Showcase: Parlee Z1 Custom Paint - Red Panels

Red Paneled Parlee Z1 with incredible paint and super components.

Date published: Aug 15, 2006

Showcase, Parlee Z1SL True Flame, Robert

A real hottie! Robert's Parlee Z1SL in True Flame.

Date published: Dec 15, 2006

Showcase: Zinn Magnesium Road Bike Aubergine

Showcase of our first Zinn bike. This is a real beauty.

Date published: Jun 1, 2006

Showcase: Parlee Z1 Women's Custom - Regina

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Our friend Regina has been riding a beautiful Colnago C40 for years, and had developed significant back pain. When we did a Precision Laser Fitting, we discovered the top tube was too long for her frame and riding style. The handlebars were also too low, exacerbating the problem. While she loved her bike, it was apparent that a new bike was necessary to put Regina in a comfortable riding position.

We had the placement of the saddle and the handlebars defined in space, and Regina wanted a horizontal toptube bike (not a compact frame) and she wanted minimal toe overlap. This necessitated the use of 650 wheels. These wheels are very controversial, and while we knew that with proper gearing the bike would behave wonderfully, Regina received significant negative advice from friends and colleagues regarding the wheels. Thankfully, she decided to give the wheels a try, and when we built up this bike, she felt no significant difference between the two wheel sizes. What we did was to specify larger chainrings (56/44) to compensate for the smaller wheel diameter.

This allowed the wheels to turn faster, and since they have less mass than 700 wheels, they actually accellerate faster! At the end of the day we have a beautiful bike that is comfortable, light, and a super performer.

We chose a Parlee Z1 custom frame and Regina designed a one-of-a-kind paint scheme. The "True Fire" paint scheme has been around for a couple of years, but nobody has done it in shades of pink and fuschia. It is a paint scheme that is very personal, and shows how we can design a bike around an owner, not to copy someone else's design, but to create a new and fresh one that is unique.

The components were chosen to work with Regina's liking and to provide light weight and shock absorption, as many of the roads around San Antonio are paved with rough "chip seal" and are most uncomfortable. We chose Spinergy Xaero Lite wheels, and Easton EC90 Equipe bars to soak up the vibration, and even added Fizik Bar Gel under the handlebar tape. Regina prefers Shimano Dura Ace, so we used that component group for her. We chose the Look KEO Carbon Ti pedals to provide a lightweight efficient transfer of power.

Instead of a traditional bike computer, Regina chose the Garmin Edge 305 which is a combination bike computer, heartrate monitor, cadence monitor and GPS. We like how the installation is clean and neat. The  data files can also be uploaded to Google Earth, so one can share their ride with the world, or just a friend.

All in all, this bike is one of the prettiest we have seen, and it is wonderful to see a rider really take advantage of the ability to totally customize her baby. The process took about 3 months to complete, but it was worth it.

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