Each year, deep in the Curve Cycling Dream Factory, our New Product Development (NPD) team hatches bold new concepts and brings them to life. It’s our chance to stretch our limits, learn new techniques, and offer a glimpse into the possible future of Curve’s range.
From first sketch to rideable reality, these bikes follow a winding path: equal parts curiosity, stress, breakthroughs, and sheer grit. Our Technical Lead, Jimmy Rostlund, has spent countless late nights wrangling ideas into form with Maximum Chips, our ever-loyal CAD workstation. From there, skilled craftspeople around the world have shaped raw materials into precision components, while frame construction for our boldest concepts has taken place at Curve HQ in Melbourne. Final finishing, including our wildest paint to date, comes courtesy of our in-house artisan and Curve founder, Steve, at Candy Factory Paintworks.
This is what we’ve been up to. These are the 2025 show bikes. Welcome to the future; it has been lonely out here!
Meet 00Kev: Curve's Next Iteration of Hybrid Frame Tech
Meet 00Kev. Prototype gravel race weapon. Rolling science project. 90s sneaker hallucination. Built in Melbourne, painted on a farm, faster than a British spy in an Aston Martin.
Last year, we turned heads with our CarboKev concept bike, a striking blend of carbon and titanium that redefined what a performance gravel bike could be. While it’s No Time to Die for CarboKev, this year Kev’s gone full cyborg. The carbon has spread like a virus through Kev’s limbs. Now, For Your Eyes Only, meet 00Kev, our latest prototype and the most advanced race-ready Kev we’ve ever built.
Wrapped in artwork straight out of '90s sneaker culture, 00Kev is a true piece of functional art. It’s lighter, stiffer, and stronger; the ultimate evolution of our hybrid carbon-titanium gravel platform.
We’ve said Dr No to playing it safe and pushed our in-house capabilities on this project, learning new skills and building our team’s confidence along the way.
The Science Behind the Frame
Building trustworthy manufacturing capabilities takes time. We have spent years refining our understanding of bonding, adhesives, carbon behaviour, titanium 3D printing, and developing our repair capability. That work is paying off, and now is our Skyfall moment.
We’re close to bringing our most complex hybrid frames to market. Every Curve concept bike is treated as a scientific experiment, validated not just in our lab and on the trails, but by third-parties including German testing experts, EFBE, at their testing facilities in Germany and Taiwan. We’re committed to reliability, the kind that’s trusted in the world’s toughest races.
The NPD team has been given a Licence to Kill complacency and dangerous self-confidence. As Feynman said, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.” So we will question everything, test with third-party experts, and will not move forward until the results prove we are on the right track.
What Makes 00Kev Different?
If CarboKev was a ghost of what was possible, 00Kev is the full-bodied Spectre. It’s tougher, faster, stiffer and ready to haunt every gram of excess weight and flex from your ride.
With geometry inspired by our flagship GXR4 but tuned for more aggressive racing, 00Kev clears up to 29 x 2.0” tyres in the rear and up to 29 x 2.4” up front.
- Stiff lower frame section: The carbon tubes used for the down tube and chainstays were selected for stiffness and efficient power transfer
- Comfort-focused upper frame section: The heavily ovalised top tube and minimal seatstays were selected for comfort and to offer some weight savings.
- 3D printed titanium lugs in high-complexity areas for strength, precision and freedom of form
This approach gives us a lighter, more responsive frame than full titanium, without compromising the comfort Curve riders expect for long rides.
Made in Melbourne, With the Best from Around the World
00Kev represents a hands-on collaboration across continents, and it all comes together here in Melbourne.
- 3D printed titanium lugs: Produced by our partners in China & partially post-processed in-house at Curve HQ on (James) Bond Street with some help from our friends at Prova Cycles
- Carbon tubing: Sourced from an expert marine industry supplier in New Zealand
- Assembly, bonding, finishing: Completed at Curve HQ in Australia by Jimmy Rostlund and Taylor Patrick
- Paintwork: Created and executed by Curve co-founder Steve Varga at Candy Factory Paintworks.
Every custom-painted Curve bike, including this one, is now fully finished by Steve Varga himself, helping our riders bring their personalised dream builds to life.
Technical Highlights
- 00Kev features 3D-printed titanium lug with carbon tube construction. This combo lets us tune ride feel, stiffness, and weight like never before. The carbon tubes are bonded to the titanium using a high-performance aerospace adhesive, chosen for its strength, chemical resistance, and ability to operate across a wide range of temperatures without affecting the bond strength - which is important in the Australian climate
- The production version will use ultra-strong double-lap joins throughout the frame to maximise surface contact and bond strength. This prototype uses a mix of single and double-lap joints as part of our ongoing testing program.
- Look closely at the head tube. It looks tapered, but it’s not. That’s a trick of the eye, thanks to the clever shaping of the 3D-printed lower lug and off-axis placement of the carbon headtube segment. All printed titanium parts have been tuned for wall thickness and internal geometry to hit the sweet spot between strength and weight.
- Brake lines are fully internal thanks to a Race 415i carbon fork and a modified fork steerer. We’ve added a 3D printed titanium sleeve inside the steerer, allowing internal routing without upsizing the upper bearing. And yes, this fork concept has been thoroughly tested at EFBE’s lab in Taiwan.
- The tubes themselves are premium standard-gauge carbon from NZ. The oversized downtube and chainstays deliver stiffness where it counts. The heavily ovalised top tube and minimal seatstays focus on compliance and weight savings. Future generations of this concept will see more tuning of the carbon fibre ingredients.
- For crank clearance, we’ve used 3D printed titanium "Bend-Aids" in the chainstays. At the rear, the carbon seatstays are bonded into SRAM UDH and Transmission-compatible dropouts, which have been hollowed and lightened thanks to the freedom of 3D printing. The non-drive dropout is shaped to take a 160mm rotor with the caliper mounted directly to the frame — no adapter needed.
Grade 5 3D printed titanium parts
- Head tube / down tube and headtube / top tube lugs for IS42/IS52 headsets
- Head tube top cap with steering limiter to prevent damage to the internally routed brake hose
- Bottom bracket cluster - T47 with integrated yoke
- Top tube / seat stay / seat tube cluster with top tube double lap socket shaped to match variable wall thickness top tube (thinner on major axis)
- Dropouts - SRAM UDH and Transmission compliant
- Cable ports (on frame and fork)
- Chainstay Bend-Aids (prototype use only)
- Fork steerer sleeve / reinforcement for internal routing
- Internal bottom bracket cable guide
- Bidon brackets and seat stay abrasion guards
- Seat post sleeve and topper using Enve’s 2-bolt internals
Build Specs
- Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Dry 29 x 2.0"
- Fork: Curve Race 415i (fits up to 29 x 2.4")
- Drivetrain: SRAM RED XPLR AXS 1x13
- Wheelset: Curve G5T[G] prototype gravel wheelset
- Stem: Darimo IX4AL - 90 x 12˚
- Headset: Chris King with custom 3D-printed top cap
A Glimpse of What's Coming
00Kev is still a prototype, but it marks a major leap forward in our in-house manufacturing capability. The future of Curve’s hybrid platform is close and it’s being built with the same obsessive care and science-backed discipline we bring to every product we release.
CarboKev: Still in Development but Getting Close
It’s a hypersonic mix of 3D printed titanium, carbon fibre, theoretical physics and 90s sneaker culture!
Unveiled at BESPOKED Dresden in October 2024, the Curve CarboKev is more than a prototype, it’s the most rigorously tested frame in Curve’s history. This hybrid gravel race machine combines the stiffness of carbon with the comfort of titanium. Lighter by 250 grams compared to its titanium sibling, the CarboKev is close to release, but it didn’t get there easily. 250 grams may not sound like much, but we also did not focus on lightness - the main objective was stiffness.
Since its debut, this particular CarboKev has been put through hell: rewelding, carbon grind-outs, rebonding, and a brutal series of tests at labs, including the EFBE facility in Taiwan, where it went through their rigorous TRI-TEST®. No other Curve frame has seen this level of torment and scrutiny. If you can name a structural failure mode, this bike has likely been stress-tested for it.
CarboKev’s design philosophy is simple: use the right materials in the right zones. The carbon down tube and chainstays form the “stiffness zone,” optimising stiffness through the bottom bracket and power transfer. The titanium top tube and seat stays define the “comfort zone,” where vertical compliance helps riders stay fresh over long distances. The result? A meaningful step up in performance over an all-titanium frame without completely losing the comfortable ride feel that Curve is known for.
This frame also marks a major step in Curve’s in-house manufacturing capabilities. While titanium lugs and parts were crafted by our trusted partner in China and carbon tubes supplied by a premium New Zealand producer, the construction, including alignment, bonding, and finishing, was all handled at Curve HQ in Melbourne by Jimmy Rostlund and Taylor Patrick.
The paint, as always, is a Curve signature. Conceived and applied by co-founder Steve Varga at Candy Factory Paintworks, it channels Steve’s love of 90s sneaker culture but dials it up a notch for the show circuit.
Technical Highlights
Construction Overview: CarboKev features a hybrid frame architecture, pairing straight-gauge carbon fibre tubes with 3D printed titanium lugs and junctions. Bonding is achieved using a high-performance structural adhesive rated for exceptional strength across a wide temperature range. It’s stable enough to handle the boot of a car through the scorching Australian summer without degradation or risk of debonding.
Bonding Strategy: Double-lap joints are used throughout the frame to maximise bonded surface area and shear strength, except in one single-lap location (we’ll let you figure out where). This construction method improves bond reliability under both fatigue and impact loads.
3D Printed Titanium Components
- Bottom Bracket Cluster: T47 3D printed titanium unit with an integrated yoke and “power pyramid” for improved drivetrain stiffness and tyre clearance.
- Headtube: Fully 3D printed titanium with an internal socket for a double-lap bonded carbon downtube.
- Dropouts: UDH and SRAM Transmission compatible dropouts, 3D printed and hollowed internally to reduce weight while maintaining stiffness and strength. The left dropout accepts a 160 mm rotor brake caliper directly; no adapter required.
- All 3D printed components have been individually optimised for wall thickness and internal structure to tune strength-to-weight performance.
Tube Selection and Frame Construction
Carbon Tubing: Large-diameter carbon downtube and oversized ovalised chain stays, selected for torsional stiffness over weight savings. Tubes are manufactured in New Zealand.
Seat Tube/Post: The carbon seat tube and post use thinner walls than our AIR Kev, aimed at increasing seated compliance.
Bend-Aids: 3D printed titanium sleeves at the chain stay junctions allow precise crank clearance without compromising stiffness.
Titanium Top Frame: Grade 9 titanium top tube (butted and ovalised) and 14 mm seat stays—the slimmest we’ve used on a production-intent frame—selected specifically for vertical compliance and improved ride feel over rough terrain.
- Internal Routing Integration: CarboKev uses full internal cable routing through prototype versions of our Race 415 carbon fork and Carbon Walmer bar prototype, designed with internal routing in mind. The fork steerer is reinforced with a custom 3D printed titanium sleeve, enabling internal routing without requiring an oversized upper bearing. This system has been lab-tested and validated for structural integrity under high load and impact scenarios.
Grade 5 3D Printed Titanium Parts
- Headtube for IS42/IS52 headsets
- Bottom bracket cluster - T47 with integrated yoke and double-lap sockets
- Dropouts - SRAM UDH and Transmission compliant
- Cable ports (on frame and fork)
- Chain stay Bend-Aids (prototype use only)
- Steerer reinforcement
- Internal bottom bracket cable guide
- Seat post topper on Curve AIR seat post
- Seat clamp
Build Details
- Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Dry 29 x 2.0"
- Fork: Curve Race 415i with custom cable port and internal routing modification (clearance for up to 29 x 2.4")
- Drivetrain: SRAM RED XPLR AXS 1x13 drivetrain
- Stem: Darimo IX4AL - 80 x 12˚
- Headset: Cane Creek Slamset
- Seat post: Curve AIR, 0 setback with 2-bolt 3D-printed titanium topper
- Wheelset: Curve G5T[G] prototype gravel wheelset
AIR Ultra
Curve’s much-loved Ultra is getting a makeover with a soon-to-be-released Ultra v2 - a fully refreshed take on our proven road endurance frame. Sharing the same geometry, we’re extending our AIR concept to the Ultra range with the more race-oriented AIR Ultra.
The AIR Ultra is Curve’s latest evolution of the endurance road bike, redesigned for greater versatility and improved stiffness across varied terrain. Building on the foundation of the proven Ultra, the AIR Ultra expands into road-plus territory with clearance for 40 mm tyres (with fenders), enabling confident riding on sealed and smoother unsealed roads without compromising efficiency.
The AIR Ultra frame features a hybrid construction: a carbon seat tube bonded into a titanium frame through the Power Pyramid welded to the bottom bracket shell. This approach delivers increased stiffness and improved power transfer compared to the fully titanium Ultra v2, while maintaining much of the long-distance ride comfort. It’s an approach we’re familiar with from the AIR Belgie and AIR Kev models. The carbon seat tube is bonded in-house at Curve HQ in Melbourne, with finishing completed by Candy Factory Paintworks.
The AIR Ultra also debuts the new Race 380 fork, which offers a wide range of integration and routing features. These include internal dynamo and brake hose routing (including an opening low on the steerer), direct mounting for lights and fenders, and routing that runs through the fork leg into the steerer. The fork has been tested to meet gravel standards, making it suitable for a wide range of endurance events and conditions.
With its blend of stiffness, integration, and tyre clearance, the AIR Ultra is designed for ultra-distance racing, including events like the Transcontinental Race (TCR), where reliability and performance on variable terrain are critical. This year it will be ridden by Curve Ambassador Abdullah Zeinab on his second attempt to claim the 5,000km race across Europe. Nothing beats real world testing for a bike designed to take on continents!
Technical Highlights
Build Specs
- Tyres: Pirelli PZero Race 40mm
- Fork: Curve Race 380
- Drivetrain: SRAM Force AXS 2x [E1]
- Stem: Cane Creek GXC 80mm
- Headset: Cane Creek Slamset
- Seat post: Curve AIR, 0 setback with 2-bolt 3D-printed titanium topper
- Wheelset: Curve G5T[R] prototype road wheelset