Curtis Has Made Frames Since 1979, Now It’s Launching Its First Complete Bike

Curtis has been manufacturing steel bicycle frames in the UK since 1979 and has made everything from BMX race frames, and hardtail downhill race bikes, to 160mm travel single pivot Enduro bikes over that time, but it’s only now, in 2018 that the company has released its first complete bike.

Fans of hardcore hardtail steel frames now have the option to purchase the popular Curtis AM7 as a complete bike for the first time.

The frame, like all Curtis frames, is brazed in the UK by Brian Curtis and as each frame is made to order customers have the option to tweak the design to suit their build and riding style.

On top of usual options such as bottle mounts, rack mounts, and a ton of colour choices, Curtis also offers a bunch of more in-depth frame customisation options ranging from head tube length and angle, top tube length, frame height, hub spacing, sliding dropouts for single speed and even a personalised frame number stamped on the dropout.

Although it’s nice to have the option to have a frame made to your own spec, it’s also good to see that the standard Curtis AM7 geometry is bang up to date and should provide an entertaining ride for riders not entering the geometry wormhole for themselves.

The standard AM7 is designed around a 150-140mm fork with an head angle of 65.5º or 66º depending which fork you choose. To keep the bike playful, chainstay length is a super short 425mm, while retaining space for up to 2.6in tyres.

Curtis has also cherry-picked the best mix of steel tubing to ensure a quality ride while maintaining a good weight. Reynolds 853 steel is used on the top and downtubes for the frame, 631 is found on the seat tube and head tube while the rear end is made up of a mix of Italian Dedacciai and Columbus tubes. The weight of a standard 17.5in frame is bang on 5lbs or 2.27kg.

Build kit for the AM7 complete bike makes use of top quality parts from Hope including the headset, brakes and complete wheels, more UK branding is found with the Renthal bar, stem and grips, while Shimano handles the drivetrain and Fox the suspension fork and dropper post.

A Curtis AM7 frame with standard paint costs £1150, or £1200 for a translucent finish, but if you want a polished finish like the one in the photos you’re looking at £1300. Interestingly custom frame options like those mentioned above don’t cost any extra.

We’re waiting on complete bike pricing, but Gary from Curtis reckons that this build will be “around four grand.”

If you’re interested in seeing more on the Cutis AM7 then keep an eye out for our first look as Chipps is expecting to swing a leg over the complete bike very soon.

For more info on Curtis, have a look at its website here: www.curtisbikes.co.uk