For more than 25 years, Parlee has been crafting carbon fiber bikes that aren't just ridden, but truly experienced.

Beyond our well-known achievements in custom geometry, Parlee was also first to create a sub-900 gram carbon fiber road frame. A few years later we broke the 800-gram barrier. Along the way, our designs have been recognized with major accolades including Bicycling Magazine’s Editors’ Choice, Race Bike of the Year (Cycling Weekly), Eurobike Design awards, Bicycling Magazine All-Road Bike of the Year, and BikeRadar Gravel Bike of the Year.

"We founded Parlee in 2000 with a simple but lofty goal: to build the best bikes in the world. With 20+ years’ experience in the boat-building business, I understood the capabilities of composite materials. Carbon fiber was the obvious choice to take performance bikes to the next level, but this incredibly capable material wasn’t being utilized to its full potential.

Carbon fiber opens up a world of opportunity when it comes to optimizing tube sizes and shapes. We can fine-tune properties such as weight, strength, durability, and compliance. By perfecting lay-up schedules and molding techniques, we can create lighter, faster, more comfortable bikes. That’s what we’ve been doing at Parlee for years.

Fast forward, and today carbon fiber is the material of choice for almost all performance bikes. Every major manufacturer has carbon in their line. The question now is this: Which carbon fiber bike do you buy, and why?

It’s not an easy decision. Every company claims to use the highest strength materials and the most advanced manufacturing techniques. So, who do you really believe?

The reality is that carbon fiber allows bicycle designers to become stylists. Frames can be molded and shaped in all imaginable forms. But don’t mistake style for performance. My focus is on designing and engineering bikes that are fast, light, durable, and fun to ride. I never use unnecessary shapes in the name of design.

Carbon fiber is perfect for building bikes because it has such a high strength-to-weight ratio—and that’s why it doesn’t make sense to focus on styling, which just adds weight and reduces ride quality. It’s akin to putting fins on a car. They may look cool, but they don’t make the car faster.

Instead, our guiding principle is efficiency. We use carbon fiber strategically to achieve a certain level of performance. To create a bike specifically for you that does exactly what it’s intended to do—whether that’s road racing, daily training rides, cyclocross or all-day gravel adventures.

Targeted performance meets tailor-made fit. That’s what defines a Parlee bike."

— Bob Parlee

2000
Parlee is founded
Bob Parlee founds Parlee Cycles and the first prototypes are produced.
2001
Z1 introduced
The first Z1 frames are shown to the public.
2003
Z2 and Z3 prototypes
The first Z2 and Z3 prototypes are built.
2004
900 gram barrier
Parlee ships its first sub-900 gram frame.
2005
Introduction of custom
First custom sloping geometry Z3 is introduced.
2006
Z3 wins Race Bike of the Year
Cycling Weekly awards the Z3 Race Bike of the Year.
2007
Z1 named Editors' Choice
Bicycling Magazine names the Z1 as Editors' Choice. Parlee introduces the Z4.
2009
Flex-Fit
Industry first Flex-Fit geometry introduced to allow stock geometry frames to accommodate more riders.
2010
800 gram barrier
Parlee breaks the 800 gram barrier with the introduction of the Z5.
2011
Parlee x Prius
Parlee x Prius Project shows a glimpse of the future with "Neural Shifting."
2012
Z-Zero Introduced
Parlee introduces the Z-Zero, a new benchmark for custom carbon fiber frames.
2013
Z5i and TTi
Parlee introduces the new Z5i and TTi models.
2014
ESX and TTiR
Parlee introduces its first aero road model, the ESX and the TTiR.
2015
Parlee x Movado
Parlee collaborates with Movado on the Movado Parlee Carbon Fiber watch. Parlee introduces the Altum family.
2016
Parlee enters gravel
Parlee introduces its first gravel bike, the Chebacco, and the Z-Zero XD.
2017
First tri-bike with disc brakes
Parlee introduces the first tri-bike to market with disc brakes, the new TTiR.
2020
RZ7
Parlee introduces the RZ7, the nest generation of performance aero road bike.
2024
Ouray introduced
Parlee introduces Ouray, the ultimate modern road bike. Featuring a single-piece monocoque frame construction technique. First bike launched under new CEO and Owner, John Harrison.
2024
Taos introduced
Parlee introduces Taos, a future-forward progressive design gravel bike. Featuring the same monocoque frame construction as Ouray.
2025
Ouray wins Bike of the Year
Bicycling Magazine awards Ouray with All-Road Bike of the Year.
2025
Taos wins Bike of the Year
BikeRadar and CyclingPlus award the Taos Gravel Bike of the Year.

WHO IS BOB PARLEE?