Even a Race Bike Can Be Ridden in a Comfortable Position — ENVE Melee × High Rise Stem

Race bikes have a reputation for being too aggressive, too aero, "not for me." But actually, you can set up a road bike with a higher handlebar position — and still build it up to look great.

This time at Grumpy, we built up a complete ENVE Melee, paired with ENVE's "High Rise Stem." Once we actually put it together, it turned out really well, so we're sharing it here.

You can raise the bar without stacking spacers

When you want to raise the handlebar, the usual approach is stacking a bunch of spacers under the stem. But stack too many, and it tends to look a bit awkward.

That's where ENVE's "High Rise Stem" comes in. A standard stem sits at roughly ±7 degrees, close to flat, but this one has +12 degrees of rise, which lifts the handlebar accordingly.

And since ENVE's IN-Route system routes the cables internally, you don't get the cluttered look you'd have with a stack of spacers. It stays clean and good-looking. On a race bike, prioritizing looks up front often makes it hard to adjust your position later, but with this setup there's much less to worry about.

Who this is for

With a higher handlebar, you no longer have to force your upper body into a deep lean. This setup is a good fit for people like:

• Someone who wants to try a race bike but is worried about riding in a deep aero position
• Someone who isn't very flexible and gets a sore lower back or neck in a low position
• Someone who rides a lot of long distances and wants to ride comfortably all day
• Someone who's been adjusting with stacked spacers but has been bothered by the look

With the bar higher, your line of sight rises too, making it easier to see around you and breathe more freely.

To be honest, raising the stem does sacrifice a bit of speed. A deeper forward lean means less aerodynamic drag, so that's a small trade-off you accept. But rather than pushing through a forced aero position until your lower back hurts and you slow down anyway, riding in a comfortable position that feels good will, in most cases, let you enjoy the bike more.

The ENVE Melee we built this time

The ENVE Melee is a road bike that's light, responsive, and comfortable to ride for long stretches without tiring you out. This build was for a customer who said, "my current bike's position is too low and stretched out, I want something more comfortable." We considered the Fray as well, but went with the Melee for its road-racer look, paired with the High Rise Stem to raise the bar. Finished in the current two-tone paint scheme, it looks great too.

Wherever possible, we used ENVE parts throughout the build.

• Frame: ENVE Melee (color: Iconic Red / size 52)
• Stem: IN-Route High Rise Stem (+12 degrees)
• Wheels: ENVE SES 3.4
• Saddle: Selle Italia SLR × ENVE
• Tires: ENVE SES ROAD TIRE 31C

ENVE Melee / MOG Free Custom Paint Campaign

One last announcement.

Right now at Grumpy, we're running a campaign offering free custom paint on the ENVE Melee and MOG.

It's limited to three bikes — one each of the ENVE Melee in size 52 and 54, and the MOG in size 54 (the 52 is still being confirmed). The paint work is done by Grumpy's painter, Takenoshita. At the recent ENVE GRODEO event held in the US, a MOG painted by Takenoshita was even selected as "FAVORITE MOG."

This isn't a single-color paint job — it's a full design finish, logos included. And it's free. If you'd also like the stem or bottle cage painted, please talk to us separately about that.

At that event, we saw a lot of custom-painted Melees and MOGs gathered from all over the world. Even the same model looked completely different from bike to bike — it was genuinely impressive. If you're going to have a bike that's yours, why not make the look your own too?

Please feel free to contact us for details.

Also featured in our video

You can also see the build process and the High Rise Stem in person in our YouTube video. Some things are hard to convey in writing, so please check it out too if you're interested.