Full Custom: Neil’s Goodday + Curiosity Gila Monster

I wasn’t sure how I was going to share this bike or if I even would. After all, it’s a custom bike, and custom bikes aren’t exactly easy to “review.” But after riding it for nearly seven months, I realized it’d actually be easy, because there’s a massive story behind this bike—more so than any other bike I own. Custom is special, and I want to share that with you. Watch the video below, and read on for details and photos.

First off, Chris Besnia and Arly Landry run Goodday + Curiosity. I highlighted their business a few years back after I moved back to Gunnison. Chris is the Goodday side of things, building custom steel bikes and bike parts, and he’s been at it for 14 years. The first bike he ever made was called the Desert Torus.

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Chris first learned how to TIG weld back in high school. After taking a few years off, he went up to UBI and took their TIG welding framebuilding course, where Paul from Rock Lobster was his instructor. Later, he picked up fillet brazing in Salt Lake City, learning from an old-school builder named Joe Scriben. Chris spent a few weeks with Joe, who showed him the ins and outs of fillet work and lug work. These days, Chris makes about 12 custom bikes a year. And by custom, I mean fully tailored to the rider.

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When Chris asked me what I wanted, I told him: a hardtail I could use for bikepacking, but that would still be a fun everyday bike for day rides—more specifically, singletrack rides. Having ridden with Chris plenty, I knew his style. He’s inspired by old Schwinns with their curved top tubes, but he puts a modern twist on that look, with a bike that is the most inspiring you will ever put a leg over. In his words, he makes “purposely built whimsical bikes”. And after stopping into his shop over the years, that feels spot on. Chris creates bikes with personality that are fun, playful, and full of little details you don’t always notice until a few rides in. At the same time, they’re built to last, they’re comfortable, durable, and just flat-out beautiful.

The Plan

I gave Chris a lot of freedom here. I wanted him to make the bike I had in mind but with his twist. Chris knows me, how I ride, and what I’m going to use it for. I also know his style of bikes: long, low, and super stable. Still, I had a few stipulations for this build. I wanted it built around the 27.5” platform, with the ability to go 29er if I wanted. I was really inspired by the Viral Derive I tested a few years back, especially while bikepacking the Queens Ransom Loop in Arizona. That ride got me thinking about wheel size and how much I actually appreciate the 27.5 platform.

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The other stipulation was reach and a lower stack. After riding the Pipedream S6 a few years back, I realized I really love the overall feel of a bike like this. It’s a personal preference, but it gives me a better sense of the trail below me. Less material between the ground and me just makes me feel more connected and grounded. Who knows, it could all be psychological, but it definitely gives me more confidence on the trail. And, of course, I wanted it to offer bikepacking features and space for plenty of cargo. More on that soon.

With that info, Chris measured me at his shop. This is my first custom bike, and being able to ride five minutes across town to check in, get fitted, and simply bug Chris was a pleasure. It made the decision to purchase a bike from him even easier, especially since he does such wonderful work.

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After the fit, we briefly discussed numbers and details, such as the size dropper post I wanted, so he could maximize insertion with little to no exposed post. We discussed adjustable dropouts, but I decided to skip them to save money. I’m glad I did, because I’d probably want a different style of bike for single-speeding. He asked about rear cable routing, but since I had just purchased an electronic drivetrain, I said no. In hindsight, I wish I had said yes. Then we chatted about bags, what type I wanted, and where they should go. This was important because he needed to braze on mounts in the right places. He and Arly ended up making an incredible set of bags for this bike.

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While I felt like I had a lot of input, I also really wanted to give Chris the freedom to create a bike his way. That’s one of the beautiful things about custom bikes. You pick a builder for their approach and style. There are so many amazing builders out there, and each has a unique vision, but just seeing Chris ride his bikes and looking at his work, I knew I was in good hands.

Frame specs and Geo

Chris used a variety of different tubes to build this frame. The twin top tube is straight-gauge 4130 at 1mm thickness. The seat stays are similar, but 1.2mm thick and finished with a really cool twin wishbone seat stay. The seat tube has a Paragon topper with a 4130 lower section for more dropper post relief. The downtube is a double-butted VELOSPEC PRO tube. Chris spec’d a 47mm headtube to fit a ZS44/EC44 headset and added a custom badge and a cable rub TIG rod for a nice touch. Naturally, he went with the tired and true 73mm BSA bottom bracket. The bike also comes with a Paragon UDH dropout and boost spacing. Chris TIG welded all of the joints but used the fillet brazing technique to connect the set tube and twin top tube, as he likes the way it looks and handles flex in that area.

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For some context on the geo, the frame was built around a 140mm fork with 27.5 x 2.6” wheels, but it can clear up to 29 x 2.4” tires. The bike has a 470mm reach and about a 615mm stack, which is slightly more than I wanted, but after riding it, Chris nailed it. If anything, he told me he can chop some of the head tube down if I want less stack. But paired with only a 10mm stack spacer and an Industry Nine stem set up in the -6 position. It actually replicates the real stack measurement on my Pipedream S6 pretty closely. Overall, I’m satisfied with the fit of the bike. The Chainstays measure 435mm, and the front center is roughly 805mm, making the total wheelbase around 1,240mm. It’s definitely not your typical hardtail, but custom is rarely typical.

• 64° head tube angle
• 130mm head tube length
• 620mm virtual top tube length
• 470mm reach
• 480mm seat tube length
• 75° seat tube angle
• 57mm bottom bracket drop (based off 27.5 wheel size)
• 435mm chainstay length

I’ll say this: it has a big front center, so much so that I often forget I’m on a hardtail and feel like I’m riding my full suspension trail bike. And that’s not a bad thing—it’s incredibly inspiring for a hardtail. The 64° head tube angle plays a big role, and to balance that long front end nicely, Chris gave it a 75° seat tube angle to keep the riding position supportive. The bike has a 57mm bottom bracket drop, which is low but pretty standard for his bikes.

Riding Thoughts

Custom bikes should offer something you can’t find on the market, especially in a size that actually fits you. I’ve voiced this concern before, but the bike industry has a fit problem. I’m 5’9.5” or just shy of 177cm. After a quick Google search, I found that’s about the most common height in the US, Canada, and the UK, which means there should be plenty of bikes that fit perfectly. Instead, nine times out of ten, I fall between a medium and a large, stuck making another annoying decision. It’s not the end of the world, but it gets old, and not enough companies are making “extra mediums.”

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So, right away, when I got on this bike, I felt at home. The fit was spot on. Even with the long front end, it never felt cumbersome, at least on the 27.5” wheelset. In fact, I loved how the 27.5 wheels complemented the length of this bike. They gave me a quicker turning radius on tight, twisty trails and essentially shortened the bike feel. I first brought it to Arizona and pedaled the Fool’s Loop. Even on long stretches of dirt roads, it wasn’t sluggish at all. The bottom bracket is very low, but that’s how Chris designed it. If anything, I might have opted to shorten the cranks from 165 to 160, but otherwise, I absolutely loved the all-day ride quality. And this thing rips on descents, whether it’s dirt roads or technical singletrack like the Black Canyon Trail.

In true tinkerer fashion, I ended up swapping the drivetrain and wheelset to the new Shimano bits that launched a few months back, since I needed a bikepacking bike to test them for the review I published. Despite only clearing a 29 x 2.4” rear tire, I think I could have squeezed in something a little bigger. Still, I was really impressed with the overall ride quality. On dirt roads and two-track, it felt a touch more efficient, and still very stable. And with the larger wheel, that bottom bracket was raised ever so slightly, which I think became the perfect height for this bike, paired with the 165mm crank arms. Plus, loaded down, the frame feels comfortable, and I think the added flex of the 29” wheels gives a touch more comfort, too.

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I noticed this even more when I swapped the rear wheel back to 27.5 but kept a 29er up front. I’ve ridden a mixed setup before and never loved them, but over the past few days, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how capable this rig is. It’s downright playful, giving me that snappy turning ability out back, with the rollover and speed of the 29er up front. It might be the most inspiring hardtail setup I’ve ever ridden. The only downside is that it slackens the head tube angle to about 63.3 degrees (rough measurement), and the seat tube angle shifts me slightly more over the rear wheel. So, on long, steeper climbs, I had an even longer wheelbase, with my weight positions more over the rear wheel.

In the end, riding this bike has me thinking I could or maybe should actually size up to a larger frame when making the tough decision between the medium and large. I tend to get caught up chasing efficiency, but at the root of my riding style, I’ve always been a good climber, but I’ve lacked confidence descending. Longer, lower, slacker bikes like the Gila Monster give me that confidence I need. Even better, a long hardtail can still climb pretty darn well, and this one strikes a wonderful balance. It’s efficient enough for all-day riding, but when the trail tilts down, it puts a big grin on my face.

Bikepacking

One of the big highlights of this bike its the bikepacking capability. I’ve never had such an easy time packing a bike. This goes back to sizing, because most bikes I fit simply don’t optimize storage space. Chris clearly did here. The massive front triangle makes a huge difference, thanks to the bucket bottom bend in the down tube and the curved twin top tube. Sure, it takes away some standover clearance, but I don’t need that anyway.

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Chris added braze-ons for both the top tube bag and bolt-on frame bags. What makes it unique is that there are actually two different frame bags. The top is basically a half-frame bag, and it separates from the lower portion. This gives me the option to run just the top bag with two bottles at the bottom of the triangle for day rides or shorter trips, then add in the bottom bag when I need more capacity. Arly did a fantastic job with the design, and the little details—like the saguaro cactus and the Gila Monster artwork on the top tube bag—are the icing on the cake. The convertible system is brilliant, and I love it.

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The bike also came with rear rack mounts, and I’ve used those plenty. Chris did a great job placing them super low near the dropouts. I’ve grown really annoyed with the variation of mount locations across different frames. The lower the mount, the better in my opinion, simple as that. And the upper rack mounts are positioned on the twin top tube portion of the wishbone stay.

Bottom line, this bike gives me more and better packing options than I’m used to. On most bikes, I’m usually struggling to find space. On this one, I find myself with extra space, and that’s pretty refreshing.

What’s in the Name (and Color)?

I think this is a good time to talk about the inspiration behind the color and the name, which actually came together at the very end of the build. Chris had originally named the bike something else, but it didn’t really resonate with me. While we were discussing colorways inspired by Arizona desert sunsets, I thought about one of the most incredible little reptiles I’ve seen in Arizona, the Gila Monster. These are large lizards I’ve come across many times while bikepacking there. I know that’s rare, since they’re elusive, but I’ve been lucky enough to see quite a few over the years.

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Even though both Chris and I live in Gunnison, we both gravitated toward an Arizona name. It felt like a tribute to the escape we take each winter, when we need a break from the deep freeze of one of the coldest parts of the country. Eventually, we also landed on bronze and purple as the two primary colors, with orange as an accent, and Chris went to work, powder coating the bike right in his shop—a special little perk that sets Chris apart from other frame builders. From there, I picked out some matching parts to tie it all together.

Build Kit

Speaking of parts, I’ll be publishing a separate video on the full build of this bike. My buddy Eric actually built the bike for me while I recorded him, and I think it’ll be a fun, different kind of video to share. It’s a dream build, and one I paid for mostly myself, aside from the wheels and stem. Industry Nine sent those over for review when they launched the Hydra 2 a few months back.

I don’t have many gripes with the build, but I should mention that I’ve had some weird consistency issues with the SRAM XX Transmission. It’s working fine now, but setup felt trickier on a custom frame, and overall, I’ve been underwhelmed by the shifting speed, crispness, and consistency. Honestly, the GX Transmission driver I have has been one of the better drivetrains I’ve used, so it feels odd that the XX hasn’t delivered the consistency you’d expect at its higher price point.

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Outside of that, I’ve really been enjoying the older Specialized Purgatory tires. They’re a great everyday option—fast enough to roll, solid volume at 2.6”, and plenty of grip on loose over hard, which is what I ride most of the time. The SRAM Code Stealth Bronze brakes have also been solid. They’ve given me reliable stopping power, which isn’t something I can say about another set of the exact same brakes on a different bike. Maybe that comes down to Eric’s good bleed job.

At first, I received a Fox 36 27.5 fork at 160mm and swapped in a 140mm air shaft. It’s on the heavier side, but it really complemented this build, and once I got the settings dialed, it was an absolute joy to ride. Later, I swapped in the new 29er Fox 36SL in the 140mm category, and that’s been exceptional as well. I’m still running it now, but I plan on moving it to another bike soon for a proper long-term test and swap this build back to 27.5 fully.

Overall, between the silver, bronze, and purple accents, paired with Chris’s amazing powder coat, the bike really came alive.

• Fork: Fox Factory 36
• Drivetrain: Sram AXS XX1 Transmission
• Brakes: SRAM Code BRZ 160/180 (F/R)
• Seatpost: SRAM Reverb AXS Dropper
• Wheels: Industry Nine Hydra 2 with 27.5” 35mm internal rims
• Headset: Cane Creek Hellbender 70
• Stem: Industry Nine 35 Stem 35mm length
• Handlebar: Raceface Era
• Tires: Specialized Purgatory Tires 27.5 x 2.6”

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...