In the relatively short time it's been building bikes, British brand Enigma has earned a reputation for producing classy, capable machines in steel and titanium. The Etape is Enigma's mile-eating Audax oriented design, tested here in the mid-priced 1.2 build option that gets you bang-up-to-date hydraulic disc brakes.
- Highs: Ride quality; stylish design; mudguards fitted as standard; no spec shortcuts
- Lows: Some disc rub caused by fork flex; wheels are relatively heavy
- Buy if: You want a well thought out all-rounder with British design credentials
The Etape is a classically understated beast, with simple logos adorning an otherwise plain brushed metallic finish – which shines luxuriously. Most titanium bikes look good, but this one is particularly nice and it's well appointed too, with a full complement of eyelets and bosses, and proper full mudguards (albeit without mudflaps) mounted as standard.
In design terms, the frame is quite conventional. There are no outlandish tube profiles, the cables run externally, and the head tube is a standard, un-tapered affair housing a full carbon fork with a straight steerer. It blends perfectly with the frame, as do the Shimano bottom bracket cups, which are the standard threaded units beloved of mechanics the world over.
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Shimano 105 gear gets the Enigma shifting
The one feature that differentiates the Etape from many other titanium frames is the manner in which the rear brake caliper is mounted. Rather than piggybacking on the seat or chainstays, it's bolted directly to the oversized rear dropout, which Enigma claims reduces fatigue stresses on the stays. We do wonder if this places more stresses on the welds between stay and dropout, but it certainly looks far more elegant than some manufacturers' approaches and we trust the designers to have done their homework on this one.
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