ENVE Builder’s Roundup, Part I

Page One
By Padraig 2

Last weekend component and wheel maker ENVE hosted more than two dozen builders at their Ogden, Utah, headquarters. Some of the most talented frame makers from around the country came together to show off bikes built with ENVE forks, bars, seatposts and wheels. Yes, there were some ENVE stems in use as well, but a few builders also showed off proprietary stems that made great bikes even cooler.

The bikes covered the gamut from road to gravel to mountain to travel; most had at least some nod to bike packing.

There were so many builders that we are going to run these in two different posts. On a personal note, I can report that this really makes me miss the North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

The Echo also uses a proprietary stem that routes all the cables and hoses through the bar and stem for no exposed housing or hose.
The Allied Echo is their newest model and it can switch pretty seamlessly between serving as a road bike and as a gravel bike thanks to the dropout “chips” that can be flipped to either lengthen wheelbase, drop the BB and increase tire clearance for gravel use or tighten the wheelbase and raise the BB for road use.
Argonaut showed off an especially clean road bike with clearance for ENVE’s 31mm road tires.
The Argonaut also featured a proprietary stem for completely internal routing.
The the lines of the Argonaut are clean and elegant.
Brad Bingham of Bingham Built showed off a very clean fat bike.
This would be why Bingham is the best welder in cycling.
Even the tiniest touch on a Bingham gets his best treatment.
Chumba showed off a cool single-speed titanium mountain bike.
The chain-tensioner dropouts allow a rider to run any gear they want.
The 3D-printed yoke is a pretty cool touch and can handle up to a 2.6-inch-wide tire.
Rob English showed off why he continues to be one of the most original builders of road bikes.
English came up with an original way to handle the brake hoses, routing the front through the fork and the rear into the head tube.
The dropouts on this bike are very elegant thanks to English’s delicate fillet brazing.
Firefly’s bike packing gravel rig was one of the most obsessively considered bikes on display.
Elegant dropouts and replaceable derailleur hanger combined with the internally routed Di2 wire made the rear end of the Firefly especially clean.
The bike featured Santana-designed Z couplers so the bike can be packed in a standard-size case for inexpensive travel.
Forty Four Bikes showed off a production model mountain bike.
Production sizing gives more people a chance to buy custom quality at less trust-fund pricing.
Holland displayed a titanium gravel bike.
The butting on this ti headtube is lovely and makes his welding that much more impressive.
Horse Cycles showed off a titanium bike packing bike with 650B wheels and 2.6-inch wide tires to give a cushy ride while carrying a load.
It was refreshing to see a bike with cable-operated derailleurs and a surprise to see a bar-con.
The swaged headtube gave the bike a striking look.
The bike from Low is a great demonstration of just how beautiful an aluminum bike can be once the welds are filed smooth.
The down tube/head tube/top tube recalls some gorgeous bikes from the 1990s.
This rear cluster is really elegant and required some very careful mitering.
Canada’s Mariposa showed a touring/bikepacking 1x fillet brazed from steel.
The seatstay caps are a stylish touch.
Their fillet brazing is really understated.
Super stylish head tube badge.
Out of Montana, Pursuit by Carl Strong showed off a bike that proved their paint shop is just as interesting as their engineering and construction.
The lines of the bike are clean and elegant, making it a pleasure to look over.
One of the amazing things about Pursuit’s bikes is that it can be impossible to find seams in the frame.
The curves of a Retrotec always make the bike stand out.
Builder Curtis Inglis uses an attention-grabbing tapered head tube. And what a head tube badge.
The Retrotec had an extra twist: twin top tubes.
Paul Sadoff of Rock Lobster arguably makes the most affordable bikes in this collection, not to mention having a quick turnaround.
The tight fit of the fork and the trimmed-down decals gave the Rock Lobster a distinct look.
Using zip ties for the housing and hose makes maintenance quick and easy.
The Super Something from Sklar is all about flexibility.
It can be set up with gears, without, drop bar, flat bar …
and it’s a versatile touring and bikepacking machine as well.
It wouldn’t be a Speedvagen if the visual presentation were sedate.
This is a bike you’ll see coming.
The seat mast has been a feature of Speedvagens and offers a more comfortable ride than a bike with a traditional seat cluster.
Tomii is a relatively unknown name in the custom building world, but this gravel/bikepacking bike had a number of terrific touches.
The mount for the rear rack was really clean.
Using bolt-on cable guides allows for quick and easy maintenance, not to mention changes.
Padraig

When playing drums in a rock and roll band didn't turn at to be as lucrative as he'd hoped, Padraig left his hometown of Memphis to pursue an MFA in poetry at UMASS Amherst. Writing about his other love, bicycles, seemed a natural progression; certainly it paid better than either poetry or rock music. His work has appeared everywhere from Bicycling Magazine to the LA Times. His feature, "My Day With Ilya," won a Lowell Thomas Award for travel writing. These days he lives in Sonoma County, California, where he attempts to inspire his two demitasse ninja with the wonder of bikes. Favorites: flavor: maple; wine: Boheme Pinot Noir; beer: Russian River Pliny the Elder; neurochemical: dopamine; poetry: Andrew Hudgins; fiction: Thomas Pynchon; music: David Sylvian; comedy: Firesign Theater; event: 8-Hours of Wente.

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  1. pbelknap says

    I can’t find any way to enlarge these (very cool) images beyond thumbnail size in Google Chrome. Am I missing something?

    1. Padraig says

      Sorry about that. The gallery didn’t work as it was supposed to, so I’ve changed it.

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