ENVE released the first Melee in 2022, and four years later the company that made its name through wheels and finishing kit has unveiled the second generation of its race bike.
But while the original could fit large 35mm tyres – putting it at the forefront of the growing tyre width trend – the new Melee v2 sees clearance cut to 33mm.
This is part of ENVE’s more focused objective for its latest bike. Instead of being a race bike for everyday riders, ENVE has pushed the new Melee to be “a lighter, faster and more complete modern race bike”.
To this end, ENVE says the tyre clearance maintains the volume required for modern road racing, while reducing weight and drag.
Reduced surface area and new parts
ENVE hasn’t only reduced the Melee’s tyre clearance, it has also cut the road bike’s surface area by 7.5%.
The Melee has a new smaller headset, which allows for a refined head tube shape that contributes to the bike’s lower surface area. ENVE says the new seatpost has a more efficient aero profile, while cutting weight.
The new ENVE SES Aero Bar is said to reduce drag, and you can add shaped pads for extra comfort. There is even new bar tape that is 1.2mm thick and minimises “the amount of material exposed to the wind".
Meanwhile, ENVE’s latest SES Aero Bottle Cages reduce “the aerodynamic losses that come from adding hydration to the bike”.
Faster and lighter
All these changes appear to have made a difference when it comes to wind-tunnel testing.
ENVE measured a 17-watt aerodynamic improvement over the previous Melee at 50kph. This includes 11.4 watts from the frame, fork and seatpost; 3 watts from the new bar and bar tape; and 2.6 watts from the bottle cages with standard round bottles.
ENVE’s test results suggest the new Melee is faster than the Specialized Tarmac SL8 and Trek Madone. With bottles, cages and a rider, ENVE says the Melee is 3-4 watts faster than the Madone (with Trek’s aero bottles) and the SL8.
The changes have also lowered the bike’s weight. In the Ultralight Black finish, a size-56 Melee v2 weighs less than 800g. A complete bike can hit the UCI’s minimum weight of 6.8kg when fitted with a SRAM Red AXS groupset or equivalent build.
Tweaked geometry
ENVE has tweaked the Melee’s geometry to better suit racing.
The stack height on sizes 56 to 60 has been reduced by 11mm through changes to the frame and handlebar designs.
ENVE uses five fork rakes across its seven sizes “to maintain consistent handling throughout the range”.
It has also increased the seat tube length of the larger sizes for more flexibility with saddle height.
ENVE Melee v2 specs
The new Melee v2 is available through ENVE’s Spec’d for Speed programme. This enables you to configure complete bikes with SRAM Red or Force AXS groupsets, plus ENVE SES wheels and cockpits.
An ENVE Melee v2 chassis (with a seatpost and cockpit) costs £5,299 / $5,000.
ENVE Melee v2 Pro Red
- Frameset: ENVE Melee v2
- Groupset: SRAM Red AXS
- Wheels: ENVE SES Wheels
- Cockpit: ENVE Aero Pro
- Tyres: ENVE SES Road tyres
- Price: £13,199 / $13,950 / €15,199
ENVE Melee v2 Premium Red
- Frameset: ENVE Melee v2
- Groupset: SRAM Red AXS
- Wheels: ENVE SES 4.5 Pro or SES 6.7 Pro
- Cockpit: ENVE SES AR
- Tyres: ENVE SES Road tyres
- Price: £12,399 / $12,250 / €14,199
ENVE Melee v2 Premium Force
- Frameset: ENVE Melee v2
- Groupset: SRAM Red AXS
- Wheels: ENVE SES wheels
- Cockpit: ENVE SES AR
- Tyres: ENVE SES Road tyres
- Price: £10,499 / €11,999
ENVE Melee v2 Foundation Force
- Frameset: ENVE Melee v2
- Groupset: SRAM Force AXS
- Wheels: ENVE SES Wheels
- Cockpit: ENVE SES AR
- Tyres: ENVE SES Road tyres
- Price: £8,899 / €10,149
