Enve Melee Road Frame

The Enve Melee: A Modern Monocoque Carbon Racing Bike

The ENVE Melee is a thoroughly modern machine. This monocoque carbon racing bike has all the expected focus on features to make you faster while still offering exceptional tire clearance for anyone who wants to take it on multi-surface rides.

ENVE is well known as a brand that makes top quality bicycle parts and wheels, but they have only recently started to dip their toes into bike building. Having started out making custom frames in 2021, ENVE now takes the lessons they learned from that endeavor and have developed the Melee, which can step to the front of the line as the latest, greatest “quiver killer” bike. That is to say, if you like to mix your racing with some long distance multi-surface riding, then this will be the only bike you’ll need.

Available in a disc brake only frame, the Melee has tire clearance up to 35mm, with the ENVE engineers suggesting that the tire width sweet spot is between 27 and 32mm tires. That’s at least what the geometry has been optimized around, so you’ll get the best handling and lightweight benefits with that range of tire sizes. However, they have been specific in choosing the 35mm capability since they know modern road riders are looking to wider and wider tires to enhance their ability to ride all sorts of road and grave surfaces.

ENVE is offering the Melee in seven sizes and paring each with a specific fork rake to ensure the handling stays consistent across all sizes. Many manufacturers offer one or two extra fork rakes according to size, but with the Melee there are actually five different rakes, including one especially for the smallest size and one for the largest. This way they ensure that every rider can find the setup with exactly the type of handling they want, regardless of how large or small the frame is. This is a racing bike first and foremost, and they want you to feel comfortable railing descents and cutting the inside corner to get the edge in your next crit race.

Aero Efficiency and Weight Savings in the Enve Melee

They have developed the Melee using CFD and wind tunnel testing to find the real world aero fast that will benefit most riders. That means that they have found a great balance between aero benefits and weight savings, testing the frame in the wind tunnel to be as efficient as possible at 32 kph/20 mph, which is what most people can hold for an extended period, and 48 kph/30 mph, for the pros and speed demons out there. Since ENVE also designs their own wheels, they have shaped the Melee’s tubes to complement SES rim shapes, enhancing the aero efficiency as the rotating wheels disturb the air flow.

The ENVE Melee of course pairs perfectly with all other ENVE road products including the ENVE integrated bars and stem which route the wires and hoses internally through the headset, ensuring an aero, sleek look that still offers easy maintenance.

Also check Mosaic Road Bikes.