I've been day-dreaming again. I made the mistake of asking Ian at Fitwerx what he would recommend for a hill-climbing bike. He gave me a couple of choices--the Cervelo RS, Felt Z4/Z2, Serotta's HSG and the Parlee Z5. I'm not a big fan of Felt, so that's out, and as much as I love Serotta, it does not make a lot of sense to get an HSG in that it's the most expensive of the bunch and there is not a significant weight savings from the Ottrott. That leaves the Cervelo, which I like, it's relatively inexpensive, i.e., 2500$ for the frameset and weighs in at just about 1050 grms.
Lastly, the Parlee Z5 which, I must confess, I did not know much about. I spent about two hours browsing the web, reading various reviews and nobody had a bad thing to say, in fact everybody is raving about the Z5. The Z5 is the latest addition to the Parlee line. The Z5, unlike the full custom frames from Parlee which are made in Peabody Mass., is made in China to "exact" Parlee specifications. This concerns me a bit, as I'm digging full custom and made in the good old U.S of A. The upside of this is that it's "relatively" inexpensive compared to the full custom platforms. I'm intrigued--time for some more research and some test rides and just maybe I'll bring one home.
So, yes, I really like the Z5
Tyler Hamilton rode a Parlee up Mt Washington--shouldn't Dr Matt? Check this out.
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