Curt built me this lugless bike 3 years ago, when I became curious about low trail bicycles. I had seen some Daniel Rebour drawings detailing the steering geometry of a bike from the late 40's. The trail numbers ran counter to everything I had applied to front end design up till that point and seemed impossibly low. A few weeks later I was lucky enough to find a 1955 Elswick 531 three speed, whose original owner had grown too old to ride. It rode like a friggin' Cadillac and when I measured it up, the numbers were perilously close to those outlined by Rebour. That cliched the deal for me and I had Curt mirror those numbers on this bike. It has become my reference for what a bike should ride like and is compelling enough that I have since sold bikes that were formerly near and dear.

For those that are only familiar with Curt's lugged work, take a gander at this seat cluster. This is as good as it gets. Having owned fillet brazed bikes by Tom Ritchey and Steve Potts, I have seen the best. Curt stands among the gods when it comes to laying down perfect fillets. A radically re-worked vintage Davis crown with 22mm blades make for a wonderfully compliant ride. Finally, JB laid down a coat of glass and topped it with hand striped box lining. A combo of new and vintage components complete the build.

-BB

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