Parlee ESX eTap

meesterbond

This will probably divide opinion.
Picked it up yesterday and it looks fantastic. Don't really know what the ride is like yet as I've only had half an hour on the turbo. The eTap feels really good though, shifting is pretty intuitive and still has the same reassuring clunk as the mechanical SRAM groups.

Anyway, it's a Parlee ESX with SRAM eTap, Zipp 303, Rotor chainset, p2m and some rather blingy ee brakes. A fraction under 7kg which isn't too bad for an aero bike with a powermeter.

napoleond

Looks like a well thought out build.
Be interesting to see how ETap does over time. May well consider it for my TT bike next year.

Devastazione2

Tell you what,looks a lot more appealing than the new Madone and the Vias. Not sure we can get that brand in italy. Very jealous about the eTap

tim_wand

Divide opinion????? No chance that is a thing of Beauty and Awe, The only thing I cant decide is whether you sold a kidney or your right arm to pay for it.

meesterbond

tim wand wrote:

The only thing I cant decide is whether you sold a kidney or your right arm to pay for it.

I actually sold 2 Cervelos.

Etap looks perfect for a TT bike. Blip box, 4 blips and two mechs makes it a much easier upgrade. When they're readily available I'd certainly consider it got mine too. Will see how it fairs for a few miles first.

Matthewfalle

Seriously sweet - very good work that man.

tim_wand

Silly question time, what is the BB standard on the ESX frameset, is it BB Right for the Rotor chainset, take it this is the same spacing and Q factor as a BB 30 and there is no requirement to run a SRAM Red or SRAM Chainset for the trim function and set up of the E tap front mech.

Theoretically then you could buy the Shifters and Mechs and run any chainset/ brakeset.

P.S wheres the rear caliper, take it its a very busy BB/ Chainstay junction area, what are the clearances like.

meesterbond

It's a PF30 BB - not quite the BBright but seems to work ok.

I already had the Rotor chainset from a previous bike so just bought the eTap shifter / mech set separately.

The direct mount brake is beneath the chain stays. Tolerances are fairly tight but no worse than most. I'll see how it fairs given time, although it's only going to be a summer bike and it's nice to have room for 25mm tires!

1986sv

Oh my...

sungod

that's lovely

how are you finding the praxis works rings with the etap front mech?

i installed etap a couple of weeks back and i'm still running my old srm with red 10-speed rings, i'm wondering if there's a bit more chainrub at extremes with these (this is with a red22 chain, i think you're running a different chain too though so it's not a direct comparison)

JesseD

Be careful with the etap front mech, a guy who I race with wrote off his frame when the cage caught his chain when shifting to the small ring and it snapped the cage and ripped the front mech mount out of his frameset in a race, he wasn't a happy bunny.

That said it could have been how he set it up (and I don't think he didn't have it checked by a shop before use)

That said I love the bike, it looks fast stood still, I have a soft spot for Parlee's

meesterbond

To be honest, I've ridden it for 30 mins on the turbo - picked it up on Thursday then went skiing for the week on the Friday. When I get back I'll give it a good go.

I had it built by a shop who'd built a couple of them before so hopefully it's all set up ok.

napoleond

Praxis rings are substantially better than 10sp SRAM red, in terms of stiffness, shifting quality and most importantly appearance

white91

Wow

mekong_velo

Lovely lovely machine with great spec, I'm just not a fan of the rear brake being under the chain stays on any bike. Enjoy I'm sure it will be a flying machine.



Regards

meesterbond

Thanks for the kind comments.
Loving the bike so far with a few reservations. Etap is fantastic and would be perfect for a TT bike. The sequential shifting is really intuitive and hasn't missed a beat so far.

Unfortunately the BB has started to creak a little so I need to get that looked at and I can't dial out the rubbing from the under chainstay brakes without having the calliper unacceptably wide apart. Might just be the wheel out of true but it's another annoyance.

Other than that, it is fantastic. Handles beautifully, fits perfectly and it's surprisingly comfortable. Just need to swap the white Zipp decals out for black ones and sort the odd noises out and it'll be done.

ugo.santalucia

Leave the white decals and add more white (saddle, handlebar tape) frankly the stealth look has done its time... it's as boring as a boring thing

toomanycars

Stunning, love it, but yes, needs some colour.

Mr Stamp

Stunning, everything looks just right, looks fast while stood still! I hope you enjoy owning it.

sungod

NapoleonD wrote:

Praxis rings are substantially better than 10sp SRAM red, in terms of stiffness, shifting quality and most importantly appearance

finally got around to fitting them, you're right, they are much better!

the main thing i noticed was a big reduction in chain noise, shifting seems smoother too

mamba80

Great looking bike, e-tap is the way to go and the tan side wall veloflex add a nice quirk.
R they the new reynolds blue pads? torn between them and sticking wiv campag reds.

vinnymarsden

I don't agree with Ugo that stealth is dead!! For me personally Matt everything looks fabulous , but hey, what a boring forum if we all agreed , what color would you choose Ugo, or anyone?

meesterbond

Ok, so loving the eTap... It's really very good. Shifting is spot on and so intuitive. Never used di2 or the Campag equivalent so can't comment on whether it's better than the competition but I'm sold!

The wheels are now all black and I've gone back to a Fizik Arione saddle. The uber-light carbon job did not agree with me so for the sake 150g I've gone back to a more padded one.

Otherwise I'm really enjoying the bike. Haven't had an opportunity to do any longer rides on it yet - just 50/60km ones and for those it's great - the test will be how comfortable it is for >100km. The fit is spot on though so I'm sure it'll be fine.

Brake pads are the Zipp Platinum ones that came with the wheels. That said, I've used Campag red ones before and they're excellent - as good as I've tried with carbon wheels.

ugo.santalucia

VinnyMarsden wrote:

I don't agree with Ugo that stealth is dead!! For me personally Matt everything looks fabulous , but hey, what a boring forum if we all agreed , what color would you choose Ugo, or anyone?

Any but black... that said, my frame is black with nasty blue and white features, but when you pay 200 quid on Ebay for a Ridley you get what you get in terms of colour palette. I wouldn't have chosen it

zoomer42

Very nice...

MiddleRinger

I'm not much of a "reader rides" browsing guy, but this man. This is pure class! Build of the year.