The Ultimate High-Performance All-Road Bike.
Introducing the new Parlee Ouray.
April 18, 2024
Over the past two weeks it has been difficult to absorb any cycling media without seeing mention of Parlee's latest offering Ouray. We were fortunate to host Parlee's CEO John Harrison and the Parlee crew back on April 11th and they brought the Ouray with them. In a word: Dynamic!
Parlee has been a staple in the Velosmith offerings since our inception back in 2011. In that time, Parlee has been an incredible partner offering complete bikes that are competitive with many of the big name brands but yet, offering us the ability to modify the build spec to match the rider's needs. Many of the large manufacturers offer their bikes with component sizing based on averages. For example, a 56cm bike comes with this stem length, this crank length and this handlebar width. Parlee allows us to specify those components to match the results from the Velosmith fitting. This approach gave rise to our in-house term "rider-specific". This aspect of a Parlee delivers a huge value proposition. When Parlee rolls out a new model, historically we see two categories of "new". One category is for Parlee and the other for the rider. The new Ouray is no exception.
The “All-Road” Category
Let's begin with the rider category. Ask anyone who has ridden a Parlee and they are sure to mention the Parlee ride. The Ouray joins the aero road RZ7 and gravel-centric Chebacco. The Ouray is an All-Road bike, a category that is one of our most popular here at Velosmith. Although a better name might be an All-Road(s). Because no matter where your ride takes you, an All-Road is a platform dynamic enough to handle it thanks to the ability to run a tire as large as a 38mm. Crushed gravel trails, chip seal pavement and poorly maintained state highway roads are all no bother for an All-Road. The Ouray provides Parlee clients a new option for increased comfort, stability and sure-footedness all wrapped in a road minded package.
Front and center in the Ouray is the Parlee feel, a seamless blend of comfort, speed and lively handling.
The Parlee Category
The Ouray marks some Parlee firsts - the frame and fork are built in the European Union, the design is a one piece frame and the finish work is so clean, that Parlee can offer a waxed finish requiring no paint or epoxy fillers. These are all significant advancements! Your typical carbon frame is often composed of multiple parts - rear triangle and front triangle are molded separately then they are joined and finished giving the appearance of a one piece unit. Parlee's manufacturing method for the Ouray provides insight into the level of carbon sophistication from the manufacturer.
Parlee plans to offer paint options for the Ouray and like the Parlee Z-Zero series bikes, the raw finish allows for some incredible paint schemes. One of our favorites are the candy tints. Raw carbon is visible through a colorful tint. You choose the tint color. The raw carbon finish reduces Parlee's SKUs and simplifies their inventory demands. In previous models, every paint scheme was a seperate part number (x each size in the line up) plus an additional RTP or ready to paint finish option.
The All-Road category has long been a popular one at Velosmith, owing much of its draw to the flexible and dynamic nature of a bike that can go anywhere. The component manufacturers have been hard at work producing tires and wheels to meet the All-Road interest. These days you can have your choice of tread pattern and application at nearly every millimeter increment in the size range. 30-38mm.
We would be remiss not to mention the research and intention that has gone into the Ouray design. If you notice, the top tube has a fairly dramatic slope to it. This is a function of offering a taller front end. The taller front end allows for a larger range of handlebar positions to match many of the common saddle to bar drop wants. For every Parlee we have ever sold, the Parlee team have drafted and blueprinted every rider position, paying close attention to frame size, spacer and stem configuration and seat post offset. This is a wordy way of saying that Parlee knows rider's positions and the Ouray takes all this experience into account in the design. It goes without saying, the Ouray was not designed around a professional cycling team's Tour De France bikes.
We are excited to recieve our first Ouray builds. If you are interested in learning more, please do hesitate to reach out with any questions or set-up a time to visit us in the studio
Parlee launches newest model, Ouray, April 18, 2024.