor and pads.
20220213_115206.jpg
20220213_114604.jpg
20220213_114547.jpg
The attachment 20220213_114547.jpg is no longer available

1llum4
Posts: 302
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2018 6:00 am

by 1llum4

you need a rear 140 campy caliper.

jzinckgra
Posts: 175
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 10:55 pm
Location: Maine, USA

by jzinckgra

1llum4 wrote:you need a rear 140 campy caliper.
What about moving the 140mm caliper from the rear to front and putting the 160 on rear? I know it's unconventional to run bigger rotor in rear then front but I'm only 155lbs.

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk


StiffWeenies
Posts: 613
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2021 3:39 pm

by StiffWeenies

jzinckgra wrote:
Sun Feb 13, 2022 8:48 pm
1llum4 wrote:you need a rear 140 campy caliper.
What about moving the 140mm caliper from the rear to front and putting the 160 on rear? I know it's unconventional to run bigger rotor in rear then front but I'm only 155lbs.

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk
The Parlee RZ7 has an interesting brake mounting system on the front fork that is shared with bikes like the 3T Strada, BMC Timemachine Road, Open Mind, Scott Addict, and Salsa Warroad among others. The holes on the front fork are spaced so that the 140mm Campy rear caliper (aka +0mm) is mounted sans adapter in a 160mm spacing. At present, the front setup in your pictures are spaced for a 180mm rotor which may be overkill. Your 160mm Campy rear caliper (aka +20mm) can be installed at the back for a 160/160 setup. You may need to cut the caliper hose to length for your front brakes because those calipers were originally designed to be mounted as rear brakes.

Please let us know how the frame's included SpeedShield aero fairings clear your Campy calipers.
Last edited by StiffWeenies on Mon Feb 14, 2022 6:29 am, edited 3 times in total.

StiffWeenies
Posts: 613
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2021 3:39 pm

by StiffWeenies

johnnyle123 wrote:
Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:48 am
Allenewb wrote:
Wed Sep 29, 2021 1:45 pm
Thanks guys. Too bad about the ACR system. If only Parlee came out with a nicer cockpit. Otherwise I am very pleased with this bike.

My local shop will be getting the new Evo bars in the spring so I'll see if the cables can be routed correctly. But the diagrams online show the cables being routed in front of the steerer tube.

Appreciate the info!

***edit

Looks like the new Pro Vibe Evo bars will be compatible. The video shows 2 routes for cables. One of which is down the steerer tube.
The Pro bars look pretty neat on the RZ7.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWZwgkvBCL9/

Shame they're so ridiculously pricey!
You also need that shop's custom 3D printed spacer to make it look good

jzinckgra
Posts: 175
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 10:55 pm
Location: Maine, USA

by jzinckgra

StiffWeenies wrote:
Sun Feb 13, 2022 10:24 pm
jzinckgra wrote:
Sun Feb 13, 2022 8:48 pm
1llum4 wrote:you need a rear 140 campy caliper.
What about moving the 140mm caliper from the rear to front and putting the 160 on rear? I know it's unconventional to run bigger rotor in rear then front but I'm only 155lbs.

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk
The Parlee RZ7 has an interesting brake mounting system on the front fork that is shared with bikes like the 3T Strada, BMC Timemachine Road, Open Mind, Scott Addict, and Salsa Warroad among others. The holes on the front fork are spaced so that the 140mm Campy rear caliper (aka +0mm) is mounted sans adapter in a 160mm spacing. At present, the front setup in your pictures are spaced for a 180mm rotor which may be overkill. Your 160mm Campy rear caliper (aka +20mm) can be installed at the back for a 160/160 setup. You may need to cut the caliper hose to length for your front brakes because those calipers were originally designed to be mounted as rear brakes.

Please let us know how the frame's included SpeedShield aero fairings clear your Campy calipers.
I'm still not understanding this. What denotes 160mm bolt spacing and is it different than 140mm? Someone above in this thread said the RZ7 only allows for 160mm front rotor. It seems like I only have two options:

1. Move the current rear 140mm (+0mm) to the front and put the current 160mm (+20mm) that's on the fork to the rear and run a 140/160,f/r setup

2. Buy yet another 140mm rear caliper and install on front and run a 140/140, f/r setup

I'm not interested in running a 180mm rotor on the front. option #1 while unconventional seems like it would work and I wouldn't have to buy another caliper. This hydraulic brake thing is new to me and the RZ7 seems to make it more finicky if using campy.

StiffWeenies
Posts: 613
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2021 3:39 pm

by StiffWeenies

jzinckgra wrote:
Mon Feb 14, 2022 2:31 pm
StiffWeenies wrote:
Sun Feb 13, 2022 10:24 pm
jzinckgra wrote:
Sun Feb 13, 2022 8:48 pm
1llum4 wrote:you need a rear 140 campy caliper.
What about moving the 140mm caliper from the rear to front and putting the 160 on rear? I know it's unconventional to run bigger rotor in rear then front but I'm only 155lbs.

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk
The Parlee RZ7 has an interesting brake mounting system on the front fork that is shared with bikes like the 3T Strada, BMC Timemachine Road, Open Mind, Scott Addict, and Salsa Warroad among others. The holes on the front fork are spaced so that the 140mm Campy rear caliper (aka +0mm) is mounted sans adapter in a 160mm spacing. At present, the front setup in your pictures are spaced for a 180mm rotor which may be overkill. Your 160mm Campy rear caliper (aka +20mm) can be installed at the back for a 160/160 setup. You may need to cut the caliper hose to length for your front brakes because those calipers were originally designed to be mounted as rear brakes.

Please let us know how the frame's included SpeedShield aero fairings clear your Campy calipers.
I'm still not understanding this. What denotes 160mm bolt spacing and is it different than 140mm? Someone above in this thread said the RZ7 only allows for 160mm front rotor. It seems like I only have two options:

1. Move the current rear 140mm (+0mm) to the front and put the current 160mm (+20mm) that's on the fork to the rear and run a 140/160,f/r setup

2. Buy yet another 140mm rear caliper and install on front and run a 140/140, f/r setup

I'm not interested in running a 180mm rotor on the front. option #1 while unconventional seems like it would work and I wouldn't have to buy another caliper. This hydraulic brake thing is new to me and the RZ7 seems to make it more finicky if using campy.
Basically, the Parlee frame has non-standard methods of mounting calipers while Campagnolo themselves have an unorthodox way of sizing their calipers.

Please refer to this document for my following explanation. The Campagnolo front 160mm caliper is equivalent to the Hope RX4+ Flat Mount Front +20, the rear 160mm caliper is equivalent to the Hope RX4+ Flat Mount +20, and the rear 140mm caliper is equivalent to the Hope RX4+ Flat Mount.

Install your Campagnolo rear 140mm calliper and 160mm rotor at the front. Install the Campagnolo rear 160mm calliper and buy another 160mm rotor for the back. The 140mm rotor won't be used.
Last edited by StiffWeenies on Mon Feb 14, 2022 7:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

1llum4
Posts: 302
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2018 6:00 am

by 1llum4

The minimum rotor size you can run with +0mm caliper on the RZ7 is 160 front and 140 rear.

So if you use the +20mm campy caliper on the rear you will run a rear 160mm rotor.

so option 1 would result in a 160/160 setup
option 2 would result in a 160/140 f/r setup.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



jzinckgra
Posts: 175
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 10:55 pm
Location: Maine, USA

by jzinckgra

StiffWeenies wrote:
Mon Feb 14, 2022 3:28 pm
jzinckgra wrote:
Mon Feb 14, 2022 2:31 pm
StiffWeenies wrote:
Sun Feb 13, 2022 10:24 pm
jzinckgra wrote:
Sun Feb 13, 2022 8:48 pm
What about moving the 140mm caliper from the rear to front and putting the 160 on rear? I know it's unconventional to run bigger rotor in rear then front but I'm only 155lbs.

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk
The Parlee RZ7 has an interesting brake mounting system on the front fork that is shared with bikes like the 3T Strada, BMC Timemachine Road, Open Mind, Scott Addict, and Salsa Warroad among others. The holes on the front fork are spaced so that the 140mm Campy rear caliper (aka +0mm) is mounted sans adapter in a 160mm spacing. At present, the front setup in your pictures are spaced for a 180mm rotor which may be overkill. Your 160mm Campy rear caliper (aka +20mm) can be installed at the back for a 160/160 setup. You may need to cut the caliper hose to length for your front brakes because those calipers were originally designed to be mounted as rear brakes.

Please let us know how the frame's included SpeedShield aero fairings clear your Campy calipers.
I'm still not understanding this. What denotes 160mm bolt spacing and is it different than 140mm? Someone above in this thread said the RZ7 only allows for 160mm front rotor. It seems like I only have two options:

1. Move the current rear 140mm (+0mm) to the front and put the current 160mm (+20mm) that's on the fork to the rear and run a 140/160,f/r setup

2. Buy yet another 140mm rear caliper and install on front and run a 140/140, f/r setup

I'm not interested in running a 180mm rotor on the front. option #1 while unconventional seems like it would work and I wouldn't have to buy another caliper. This hydraulic brake thing is new to me and the RZ7 seems to make it more finicky if using campy.
Basically, the Parlee frame has non-standard methods of mounting calipers while Campagnolo themselves have an unorthodox way of sizing their calipers.

Please refer to this document for my following explanation. The Campagnolo front 160mm caliper is equivalent to the Hope RX4+ Flat Mount Front +20, the rear 160mm caliper is equivalent to the Hope RX4+ Flat Mount +20, and the rear 140mm caliper is equivalent to the Hope RX4+ Flat Mount.

Install your Campagnolo rear 140mm calliper and 160mm rotor at the front. Install the Campagnolo rear 160mm calliper and buy a another 160mm rotor for the back. The 140mm rotor won't be used.
I didn't think you could run a 140 caliper with 160 rotor. Don't you have to match the rotor to the caliper? If not, this seems like a good solution, thanks.

Post Reply