I have the Altum Disc and really like it a lot. It is my first disc roadie, replacing a much loved 2011 Argon. The only Specialized I have ever owned was a HardRock back in 2006 so I can't compare the Roubaix. The bike is fun to ride and pretty comfortable. Most of my outdoor riding is in the 2 to 4 hour range and so far I have no regrets.

Thanks. Yeah there isn't much on here on Parlee so that's really helpful. I wish I could ride the bike before buying it, but it's been so hard to find one given everything that's going on.

Good luck, for what it is worth-I am 6'2", 33 inseam and ride a large with a 120 stem.

You are picking two REALLY good options there. I have owned a Parlee TT, fantastic build quality, very light for tri bike.. and I have personally never seen a negative review of Parlee bikes and the ride quality. I too would consider an Altum if I needed a new bike. I was going to get the newest Parlee Chebacco for gravel but ended up going with another brand (Ventum GS1, can't wait!!) as availability has been very iffy. I have owned some version of Specialized Tarmac for over 12 years, and a currently also have a first generation Diverge, and have a buddy who rides an S-works Roubaix. We both have been incredibly happy with the performance of all of them. Yes, its Specialized and they are everywhere, but for a reason. This may not help, but I don't think you will go wrong either way.

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I have a Parlee RZ7 and it is the cat's ass, it just rolls beautifully at speed and comfy as heck. I want to add my Parlee came with Arundel bottle cages, and I know the standard Parlee Stem and bars are within a few grams of a full zipp cockpit for weight. The attention to detail on these bikes really is incredible (I really dig the metal head badge).

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Beauty of a bike. Now I'm really torn - I was learning towards the Roubaix because I thought Specialized had a much higher resale value than Parlee, but now hearing all these + on Parlee is bringing me back to the middle.

If there is one thing Bob Parlee can hang his hat on, it is the quality of ride on any of his bikes.

What build kit are you looking at?

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I went from a Scott CR1 to Parlee Altum - I described my first ride as, “like riding on a cloud”.

I am not sure it climbs the best. It’s hard for me to understand as I know I am faster on my Altum than I am on my Stigmata while climbing, but I like how the Stigmata feels going up hill. I don’t know enough about bike geometry to explain why.

I am very comfortable bombing downhill on it. It’s great on the flats and through chicanes.

YMMV

My first Parlee is an Altum R (non disc) and love it. I test rode madone, émonda and Cervelo r5. The Altum just felt so much better, more confidence inspiring on the descents. I also have a Parlee TTiR I won overall and age group at Borrego Springs 12 hour World Time Trial Championships in 2019. January 2020, I bought the RZ7 as I was supposed race in Race Across America June 2020 and wanted a bike with disc brakes for the descents. Unfortunately due to Covid, race got canceled. Bike is fast with a set of zipp 404. Love all 3 of my Parlees.

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Looking at the Altum Disc in either ultegra or Di2. Pref the Di2, but I'm flexible given the bike shortages these days.

Looks like lots of + votes on the Parlees...

You might want to look at AXS based on availability...

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Yeah seriously. I thought the Roubaix would’ve been the fan favorite.

Yeah I’ll take a look at the SRAM / AXS for sure. Part of me is wondering if I should just wait for next year’s model given it’s such a struggle to track down inventory and perhaps Shimano hits us with a 12 speed?!

I’ve heard to expect shimano shortages through 2021, possibly through ‘22.

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I absolutely love my roubaix comp di2. It's literally the perfect bike for me and my weird short torso long arm/leg body. Future shock was a bit weird when I first got it, but now it's great and I basically don't even notice it but it absorbs tons of road buzz.

So is the Altum considered an endurance geometry?

Yeah I think so. The stack and reach and pretty comparable to endurance geometries of other models a la Specialized, Felt, trek etc

A possible counterpoint to the Parlee fans is that they only come in 4 sizes. I happen to fit the small pretty well. But the limited range could be a problem if you’re between sizes, or you’re shorter than about 5’ 5”, or if you’re very tall. Also, if it matters, I don’t think the Altum has any aero considerations in the tube shaping. And I would definitely take a point off for the PF30 BB, it is probably the narrowest stance press fit standard and one of the least durable. You can mitigate that with a good BB, and I think I’ve heard good things about Parlee’s stock PF30-24 BB, which I think they spec on all their Shimano builds.