Parlee RZ7

[FactoryMatt]

thanks for the color.

the geo does check out, save for the stack, which was 7mm off. the top tube and reach are correct. don't forget seat tube angle dictates top tube, but not reach.

good to hear.

[FactoryMatt]

Ride report...

I LOVE THIS BIKE.
After three rides, I’m absolutely blown away by how good this thing is. It’s about a pound away from being perfect, and I'd argue qualifies as a veritable Superbike. As others have said, it’s defining quality it just how smooth and solid the bike is, without feeling wooden. It’s stiff in the right places, but has this magical ability to smooth out rough chipseal and high-frequency buzz. It has drastically improved my descending confidence and fun. It straight flies at high speeds and is amazingly quiet and composed. I haven’t ridden any of the big four aero bikes, but I just don’t see any places where this bike could possibly be giving anything up to them other than being ~200g over an S-Works Venge (but this is also way cheaper).

I’m actually glad the bars aren’t a full aero profile. They’re comfortable on the tops, while still having a subtle semi-aero ovality to them. There’s flex built into the flats of the drops, so you can straight-arm it in the rough stuff and not get bounced around. The BB junction is laterally very stiff. The front end gives ample feedback, and amazingly, there NO ROTOR RUB when hammering out of the saddle. The fork is about 50g over most here, but I’ll gladly take that trade-off. I also really like the peace-of-mind that a stout 1.25 steerer brings.

The only places I miss my old, 6.4kg rim brake bike are the super slow 8-10% grades where you’re grinding away in the big cog at 6mph. It’s here the bike almost feels like it’s missing a couple teeth on the low cog, but, the smoothness of the bike almost makes up for it. Almost. Other than this, the bike is simply above reproach. It is so so good. They did an absolutely astounding job with the layup, and apart from a few small build niggles mentioned in my build posts, the bike is above reproach. It’s an incredible place to spend time, and I look forward to racking up many many thousands of miles with it.

7.7X kg as pictured. Thanks to Mybikeshop - com for being great to work with on the deal.

[kgt]

Looks nice with the slammed stem!

[FactoryMatt]

Looks nice with the slammed stem!

thank you! this is a large/56. 167mm headtube. 11mm headset cap. 75mm BB drop. 371mm fork A2C.

Most of the build pics i see online use a ton of spacers, but i found the stack more than sufficient and wouldn't mind a few mm lower.

[jkonst]

Looks great! That black is pretty wild. Against the wall it looks almost grey, but it seems like the camera/phone is just getting confused by how dark it is!

[spdntrxi]

pretty big bike with not really anything super weightweenie.. 7.7 is not bad.

I really like the second to last pic... really shows the shape of the frame... which is lost in most pictures.

[Parleeboy]

Agree 100% with everything FactoryMatt says, I'm still loving my Rz7.

I find on long stretches of flat/undulating road is where the Rz7 really performs. And as mentioned, it flies with a lot of comfort and speed.

Agree on the slammed stem, looks good. Wish I could lose a couple of spacers, but as you young riders will someday see and your racing days are over, spacers are a fact of life which makes the ride far more enjoyable, yet not losing much speed. I recall a recent pic of Lance in his mid/late forties on a long ride with significantly more spacers.

And the Rz7 being approximately $2k less than the Venge, there's a real cost/benefit here for an incredible bike.

[Multirider]

Outstanding posts, Matt and others! Very helpful. I purchased an Enzo Red RZ7 and am extremely happy with it. Like others, I've found the the ride is sublime. I had a Specialized Venge and multiple Cannondale SuperSixes (including Hi Mod EVO with Speed SAVE) previously. The Parlee ride is significantly more enjoyable. And it jumps forward a bit more eagerly. Very comfortable. I'm very happy with the bars - surprisingly versatile hand positions in the hoods and in the drops. I've done several 3+ hour rides and never think about how long the ride is, always want to keep going, only the time of day makes me stop.

The 8050 Di2 series brakes are significantly better than the R785s. Offhand, I can't think of any other component that has left me more disappointed than the first generation Shimano disc brakes.

Factory Matt -- I'd like to get a pair or the POP seat brace thingies. Is it possible to keep the stock seat bolts? It is hard to see the value proposition of bolts on the Fairwheel site at $5.75 each. Do you know if the factory bolts will work? If so, should I order the M5 or M6 version of the POP seat brace things?

Also, did you check to see if the Barfly stem mount would fit? https://barflybike.com/collections/road ... ace-direct I'm guessing it doesn't, but it's pretty smooth.

It seems like the only time I think about these things is at night when there's no one available at Fairwheel or Barfly, so I 'm hoping you can help.

[FactoryMatt]

Factory Matt -- I'd like to get a pair or the POP seat brace thingies. Is it possible to keep the stock seat bolts? It is hard to see the value proposition of bolts on the Fairwheel site at $5.75 each. Do you know if the factory bolts will work? If so, should I order the M5 or M6 version of the POP seat brace things?

Also, did you check to see if the Barfly stem mount would fit? https://barflybike.com/collections/road ... ace-direct I'm guessing it doesn't, but it's pretty smooth.

It seems like the only time I think about these things is at night when there's no one available at Fairwheel or Barfly, so I 'm hoping you can help.

Fantastic.

-yes, you can use the stock bolts.
-you want the M6 POP yokes
-i didn't check to see if that one would work, but it's possible you can use the stock backing nut/flange with the barfly outfront mount to mate it to the stem if they use the same size thread. you may have to trim the base of the barfly with a dremel though. i use the barfly 35mm clamp mount and really like it.

-re Titanium bolts, i use TorontoCycles dot com and their stuff has been great. have to order in bulk because the shipping has gone up, but the bolts themselves are very reasonably priced.

here's a list of hardware i bought for this frame:

bottle cage bolts - (5) 5x12
RD Hanger bolt - M4x10 countersunk
saddle clamp bolts - M6x30 & M6x40
seatpost wedge bolt - M6x20 (i also purchased a 9x15 ti dowel/barrel nut off of ebay)
rear caliper bolts - (2) M5x22.5 Plus M5 drilled ti washers
front caliper bolts - (2) M5x40 Plus M5 drilled ti washers
headset tension bolt - M5x20 - 8.5mm head

[RK250]

RZ7 owners: be very careful to not over tighten the fasteners on the plastic speed shields and front caliper bolt cover on the fork. It's a countersunk hole and with too much torque, that hole breaks. How do I know? New ones in place now with a small washer. Thanks for the detail write up!

[FactoryMatt]

tire clearance check. these are 32mm GP5000TL on 19c rims at 75psi. a bit undersized as you can see, at 30mm, but tons of clearance. smallest gap is between top of front tire and crown of fork. you could PROBABLY fit those micro knob schwalbe g-one 32s in there. hmm.

[spdntrxi]

my 30s are wider then that.... on 21 internal

[Serkie]

Any chance of an update from those on RZ7's?

Looking at pushing the button on one of these and would be interested to hear your experiences to date. Cheers!

[FactoryMatt]

Any chance of an update from those on RZ7's?

Looking at pushing the button on one of these and would be interested to hear your experiences to date. Cheers!

Ive been the most vocal here lately so you probably want to hear from others besides me, but mine has been phenomenal. Its the best bike ive ever owned. Ive got almost 2000 miles on it already this year. Long rides, intervals, rain, rough jeep roads, all of it. No regrets at all. The only niggle has been a sestpost wedge that has to be snugged up a certain way to avoid some very slight seatpost rock when pulling up on the seat. It doesnt affect the ride. Parlee customer support has been great on a couple differemt occasions and i sort of cant imagine going back to a specialized or cannondale where your lucky to get someone on the phone let alone someone with subject matter expertise.

I still love this bike as much as when i got it. Perfect geometry. Stiff in the right places. Comfortable. Fast. Handles great. Everything. Id do a di2 ultegra build from mybike shop .com and upgrade the wheels to reynolds aero 46 or 65 blacklabel for the best deal.

[Serkie]

Any chance of an update from those on RZ7's?

Looking at pushing the button on one of these and would be interested to hear your experiences to date. Cheers!

Ive been the most vocal here lately so you probably want to hear from others besides me, but mine has been phenomenal. Its the best bike ive ever owned. Ive got almost 2000 miles on it already this year. Long rides, intervals, rain, rough jeep roads, all of it. No regrets at all. The only niggle has been a sestpost wedge that has to be snugged up a certain way to avoid some very slight seatpost rock when pulling up on the seat. It doesnt affect the ride. Parlee customer support has been great on a couple differemt occasions and i sort of cant imagine going back to a specialized or cannondale where your lucky to get someone on the phone let alone someone with subject matter expertise.

I still love this bike as much as when i got it. Perfect geometry. Stiff in the right places. Comfortable. Fast. Handles great. Everything. Id do a di2 ultegra build from mybike shop .com and upgrade the wheels to reynolds aero 46 or 65 blacklabel for the best deal.

Thanks very much, good to hear you're still enjoying the bike.