£5,200 (custom build), £1,450 (frame only) Can Curtis’s handmade steel shredder live up to its heritage and price tag?
Curtis have been hand-building bikes here in the UK for over 50 years and offer a range of stunning-looking steel frames. The AM9 is the brand’s heavy-hitting trail/enduro hardtail, designed to combine nimble handling with rowdy-terrain control.
THE FRAME
Rather than welding the AM9’s tubes together, Gary and Brian from Curtis fillet-braze them. They claim the benefit of this method is that the tubes are airtight (apart from the seat tube), so won’t rust from the inside out like welded steel frames, which require ‘breathing’ holes to avoid corrosion.
On this frame, the front triangle is made from Reynolds 853 steel (with a 631 seat tube), while Columbus and Dedacciai tubing is used for the chainstays and seatstays. Curtis cherry-pick the tubes based on the rider’s weight, size and riding style – T45 steel is sometimes used for the down and seat tubes for heavier riders.
They’ll build the frame with any geometry figures you like at no extra cost, or you can choose from five stock sizes. Our standard large bike features a moderately slack 64.5-degree head angle, steepish 75.5-degree seat tube angle, 475mm reach, 440mm chainstays and a 460mm seat tube. Cable routing is external, except for the dropper cable, which enters the seat tube above the BB.
THE KIT
Curtis only sell the AM9 as a frame, but for testing purposes, they supplied us with a complete bike. As befits a ‘handmade in the UK’ steel frame, the build was high-end, and featured parts from British brands. The Fortus 30 wheels, Tech4 E4 brakes and headset were provided by Hope, while Renthal supplied the cockpit. Straying from the British theme, Fox supplied their 140mm-travel 34 Factory FIT4 fork and Transfer dropper post. A mixed bag of Shimano Deore XT and XTR 12-speed kit made up the drivetrain.
THE RIDE
Right from the off, the AM9 has that ‘steel is real’ sparkle to its ride. With compliant Reynolds tubing and chunky Schwalbe Magic Mary rubber front and rear, it has real pep in its step through rough terrain and feels as lively and nimble as Curtis claim. The short stem and modern reach figures of the stock bike likely contribute to its nimbleness in turns. While the head angle is relatively slack on paper, once you’re stood on the pedals and the fork is settled into its sag, the angle steepens and the effective reach of the frame grows, giving you the confidence to get over the front of the bike and really attack the terrain.
It feels easy to get it airborne or pop the front wheel o
