ENVE has launched a new road bike in its range called Fray, which is billed as a performance “all-terrain” bike.
The Fray is the second road bike launched by ENVE and is intended to fill the gap between the Meleethe old road frame, and the MOG, the brand's gravel bike.
Most notably, the bike is built around 31-35mm tires and has a taller head tube to accommodate less aggressive positions and more varied terrain. Nevertheless, the bike maintains a lightweight, aerodynamic tube shape and a high level of customization drawing on ENVE's wide range of components.
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“The Fray is the road bike for those whose cycling priorities have shifted from weekly racing to a broader range of cycling goals where performance is still essential to achieving one's goals,” ENVE said in a press release.
“With the ability to run up to a 40mm measured tire when using a 1x setup, the Fray will deliver performance on mixed surfaces, but it has been designed for the road and the geometry is tailored accordingly .”
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Designed to be comfortably fast
While the Fray is capable of mounting lightweight gravel tires, with clearance up to 40mm for the 1x setup and 38mm for the 2x option, ENVE has gone to great lengths to claim the bike is meant to be primarily a road bike.
Even though the bike's head tube length is taller than most road bikes – 2cm taller than the ENVE Melee – and there's plenty of tire clearance, the frame is built to be stiff and nimble like a road bike instead of compliant. and stable like a gravel bike.
“Modern racers and gravel riders need slacker geometry, more tire clearance, dropper post compatibility, and more. At first glance, Fray may appear to be equal parts Melee and MOG, but trust us when we say this apple is much closer to the Melee tree,” the press release states.
Still, 31-35mm tires aren't what road cyclists typically look for first. What ENVE is banking on is that many of its potential buyers would see the value in the extra tire volume, especially if their driving involves subpar pavement or light dirt roads where a large road tire is the better option .
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Built around road gearing and road speeds
While these changes in geometry and optimal tire are significant, what is less significant are the differences between the Fray and Melee in terms of weight and aerodynamics, two of the most important elements of a frame road bike.
According to ENVE testing, the Fray is on average 3.3 watts slower than the Melee at 40 km/h. If we consider the entire system including the driver, the difference amounts to 4.4 watts. This difference is not entirely negligible, but a complete bicycle system has many elements that can add up to much more than 4.4 watts at 40 km/h.
In terms of frame weight, there's also a slight difference between the two ENVE frame offerings, with the Fray requiring a few extra grams to account for the slightly larger frame and popular downtube storage. In size 56, the Melee weighs 850 grams while the Fray weighs 900 grams.
Since the bike is part of the road bike range, the compatible drivetrain options are road groupsets rather than off-road options. All modern road groupsets are compatible with the system, with the exception of SRAM and Campagnolo 2x mechanical systems.
A few gravel groupsets are also not compatible, notably the Shimano GRX 2x systems with a 48/31t chainring combo, because the front derailleur hanger is not low enough to accommodate this gearing, and the SRAM type T/ Mullet which has a minimum base length longer than that of the ENVE Fray.
However, unless you buy the Fray from a dealer, the bike is sold as a “chair” rather than a complete version.
A customizable chaise longue
One of the key selling points of the ENVE Fray is the comprehensive collection of customizable ENVE finishing accessories that can be paired with the frame to personalize the bike to the rider's specifications and fit. The “chair,” as ENVE calls it, includes the frame, fork, headset, handlebars, stem and seat post.
Thanks to the online platform “best fit” calculator, each bike can be personalized for each buyer when they enter their fit information. This provides the information needed to build the chair – in this case, the handlebars, stems and seat post – to match the buyer's fit.
ENVE claims that this ability to configure the “chair” makes the Fray “the most easily customizable fixed-geometry all-terrain bike on the market.” In total, ENVE offers five handlebar/stem combinations, three seatpost options with two more to come, and both positive and negative stems.
Finally, the Fray comes in three color options – salt, venom and ash – in all sizes.
The Fray daybed will cost US$5,500, €5,799, £5,500 and AUS$9,999, with a one-piece handlebar adding $499 to the total price.