ENVE MOG

Long Term Test: Enve MOG

What: MOG, Enve’s Gravel Offering

Ideal Applications: Gravel, Rowdy Gravel, Adventure

The term “gravel” has a generous definition.  For some, gravel is anything not paved.  For others, it is miles of challenging terrain, mud, sharp stones, dust and water crossings.  However you define gravel, the MOG was built to tackle it.  

Let’s take a step back for context.  Bikes today are more efficient than ever before.  Which means that whether you are riding a road bike or a gravel bike, there is a tremendous amount of overlap.  Just 10 years ago the line between a road and gravel bike was well defined and easily recognized.  Today, a race minded gravel bike feels a lot like a road bike.  The MOG is a gravel race bike: fast and lively.  It is also built to get lost in the wilderness for days on end or ride ribbons of flowy single track trails.

Context is important because knowing that modern gravel bikes are fast, may allow some of our clients to see a gravel bike in a whole new light.  

I built my MOG to be a “race gravel” bike.  Which loosely means, there are some considerations for speed as well as maximizing off-road performance.  

The foundation of my MOG build is the fit.  I set up the MOG as a carry over from my road bike with the same positional coordinates, replicating my saddle/handlebar drop and reach.  This can be a detriment in some rowdy gravel situations because leverage on the handlebars is reduced when your handlebars are set up long and low.  A more upright position provides leverage benefits when trying to get over washboards, tree roots, loose sand sections or deeper gravel.  A taller bar position lets the rider sit back and easily unweight the front end of the bike.  

Build Specifications:

The Cockpit

Among the more race minded elements are the Enve one-piece bar/stem with the AR (allroad) handlebar shape.  The AR shape has become our (and Enve’s) most popular option.  The slight flare in the drops provides comfort in your chest and hands when cheating the wind and provides some additional leverage when steering from the drops - especially on soft trail conditions.  The one-piece bar/stem is a stiffer set up than the two-piece bar/stem combination.  Prolonged rough sections will transmit through the handlebar more with this option.  The seat post is a traditional 27.2mm, round seat post.  The round post specification has two distinct benefits: The first is that it allows for an easy swap to a dropper post if your rides take you into more aggressive terrain.  The second is a 27.2mm post provides compliance and comfort better than larger diameter or aero shaped seat posts.  Comfort is a good thing.  

Grouppo 

There has been tremendous excitement around SRAM’s newest, Red E1 group. The improved ergonomics and one-finger braking is nothing shy of impressive.  A radical improvement over previous generations of Red.  A subcategory of new Red is the XPLR (explore) group.  The XPLR group has been a gravel-centric, 1x (pronounced one-by) drivetrain and it has been a work in progress since its release.  Like so many new categories, “gravel” has been trying to define itself and meet the needs of “gravel” riders.  XPLR has always been a 1x drivetrain, but the previous iteration utilized a 12 speed, 10-44 cassette.  The new XPLR group takes gearing to a 13 speed, 10-46.  

The increase in gearing provides a happy medium for riders seeking a wide range of climbing gears while preserving the rideability of a smaller cassette.  I believe cracking the code on a 1x drivetrain comes down to the chainring size that is ideal for your applications.  Get this right and you have lightning in a bottle. The cassette is complemented by a range of 1x chainring options ranging from 40-46t.

The new XPLR group is a testament to what happens when creative, cycling minded component designers blend their ideas with feedback and input from riders in the field.  Everything you need, nothing you don't.  A more in depth write-up on XPLR is warranted.  Stay tuned for this.

A more typical build for me features a 2x (pronounced two-by) drivetrain.  The 2x drivetrain is typically geared similar to a road group with a narrower range in the cassette complemented by a small and large chainring in the front.  Plenty of gears to choose from while providing smoother, jumps between gears in the cassette.  Basically, your desired cadence is often one shift up or down on the cassette. If you think your gravel riding will often resemble a road ride, a 2x set-up may be ideal.  The MOG is compatible with many 2x applications.

Wheelset: Enve M525

It is common to see a MOG built with deeper section Enve wheels.  Often the 3.4 are shod in some large knobby tires providing aerodynamic benefits from their 39 and 43mm depths.  The 3.4 is an ideal wheel because one can maximize the aero benefits and minimize the stiffness common with a deeper section rim.  The 3.4 is also an ideal set up with their 25mm internal width.  Perfect for a larger volume gravel tire.  

I opted for an older set of Enve gravel wheels.  My MOG is built with a shallow rim which provides vertical compliance due to their inherent flex (a shallower rim can flex vertically which provides comfort and traction in rough terrain).  The M525 was Enve’s first gravel specific wheelset borrowing the rim from their mountain offerings and pairing it with a road width hub.  In this case DT240 hubs.  The 525 was unique in their day because the internal width was 25mm.  A laughably wide rim for their time in 2017.  I find that these wheels are incredibly light and shallow - the shallow makes them comfy and nearly invisible to the cross winds so common in gravel settings (open areas).  The tire choice is a 45mm Schwalbe G-One R.  These tires are fast and grippy and the 45mm puts them squarely in the MOG’s sweet spot for handling.

Frameset: MOG

The MOG has an interesting naming convention.  Initially it was said the MOG was an acronym Master Of Gravel but more recently I have read the name is a nod to the Mercedes Unimog.  A go anywhere, Mercedes truck that is famous for its ability to ford streams, conquer deep mud and snow, and crawl up steep grades.  This seems to be more aligned with the Enve MOG’s design brief.  At first glance, the MOG is your typical oversized, boxy carbon frame.  Very light and stiff.  But a closer look reveals a number of exciting elements.  

Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH)

The UDH is a newer technology that eliminates the traditional derailleur hanger.  The small eyelet which hangs down from nearly every geared bike produced over the past 90 years.  If that is not familiar to you, then perhaps you will recognize it as the thing the bike shop aligned when your shifting was giving you trouble.  The lighter bikes of recent years have utilized a replaceable derailleur hanger which is sacrificial in an effort to protect the frame in the event of an impact but it usually just bends when you pack your bike in your car or it falls over at the coffee shop.  The UDH replaces this part providing a welcomed solution that is robust enough to withstand impacts from rocks flying off the front wheel or impacts from trailside debris.  It is certainly tough enough to withstand a fall in front of the coffee spot.  A UDH compatible frame is required for the Red XPLR E1 rear derailleur to mount.  

Tire Clearance

The MOG is designed to fit up to a 50mm tire.  For those who were mountain bikers back in the 80-90s, this is the same or even slightly larger than many of the tires used in early mountain biking.  A 50mm tire provides a wide range of capabilities, volume for floating on top of loose gravel or sand and an increase in durability.  * The MOG has a minimum tire recommendation of 36mm. The sweet spot for handling and performance is 43-45mm.  

Downtube Storage 

I was convinced this was a gimmick until I packed up my typical saddle bag contents and moved in.  The weight is now lower on the bike which aids handling, it is protected from the elements and the storage capacity is cavernous.  My MOG’s storage houses a spare tube, tire levers, Allen key set, a C02 and Dynaplug tool.  If you wish, ditch the C02 and pack a mini-pump.  The Silca Impero Mini fits in there.  The neoprene carry bags make organization simple and tidy and easily accessible.

Enve In-Route

Like the Melee and Fray models from Enve, the MOG utilizes Enve’s internal cable routing system In-Route.  And like other Enve models, the handlebar you choose helps set the tone for the bike you are building.  A rider can spec Enve’s aero road bar, standard road bar, AR bar (the bar shown in this MOG build) or the gravel bar.  If you like, you can even opt for Enve’s one-piece bar/stem.  The clean routing of cables inside the handlebar is both aesthetically desired these days and serves a functional purpose.  Mounting handlebar bags is a simple process.  The downside to an internally routed cable system is packing a bike for travel.  This is truly a pain.  

Frame Geometry

The best way to think of frame geometry is that it is akin to a recipe.  What makes that soup so delicious?  The ingredients and their ratios of course.  Frame geometry is no different.  How a builder selects tube lengths, angles, drops and offsets does a lot to determine how a bike rides.  In the case of a carbon bike add in the carbon layup and carbon specifications.  When the soup is good, all is good!  The MOG has a handful of standout elements.  For one, the front end is designed to work with a suspension fork (if you wish) and the seat post is compatible with a handful of dropper post options.  Both ideal for rowdy gravel applications - think mountain biking with drop bars.  The MOG shares a number of ingredients with some “endurance” road bikes which speaks to its liveliness and speed.  

A 54cm MOG (frame only) weighs 1130 grams with the derailleur hanger installed.      

Attachment Points and Accessory Mounts

The MOG is outfitted with a handful of options for mounting accessories.  The top tube has mounts for a bento box just behind the stem.  Ideal for stashing snacks or an auxiliary battery charger for your GPS device.  Perfect for longer rides.  On the downtube is a cage mount for a third bottle mount.  Again, ideal for longer rides, hot days or as a storage location for additional tools or clothes.  Two water bottles with their tops cut off and sandwiched together makes the ideal small, weatherproof container.  The fork legs each have three anything mounts.  The anything mount has become a mounting standard for larger volume storage.  This is a common place for camping gear, stove fuel or large water bottle options.  The combination of all of these mounts demonstrates the MOG’s ability to get off the grid.  

The MOG has been an incredible experiment into the current state of gravel bikes.  In years past, 38mm became the de facto tire size for bikes that were seeking to balance speed and utility over a diverse range of terrains.  Above 38mm (typically 40-45mm) bikes were considered “gravel bikes”, placing an emphasis on their ability to tackle off road situations with confidence but at the expense of speed and quick handling.  The MOG quickly scrambles these perceived categories by blending speed, stability, efficiency and a sharpness to the handling that is at direct odds with the aforementioned stability.   

The MOG is fast.  It accelerates like a road bike, it sits comfortably at road bike speeds.  The MOG handles decisively and swiftly, dodging roots and impromptu trail imperfections.  The MOG manages to do this while confidently floating above soft trail conditions.  To fully uncover the MOG’s handling nuances, the rider should be comfortable with some drift in the corners.  But for those who push the MOG’s handling, they are rewarded with a bike that can easily balance power output and direction change simultaneously.  The bigger tires provide the rider with confidence when the trail is moving quickly beneath them.  The increased volume soaks up the trail's bumps and imperfections and in the fall months, the tires provide a safety net for those branches and stones hiding among the fallen leaves.   

Find a steady pace and the MOG will happily sit there, ticking away mile after mile.  In a setting as dynamic as a gravel route you are the only limitation to your chosen pace.  

But I think the most exciting element of the MOG’s personality is its ability to accelerate so rapidly.  This is handy when chasing other gravel riders and closing down gaps as the trail undulates.  For those using the MOG in a wide range of applications - this is handy in a group ride setting or for simply getting back up to speed following an especially technical gravel section.  

So where does the MOG lack?  Well, this is really a question that needs consideration at the onset.  If you see yourself riding the majority of your miles on larger volume tires, then I think the MOG is a great choice.  If you see yourself sizing down to a 30 or 32mm road tires set-up, I think you will find the MOG is out of its element.  The first corner you pitch the MOG into you’ll find wobbliness and heavy steering so present that you’ll think you broke something.  The MOG is simply not designed for a tire that small.  This is a job better suited to the Fray or the Melee.  

Could one ride the MOG as their everyday bike?  Absolutely.  If you want to enjoy it even more, get a second wheelset or simply a second set of tires.  Something lighter, faster but still higher volume (a slick 38mm perhaps).