Following the launch of its Custom Road and Melee road bikes, Enve now has its first gravel bike with the MOG, an all-purpose machine that can be built up for everything from straight-ahead racing to multi-day bikepacking adventures. 

The MOG features 50mm of tyre clearance, mudguard and rack mounts, dropper-post compatibility, and internal routing. Enve is pricing its MOG ‘chassis’ – which includes the 950g frame, fork, headset, bar, stem and seatpost – at £5,300. 

Enve doesn’t sell complete bikes directly, but options built with Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo gravel components will be available through its retail partners. A Campagnolo Ekar bike with Enve G23 wheels and 47mm tyres weighs 7.9kg (17.5 pounds).

Enve

Similar to the Trek Checkpoint or the Specialized Diverge, the Enve MOG also boasts internal storage with a compartment in the down tube where you can stash tools or other items in the two provided bags.

Enve

The down tube compartment also offers access to the internally routed hoses and wires or cables, which are secured with a strap to keep them from rattling or tangling with the storage bags.

Enve has been making wheels and components for rough-road riding for years, dating back to the launch of its SES wheels in 2016, which were the first tubeless, hookless aero wheel designed for rough roads and high-volume tyres. The G23 gravel wheels debuted in 2018, and have since featured on a number of high-end gravel bikes from other brands. And Enve bars, stems, and seatposts have long been favoured by independent builders and small frame brands.

Enve vice-president of product and brand Jake Pantone said that the MOG is Enve’s ‘definition of the modern gravel bike’.

‘As avid gravel riders and racers ourselves, our aim was to create a platform that delivers the versatility, simplicity and performance that we, along with today’s gravel’s riders, demand.’

One MOG, six sizes, one color, many uses

While many of the larger brands have already split the niche of gravel into sub-niches – think ‘fast gravel’ race bikes vs ‘adventure’ gravel – Enve figures that one well-thought-out bike should cover all the gravel genres. 

Enve

Fully racked up and loaded down, the MOG can handle bikepacking with big, slow-and-steady tyres, and the steadier handling that comes with the geometry change from putting on bigger rubber. (While the head tube angle and fork rake remain constant, the trail figure changes from 60.6 to 66mm when moving from a 35mm tyre to a 50mm tyre on a 56cm bike, for instance.)

But when stripped down to race weight – a complete 56cm bike weighs 17.5lb (a shade under 8kg) – the MOG is ready for the start line. Alexey Vermeulen already won the Old Man Winter Rally gravel race in Colorado earlier this month on his MOG.

The MOG comes in six frame sizes, from 49 to 60cm, with three different forks optimising geometry across the size range. (Some manufacturers will just use a single fork.)

The MOG comes in a single colour, but with the option to personalise the decals. 

Components and gear that Enve offers

Although Enve doesn’t sell complete bikes direct to consumers, the brand does have a full complement of parts with which to build up a bike.

Enve

The Aero Integrated stem allows for internal routing from the bars down into the frame. An Aero Integrated Positive stem (read: a riser stem) will be available later this year for more upright positioning. 

Enve

For handlebars, Enve’s range runs from the wide-flare G Series to the SES AR (all-road) bar that has a bit of flare and aero tops to the road-racy SES Aero Road and the Compact Road options. All are carbon, lightweight, and expensive. 

The bar and stem mate with Enve’s proprietary headset that accommodates hose, wire, and cable routing with 1.125in upper and 1.5in lower bearings. 

Enve

For seatposts, the 27.2mm frame works with any of Enve’s carbon posts, its G Series Dropper post, or any 27.2mm post.

Enve has a mechanical Dropper Post Lever, too. 

Enve

For finishing touches, Enve partnered with K-Edge for an adjustable computer/GoPro mount that bolts tidily onto the front of the stem. There’s also Enve-branded bar tape, Enve-branded Selle Italia SLR Boost saddle, and new C.I.M. bottle cages. 

Because integrated cockpits are not easy to take apart for travel, Enve also has a Scicon Aerocomfort 3.0 travel case that allows you to keep the bars on.    

Enve

And of course Enve has a host of wheel options, with the high-end G series gravel wheels, the more affordable AG adventure gravel wheels and the racy SES range being the most obvious pairings.

Fitting groups and the rider’s body to the bike

The MOG works with most groupsets – such as Shimano GRX mechanical and Di2 in 1× and 2×, Campagnolo Ekar, and SRAM AXS in 1× and 2×. It does not work with mechanical SRAM 2x or Campagnolo 2x groups. 

As riders may buy this sight unseen, Enve created a Best-Fit Calculator to make sure that not only the frame size but the stem and bar specifications are aligned with a rider’s stack and reach coordinates. 

The idea is for riders to put in their fit measurements themselves or work with a professional fitter to get their fit data. 

‘Our calculator aims to simplify the fitment process for the fitter and customer alike,’ Pantone said. ‘The calculator pairs a rider’s fit stack, fit reach, and saddle position numbers with a frame geometry, stem length, stem rise, spacer stack, and saddle offset.’

So about the name…

Mother of Gravel. Mayor or Goat. Machine of Greatness. You can call the MOG whatever you like.

Enve

‘You can make it an acronym, you can make it a verb, you can make it a noun,’ Pantone said. ‘We call it our modern gravel bike.’

The Enve MOG is available now at Saddleback, from £5,300.

Tags: Gravel