Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
The Curve Titanium GXR (aka Kevin) just received a major update that includes more tire clearance, increased load ratings, UDH compatibility, and some geometry tweaks. Find photos and details about the Curve Titanium GXR4 here…
We’ve always been impressed with Curve Cycling’s attention to detail and thoughtfulness in releasing new bikes. Unlike most bike brands, they don’t launch new or updated bikes every year just for the sake of it. When they do, they seem intentional and well-executed.
Curve released the Titanium GXR (aka Kevin) in 2017, positioned as a titanium drop-bar gravel rig “before gravel was cool,” according to Curve. It was a reasonably progressive design at the time, featuring many mounting points, a carbon fork with three-pack mounts before that was common, a custom-machined chainstay yoke, and more. The latest Ti GXR, which Curve is calling the Titanium GXR4, doesn’t stray too far from its beginnings but sees some pretty significant updates that align with Curve’s if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it attitude.
The Curve Titanium GXR4 sees a whole suite of changes. Tire clearance has been expanded from 700 x 45mm to 700 x 50mm, with even more clearance up front thanks to their new fork. The Ride 415 VGM fork, which debuted in 2022 alongside the Big Kev, can carry up to 8 kilograms (17 pounds) on each fork leg, has a flip-chip-style dropout, and has three-pack mounts for cages and bolt-on mini panniers. The GXR4 moves to a SRAM UDH rear dropout thanks to a custom CNC-machined hooded dropout that Curve designed in-house.
Other updates include a new one-sided CNC yoke, passed down from the high-end AIR Kev model, that helps increase stiffness and clears a crank, chainring, and burly tires while maintaining a road Q-factor. A wider bottom-bracket shell allows the use of T47 internal cup bottom brackets, which Curve has been testing throughout two years of touring in Australia, Africa, and Europe. The frame now has a stealth dropper port, top tube mounts, and a 160mm native flat mount for a nice and clean caliper installation without an adapter (or you can boost to a 180mm rotor with an adapter).
After analyzing bike fit data for hundreds of GXR customers over recent years, Curve decided to increase the stack height on the GXR4, reducing the need for a stack of spacers while maintaining a fast-looking and elegant silhouette. The extra stack also provides the ability to further raise the front end for a more upright position for those who want more of a relaxed touring platform. The GXR4 now features scaled chainstays across the size range, enhancing ride quality and handling for every frame size.
The Curve Titanium GXR4 (aka Kevin) complete builds start at $5,494 USD ($8,160 AUD), which includes free global shipping. Like their other titanium frames, it comes with a lifetime warranty. It’s available as a frameset (frame and fork) for $2,934 USD ($4,360 AUD) and comes in seven frame sizes.
Head over to CurveCycling.com to learn more.
Further Reading
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