The all-new Parlee Ouray brings a lot of firsts for the Massachusetts brand, replacing the Altum as their all-road endurance bike with a freshly modern rig.
The Ouray (pronounced “yur-ay”) is their first with a dramatically sloping top tube, their first production monocoque frame, and their first to come out of a new partner factory in Europe. And, it’s their first to offer a rare nude waxed finish that shows off their craftsmanship, layer by layer.
A monocoque design that shows their work
The Ouray is made in small batches as a one-piece, monocoque frame. This gives Parlee complete control over the ride quality since there are no joints or tubes bonded together. It’s all one-piece, straight out of the mold.
Parlee carefully places all layers in the mold such that they come out perfectly aligned, with zero wrinkles or imperfections. That outer layer is functional, too – there are no cosmetic carbon layers done for show.
Few other builders pull this off, and none that we know of do it at production scale. There’s no filler, bonding, overwrap, or other finishing required that would hide the carbon fiber, what you see is how it comes out of the mold.
Rightfully, Parlee is quite proud of it, so they’re offering the bikes with a nude carbon finish, sold with a durable wax coating to protect it. They say this adds just a couple of grams to the frame, compared to 100g or more for paint. They use a standard 303 Aerospace wax, available online and through most marine suppliers, that’s easy to apply – just wipe it on with a clean cloth once or twice a year as needed.
If you must, the Parlee #PAINTLAB will custom paint it or apply a tinted clearcoat that shows off the fiber while adding a hint of color.
Inspired by America’s Swiss Alps
The inspiration for the Ouray’s ride was the town of Ouray, CO, in the San Juan Mountains. With endless miles of perfect, curvy, mountainous roads, epic scenery, and countless off-pavement backroads to explore, it’s the bike for riders who want to ride it all.
The sloping top tube, dropped stays, taller stack, and shorter reach give it a modern endurance bike feel. Combined with up to 700x38mm tires, and it’s made for comfortable cruising all day.
But it’s still a Parlee. Drop the hammer and it reacts as it should thanks to a stout BB section and angular downtube feeding into the head tube to keep it all laterally and torsionally stiff when you’re cranking toward the summit.
The downtube’s shaping is also inspired by their RZ7 aero bike’s Recurve aero tube profiles, giving it a slight aerodynamic edge. But, Parlee says the main aero feature of this bike is the completely concealed brake hose routing courtesy of the integrated cockpit.
Specs & Details
The Ouray uses all the best modern standards, including a T47 bottom bracket…
…UDH rear hanger…
…and widely compatible internal routing system. Choose from PRO, FSA, ENVE, Deda, Token, and other popular integrated cockpit setups, they should all fit.
The headtube fits traditional handlebars and stems, too, with room for headsets using external ports for brake hoses. The frame is only compatible with wireless/semi-wireless electronic drivetrains, though. The front derailleur mount can be covered with an included “blanking panel” for 1x setups.
The bikes use a standard 31.6mm round seatpost.
The front brake mount is sized for a minimum 160mm rotor, which lets you size up to 180mm without adding spacers or additional adapters. Parlee says bigger riders or those riding long, steep descents are opting for bigger front rotors, and this makes it easy.
All complete bikes will ship with 160mm rotors front and rear. The rear brake mount keeps standard bolt placements, letting you easily size down to 140mm if you want.
Ouray Geometry & Pricing
The Ouray comes in five stock sizes, each coming with standard and tall headset caps. The latter lets you increase the stack height further without resorting to a ton of spacers under the stem.
Framesets start at $5,299, with Frame Kits also available that include cockpit components. Complete bikes are offered with a full range of SRAM and Shimano groups. All bikes are sold through a dealer and include a basic fitting to determine frame size and component dimensions.
Complete bikes include no-cost customization, letting you choose crank length, bar width, stem length, seat, and seatpost setback. You can also substitute wheels, tires, drivetrain, and other accessories to get the exact build you want.
