It does definitely look they have made their own frame and cockpit…
Only reservations as of now, an pricing very much in the top end range.
Also, loads of sizes and color schemes and a new integrated cockpit.
Apparently, they aren’t quite carful enough selecting the images for their configuration. Other than that, I find their configurator to be a good thing.
To quote their website: Our goal is to deliver you a bike that fits - perfectly. To make this possible, the Custom Road is constructed using a molding process that allows us to create a custom bike for virtually any fit. The result is a handcrafted, US made bike, built specifically for you
This is actually pretty impressive. I don‘t know a single company as big as ENVE, that does that.
I know, but he specifically said he likes the absence of branding. That is much easier to be had with a custom painted bike.
No, custom frame designs are still mostly available in metal. The problem with doing it for carbon bikes is that you have to create the custom molds first, which is a fairly expensive one-off outlay. I guess at the pricepoint they are selling, it is still cost effective. I also wonder how many custom molds are really needed - there are only so many useful seat and headtube angles, and with the right design, tubes can mostly be cut to size.
No branding is not the main thing I just simply like understated look and the fact that enve is not screaming everywhere like, for example Trek. I do not have to be convinced that repainting the frame is cheaper, not saying the bike is the bargain of the century…
Made-in-USA doesn’t mean much to a lot of people anymore, but it means a lot to me, especially when we’re talking about a top shelf manufacturer like Enve.
I’m curious about the fit philosophy and how custom a frame can be. What they have posted is a little bit wishy washy.
Steps to a Perfect Fit
Establish the rider's current fit history by identifying likes and dislikes related to current bikes, past bikes, and most current professional bike fit.
Run rider's ideal fit measurements through ENVE's Best Fit Calculator which crawls thousands of stack/reach combinations and delivers several "best fit" geometry solutions.
ENVE and rider meet to review fit options and establish final geometry.
What if the rider really doesn’t know what fit they want or have never had a great fit and think a “custom” solution will solve all their problems?
The warranty is good but not amazing. The product page is misleading. They talk about lifetime incident protection but the fine print says otherwise:
All pricing is based off the current suggested retail pricing for the frame or component in question. Pricing may vary based on your location and distribution partner’s programming.
Also bike fits are not forever - you might increase or lose flexibility, for example, so a perfectly fitting bike might not be right anymore a year later.
I also wonder how many people actually have fitting needs that can’t be solved with changing stem, bars, or saddle/seatpost. Mostly I’d think people at the extreme ends of the size range, but I doubt they are the main reason they’ve launched this.