Enigma Elite Steel Review

Reviewer: Dan Duguid

29-Sep-2010 | 0 Reviews

Rating:

£1,090.00 (at time of review)

Pros

Top class workmanship
Stiff
Lightweight

Cons

Not much

See verdict and spec

Latest steel offering from UK-based specialist, £1,090 frame only

Enigma is a UK-based bike brand specialising in custom-made titanium or steel frames. Nearly all frames these days hail from the far east but Enigma are part of that select niche of framebuilders who are bucking the trend.

Fine workmanship is a signature of the Elite, and this is clearly evident in the hand-crafted smooth welds, that ooze quality and finesse.

The custom-built, fillet-brazed Elite is made from Columbus Spirit Niobium steel tubes in order to give this frame a light and responsive ride.

Enigma has manipulated the tubing to make the stiffest steel frame possible, using oversized chainstays designed to stiffen the drivetrain response, something that the Elite handles well.

Up front, the handling is also impressive for a steel frame, being direct through the turns but not über-stiff. The fabled natural spring of steel is still evident throughout the frame it's no bad thing, making it ideal for long hours in the saddle and with the Enigma it is combined with a racy, responsive geometry for optimum performance

Verdict

Steel frames are somewhat of a rarity nowadays and the Elite is a welcome change to many bikes on offer today, using a classic material in a modern compact frame design. The marriage of steel and top-notch craftsmanship gives one hell of a classy frame.