Parlee

Parlee was founded a decade ago with a simple but lofty goal: To build the world’s best performing race bikes. At the time, carbon fiber was overlooked in the road bike market. But based on what I had learned during 20 years in the boat building business, it was obvious that composites could redefine the cycling world.

The combination of properly sized tubes, accurate lay-up schedules, and proper molding techniques, make carbon fiber the ideal material for creating fast, light and comfortable performance bikes.

Today, it’s clear my instincts were right. Carbon fiber is the material of choice for nearly all top end bikes, and no major manufacturer is without carbon fiber in their product line. The question now is which carbon fiber bike to choose and why?

The mass of marketing-driven clutter and confusion make this a major challenge. Each company claims to use the highest strength materials and the most advanced techniques available, but who do you really believe?

The reality is that carbon fiber allows designers to become stylists, shaping frame molds in all imaginable forms. But don’t mistake style for performance. This is why I am not a stylist. I am a designer and builder of fast, light, durable and comfortable race bikes.

You won’t see unnecessary shapes in my designs. Instead, efficiency is the guiding principle behind all Parlee bikes. The key to pushing performance is the strategic use of carbon fiber to maximize its characteristics. Carbon fiber is perfect for building bikes because it has such a high strength-to-weight ratio, and this is why the styling makes no sense. All it does is add weight and reduce ride quality. It’s akin to putting fins on a car. They may look cool, but they won’t make the car faster.

Instead, efficient use of material leads to increased performance. And it’s this unrelenting focus on design efficiency that leads to maximum performance. Better acceleration. Better tracking. Lighter weight. Unmatched durability. Remarkable comfort. That is what sets Parlee apart.