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Benoit Cosnefroy denied Giulio Pellizzari a second victory in as many days by winning the 2026 Coppa Sabatini with a late counter-attack on the uphill finish in Peccioli. Pellizzari, winner of the Giro della Toscana 24 hours earlier, had again put himself in position to fight for victory after attac...

When I reviewed the original Enve Melee, my headline was: "You had me at fender mounts."That probably wasnt the sentence Enve expected to define its race bike, which was aerodynamic, responsive and raced at the Tour de France by TotalEnergies.But gravel pro Alexey Vermeulen took it even further when he won the 2022 Belgian Waffle Ride San Diego on one, muddying the bikes identity before it had even reached customers.But those fender mounts pointed to something important: the Melee was a serious road racing bike, but it didnt demand that every ride, or rider, be quite so serious. With 35mm tyre clearance and wet-weather practicality, it was remarkably easy to live with. Rode beautifully, too.The Melee V2, unveiled today, is markedly different. The mounts are gone, official tyre clearance has shrunk to 33mm and the front end is lower. The frame is lighter and every millimetre seems to have been revisited in pursuit of speed.Enve has made the Melee V2 pointier, sharper and more overtly race-focused. The Utah-based company says that is exactly the point.Lately, the bike industry seems intent on trading its well-loved Swiss Army knives for surgeons scalpels (RIP Crux 4). But before we lament the loss of another beloved and versatile bike, heres why the Melee V2 makes perfect sense for Enve, and why Im stoked to test it once I get my chassis built up.(Image credit: Anne-Marije Rook)The original Melee had to do everythingWhen the first Melee arrived in 2022, it was Enves only production road bike beyond the made-to-order Custom Road. "We were a little more conservative with it, and it kind of needed to be the road bike for everyone," Enves Neil Shirley told Cycling Weekly.The Fray changed that calculation. Despite its more upright position, clearance for 40mm tyres, in-frame storage and fender mounts, it still feels very much like a performance road bike, only with more versatility. It is for riders who may no longer pin on a number every weekend but havent lost the urge to go fast. A bike that, in my opinion, most of us should be riding."For most people, including us, the Fray is probably the bike that we really should be on," Shirley agreed.With the Fray now available to carry Enves all-road and real-world responsibilities, the Melee no longer needed to serve such a broad spectrum. However, it also created a bit of a problem for Enve as the three models on offer sat rather closely together. Now the range is clearer: the MOG is the gravel bike, the Fray is the fast, versatile all-road bike, and the Melee is the race bike."That [distinction] really allowed us the ability to take the Melee V2 more extreme in terms of the fit," Shirley said. "We have the full range of drop-bar bikes now. Lets really sharpen this one."And they left no stone unturned.(Image credit: Enve Composites)The TotalEnergies bike that arrived too lateUnfortunately, Enve has produced its most uncompromising race bike at a time when it finds itself without a top-tier team to race it.Enves two-season relationship with TotalEnergies ended before the new bike was released, but the teams influence is embedded in it, Enve says. "We were halfway into our first season with TotalEnergies when the development process really began," Shirley said. "By the time we werent working with them anymore, that bike was done."Development was driven by requests for a lower position, less weight and better aerodynamics without losing the originals ride quality. I asked Enve directly whether this was the bike it wished it had been able to give TotalEnergies."One hundred percent," Shirley replied. "Thats really where so much of the development comes from."Due to its agreement with UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Enve does not expect to outfit another top-tier road team with its frames in the foreseeable future. UAE Team Emirates-XRG has exclusivity, focusing Enves racing development on components and wheels only. The Melee V2 wont be absent from competition, however. Enve continues to support a broad roster of athletes and smaller programmes across road, gravel, triathlon and mountain biking.The head tube is slimmer and deeper, using smaller headset bearings similar to those we've previously seen on bikes such as the Specialized Venge. (Image credit: Anne-Marije Rook)Faster by subtractionThe Melee V2 is a purebred racer. You can read our launch story for the details, but here are the key figures:Enve claims a 791g frame in a size 56, around 60g lighter than before, and says the complete system is 17 watts faster.Frame surface area is down a claimed 7.5 per cent.Enve says the two Melee frames are not meaningfully different in measured stiffness, although the originals thicker, more mid-modulus laminate may filter slightly more road buzz. The company believes the Melee 2s thinner seatpost and wheels help compensate.The head tube is slimmer and deeper, using smaller headset bearings similar to those we've previously seen on bikes such as the Specialized Venge.T47 has given way to a BSA bottom bracket.Perhaps the most welcome change for long-time Enve users is a lighter, two-bolt saddle clamp replacing Enves current divisive design. Jake Pantone acknowledged that the existing system has been a "love-hate" feature for some customers and suggested the new hardware could eventually spread across the range."At some point, the answer is probably yes," he said. "Theres nothing currently being done with that at the moment, but its likely that well be migrating away from that wedge design."All in all, Enve says the Melee V2 feels "more pointed", "more racy" and "a little snappier" than the first Melee.Those are Enves impressions, not mine. At least not yet. On paper and standing in my garage, however, the bike looks like a rocket ship. The minimal finish is gorgeous, too, allowing the carbon construction rather than layers of paint and graphics to do the talking. It looks purposeful from every angle. I can already identify the weakest component in my eventual build: its rider. Me.If the frameset shows how far Enve was willing to go, the cockpit demonstrates that no watt was considered too small to chase. The cockpit features thin, airfoil-shaped drops and ships with optional pads for added comfort. Meanwhile, exceptionally minimal "aero tape" is intended to save 1.5 watts over conventional bar tape. The frame even comes with aerodynamic, frame- and position-specific bottle cages. Considering handlebar tape as an aerodynamic liability may be the clearest indication of the new Melee's priorities.(Image credit: Anne-Marije Rook)But what about us fans of the OG Melee?It would be easy to frame the missing fender mounts and narrower tyre clearance as losses. I loved the original because its well-roundedness and thoughtful details added comfort and convenience rarely found on race bikes. It handled like a charm and was, if you will, a race bike for the people.The new bike gives some of that breadth away. And yes, the Melee V2 may leave some fans of the original behind. But Enve hasnt abandoned those riders; it has given them the Fray. And the Fray is by no means a consolation prize. As mentioned, it is arguably the better proposition for riders who don't pin on numbers. The Melee, meanwhile, can pursue all-out road-racing performance.I won't prejudge a bike for being honest about its purpose. On looks and intent, the Melee V2 is exciting: focused, impressively light and unapologetic about the rider it wants.I may miss the fender mounts (were nearing autumn, after all) but Im also very keen to find out what Enve gained by leaving them behind.

ID codes used to unlock Forest's e-bikes are being rolled out in Richmond, though Forest declined to confirm if the policy is a trial or permanent

Follow Stage 18 of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana live as the riders take on a crucial 32-kilometre individual time trial from El Puerto de Santa Mara to Jerez de la Frontera. The second race against the clock of this years Vuelta features a flat and largely non-technical course, giving the specialists...

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.(Image credit: Enve)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.(Image credit: Enve)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 sports 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. (Image credit: Enve)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, its no surprise that the differences are subtle rather than drastic, but with a cumulative effect that, Enve believes, is pronounced. Its 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. (Image credit: Enve)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 Specializeds Tarmac SL9. In essence, a moving rider significantly affects airflow, and the Melee 2s 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 frames total surface area has been reduced by 7.5%, and its 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.(Image credit: Enve)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.(Image credit: Enve)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.(Image credit: Enve)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.(Image credit: Enve)Geometry numbers are what youd 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.(Image credit: Enve)Builds and pricingThe 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/ $NASRAM Force 2x AXS drivetrain, SES wheels, Enve SES AR One-Piece Bars with Enve handlebar tape, SES Road tyres.Foundation Red - 8,899/ $NASRAM Red 2x AXS drivetrain, SES wheels, Enve SES AR One-Piece Bars with Enve handlebar tape, SES Road tyres.Foundation Force - 10,779/ $NASRAM Force 2x AXS drivetrain, SES wheels, Enve SES AR One-Piece Bars with Enve handlebar tape, SES Road tyres.Melee 2 Frameset - 4,399 $5,000Melee 2 Frameset with cockpit - 5,299/ $5,800

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