New Enve Fray vs Tour of Flanders Cobbles! First Ride Review

Enve has added the new Fray endurance road bike to its range and I’ve been riding it for a couple of weeks, including the 160m Tour of Flanders sportive in Belgium. Buckle in for my first ride impressions and all the main details on this new bike from the US company.

Content
0:00 Intro
00:38 What sort of bike is it?
1:07 Is it the bike for me?
2:03 Tyre clearance
2:35 Cool features
3:35 Geometry
4:28 Ride impressions
7:58 Compared to Melee?
9:10 Price
9:48 Better than a race bike for most people?
11:38 First impressions verdict

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[kestralrider]

I ordered my Fray in Venom a few days ago; I can't wait to see it built up. Yeah, its more than I ever wanted to spend on a bike, but it's the closest match to the perfect bike than anything out there, period. If I can enjoy it for 10 years, it will be a great investment. I'm hoping the downtube storage, tire clearance and higher stack will help it age well against future bike offerings. I do think ENVE has correctly predicted the features most of us retired racers and long ride smashers want to ride as our "first choice bike" and it's sure to be copied and offered at more affordable prices by others in the next 5 years. I couldn't afford it now, but I hope to run two wheelsets to get two bikes for one, SES 4.5s/29mm for mostly tarmac rides and SES 3.4s/38mm for my dirtier rides.

[peterdougherty]

How does it compare to the Open MI.ND you tested last year? Seems like a similar proposition to me.

[michaelsrealm]

David, how does this compare to the Canyon Endurace CFR? Weight? Thanks

[gerlachsieders]

I agree with you in the slammed stem departement, I ride a Secan 54T with the taller headtube, but with a slammed stem, it looks awesome! By the by, I am still looking forward to the update on your Secan, no pressure there David ;-)

[weltverloren]

Anyone got any idea where to find the wind tunnel analysis that comes up in this video at the 2:56 mark? I tried searching for many of the terms in the PDF but can't find it. Thanks in advance! : )

[TheChindoboi]

This bike... To me just shows how good the giant defy really is. Almost enve fray performance at a much lower cost!

[stevekelly]

Very nice offering- love the new design trends in modern endurance bikes.

[glennoc]

Looks like a relaxed geo gravel bike with 2x to me. Nice lookng bike

[brianmcinnis]

Can you please tell me what size and model ENVE handle bars you were testing? Also, thanks for the great review! 🏆

[idontlikehandles]

Amazing video! I've ridden the Liege sportive but never Flanders. Love the bike as well!

[ginomordocco]

Once you build this bike up you'll have spent enough to buy a road bike and gravel specific bike from Giant, Canyon, etc.

[PedroPrego]

I'd classify this as simply perfect if that cables were not hidden inside the stem. I'd love this bike a do-it-all, including gravel. But my position in the road and on gravel changes. I want a more relaxed position in gravel. For that I'd need to swap stems. With the cabbles inside the stem... no luck doing that. Thus... it is no longer a do-it-all. It is a single purpose bike again

[nellyxx]

Back in the day, this sort of thing was known as an 'old-man-comfort-bike'... just the thing for most riders these days then.

[mel_meow]

How does it compare to the BMC roadmachine? Both are positioned as endurance, will fit 38/400mm tyres, top-tube bosses, and have in-frame storage

[franciscotan]

I was suppose to get the defy advance sl 0. Would you recommend this over that? Isn’t the defy lighter than this one? Thanks

[garysladek]

Looks great. Size 58 would be perfect for me. I think at that price, I would feel the need to baby it. My view of bikes has changed. Now, I believe buying middle quality, price, etc. And ride the hell out of it.

[trust]

If you know that you’re going to be in smoother roads for a mostly extended period, could you use 28’s instead of 32’s or larger?

[gunblade]

would you mind sharing details about the size of the crankset in 2x shimano build and cassette size please? thanks

[glennicol]

I am curious if it is faster than a Merida Silex...

[evandannhardt]

Getting your hands on the bmc roadmachine any time soon?