Initially deliberate for a 2023 launch, Enve Composites at present formally launched its poorly stored secret, The Fray.
After bringing to market a customized street bike, a WorldTour-capable street racing bike and a gravel steed within the span of simply three years, the Fray is supposed to fill the one remaining hole within the American producer’s drop bar line-up: an endurance bike.
However not simply any endurance bike. The Fray is Enve’s imaginative and prescient of ‘the definitive all-road machine’ – designed for these “who got here from street racing and at the moment are in search of broader two-wheeled targets however efficiency remains to be vital.”
As Jake Pantone, Enve’s VP of Product and Model, put it: the Fray is “lots roadie, a bit of groadie” and goals to fulfill the calls for of the fashionable street rider by pairing a street racing pedigree with all-road options like wider tire clearance, in-frame storage and a match snug for all-day adventures within the saddle.
Whereas labeled as an ‘all-road’ or ‘endurance’ bicycle, Enve emphasizes that the Fray is not at all a slouch.
“The Fray is for riders who need velocity, versatility, and max efficiency,” Pantone says. “This can be a [Personal Best] bike, not a sleepy consolation street bike. It is a efficiency bike in each method.”
Enve is so assured within the efficiency facet of the Fray that it provided the bike up for group TotalEnergies to journey finally week’s Paris-Roubaix. However for the reason that Melee clears35mm tires simply wonderful, the riders opted to stay with their designated race bikes.
Let’s meet The Fray.
The Fray’s Key Options
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
- Geometry optimized for 31-35mm tires however will match max 700 x 40mm tires on a 1x groupset or 700 x 38mm tires on a 2x construct.
- Light-weight and sturdy carbon development weighing in at 900 grams +/- 2% on a painted 56cm body sans {hardware}
- Hidden hoses and wires via Enve’s IN-Route System and parts
- 1x or 2x drivetrain compatibility
- Threaded T47 backside bracket
- SRAM UDH suitable
- Options the Enve cargo bay and luggage for in-frame storage
The Fray sports activities Enve’s cargo bay and luggage for in-frame storage (additionally seen on the MOG)
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
- Accent mounts on toptube and downtube
- Fender compatibility
- Aerodynamic tube shapes and design
- Similar cam-tail seatpost as seen on the Melee
- First Enve bike to launch with three colorway choices
- 7 body dimension choices starting from 47cm to 60cm with 4 distinctive fork rakes amongst them.
- A la carte construct choices
- Frames are backed by Enve’s manufacturing facility guarantee and incidental injury safety
- Value: the chassis retails for $5,500 / £5.500 / AUD 9,999 / €5,799 and contains the body, fork, headset, stem, handlebar and seatpost.
NOT a gravel bike
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
Enve entered the frameset market in 2021 with its US-made Customized Street bike adopted by the Melee street racing bike —manufactured at their abroad manufacturing facility—the next 12 months. In 2023, Enve made its first foray into gravel with the MOG, and the Fray is slotted someplace between classes. The Fray is Enve’s fourth bike in 4 years, and with it, the Utah-based firm continues its model evolution from aftermarket carbon wheel and element specialists to a full-service bicycle model.
What’s attention-grabbing about Enve’s line-up of bikes is that every mannequin form of blurs the strains of its designated field. Whereas the Melee is at the moment being raced on the WorldTour by group TotalEnergies, gravel privateer Alexey Vermeulen proved that it’s also completely able to being raced on the unpaved roads when he received the 2023 Belgian Waffle Journey California aboard the Melee with 35mm tires. The MOG in the meantime pairs light-weight carbon development, aerodynamic tube shapes and 700c-only wheels with beefy tire clearance, a slacker geometry and fork mounts, making it each a gravel racer and bikepacking companion. And now the Fray, once more, leads with versatility.
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
When arrange with a 1x drivetrain, the Fray has clearance for 40mm tires for mixed-surface using (38mm tires on a 2x drivetrain). It additionally sports activities accent mounts and an in-frame storage answer. But Enve is obvious in that the Fray was designed for the street, stating: “at a look, the Fray might look like equal elements Melee and MOG, however belief us after we say, this apple falls a lot nearer to the Melee’s tree.”
The Melee kinship is obvious within the bike’s geometry and dealing with traits, which have been optimized round 31-35mm tires even when the Fray can clear a 40mm tire.
(Picture credit score: Enve Composites)
Geometry-wise, in comparison with the Melee, the Fray is simply barely taller and elongated, sporting a median of 2cm extra stack for a much less aggressive place and a wheelbase that is simply 1.6cm longer. The headtube angle is sort of simply as steep with a mere 0.7mm differentiating the Fray from the top-end racer.
“The Fray delivers a journey that’s each dynamic and confidence inspiring. That is pure efficiency for the lengthy street, tough street, and actually any street,” Enve states. Key phrase right here being “street.”
The quick wheelbase and steep headtube angle would actually restrict the bike’s skills to deal with technical off-road terrain and steep pitches, Pantone warns. “Should you plan on solely working a 40mm tire, chances are you’ll wish to give the MOG a glance.”
(Picture credit score: Enve Composites)
Today, you may’t speak about street efficiency with out mentioning aerodynamics and positive sufficient, Enve took the Fray into the Mercedes GP Wind Tunnel for testing.
The Fray was designed with Enve’s “actual world quick” aero applied sciences, which take a holistic strategy to efficiency, balancing aerodynamic efficiencies with desired journey traits, and evaluating the interplay of the wheels, bike body, and rider each within the wind tunnel and on the open street.
On the Fray, aerodynamic concerns are seen within the tube shapes, the cam-tail seatpost (similar because the Melee) and the absolutely hidden wires and cables.
The top result’s that within the wind tunnel, at 40kph speeds and 0 to fifteen diploma yaw angles, the Fray lags simply 3.3 watts behind the Melee with each frames outfitted with Enve’s the model’s SES line of parts, wheels and tires.
Driving the Fray
North American Editor Anne-Marije Rook and Enve’s Jake Pantone aboard the all-new Enve Fray
(Picture credit score: Josh Wray)
I received to check the Fray on the winding roads of California’s central coast. For 3 days, we resided close to the city of Paso Robles with its sprawling rolling hills adorned with ranches, vineyards, oak groves, and golden grasslands. The rugged coast inside attain of a 40-mile bike journey.
Solar-cracked and weather-worn, the roads right here might be tough but in addition pleasantly low-trafficked. Paired with some gravel, they served as the proper testing floor for this all-new, all-road bike.
The 50cm Fray chassis for testing was kitted out with a Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset and Enve’s SES line of parts together with SES 4.5 wheels wrapped in 35mm SES tubeless tires.
Even in California, the climate does not all the time play good and so, hoping to dodge the worst of the springtime rain, we tackled our huge journey first. After a 30-mile shakeout journey upon arrival, we set out for a 75-mile journey the subsequent morning. With 80 % of the best way paved and 20 % not, some decently lengthy climbs, steep pitches, speedy pacelines alongside Freeway 1, good camaraderie and a mid-ride espresso store cease —today completely encapsulated what the Fray was made for.
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
With its tall stack top, the Fray’s geometry is definitely much less aggressive than a race bike, nevertheless it does not drive you in an all-out, wind-catching upright place both. The geometry basically accomplishes what many (non-racing) riders are inclined to create with the usage of headset spacers and stem angles: a place that eases the pressure on the decrease again, neck, and shoulders for all-day using consolation and a extra evenly distributed weight throughout the bike for assured dealing with. However as a substitute of an unpleasant stack of spacers or, worse, riser stems, you get the modern front-end aesthetics individuals love about speedy street bikes.
Not that this bike is not speedy. Enve was proper in hammering dwelling the truth that the Fray was made to carry out, regardless of its endurance bike distinction. Whereas some endurance-oriented bikes can really feel a tad vanilla, the Fray presents a pleasantly full of life journey; the entrance finish may even be described as twitchy. And the responsiveness is there when referred to as upon to go after a metropolis restrict signal or to rise up and over a steep pitch. It holds tempo in a bunch journey setting and with its light-weight carbon development, will not hold you again on any climbs both. Even on one significantly testing gravel climb, the one factor maintaining me again (my health apart) was the street gearing.
North American Editor Anne-Marije Rook and gravel professional Alexey Vermeulen using the Enve Fray
(Picture credit score: Josh Wray)
The power to run wider tires is clutch on mixed-terrain rides or in areas the place pavement upkeep has been uncared for for years. Whereas conventional street tires can have you bouncing within the saddle, the 35mm tires added each consolation and grip throughout cracked pavement and graded gravel.
Our third journey was a fast 52-mile absolutely paved loop inland, which felt very very similar to another weekend group outing with a conversational tempo, a pair sprints for no obvious motive, and that collective beehive sounds of two dozen carbon wheels rolling alongside in sync Right here, 30s would have sufficed however 35s did not appear to carry us again an excessive amount of both.
These totally different rides successfully showcased the well-roundedness of the Fray. No it is not a race bike nevertheless it’s a quick and succesful bike with added conveniences like fender and accent mounts and in-frame storage so you may by no means be stranded with out fix-a-flat requirements and a rain jacket.
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
Together with the Specialised Aethos or Canyon Endurace, I’m a giant fan of this fast-but-not-racey class. It merely is smart. I understand that my opinion could also be unpopular however most of us should not be using a purebred racer.
Race bikes are enjoyable, completely, however they have been purpose-built to be quick with much less regard to consolation and conveniences. What number of high-end race bikes have you ever seen on membership rides with 3 inches or extra of spacers on them? With regards to bicycle ridership, even amongst avid riders, the very fact is that solely a small share journey competitively. I perceive that race bikes showcase what’s potential with the most recent applied sciences and we, as an business, are huge followers of the ‘lightest’, ‘quickest’, ‘most aero’ superlatives however personally, a motorcycle just like the Fray excites me.
Admittedly, I’m, additionally, very a lot its audience: a former street racer who loves nothing greater than all-day mixed-terrain adventures on the weekend. On the similar time, I nonetheless prefer to go quick and problem myself. As such, the Fray ticks all of the containers for me.
Value and availability
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
Just like the Melee and the MOG, the Fray is obtainable from Enve and its retailers as a “chassis” solely.
The chassis consists of a body, fork, headset, handlebar, stem and seatpost and retails for $5,500 / £5.500 / AUD $9,999 / €5,799.
A “rolling chassis” can also be accessible which incorporates an Enve SES, G-Collection or Basis wheelset. Value varies based mostly on wheelset chosen.
The Fray is the primary of Enve’s bikes to launch with multiple colour possibility. You may get the frameset in three colorways: Salt (off-white), Venom (an iridescent inexperienced) and Ash (darkish grey).
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