The Workshop
Every Curtis frame starts here. Follow the handmade process from raw steel to finished bike.
Hand built in Somerset, England.
When we say handmade, we mean it. The workshop is equipped with files, hacksaws, vices, a hand-operated tube bender, a belt notcher and brazing kit.
Your new Curtis frame will be made to order, specifically for you. It can be built entirely to your specification and the nature of this process is what makes a Curtis frame special.
Steel, chosen by frame.
To get the best from each frame, we select from a range of proven tube sets, tailored to each rider's weight and riding style rather than relying on one standard specification.
Most Curtis frames are built around Reynolds 853, with heat-treated, butted top tubes and down tubes chosen for their balance of strength, low weight and ride feel. It has a remarkable strength-to-weight ratio, with a lively quality that sets steel apart from the harsher feel often associated with alloy frames.
Cut, checked and prepared by hand.
Each steel tube is cut and shaped by hand in-house, giving us complete control over every measurement before brazing.
The accuracy and precision of each cut, mitre and alignment point determines the bike that follows. Curtis frames are works of intense craftsmanship, and the final frame is a foundation worthy of any ride.
Beautifully strong fillet brazing.
Curtis brazing is an art form, perfected over more than 50 years. Brian Curtis introduced the style to bicycle frames in the 1970s, drawing on his experience in motorcycle frame building. Rather than flowing the rod smooth, the material is layered by hand, leaving the rippled joints that make a Curtis instantly recognisable.
Those joints do more than look beautiful. Brazing seals the tubes airtight, apart from the seat tube, helping protect the frame from rusting from the inside out.
