Parlee is back with the Ouray
Parlee has a new all-road bike, the Ouray, with a monocoque frame, nude carbon finish and clearance for 38mm tyres.
Launched at the Sea Otter Classic in California, the Ouray marks Parlee’s return to form, after the company, best known for its custom carbon frames, was rescued from bankruptcy in 2023.
The Ouray, named after a town in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, is Parlee’s first all-road bike, sitting between the Z-Zero RS and RZ7 road bikes, and Z-Zero XD and Chebacco XD gravel bikes.
“The idea was to build an all-road bike that combined high-performance road with a little bit of gravel,” says Parlee CEO John Harrison. “Something that you’re not afraid to get a little bit dirty.”
A monocoque carbon fibre frameset lies at the heart of the bike. This is made by a new manufacturing partner in Europe, rather than being a fully custom chassis.
Parlee says the monocoque construction allows for a finely-tuned ride quality, by eliminating the bonded joints found on a frame made from multiple pieces.
“The monocoque construction means we no longer have a ‘dead spot’ around the stays,” says Harrison. Parlee’s press material for the Ouray explains how the construction enables “control [over] how each piece of carbon fibre interacts with the next, allowing us ultimate control over how the finished product rides”.
According to Parlee, every carbon layer is ‘perfectly aligned’, and the result is left on show thanks to the nude wax-coated finish.
This is also Parlee’s first bike with a significantly sloping top tube, leaving more seatpost on show – a move, coupled with the dropped seatstays, to further enhance comfort.
Parlee has also remained loyal to the traditional round seatpost, though it has specced a 31.6mm-diameter post, rather than a slimmer option.
Elsewhere, you’ll find SRAM’s Universal Derailleur Hanger and a T47 bottom bracket. The Ouray will also ship with a range of headset adapter kits, for use with PRO, ENVE and FSA cockpit setups, with more to follow. “We really focussed on open standards on this bike,” adds Harrison.
In terms of geometry, Parlee says it has honed the shape of the bike to fit a wider range of riders, with the sloping top tube also coming into play here.
The Ouray will be available in five stock sizes, with ‘fit points’, such as seatpost setback, handlebar width, stem length and crank length customisable via a Parlee dealer.
