ENVE has released its newest road bike, the Melee. According to the Ogden, Utah-based firm, this is… ‘a purpose-built road racing bicycle designed and engineered to meet the high-performance, and versatility demands of today’s road racers.’
Evolving from an aftermarket wheel and component specialists to a full-service bicycle brand, in 2021, ENVE launched its first complete bicycle, the Custom Road.
Unlike the US-made Custom Road, which is fully customizable, the new Melee is offered in seven stock frame sizes from 47 to 60 cm and is manufactured overseas at ENVE’s factory.
“When we decided that the time had come for ENVE to expand into bicycle frames, we knew that we needed to make our first bike here in Ogden, and that we wanted it to be custom,” said VP of Product and Brand, Jake Pantone.
“At the same time, we understood that due to the nature of custom, availability of the Custom Road would be limited. Our US manufacturing facility provides us the unique opportunity to design, prototype, and iterate at a much higher rate than we can overseas – especially over the past several years. The Custom Road is the result of this process, and it established a sound foundation upon which we have been able to iterate and create the Melee.”
He continued, “The Melee is a no holds barred modern race bike built specifically to meet the performance demands of the discipline. The Custom Road, while capable of racing at the highest level, prioritizes customization and personalization over specific race performance metrics such as weight, stiffness, and aerodynamics. The Melee features a monocoque construction which allowed us to refine the tube shapes, reduce weight, and increase overall efficiency.”
ENVE’s Melee features a generous max tyre clearance of 35 mm with the geometry and handling characteristics optimized for ttres between 27 and 32 mm. Along with ample tyre clearance, aerodynamic performance and integration are key features.
The newest bike from ENVE features a minimal frontal area, Kamm-tailed tube shapes, and full front-end integration. Additionally, ENVE has designed the Melee’s tube shapes to complement its own SES rim profiles.
As a result, airflow transitions from wheel to frame surfaces in harmony to ensure a composed and ‘stable ride experience in variable wind conditions.’
In terms of construction, the Melee is made using various forms of uni-directional carbon fibre following ENVE’s Material Optimized Design (M.O.D.) process.
Jake Pantone explained, “In simple terms, Material Optimized Design means designing and manufacturing products that play to the strengths of carbon fibre. The materials, fibre weights, and fibre angles used in the laminate are selected and manipulated to achieve zone specific performance within the part.
“Carbon is the key ingredient, and we use the best we can get our hands on, but ultimately the process it is subjected to makes it an ENVE product.”
The bar, stem, fork and seatpost are proprietary to the Melee and selected to ensure that customers get the exact fit spec they need. To aid in the fitting process, ENVE has created the ENVE Best-Fit Calculator.
Pantone continued, “Your road bike needs to be an extension of your body and we want people to achieve that seamless feel from the first pedal stroke. Our calculator aims to simplify the fitment process for the fitter and customer alike.
“The calculator functions simply by pairing a rider’s fit stack, fit reach, and saddle position numbers with a frame geometry, stem length, stem rise, spacer stack, and saddle offset. The output provides the rider with several frame and component configuration options that the rider along with their fitter can analyze to determine the rider’s ‘best-fit’ option.”
For additional personalization and tuning, the customer can then select their ENVE SES or Foundation wheelset of choice.
The Melee is available now in select sizes and markets around the world. The ENVE Melee Chassis retails for US$5500, €5500, £5300, and includes the frame, fork, headset, stem, handlebar, and seatpost.
