Today, we welcome the new RZ7 announced by Parlee at the Sea Otter Classics.
The RZ7 is the new aero road bike in the Parlee range. At first glance, it ticks every box that needs to be ticked for a new bike release. Aero. Disc brakes. Integrated cockpit. How does the Parlee differentiate itself to any other aero bike you may ask?
Delve deeper and you can see where things begin to differ a little.
One of the first and most differentiating factors is the weight. Aero and weight generally do not go hand in hand. A lot of aero frames on the market exceed the 1kg mark. The RZ7 comes in at 870g for size M. This is a significant difference in just the frame alone. A constant theme we hear from our customers are that their aero bikes are fast. However, they are not as nimble/agile/quick off the line or responsive. Weight is a big part of this equation and a lightweight aero bike is going to do wonders to help with all of the above traits.
Further integration is afforded by custom thru axles and "SpeedShield" disc brake shrouds as well as Parlee's own integrated cockpit system hiding all cables on electronic groupsets.
With clearance for 32mm tyres + Parlee's geometry, comfort should be pretty well covered as well. We love the Altum geometry but it looks like the RZ7 is a fair bit more aggressive by comparison. Meaning those hoping for a similar forgiving fit will definitely need to review their sizing.
We are excited to build a RZ7 up and see what is possible in terms of function + weight. We are going to say that 6.8kg is quite achievable and maybe with 28mm clinchers for all round comfort + compliance as well.
