THE BENCHMARK: Z-ZERO

In an industry where three years is considered the normal lifespan of a bicycle design, our Z-Zero stands alone. A design so advanced that it still continues to be a benchmark, not just for customizable carbon bikes, but also a true reference point for all road bikes with performance aspirations.

Since its introduction, we have relentlessly refined and perfected the Z-Zero to keep it compatible with the latest components and performance needs. Simplicity, refinement, and timeless style live on in the Z-Zero.

Technical developments in our stock bikes over the past two decades have allowed us to increase performance and reduce weight but not compromises comfort or durability. Most of these innovations now found in our Altum and RZ7 range were thought too difficult or expensive to feature in a customizable design but the Z-Zero eliminates any semblance of compromise.

The Z-Zero includes all the modern performance features of a cutting-edge race bike with the ride tuning and custom fit we pioneered almost two decades ago in the revolutionary Z1 range.

Unlike 99.9% of modern road bikes, the Z-Zero is 100% made to order, with the optimum performance characteristics and technical requirements perfectly met for each individual rider. We simply do not start fabrication without knowing your riding needs perfectly.

Available in 16 effective semi-custom sizes and full custom geometry, the Z-Zero simply fits a wider range of athletes than any other carbon road design.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

PARLEE tube joining process: Pioneered on the Z1, our exclusive molding process is the technical benchmark for fusing carbon fiber tubes into a monolithic structure. Our process is neither “lugged” or traditional “tube to tube” construction. The Z-Zero joining process is more precise, more costly, and unmatched in strength, using only carbon fiber to fuse each tube to another in a manner that yields a wholly unified structure with almost zero redundant material.

Carbon dropouts and bearing races: First used on the Z5 and now considered an industry standard, our compression molded carbon drops and bearing races (in the head tube and bottom bracket) allow us to reduce the metal content in the Z-Zero to less than 20 grams. Eliminating metal correctly in any carbon composite structure translates to lighter weight and better durability.

Shaped, bladder-molded tubing: A technology first used in our Z5, the performance-based shaping allows for lighter overall tube weights and optimized tuning of the laminate schedule. A variety of tube designs allows us to perfectly tune the ride to each rider’s needs. Produced by hand, by our staff, here in Beverly, MA, the Z-Zero tube set is 10-15% lighter on average than the legendarily light Z1 but yields better torsional performance.

Tapered head and steerer tubes: An innovation derived from the now industry-wide CEN/ISO testing protocols; tapered steerer and head tubes are hardly news anymore, however, with the Z-Zero, we pioneered the use of the optimized 1.250” (32mm) inch lower standard with integrated carbon crown race. Riding the bike demonstrates that the 1.250”(32mm) taper provides the ideal balance for a road bike. Strength, safety, performance and lightweight without harshness.

Why Rim brakes?: While disc brakes open up many new options for wheels and tires, the rim brake standard for road bikes has been around for decades and still offers great performance for many riders. Rim frames, wheels, and forks are lighter and simpler and many of our clients have invested in a variety of high-performance wheels over the years. We think disc brake models offer more versatility for most riders, but rim brakes still have their place and we plan to build rim brake custom models for a long time.

Framesets: For 2022-23, the Z-Zero is available as a frameset module only. The module includes the frame, fork, headset along with our carbon bar, stem, seat post and bottle cages. Complete bikes are only available on the Disc and XD versions.