Posted on July 21, 2022 by Tyler Benedict

The all-new ENVE Melee road bike takes what they learned with their Custom Road bike project from 2021 and created a production bicycle built for racers.

It’s a fully modern take on the road racing bike, designed to be responsive, aerodynamic, durable, and functionally comfortable. It’s also integrated, yet easy to customize to fit the rider, two seemingly opposing traits made easier thanks to ENVE’s position as both frame and component manufacturer.

The frame itself promises to deliver the best possible ride by leveraging their years of expertise with carbon fiber. From zoned construction to yield stiffness here, compliance there, and impact protection where needed, it all comes together in a bike made for today’s racers.

The tube and overall shaping is designed to complement their SES wheels, optimizing system aerodynamics. They say it performs well at the usual testing benchmark of 30mph, but also at mortal speeds of 20mph.

The key difference between this and the Custom Road is the intent. For starters, the Melee is intended for mass production, not custom frame sizes and geo. While the Custom Road is US-made like their wheels & rims, this stock-size carbon Melee is made by ENVE in China where they produce carbon bars, forks & seatposts.

Second, where the Custom Road was designed to allow that custom geometry, the Melee prioritizes speed, using a monocoque design that allows for narrower tube widths and more aero shapes.

An integrated cockpit hides all wires and hoses from the wind, but you’ll be able to choose the handlebar width and stem length at time of purchase.

This is a big deal, actually, because you’re not getting something chosen by a product manager because it fits the average, then having to spend more to get something that fits. Instead, you’ve got the full ENVE catalog to choose from.

Simply swapping the wheelset changes the bikes intention. From the climbing friendly 2.3 series, through the 3.4 and 4.5, all the way to the deep-section 6.7 for time trials and domestique leadout work.

The frame and fork will fit up to 35mm tires, with the recommended range from 27mm to 31mm. ENVE says anything under 25mm will adversely affect handling and geometry.

The bike uses a threaded T47 bottom bracket and a new kammtail aero seatpost that’s custom for this frame. It’ll come in 0mm offset (275mm and 350mm lengths) and 20mm offset (350mm only).

The Melee will work with all Shimano mechanical drivetrains, and all wired and wireless SRAM and Shimano electronic drivetrains, for both 1x and 2x setups. It’ll also work with Campagnolo mechanical 1x drivetrains, but not 2x because of the front derailleur cable routing.

Sadly, it’s also not compatible with Campy EPS groups…the connectors are too big to fit through the chainstays, and ENVE said they prioritized 35mm tire clearance over EPS compatibility. With ENVE now an official wheel partner with Classified Cycling, you could even get a 1x build with 2x range.

The ENVE Melee is sold as a chassis with frame, fork, headset, handlebar, stem and seatpost. With seven stock frame sizes and five fork rakes to choose from, plus the entire range of stems and handlebars, chosen a la carte, there’s definitely a setup that will fit you.

To make it easier to decide, once you input your desired frame size and stack and reach figures (via bar and saddle position measurements), they’ll have an online tool to narrow down the choices to the components that will create the best fit.

The Melee will come in one color, Damascus. No custom paint options will be offered at launch. But you will be able to design and order custom decals for a bit more flair.

Other options at time of checkout include bar tape, a K-Edge integrated stem mount computer mount, wheels, tires, saddle, and even a custom Scicon rolling bike case for traveling.

Claimed weight is 850g +/-2% for a size 56, painted, without hardware.

MSRP is $5,500 (€5500 / £5300). Chassis and complete bikes can be ordered by working with your local dealer or ENVE Ride Center, ordering any drivetrain and other parts directly through the dealer.

Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com. He has been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for 14 years. Prior to that, Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies, mostly as an excuse to travel to killer riding locations throughout North America.

Based in North Carolina, Tyler loves finding new travel adventures to share with his family and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part to make his bikes faster and lighter. And, he’s totally gone down the NFT rabbit hole.

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That’s a lot of cheddar for a very open mold looking frame.

The stack is too high for a race bike. Expensive for a frame that’s not very light too. You can get a non S-Works Tarmac SL7 for less and it’s a little lighter. Enve is so out of touch.

$5500 is a lot for what is essentially an SL7.

Is it though? Considering the SL7 frame, seatpost and stem retails at $5,500 and the only option is frame color, the ENVE chassis pricing seems competitive – plus you also get a handlebar with fit options and custom decal options. The best part is that you’ll likely be the only one on your Saturday morning coffee ride rocking an ENVE Melee….unlike the popular SL7 that is a group ride mainstay.

Not really. The normal Specialized SL7 is a lot less and lighter. I guess for big Enve fans it’s nice but the stack is still too high. I would need the 56 for reach but then shave the head tube down by 1cm. It’s more of an endurance road bike than a race bike.

$5500 is essentially what an SL7 costs, without the free handlebar.

Still a bike I miss! If it had clearance for today-sized tires, it would still be in my garage.

their wheels have always been desirable but this frame set is a bit meh!

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