Tour Tested, Real World Approved: ENVE Melee Long-Term Review

The ENVE Melee is the brand’s mass-produced road race frame, and it won its first Tour de France stage last weekend. WorldTour professionals demand maximum power transfer, minimum weight, and the least aerodynamic drag.

So it was a total surprise when I unboxed the frame and discovered it had threaded fender mounts, wide tire clearance, and shockingly low-profile tubes. What? Why would ENVE do that? After only a few rides, I knew.

The ENVE Melee didn’t ride like it was laser-focused on winning races. It felt like ENVE instilled some fun and daily usability into the bike’s DNA. This became clearer as the months and miles tallied up as the ENVE Melee did duty as my long-term mule for testing wheels and other components for over a year.

In short: The ENVE Melee possesses the data-driven and performance-oriented attributes WorldTour competitors require. But it had the additional endearing ability to deliver a fun and surprisingly practical ride. The Melee delivered a tantalizing mixture of speed, comfort, and usability that belies its Tour de France stage-winning pedigree. If you want to go fast but don’t want the negatives that come with a full-aero race bike, the ENVE Melee delivers.

The GearJunkie ENVE Melee Test Mule

Unboxing the Frameset

ENVE launched the Melee in the summer of 2022, surprisingly deviating from its Made in Ogden, Utah, story. The brand has long held this distinction with its premium carbon wheels and Custom Road frame.

ENVE mass produces the Melee frame in Asia and, at the time, only offered a single color: Damascus silver. It seemed like a very distant cousin to the Custom Road frames, with each customer’s desired geometry and paint scheme.

My first clues to the Melee’s deviation from the single-mindedness of pure performance were the threaded fender mounts and clearance for 35c tires. I wondered if the pros on the Team TotalEnergies Cycling scoffed at the fender mounts when they received their bikes.

These frame features were “un-race-like” to me, leaving me wondering what ENVE’s target was. The Melee is also compatible with both electronic and mechanical groupsets, the latter becoming less common in high-end road frames.

ENVE offers what it calls a “chassis” for an MSRP of $5,500. Instead of selling the frame, fork, headset, and possibly the seat post and axles as the frameset, ENVE goes one step further since it has been manufacturing carbon wheels (for almost 20 years) and components.

An ENVE chassis also includes an ENVE Aero stem and a choice of handlebar. The frame is fully integrated for internal hose, cable, or wire routing. A few retailers offer only the frame, fork, axles, and headset for an MSRP of $4,500.

Since its launch, ENVE has added two more color schemes: Aegean Blue and ENVE Black. All ENVE Melee frames have almost no visible branding and, from a distance, seemed almost generic to me.

Outfitting the ENVE Melee

I chose to outfit the Melee with as many ENVE products as possible. The brand is best known for premium wheelsets, and I chose its self-proclaimed most versatile model.

The SES 3.4 straddles the middle ground between aerodynamic efficiency, weight, and vertical compliance. It was a logical choice for the Melee’s large tire clearance and fender mounts.

I chose the WorldTour-proven Shimano Dura-Ace groupset. Again, this seemed prudent, given the Melee’s premium stature and chassis MSRP of $5,500. Chris King contributed a T47 ThreadFit bottom bracket. I was fortunate to acquire a 4iiii Precision 3+ Pro dual-sided power meter to help me continue improving my left-right balance following multiple knee surgeries.

I rounded out the build with ENVE SES Road Tires in 700 x 29, ENVE Handlebar Tape, an ENVE Adjustable Computer Mount, and a pair of ENVE Water Bottle Cages. Although I ran through several saddles, I settled on the Selle Italia SLR Boost 3D Kit Carbonio Superflow.

To add a little bling and help the bike stand out in images, I added a Stikrd graphics kit for both the frame and the wheels in a stunning holographic color scheme.

This pro-level build would retail around $12,000-13,000 without the power meter. Yes, this is so much money, but it’s on par with other pro-level road race bikes. As described, with Shimano Dura-Ace pedals, the test bike in size 56cm weighs a verified 16.9 pounds.

But Is It Aero?

Road race bikes are all about aerodynamics. At the world level, it’s necessary, given the competition and extremely narrow margins that separate the victor from the also-rans. Despite having truncated tube shapes, ENVE claims that the Melee possesses aerodynamic efficiency worthy of races like the Tour de France.

ENVE is no stranger to aerodynamic optimization due to its 17 years of work with aero wheels and related patents. The brand states that it balanced aerodynamic efficiency and weight on the Melee and formed tube shapes to complement its SES wheels.

Also, ENVE used “normal cyclist” speeds of 20 and 30 mph for wind tunnel testing. Bicycles are often touted to be aerodynamically superior at speeds only capable by the elite.

Surprisingly, ENVE admits that the mass-produced Melee is faster than the built-in-the-USA Custom Road frame. The monocoque construction allows narrower tube widths and refined shapes compared to the lug-and-tube build of the Custom Road.

ENVE’s wind tunnel testing shows that the Melee saves a handful of watts at -15 to +15 degrees of yaw angle at both 20 and 30 mph. The largest difference is 5 W at +5 degrees of yaw at 30 mph.

As stated, ENVE designed the frame tube shapes to complement its SES line of wheels. Per the brand, the bike can be prioritized for these different attributes by matching it with the appropriate wheel. Riders should choose the SES 2.3 wheels for climbing, 3.4 (as tested here) for all-road versatility, 4.5 for a road race, and 6.7 for a triathlon or sprint lead-out.

WorldTour teams absolutely have to prioritize aerodynamics. For this year’s Tour de France, the TotalEnergies team thought the Melee’s aerodynamics were on par. At the time of writing, the team was awarded at least one stage win from a breakaway (where aerodynamics matter more).

ENVE Melee Ride Impressions

Damping Characteristics

Response to Road Surfaces

The shallow-ish frame tubes gave me the sense that the Melee wouldn’t ride as harshly as full-aero race bikes, which was true. On chip seal roads common in rural Central Texas, the frame combined with the “non-full-aero” ENVE SES 3.4 wheels felt quite luxurious compared to other aero road race bikes I was testing simultaneously.

Admittedly, on smooth, flat roads in calm conditions in Austin, the Melee felt perceptibly slower than dedicated aero bikes with tall frame tube profiles and matching deep-section aero wheels.

Many race bikes with deep frame tubes and wheels feel “dead” on surfaces like chip seal. But then they feel harsh when the tires hit a square edge. It’s like hearing muffled music, and then suddenly the volume is full blast whenever the drummer hits a cymbal.

The dead feeling makes it hard to discern grip when the pavement is short of perfect or wet. And the harshness makes me stiffen up to prepare for the hits, ultimately costing me energy and detracting from enjoyment.

The Melee transferred enough road feeling for me to remain confident cornering and descending when gravel or other issues affected traction. At the same time, it blunted just enough of the impacts with edges to keep me relaxed (along with the SES 3.4 wheels and ENVE tires). This balance was a hugely significant factor in my enjoyment of the bike.

Response to Rider Inputs

This same dead feeling can happen on dedicated aero road race bikes when accelerating, standing on the pedals, and other maneuvers that require applying body English. The deep frame tubes and rims may be efficient regarding airflow and transfer of pedaling power, but they also respond in a way that detracts from the information coming back to me from the bike in response to these efforts.

The Melee had quick enough rebound to feel lively when standing on the pedals and felt responsive to other inputs, which I appreciate coming from ferrous bike frames. It walked the line between feeling unresponsive and being inefficient or “loose.” Again, this hard-to-describe characteristic greatly influenced the amount of fun I had on the Melee.

Frame Geometry Effects

The geometry delivered a sharp and crisp cornering feel while still being stable on fast descents on less-than-ideal road surfaces. It also wasn’t as twitchy in crosswinds as other race bikes (albeit partially due to the shallower frame tubes and wheels). I would feel super-confident on the bike in a tight pack in a criterium, but I wouldn’t want the steering up front to be any more aggressive.

The rear triangle was tight enough to deliver a direct-to-rear-wheel-connected feeling when climbing or sprinting. However, the frame proportions gave the Melee a correctly balanced feel between the front and rear tires. The front tire felt very planted without deliberately adding load, which I sometimes do on slacker or longer road bikes.

ENVE uses five different fork rakes to ensure that handling characteristics remain consistent across all seven frame sizes (from 47cm to 60cm).

Component Package Performance

Shimano Dura-Ace

There isn’t much to say about the Shimano Dura-Ace groupset that graced the ENVE Melee other than “bravo.” No road groupset I’ve tested rivals Dura-Ace in every component performance metric.

Shifting

Shifting was quick, consistent, and telepathic. I never had to “pre-shift” at the base of a climb or winding up for a sprint. I hit the corresponding Di2 shifter button without thinking, and the chain hopped up and down the cogs or chainrings without worry every time.

Even if I shifted under full load at a low cadence, the Dura-Ace executed the shift without complaints. SRAM electronic drivetrains are also amazing, but Shimano edges SRAM eTap Red AXS out for shifting speed, smoothness, and reliability.

Braking

For me, braking on road bikes doesn’t get any better than Shimano Dura-Ace. From initial bite to progression in braking power to full-panic halts, the Dura-Ace calipers and Ice Technologies Freeza rotors delivered the stopping power and control that I desire from every brake set.

I feel that Shimano has a significant advantage over SRAM Red eTap AXS in braking. (I have not tested the newest version of SRAM Red AXS, which was just released, or Campagnolo road groupsets.)

Ergonomics

The only fault I can point out on the Dura-Ace groupset based on personal preference is the Di2 shift button configuration. I much prefer the single-shift levers of SRAM electronic drivetrains and the logic. The right lever shifts up, the left lever shifts down, and both levers simultaneously shift the front derailleur.

Although Dura-Ace is highly customizable, you eventually have to use the smaller of the two shift buttons on each brake hood. Regardless of conditions, they just didn’t deliver the secure feeling of the larger SRAM levers. I would have been golden if Shimano allowed the double-tap function to shift the front derailleur.

ENVE SES 3.4 Wheelset

As per ENVE, I found the SES 3.4 a good choice for all-around road riding that may include bouts of tame gravel or dirt roads. This is common in the area where I live and ride most. The middle ground of aerodynamics, weight, and stiffness didn’t leave me wanting more from any of these attributes.

If I had changed to a more aerodynamic wheelset, I would have suffered much more on the gravel roads. And being a heavier road cyclist, I appreciated the lighter weight (sub-1,400 g per set) on the steep and punchy climbs.

If I lived in the city and didn’t have to ever ride on anything but well-maintained tarmac, I would choose taller profile wheels like the ENVE SES 4.5 to take advantage of the aerodynamics. And the riders on ENVE-sponsored teams, like multiple-time winner UAE Emirates, seem to be on the same track. They have been sporting (and winning) on the SES 4.5 wheelset, even on climbing stages.

However, as a “normal” road cyclist, unless the roads were super smooth, I felt the greater vertical compliance of the SES 3.4 perfectly matched the compliance of the Melee frame to deliver a much more enjoyable ride.

Conclusions on the ENVE Melee Road Bike

Ultimately, this road race bike was more fun than any other I’ve ridden for quite a while. It’s not a full-aero or pure climbing bike. So, I got the best of both worlds. The Melee was still aerodynamically efficient and lightweight. And the way the frame responded to road surfaces and my body’s inputs put a smile on my face.

I didn’t get beat up. I still felt fast on the flats and climbs. And the feedback from the bike kept me in tune with available traction. The Melee made me appreciate that ENVE didn’t go all-out “race.” But then again, it just won a stage in the Tour de France.

It was also super-practical for a road race bike. I could have shod 35c tires on it and tackled many of my local gravel bike loops. I have acquired fenders to put on it for this winter.

Now that I think about it, maybe the Melee is the first bike with fender mounts to ever win a Tour de France stage. And, as a long-term test mule, I can hang almost every groupset on the frame.

The best way I can say it is this. If I had to choose one road race bike as my personal bike, then the ENVE Melee would be it. It’s a do-it-all road bike for those who still need speed. And so it is. I only own one road bike, and this is it.