The Enve Melee entered the professional peloton with the TotalEnergies Pro Cycling team in 2024, just two years after its launch. Although the American company is better known for its components and for supplying teams such as UAE Team Emirates with bars, stems, and wheels for years, its first mass-produced road bike was bound to get heads turning – especially when it made its debut at the Tour de France.
And then there were the idiosyncratic details, for a WorldTour-level race bike at least, that included tyre clearance up to 35mm and bosses for mudguards.
Despite the partnership with TotalEnergies ending, the Melee is back. And the second iteration appears to be more serious than ever – in fact, our North American Editor has already got her hands on one. The U.S. brand describes it as a "world-class, benchmark WorldTour-level race bike," delivering aerodynamic advantages while still allowing lightweight builds that meet the UCI weight limit of 6.8kg.
Claimed frame weight is 791g.
A casualty of these goals is the tyre clearance, which is reduced to 33mm, perhaps an indicator that priorities have changed a little. While the original Melee was a great fit for elite racers wanting a little more practicality and comfort, at the sport’s highest level these considerations pale in comparison to out-and-out speed.
Enve says the reduction in clearance improves aero drag savings and reduces weight, while still allowing for the use of higher-volume tyres that are now prevalent.
To improve both weight and aerodynamics Enve has approached the areas together, which it says “removes the trade-off between a lightweight climbing bike and an aero race bike without sacrificing the responsive ride characteristics the [original] Melee is known for.”
Given that the two bikes look similar, it’s no surprise that the differences are subtle rather than drastic, but with a cumulative effect that, Enve believes, is pronounced. It’s becoming standard practice for race bike designers to think holistically, treating the bike, the components, and crucially the rider as one, rather than creating a frameset in isolation. This latter approach seems to produce bikes that impress in wind tunnel tests but suffer in real-world use.
To avoid this, Enve compiled its wind tunnel testing using real riders, seemingly going another step further than the moving-leg mannequins that contributed to the design of new race bikes such as Specialized’s Tarmac SL9. In essence, a moving rider significantly affects airflow, and the Melee 2’s tube shapes were designed to let this air flow through the legs and onto the rear of the bike without disruption.
So what does this look like?
Enve says the frame’s total surface area has been reduced by 7.5%, and it’s now 11.4 watts faster than the original. This figure accounts for the new seatpost, which, along with the frameset and other components, was designed with aero expert Simon Smart and developed at the Mercedes-Petronas Wind Tunnel at Silverstone.
A noticeable example of the refinements is the headtube shape, which appears both slimmer and deeper than before, and which Enve says is lighter and more aerodynamic, adhering to the two main principles of the redesign. As a result, a new headset was required, with smaller bearings.
The holistic approach to reducing drag includes the SES Aero Road bar wrapped in Aero Race Tape, which Tadej Pogacar and his UAE Team Emirates teammates have put to good use, and the Aero bottle cages. Wind tunnel tests have long shown that bottles and cages reduce aerodynamic efficiency, but since staying hydrated is essential for any cyclist, let alone WorldTour riders, limiting these losses through intelligent design is the best approach. If the claims are accurate, the improvements are noticeable. Enve says the bars and tape save three watts, while the aero cages and bottles save 2.6 watts. Added to the frameset, the Melee 2 is 17 watts faster than the outgoing model.
The approach to reducing the weight of the Melee appears to also have focused on small, incremental changes that together make a significant difference – the claimed weight of 791g makes this second iteration some 60g lighter based on a size 56. This starts with the aforementioned reduction in the frame's total surface area. The frame also boasts a new ‘ultralight clear over raw carbon’ finish with minimal graphics that is said to weigh 31g, lighter than a traditional paint job.
Two areas already mentioned are also contributing factors: the reduced tyre clearance and the aero seatpost. The latter features a new two-bolt design that is 28g lighter than the post used on the previous Melee. A switch to a BSA bottom bracket from a T47, and the adoption of the UDH standard have also helped drop weight; Enve says the BSA is 30% lighter.
Geometry numbers are what you’d expect for a modern race bike. A size 56 has a stack of 564.7mm and a reach of 393.3mm. The stack is some 5mm lower than before, and when combined with the new SES bars adds up to a reduction of 11mm. Fork rake changes across sizes - 47 to 60 - to keep handling characteristics uniform, while the seat tube length increases on larger sizes to allow for more flexibility with the fit.
Builds and pricing
The Melee 2 is offered in several builds:
Pro Red - £13,199/ $13,950
SRAM Red 2x AXS drivetrain, SES 4.5 PRO wheels, Enve Aero PRO One-Piece Bars with ENVE handlebar tape, SES Road tyres.
Pro Force - £11,399/ $NA
SRAM Force 2x AXS drivetrain, SES wheels, Enve SES AR One-Piece Bars with Enve handlebar tape, SES Road tyres.
Foundation Red - £8,899/ $NA
SRAM Red 2x AXS drivetrain, SES wheels, Enve SES AR One-Piece Bars with Enve handlebar tape, SES Road tyres.
Foundation Force - £10,779/ $NA
SRAM Force 2x AXS drivetrain, SES wheels, Enve SES AR One-Piece Bars with Enve handlebar tape, SES Road tyres.
Melee 2 Frameset - £4,399 $5,000
Melee 2 Frameset with cockpit - £5,299/ $5,800