Now serving: Parlee

Hailing from Beverly Massachusetts (USA), PARLEE is a bike company doing it right and for the right reasons, and is the latest domestic brand to become a part of the NYC Velo family.

PARLEE bikes were born over a decade ago with one goal in mind, to build the best performing race bikes in the world. At that time, carbon fiber was overlooked in the road bike market despite all the success in motorsports and aerospace. In the late 1990′s, most race bikes were aluminum or titanium. However, based on what Bob PARLEE learned about materials while building racing boats for 20 years, says Bob, ” I knew that with the right sized tubes, and the right fiber lay-up, and proper molding techniques, carbon fiber would be the best choice for creating fast, light and comfortable racing bikes. Ten years on, it is plain to see, my instincts were right. Carbon is now the material of choice for professional and recreational riders. No major bike manufacturer is without carbon fiber in their road lineup. The question now, for the rider, is not what material to choose, but which carbon fiber bike to choose and why?”

Bob says, “PARLEE designs and builds fast, light, durable and comfortable bikes — qualities that were once considered mutually exclusive in bike building. Because of this, you will not see unnecessary shapes in the designs. The guiding principle for PARLEE is efficiency. The key to pushing performance is to use carbon fiber strategically to maximize its characteristics. Carbon fiber is perfect for building bikes because it has
such a high strength to weight ratio. This is why the styling makes no sense. All it does is add weight and take away from ride quality. It is akin to putting fins on a car — they may look cool, but they are not going to make it perform better”

In the last ten years, PARLEE has pioneered many industry firsts; from the first customizable carbon fiber racing frames to FLEX-FIT semi-custom geometry to the industry’s first sub-800 gram carbon fiber frames. But unlike other manufacturers, the development of PARLEE’s line of bikes has been organic. “I’ve always loved scribbling out an idea and then moving to the Bridgeport to create complicated molds,” says Bob. “By constantly thinking how can we make our bikes better, it has allowed our bikes to evolve, with each model building on the success of its predecessor.”

In addition to producing some of the best custom carbon frames available, all PARLEE models are offered in stock sizes. PARLEE stock bikes are built using the same process as their custom bikes. Each is built with uncompromising care and attention to detail. The PARLEE ownership process begins at NYC VELO, where we take precise measurements and gather the pertinent information about what (you) the customer wants in his or her bike’s performance. All of this information is passed on to the bike designers at PARLEE who use their internally developed CAD system to ensure that the frame matches the rider’s preferences perfectly.