PARLEE Z-ZERO CUSTOM
Original price £12,099
AS BUILT WEIGHT 7.05kg (inc pedals, cages, rear guard) FRAME Custom SL Parlee tubing FORK Parlee custom SL carbon tapered GEARS SRAM Red eTap (52/36, 11-28) BRAKES SRAM Red WHEELS Zipp 202 CCL FINISHING KIT Parlee bar, stem, seatpost, Fizik Aliante R1 carbon braided saddle, 25mm Vittoria Corsa CX tyres, Garmin Edge 1000 & out front mount, 2 x Arundel mandible matt carbon bottle cages, Tacx click-fix road guard FRAMESET (Frame, fork, headset, FD clamp, seat clamp) price varies between £5499 (semi custom, based around standard geometry) to £6799 for full custom (including disc brake options) The Z-Zero was built to my specification back in 2013 as part of a custom bike test. The run up to getting it was a brilliant experience. From Retul-powered fitting sessions at Bespoke’s fantastic Farringdon store to email and long distance phone exchanges with Bob, Tom and the crew from Parlee.
I’ve lost count of the miles it’s done (it’s in excess of 6000), and the changes in spec, but the most recent upgrade is SRAM’s awesome eTap [1], which it’s been running for the last eight months. In time eTap hasn’t put a foot wrong, the slick simplified shifting and faultless performance always impresses me. My only criticism of eTap was no WiFli option, designed to accommodate a wider range of gears over standard, for faster shifts and weight savings, but no sooner than we’d gone to press on my eTap test (issue 320) SRAM announced the option.
I’ve also added a full suite of Parlee parts [2] (handlebar- £320, stem - £250 and seatpost - £260). It’s beautiful stuff and match the bike brilliantly, even if those parts are on the expensive side of very expensive. Aside from that a Fizik R1 Arione saddle is still pretty much my seat of choice, and the Zipp 202’s combination of lightweight, stiffness and aero are the ideal combination for the chassis.
I’ve ridden lighter and livelier bikes (Cannondale’s new Evo, BMC’s Team Machine, Cervélo’s R5 to name a few) but none quite match the way the Z-Zero suits me, having everything just so, and as I wanted it has made it a bike I just can’t tire of. I think this is one bike I’ll never replace and will always be my first choice when I just want to get out and ride.
HIGHS Beautiful bespoke frame with a luxurious ride, and eTap is the icing on the cake LOWS The gear cable stops are now redundant