It's actually amazing that Enve was able to create one of the best road bikes on the market in their FIRST attempt at making a bike. This thing absolutely flies, responds to input and power instantly, and climbs well. I'm blown away by how far I go when just coasting and not pedaling because the aerodynamics are pretty great, even for a bike that retains a spectacular ride quality. The Melee handles road imperfections better than the race bikes that are 100% all-in on aero and is both lively and comfortable to ride for long distances and the tire clearance means you can definitely use it for light gravel road.
Headset routing is annoying and expensive no matter how you look at it but it's the price you pay for a bike this clean and fast at the front. FYI, Enve doesn't tell you this, but you CAN use regular spacers on top of the stem and a standard headset top cap in order to test your position a bit before doing a final cut of the steerer tube.
HIGHLY recommend installing CeramicSpeed OHD Kit for ENVE MELEE, FRAY, MOG in the headset the FIRST time it is built because it will save you a lot of headache by giving you extremely long lasting headset bearings.