Our Reader’s Rig of the week comes from JB in Queensland, Australia, who offers a peek at the chocolate-painted Curve GMX+ prototype he built up to be a capable dirt tourer that feels like a big BMX bike. Get to know a little about JB, his DIY mentality, and his one-of-a-kind GMX+ here…

Words by JB Mariez, photos by Ryan Flinn

G’day, I am JB, aka Passion. I’m a French-Australian drifter, and I have been living in Down Under for the past 18 years. Half of those were in the remote Australian bush. During those years, I developed a deep love for exploring, touring, and camping, as well as a passion for tinkering, modifying, and making things. I am currently living in Queensland and finishing building our bamboo and reclaimed material hut/home after spending the last two years living on the road in a self-built 4X4 truck with my girlfriend and our dog.

Curve GMX+

I have been touring on all sorts of machines: 4×4 utes, dirt bikes, quad bikes, and, for the past eight years, push bikes. Bikepacking/off-road touring was my first introduction to riding a big bike after spending two decades exclusively riding 20-inch-wheeled BMX bikes. It’s fair to say that bikes have always been an important part of my life and that bikepacking has become just as significant. Big thanks to my brother, Benny Diesel, for introducing me to this world and being my main adventure partner since day one. 

  • Curve GMX+
  • Curve GMX+

In 2018, after some life changes and a relocation to Melbourne, I got to meet the Curve crew. I joined them on a flashpacking trip, and we quickly became friends. My mate Ryan “Rhino” Flinn eventually offered me a job, or maybe I convinced him to give me one, and I then became the head mechanic at The Adventure Dojo, also known as the Curve HQ. The GMX+ steel was still only drawing on a computer screen at the time, but soon enough I received one of the first prototype framesets. I was absolutely stoked and knew exactly what I wanted this big bike to be: “A BMX dirt tourer exploration rig.”

  • Curve GMX+
  • Curve GMX+
  • Curve GMX+
  • Curve GMX+
  • Curve GMX+
  • Frame/Fork: Curve GMX+ prototype (IS/PM brakes)
  • Rims: 29er Curve Carbon Dirt Hoops (Wider)
  • Hubs: Shutter Precision PD-8X (front) / DT Swiss 350 (rear)
  • Tires: Teravail Coronado 29 x 2.8″
  • Handlebars: Mone Oddmone
  • Headset: Curve
  • Crankset: Cane Creek eeWings Ti
  • Pedals: Kona Wah Wah
  • Cassette: SRAM GX Eagle
  • Derailleur(s): SRAM GX Eagle
  • Brakes: Hope Tech 3 levers with SRAM G2 calipers
  • Shifter(s): SRAM GX
  • Saddle: Specialized Oura
  • Seatpost: Thomson Elite Setback
  • Stem: Superstar Edge-9 49mm
  • Front bags: Fabio’s Chest with light mount
  • Frame bags: Home-cooked partial frame bag or Hungry full roll-top
  • Rear bags: Oveja Negra
  • Accessory bags: Hungry Lunchbox
  • Other accessories: Klite light bar and USB thingy

And so the build began with my old faithful Oddmone bar, a 20-year-old superstar stem, and a permanently mounted Fabio’s chest with an integrated light bar. I also added some really fancy titanium cranks (thanks Rhino & Phteve) and cages that I anodised in my kitchen sink, along with a modified titanium spork that acts as a brake cable guide. The bike sports a DIY partial frame bag with an integrated light switch made from an old pair of waxed Carhartt pants and a bivvy bag. I added lots of gears, all 12 of them, some Curve Dirt hoops wrapped in big tyres, and boom, the nitro chocolate BMX dream was alive!

  • Curve GMX+
  • Curve GMX+
  • Curve GMX+
  • Curve GMX+
  • Curve GMX+

It has been my only bike for four years now and has seen minor changes over the years, partly because it just works and mostly because lifestyle choices mean a limited budget. But the half-frame bag became a full-size roll top one, and the rear analog cog changer thing became electrified. This big limo is a blast. It rock-crawls, it descends on rails, it hauls groceries, it’s handsome, it carries all the unnecessary necessities for camping, and most of all, it makes me smile and takes me on adventures! My girlfriend was so jealous she got herself one, too, and so did my best mates. Big thanks to Curve for making rad bikes and inspiring people like me to get off the couch and go explore. I miss you guys! Bikes are cool; just looking at them is enough to make you feel good.

I don’t do social media, so adventure sharing is in-person only. Hope we cross trails out there!

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