After the disappointment finding cracks in my 2018 Salsa Fargo Ti frameset, I set out on a new adventure bike build. We're a distributor of Curve handlebars and bar tape, and I've admired their framesets for a long time. I really like that their design crew are all adventure riders and their bike builds and frameset designs demonstrate that these designs didn't just come together on a the screen of a CAD program, they've been influenced and improved through the designers' off-road riding experience.
The Curve GMX+ that I chose for the build is a great example of the on-bike riding wisdom imparted to the design. The bottle bosses on the sides of the downtube offer no interference from my knees, even when out of the saddle, and no problems with tire clearance. Curve's designers knew that all owners of this frameset were going to ride with a frame bag at some point, and that they would need some at-hand hydration solution when the bosses on the inner triangle were blocked by the frame bag.
Another example are the bottle bosses on the rear chain stays. No need for improvisation here, if you want extra bottle storage, here's a great spot, you can ditch your McGuyver hose clamps and electrical tape.
The Curve GMX+ is a unique adventure platform. It's a boost frameset (110x15 front, 148x12 rear) and has the same tire clearance as the Fargo, up to 29x3". It also has a simplified rear dropout system compared with the Fargo's alternator setup, reducing overall versatility but also reducing complexity and weight. I've had some complaints about the rack mounting options on the Fargo and the GMX+ addresses these handily with its beefy rear rack bosses.
While Fargo's frameset geometry skews MTB (sloping top tube, suspension corrected fork), the GMX+ skews Gravel--with a less sloping top tube and a non-suspension corrected fork. These two changes along with the seat tube angle create a riding position that is a bit more aerodynamic than on the Fargo, less upright. Curve have all of the specifications here So it's a gravel bike with MTB wheels, sounds perfect for the GDMBR / Tour Divide as well as bombing around town. If you're into the geometry comparison, here's the comparison of the Fargo "L" and the GMX "XM" size I selected, courtesy of geometrygeeks.bike
The new build!
OK, so on to the build! First, I'll detail the core components, then the bags and add ons, and some of the gear kit. The picture above has the bags stuffed with spare towels from the garage, so it's not exactly representative of the exact stuff I'll be carrying, but it's close enough. I'll come back later and will post more details on the tool kit, clothes, etc.
Core Components:
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Frameset |
2023 Curve GMX+ Frameset, size XM (Extra Medium), welded 3Al/2.5v grade 9 Titanium |
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Fork |
2023 Curve GMX+ carbon fiber rigid Fork, non-suspension corrected, with six M5 bosses centered on each fork blade and a Curve brand 15mm thru axle. Notable axle offset to the front of the bike extending wheelbase and fork angle. |
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Bearing Kits |
Headset: Curve ships its framesets complete with a perfectly useful sealed headset bearing kit and fork retention system ready for installation. I put this aside and installed a beefier Chris King system because I know how hard I can be on equipment. I sourced a Chris King Inset 2 Headset with tapered steerer in Silver, along with a set of machined Aluminum headset spacers from Wheels Manufacturing, also in silver. I'm using the Curve compression fork retention bolt (no starfangled nut with a carbon fiber fork) and a GUB multi-function headset retention cap with a kLite inReach mount. I used basic Park Tool grease on the races prior to the headset installation with a bearing pressure fit tool. Bottom bracket: This is one of the areas where the Curve GMX+ has it all over the Fargo. The GMX+ uses a T-47 threaded bottom bracket which offers a larger bearing diameter for installing what's becoming an industry standard 30mm spindle. The BSA threaded BB on the Fargo looks puny in comparison. The difference in the two allows a larger bearing diameter, which is conducive to reducing drag and improving durability. To match the White Industries crankset, I elected for a White Industries T-47 with the XD-15 Enduro brand ceramic bearings over the "heavy duty" and "stainless steel" variants. I've had good luck with the longevity of ceramic sealed bearings in the past. You know the White Industries T-47 is special because it uses a buy-it-separately machined aluminum insert to keep the interior bearing surfaces clean. Maybe a little overkill on the durability front but clearly an engineering-led design choice. On the installation of the T-47, I used military specification Ultra TEF-GEL anti-seize / corrosion prohibitor on the frameset threads and on the mating surfaces of the machined axle protection insert. This is the only thing I've used that 100% keeps water out of the BB threads, preventing squeaks and making it easy to remove and replace bearing races when they need servicing. It's especially important to use a corrosion-impeding barrier when connecting two different alloys, in this case, Titanium and Aluminum. Use gloves with this product, it's messy. |
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Crankset |
White Industries M30 crankset, polished silver, with silver extractor caps. 170mm crankarms and 30mm spindle. Mounted with park grease on the spindle and bearing races. The machining quality on these is amazing, they're an object of art. |
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Front Chainring |
White Industries TSR Boost 1X/singlespeed, 34t. Connected to the crankset with the provided mounting ring and a bit more ULTRA TEF-GEL to prevent the ring from fusing to the crankset. |
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Pedals |
Shimano XTR PD-M9120 SPD |
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Chain |
SRAM Eagle 12-speed X01 (silver) AXS – 120 Links Proprietary Jefe Velo paraffin wax + Tungsten Disulfide powder lubricant, supplemented with Squirt long lasting wax-based dry lubricant |
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Cassette |
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Derailleur |
SRAM GX Eagle AXS + 1 battery on the bike, one in my bag, and a SRAM micro USB charger. Plan to add the Garbaruk Sealed Bearing Silver Aluminum Pulley Kit. because of how well it sheds dirt. If you run a SRAM drivetrain, you know how the OEM pulleys are a dirt magnet. |
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Rear Thru Axle |
OEM Curve 12mm + Backup Maxle in my tool kit. I've been riding with a backup rear thru axle since I broke the rear DT Swiss one that came with my 2018 Salsa Fargo. This is one of those single points of failure that is worth insuring to prevent a long walk back. |
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Wheelset |
Jefe Velo Jayhawker Dynamo Boost Wheelset, 32 spokes F/R, Shutter Precision PD-8X dynamo hub, 23mm inner / 28mm outer carbon fiber rimset, tubeless ready with bead lip, SRAM XD 6-pawl freehub |
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Tires |
Vittoria Mezcal III Graphene 2.0 in 2.6” in front and a 2.35” in the rear. I love the capability of the wider tires, plus, on this frameset, it's a great way to replace some of the downhill control offered by a suspension fork. MaXalami Wurstwasser MaxSeal Hi-Fibre environmentally friendly non-latex tubeless sealant |
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Brake Rotors |
Hope Technology floating disc rotors, 180mm front, 160mm rear with Titanium torx head retention bolts. |
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Brake Calipers |
Hope Technology RX4+ post mount hydraulic calipers, in polished silver, with SRAM DOT fluid seals. These are Hope's next generation of gravel / cyclocross brakes and for their size and weight, offer some really impressive braking performance. I'm building this bike specifically for the GDMBR, not for hardcore mountain biking, so the choice of the RX4+ Vs. the more robust, MTB oriented Hope Tech4 models made sense to me. We'll see how that decision works out in practice. I've been a cable braking advocate for years, but these brakes have completely changed my perspective on braking technology. It's actually a drag to go back to the other bikes that rely on cable braking. It only took me 20 years to believe the hype about hydraulic braking. Makes me wonder what else I've missing out on! I guess this is the point where I can't say that nothing is going to stop me now. Sorry for that. One of the more interesting points about these brakes is the relative size of the brake pads. They're at least 50% larger than the pads in the Paul Klampers! Couple the larger braking surface with four pistons per caliper and you have something serious going on. I will say that it was a bit of a learning curve to get these installed, bled, and operational on the bike. After messing around with it here in the shop by myself and tons of YouTube videos, I enlisted the help of my friends at my LBS Indy Cycle Specialist who helped me integrate the SRAM AXS hydraulic levers with my Hope setup. |
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Brake Shoes |
Hope Technology Sintered Metallic Brake Pads + 2 extra pairs in the bag. I don't have enough experience on the hydraulic brakes to branch out into non-OEM pads just yet. |
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Brake Cables |
SRAM Hydraulic lines and gaskets, and SRAM DOT 5.1 hydraulic fluid. Gloves required with this stuff, it's nasty. |
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Brifters |
SRAM Rival AXS HYD for drop bar. The battery compartment on these is a huge improvement over the cable pull version. It uses a "coin slot" rotation method to remove the battery cover--much more trail friendly than the three micro sized philips head screws that hold on the battery cover on the cable pull version. |
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Stem |
Paul Components Boxcar – 35mm +0 deg polished silver, 31.8mm bar. Amazing quality, a jewel on the bike. Mounted to the side of the stem is a ZPacks cuben fiber shoulder pouch that I've modified to make into a snack holder. It's zip tied to the bars and the stem, is virtually weightless and holds a bottle, can, or a lot of food. Handy! |
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Handlebars |
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Bar Tape |
Underlayer - Jefe Velo 4.8mm Extra Long Cushion Ethylene Polymer Acetate Tape Top Layer – Jefe Velo 3.7mm Extra Long Super Grip Silicone 2-Layer Tape |
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Aero Bars |
Expedition SL Bar Rails Expedition XL Extension Carbon Fiber Bar Ends Titanium 22.2mm Cross Bar BarYak Talon Fabric Front Bag Harness Profile Designs "flip up" arm rests with 70mm risers, mounted to Walmer drop bars, modified with jefe velo hardware solution to eliminate persistent rattle from OEM configuration. As part of the configuration process, I sourced a "Fred Bar", the aluminum headset-mounted extension that helps move the aero bar armrests backwards, but it turned out to be unnecessary for my setup. |
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Seatpost |
Cane Creek eeSilk+ alloy 31.6mm with #5 Elastomer. I have been riding with the initial carbon fiber eeSilk for around two years and it's been an excellent addition to my riding. I'm about to rebuild it with new bushings and a new elastomer insert, which seems like a pretty decent service life given my harshness on components. The weight difference between the alloy and carbon fiber didn't seem to justify the price difference and so I went with the alloy version this time. The Plus version has a little bigger elastomer, so more vibration damping, and TBH, I really can't feel the difference yet between the new seatpost and the older one. |
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Seatpost collar |
Wolf Tooth precision machined seatpost collar, silver, 35mm |
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Saddle |
Infinity Elite E1X (solid stainless steel rails & honeycomb leather cutouts). These are hand made and you can tell--I have two of them and they're not exactly identical. If you're picky about your saddles, you owe it to yourself to check out this brand, they are designed for ultramarathoning. Before I switched to this seat, I had broken the Titanium tubular rails on a wide range of saddles, the solid stainless steel rails are just the ticket for me. |
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Dynamo Charging and Lighting System |
kLite ULTRA gravel lamp kLite Dual USB Charger with handlebar mounting kit kLite USB Always On Wire Loom kLite Qube XL – Front and Rear Safety Blinker System, slightly modified from the original front / rear Qube to extend wire lengths. The Qube is a game changer for safety, coupled with the lightweight Visto reflector system I'm using, it never needs to be tended--it's always on and provides safety whenever I'm riding. Nitecore NPB1 - Submersible, mounted to BarYak along with kLite Dual USB Charger. |
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Onboard Electronics |
Garmin 840 GPS – Primary track navigation method. I had been using the Wahoo Roam but after riding in a heavy rainstorm, the unit got waterlogged and I didn't trust it any more. So far, I really like the 840, especially how it turns climbs into a video game and rewards you with a little song at the peak that sort of reminds me of our Samsung dishwasher completion song. I have it mounted to my aero bars using the Jefe Velo 22.2 lamp / computer mount. Garmin inReach Mini 2 Satellite Communicator, connected to the headset cap with the kLite inReach mount and the GUB headset cap mounting system. Apple iPhone 13 with Quad Lock motorcycle handlebar mount system including knuckle angle mount. Rock solid and so much better than the zip tie verstion. Gaia GPS – Secondary track nav InReach iPhone App Garmin App SRAM AXS App ACA Bicycle Route Navigator with GDMBR Maps Electronic Que Sheets - OneOfSevenProject note: These are totally worth it the small investment. Craig Fowler, the oneofseven legend, tirelessly researches these in the off season--these are refreshed from 2022 and kept updated as route changes are made in advance of the grand depart. Get the big bundle - you can save the pdf to your phone and have access to it throughout your ride. Nitecore Submersible USB Battery Banks (2) –10,000 (in bag for emergencies) & 5,000mAh (on bars). I actively monitor and manage device battery state while I'm riding, it's one of the things I do to keep my mind active. Having a battery mounted to the bars allows you to maximize your charging assets. If you're not charging a device directly with the kLite Dual USB charger, you can charge the battery. The battery also allows you to charge some high-current flow devices (like the iPhone) quickly that prefer steady, high-current charging to the lower on-off flow that comes from the dynamo. When the phone is charged, back to charging the battery. I try to avoid pass-through charging if I'm able since it robs you of some efficiency. What's cool about actively managing the state of your devices as you ride is that when you get to a town, you're generally charged up and not immediately looking for an outlet--allowing you to be more focused on food. I've never needed the extra battery in the bag, but it's there for an emergency. Lightweight insurance! Extra Rechargable AXS Battery + AXS Recharger Extra Duracell 2032 Brifter Batteries (2) - with new installed a week before departure Charging Cables: One Jefe Velo coiled 3-in-1 charging cable on the bars and one in the bag. Offers charging for USB-C, Micro USB, and Apple Lightning interfaces, and has a blue power indicator to give you confidence that you're actively charging. Fast wall charging block: 110-V AC - 60A, 2-USB-A Ports, 1-USB-C Port Nitecore NU25UL USB re-chargeable headlamp (for night-time maintenance and camping) |
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Storage |
Fork Mounts: Pair of King Manything Cages holding a 1.5L lightweight Nalgene water bottles with a Viole strap retention system. With these, the 3L bladder, and the 1L electrolyte bottle on the downtube, I've got enough water to make it through all but the most extreme stretches. Downtube Side Bottle Mounts: Non- Drive Side: King Titanium Bottle Cage and 1L Zefal bottle, intended for mixing in electrolytes. I try to avoid putting electrolytes in my 3L water bladder because flavors seem to linger despite my best attempts to clean it. Drive side: Bearclaw Holster Bear Spray Holder with 8oz Bear Spray. Handlebars: Sea to Summit E-Vent Compression Dry Sack – Large - for sleeping system, mounted to BarYak Talon Harness in front of handlebars) Frame: Rogue Panda Designs custom two layer frame bag with map pocket and zipper closures. The frame fit and overall quality is amazing. I keep a 3L water bladder in the top compartment and the tube fits out the front of the bag and routes right up to the handlebars. I velcro the single tent pole from my zPacks shelter to the top underside of the frame bag, a super convenient place to store such long, rigid things. Rogue Panda Designs Gordita Grande (2.5L) top tube bag Rear Rack: Titanium Protostudia Y-Rack with three M5 bosses on each side, custom produced for the GMX+ based on my measurements. On each side, a Curve 4L Rocket Pooch waterproof bikepacking bag with Titanium mounts.These ingenious bags are easy to take on and off the bike and offer three storage compartments: the "roll top" top is the main waterproof area, the zipper closure bottom is more for tools, tubes, and other heavier stuff, and the elasticized perimeter is good for quick storage of food bars, etc. I'm planning to use the bottom of both for tool storage (most tools on the drive side and most tire-related stuff on the non-drive side. In the roll-top portions, I plan to use the drive side for stuff that gets pulled on and off frequently - rain gear, leg warmers, gloves, pull over, etc. and the non-drive side will hold my wilderness food stores. On the top, a Mountain Laurel Designs 12L EcoPak ULTRA roll top dry bag with daisy chain retention system, held on to the rack with three Viole straps. Mounted to the back of the dry bag is a Visto Lightweight Reflective Safety Triangle (7g). Underneath the top-of-rack mount, I've sourced a Rockgeist Armadillo Dry Bag Protector - this protects the dry bag from the constant abraison that arises from bumpy trail conditions. |
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Water System |
2L Hydrapak Seeker collapsible water bladder w thread-in Katadyn BeFree filter. After cleaning it out, it can double as extra water storage for lengthy desert stretches. Katadyn Micropur water purification tablets. |
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Sleeping System |
Tent: ZPacks Altaplex 1 Person Tent Titanium tent stakes Polycro ground sheet modified to fit my tent footprint Sleeping Bag / Pad: Nemo Moonwalk 30F Sleeping Bag Nemo Tensor 20R 72x20x3 insulated 30F inflatable sleeping pad and TBD Inflatable Pillow. My Klymit Pillow X died and I haven’t figured out what to replace it with yet.. |
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Rain Kit |
Jacket: Gorewear R7 Shakedry with hood Pants: Outdoor Research Helium Pants Feet: DexShell Waterproof Socks, Trail Toes anti-friction waterproofing foot balm for the first half of the route Hands: Showers Pass Waterproof Crosspoint knit gloves, Goretex HotShot Infinium Stretch Gloves, REI Minimalist GTX Rain Mittens. These three also work well for cold mornings. Probably won't need the Gore Tex mittens and gloves beyond Pinedale. |
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Food / Food Prep |
On the TD, my “average” food goal is to carry enough calories for two complete days, What's funny about this is that as anyone who's done thru hiking or endurance cycling knows, while you're out there, your food cravings have nothing to do with what's in your pack at the moment. There are plenty of food sources and if you're able to ride, there are only a few spots where you actually need two days of food on your person. But there's always the mechanical or mud-stoppage that prompts the need for carried food. For bear hygene, food, first aid, and my toiletries are kept in the front non-drive side Rocket Pooch. As mentioned above, no stove. I take every chance I can to eat in restaurants and to buy food in convenience stores, mostly to keep boredom at bay. There really is enough food along the route to keep you going, two days of food onboard is a bit overkill but it’s one of those anxiety reducing things for me, it allows me to worry about something else. Like bears. I carry 50 ft of DynaGlide bear hanging cordage and make sure all of my food and toiltetries are hanging with the PCT method in the dry bag - with a target of 300ft away from the campsite, and I make a point of never eating anywhere near the tent. Suggest you do the same! |
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