Parlee Cycles right this moment introduced the passing of its founder, Bob Parlee, who died peacefully at his residence in Massachusetts following a four-year battle with most cancers. He was 70 years outdated.
Bob and his spouse Isabel based Parlee Cycles 25 years in the past, revolutionizing the handmade bicycle trade together with his experience in composite supplies.
On the time, Bob was an avid bicycle owner and novice racer who had been moulding and fine-tuning carbon fibres for twenty years, shaping them into gentle however robust vessels. Unhappy with the titanium bike frames he had been using and racing within the Nineties, Bob believed the way forward for biking lay in carbon fibre.
“I understood the capabilities of composite supplies. Carbon fibre was the plain option to take efficiency bikes to the subsequent degree, however this extremely succesful materials wasn’t being utilized to its full potential,” Bob said.
“Carbon fibre opens up a world of alternative in terms of optimizing tube configurations and dimensions. We will fine-tune properties akin to weight, energy, sturdiness, and compliance. By perfecting lay-up schedules and moulding strategies, we are able to create lighter, sooner, extra comfy bikes.”
What began as a bespoke, one-man operation quickly grew right into a extremely fascinating race body producer with a group of each customized and inventory fashions, distributed internationally.
Parlee Cycles was among the many first manufacturers to supply absolutely customisable carbon fibre highway racing frames, which had been quickly raced on the world stage. Parlee bikes made their mark in prestigious occasions, together with the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, with riders like Tyler Hamilton utilizing its designs.
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In 2004, Parlee set the usual for the lightest carbon body ever made, breaking the sub-900 gram mark. The corporate was additionally among the many first to supply an aero bike and have become an early adopter of disc brakes for highway use. In 2010, Parlee surpassed its personal document by introducing the Z5 mannequin, a body weighing lower than 800 grams.
By then, the corporate was now not producing all its frames by hand in Beverly, Massachusetts. To succeed in a broader viewers, Parlee designed a number of stock-moulded monocoque body fashions, manufactured in Asia however nonetheless sustaining excessive trip high quality and pushing weight limits. Parlee has since launched a brand new or up to date mannequin nearly yearly, with its present line-up together with all the pieces from handbuilt, made-in-the-USA dream bikes to ultra-stiff highway racers, journey bikes, and glossy time trial machines.
Bob led the event and design of Parlee bikes for over twenty years till he bought the enterprise to present proprietor John Harrison in 2023 to avoid wasting the corporate from chapter.
In recent times, Bob had been semi-retired to concentrate on his battle with most cancers however reportedly by no means stopped developing with new concepts.
“Bob has been an actual inspiration for all the staff right here at Parlee, me included,” commented Harrison. “His persistent and unwavering concentrate on pursuing an uncompromised and ideal product will proceed to guide the identification if our enterprise eternally into the long run. We’re all extraordinarily proud to proceed the work that he began.”
Bob is survived by his spouse, Isabel, and his two sons. In an organization announcement, Isabel expressed her gratitude for the relationships Bob constructed inside the biking trade, significantly highlighting his love for attending annual exhibits and connecting with fellow body builders, suppliers, and sellers. She additionally prolonged her appreciation to Parlee staff, previous and current, for his or her assist and contributions over time.
The Parlee household will announce plans for a memorial at a later date.
