Reader’s Rig: April’s Curve GXR4

Words and photos by April Drage

I’m April, a proud member of the Curve Cycling crew in Melbourne, Australia. I’m excited to introduce my brand new Curve GXR4, also known as “Kevin.” Whilst this bike is brand new, there’s a history here.

My first connection with Curve was as a rider in a race they held in my hometown of Adelaide, Race to the Rock. Riding such an iconic route (crafted carefully by one of Curve’s directors, Jesse Carlsson) offered me insight into the culture and psyche of the beautiful community that I am now part of. A Kevin of Steel joined my fleet not long after that first big race of mine. That bike was a brilliant, handsome blue, and it was love at first sight. The Kevin of Steel quickly became the hardest-working bike in the stable: gravel, bikepacking, flashpacking, commuting, road bunches, and more. Importantly, the bike just screamed fun, and that’s really at the heart of what Curve is all about. Years later, now working at Curve, for the release of this new version of our best-selling bike, it seemed like the time for my Kevin of Steel and I to progress.

This GXR4 build has custom paint from Candy Factory Paintworks, owned and operated Curve director Steve Varga. I know and love Steve’s style and aesthetic, so I didn’t need to provide much in the way of design or inspiration. I let Steve know that I was aiming for paintwork that was understated but maintained the fun-loving spirit of Kevin. The paintwork is a nod to my Handsome Blue Kev—a colour that features in the fade on the GXR4 top tube. Steve took care to leave the areas of the frame that may have contact with bags paint-free. I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m thrilled with the result. It’s fair to say that he nailed the brief.

My Kevin of Steel was the bike I took out on gravel day rides, fast mixed-terrain missions, and more. With this in mind, I will run at least two wheelsets on the GXR4 to maximise the fun. The wheelset I am most excited about trying out is the 29er Dirt Hoops WIDER carbon wheels. The 30mm internal rim width works well with the two-inch tyres I’m keen to try out, Vittoria Terreno Mixes. I’ll also run Curve G4T 700c carbon wheels with leaner gravel racing tyres for fast-is-fun excursions around Victoria and beyond.

• Frame/Fork: 2024 Curve GXR4 (XS)
• Groupset: SRAM Eagle AXS 1 x 12-speed
• Tires: Vittoria Terreno Mix 29×2.0
• Handlebars: Curve Walmer Bar (46)
• Crankset: Force DUB, 38t/165mm
• Cassette: XG 1275 Eagle 10-52T
• Derailleur(s): X01 Eagle AXS 12-speed
• Brakes: Force Flat Mount Disc
• Shifter(s): Force AXS 12-speed
• Saddle: Specialized Power Pro Elaston
• Seatpost: Thomson
• Stem: Thomson
• Rear bags: VAP Wallaby
• Accessory bags: Bike Bag Dude top tube bag, Hungry Munchers

One bag I expect to use most for this style of travel are a VAP Wallaby saddle pack, which is simple, minimalist, and quite accidentally matchy-matchy with my Bike Bag Dude top tube bag. I also bought Hungry Muncher feedbags to maximize my snack-carrying capacity for an ultra-race with long distances between resupply. The folks at Hungry customised them a little for me in terms of the pocket placement, and I love the single-handed open/close as well. They’ve become a long-ride essential.

A couple of upgrades from a stock GXR4 Force/Eagle AXS build include a Thomson seatpost and stem and another essential item, carbon Curve Walmer bars. Naturally, there is gel under the bar tape, and I’ve swapped the stock saddle for my favourite specialized power saddle to look after all the contact points.

You can find more from April on Instagram.

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