Parlee RZ7

[LewisK]

Lovley bike and colour way, enjoy

[FactoryMatt]

nice. did you get to weigh it with the sram red?

[Mr.Gib]

Finally got mine yesterday. I ordered a while ago and originally wanted Enzo red but there were no more XLs. Please go ahead and spare me the tagging for the tall head tube, I know I should slam the stem but I wanted to start like this at least. I think the new colorway looks amazing though.

The urge to say something like "that giraffe belongs in a zoo" is hard to overcome, but I think I can just manage to avoid it. I guess you are a very tall person and seeing as XL is the largest size, you don't really have anywhere to go if you need the bars that high and must have an RZ7.
Part of the essence of Weightweenies is being savaged for unusual setups. It has to be taken with a sense of humour. (I even posted my Altum in the freaks forum.) But because you are new I won't even touch the topic. It's just good that we live in different towns or I might have to confiscate the bike while you work on your hamstrings.

Never ridden the RZ7 but I see nothing but raves. Enjoy it, ride safe.

[jzinckgra]

Anyone using short cage sram derailleur and 11/30 cassette on the parlee?

[Multirider]

Edited

[FactoryMatt]

mines rock solid. running deep 65mm rims too. im running short top cap, 0 spacers, and a 110mm stem on a Large/57.

i did have some issues with the split ring in the headset; it was sorta hard to tell if it was too tight or too loose, but i dont think that'd cause your problem unless it was noticeably loose.

can you post a side picture of your bike? do you ride in the drops at all? how high are your hoods? what tires are you running? how flexy are your wheels? are the wheels and tires noticeably unbalanced when you spin them? what do you weigh?

the Parlee has a very low bottom bracket and a very long rear center/chainstay. The Rz7 runs a very reasonable 45mm fork offset and a normal 72-73 deg HA (depending on size). additionally, the bike has proven to be very laterally stiff. its not like the old days where you could slap the side of the stem and induce a wobble.

I'd point to technique, bike setup, or components. i don't think a tarmac will necessarily change anything apples to apples. MAYBE you're just on a bike that's just too long for you and you're sitting too far back and too far up. maybe you just don't have enough weight on the front end?

i think at 45mph you need to be choked up in the drops and over the front. your cockpit setup may just be too high and too far back. the fastest i can get on my normal roads is ~43 on a 50/11 though. idk....

[Mr.Gib]

I am experiencing speed shimmy / wobble on my RZ7.

I'm thinking about lowering the stem. It has the 20mm base plus 25mm of spacers. I swapped the stock 44cm bars for 42cm bars for aero advantage, but I'm thinking a out swapping those back to slow down the steering which I think might prevent shimmy / wobble. so I swapped that to a 90mm.

Assuming all parts are in perfect functioning order and adjustment.
Experiment with a lower front end and see if that helps. After that try a different front tire, different front wheel - heavier or lighter. A different bar might be all that is needed. The shorter stem isn't doing you any favours but if your body can't handle a longer stem then you are stuck.

I'd point to technique

Uh no. A bike should not have high speed wobble regardless of how it is ridden. Hoods, tops, drops, no-hands, shouldn't matter. A bike should track rock solid straight at all times or the setup or component combo is no good for that rider. True there are some "moves" that could stop a wobble but it shouldn't be there in the first place. It's a damn RZ7- it should be perfect

High speed wobble is a mysterious affliction. It is the confluence of a combination of factors - resonant vibrations that are not getting cancelled out. Change one thing and it might be cured...or it might get worse. But you have to change something. Fortunately today's stiffer frames have made high speed wobble a rare occurance. Watched a guy almost get bucked off a metal Pinarello on a high speed descent years ago. He got thrown onto the top tube, both feet ripped out of the pedals. Crazy scary moment.

[FactoryMatt]

bad technique can exacerbate a poor fit & setup. is that better?

[Multirider]

Edited

[Mr.Gib]

Be sure to check the usual suspects for high speed wobble: front hub, front wheel spoke tensions, headset, and even the front tire. These must all be 100% perfect. I wouldn't get on a bike where they weren't perfect.

Lovely bike. That front end is up there a bit. Who knows what goes on with that integrated stem - it might not be good for your particular situation. If you can lose the big spacer it might solve the issue. Dealing with drops is all about hamstring flexibility. Even old guys that put some work into it can handle aggressive setups just fine assuming no neck issues.

And wider bars could also be the solution. You will just have to experiment. Don't give up. Report back when you find a fix.

[Multirider]

Edited

[Mr.Gib]

OK, the fact that you get the same problem on a different set of wheels has me thinking that there could be a problem with the frame. Perhaps a defective fork. Something is seriously wrong here. It is still possible that a few minor adjustments may solve the problem. but if it persists treat it very seriously and involve Parlee and the retailer. You are a good Parlee customer, they should look after you.

Sounds like you know what you are doing in general and in particular with tire pressure. 37psi? WTF? Ignore that. I am the exact same size as you and get occasional rim strikes on my 40mm tires on my gravel bike at that pressure.

As for different sized tires, why not? Anything is worth a try. Worried about comprimising aerodynamics with a fatter tire? When was the last time you lost a race by 1 cm? And if you really are worried about aero, maybe start by lowering that front end a touch.

[FactoryMatt]

are those wheel weights on your valvestems? take them off to remove that variable.

i would suggest not gripping the top tube with your knees. also, try to rotate your drops to where they're closer to horizontal; they're fairly high and will certainly be a contributing factor in this case, IMO.

obviously, there's probably not going to be one AHA thing, but you never know.

make sure your Enves are DISHED THE SAME. if you have one dished 3mm to the left and one dished 3mm to the right, that becomes significant. I would suggest using a control wheelset, something with heavier spokes and a different style rim.

other than that, i think you're down to looking at frame/fork alignment. grab a couple laser levels and place them against each respective thru axle at the center mark.

last thing, maybe try different headset bearings. the ones that Parlee ships with are garbage (CC40 OEM zinc plated). small thing, but you never know.

Parlee are good people. There was a design/spec issue/decision they disagreed with me on, but they still took care of me.

[mrfish]

Listen to the marginal gains podcast on bifurcation. They explain shimmy in detail. It can be solved by stiffening the top tube area of the bike, using heavier front end components or changing your body’s damping properties by relaxing, shifting weight or possibly wider bars.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kode54]

You went with 110 down to a 90mm stem. More stability with longer stem I hear.