Parlee Ouray

This week’s Bike of the Week is a brand-new model from our partners, Parlee. Officially unveiled at last week’s Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California, Parlee’s new road bike – the Ouray – is about all-round performance, replacing the brand’s Altum and slotting nicely between the aero RZ7 and the Chebacco gravel bike.

Built from the ground up, the Ouray blends Bob Parlee’s 25 years of masterful custom carbon fibre expertise and Parlee’s legendary ride quality with a fresh new design and monocoque construction, resulting in a lighter frame with a more refined ride quality. The Ouray’s monocoque construction means that the bike’s frame is made as a single piece, eliminating any joints and allowing Parlee control over how each piece of carbon fibre interacts with the next, ensuring it is perfectly aligned. It is a process which demands a lot of hard work, and building each bike can be a slow process, but the outcome is beautiful, and that is why Parlee has chosen to have this bike “nude” – no paint, just exposed carbon, a celebration of the craftsmanship that goes into one of these bikes.

No paint also means the bike is light, making it excellent for tackling ascents. The frame’s geometry, especially the sloping top tube, provides all-day comfort for venturing further, and the clearance for wider 700 x 38 tires means this bike is also confident on packed gravel and less-than-perfect asphalt for when you fancy going off the beaten track. It really is a bike that can handle whatever is thrown its way.

This all-round performance on different terrains is what inspired Parlee to create this new model. The bike’s name pays homage to a town called Ouray (pronounced yur-ay) in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, nicknamed the Switzerland of the US. Cycling in this area delivers epic experiences, including snaking roads, tough climbs, ripping descents, and dusty tracks across rugged landscapes. It is a playground for cyclists, and that is why Parlee wanted to curate this bike, so people could explore and enjoy different terrains, wherever they liked, whenever they liked.

The Ouray also includes modern touches that bring this bike together, such as full internal routing and integrated cockpit, electric-only shifting, minimalist front brake mounts, and UDH derailleur hanger.

Every frame is made one by one in small batches in Europe before being individually built to order at Parlee’s headquarters in the US. The Ouray comes in five sizes that can be built in standard or tall configurations – there is no custom geometry available for this model. All the bike’s components are fully customisable, and people can choose which cockpit, wheels, tires, drivetrain, and any other accessories they would like, meaning it is truly unique to its owner. Even though its naked aesthetic is what makes this bike truly eye-catching, Parlee can do a custom paint job, available through their #PAINTLAB.

We’re excited to continue our partnership with Parlee and offer this all-around, high-performing bike to our customers. Riding your bike is not just about cycling but experiencing the sights and sounds of everything around you while uncovering new adventures, and the new Ouray allows our customers to do just that.

If you want to learn more about the new Parlee Ouray, contact us today.