When launched their huge-tire GMX+ monster off-road adventure bikepacking rig last year, much of its capability came down to the titanium bike’s new massive full carbon fork. Now, Curve is pulling that non-suspension-corrected GMX+ Carbon fork off on its own, so more adventurous riders can build up their own custom limitless backcountry bikepacking bikes…
Curve GMX+ Carbon off-road bikepacking fork with 29×3″ clearance
Calling their new full-carbon Curve GMX+ fork “a purpose-built fat tire non-suspension corrected bikepacking fork” highlights how niche this really is. But especially to custom framebuilders looking to create the kind of bike that cross continents, the Curve’s carbon GMX+ fork fills a real gap between gravel forks and mountain bike suspension forks.
Just like their ti GMX+ bike was developed to open up your adventure beyond where the gravel roads (or even singletrack) end, this fork is all about getting out there.
“We got tired of forcing bikes designed around suspension into fat-tire bikepacking applications. Most of the big brands seem to say, ‘just replace the suspension fork with a rigid fork and you’ve got a fat-tire bikepacking rig’. We thought that seemed lazy and so we started with a blank sheet of paper and came up with the GMX+; a fat-tire bikepacking bike designed without suspension. The low axle-crown GMX+ Carbon Fork was a critical part of this platform. Frame builders have gotten more creative in recent years and demand for individual sale has increased. Now the time is right to release the GMX+ Carbon Fork as a standalone product” – Jesse Carlsson, Curve co-founder & head of product testing.
Tech details
Designed not as a replacement for a suspension fork, but rather for a dedicated rigid adventure bike to keep the front end as low as possible without compromising tire clearance, the non-suspension-corrected Curve GMX+ fork has a short axle-to-crown length of 430mm. (Compare that for example to say to the 411mm a-c Lauf Grit SL with 30mm, or the 506mm a-c RockShox SID SL with 100mm of travel, making the GMX+ shorter than even an 80mm 26″ fork.) With that in mind, there’s still plenty of room for a 29er wheel with a 3″ tire plus some mud, meaning there’s no limit where you can roam.
At a claimed 619g (uncut), the carbon fork features a tapered 1.5″ carbon steerer (including carbon expander), 55mm offset, Boost 15x110mm thru-axle, and 180mm post mount front brake with external cable routing.
Built to haul heavy loads, each leg gets six stainless steel M5 mounts, rated for up to 3kg per side (over any three bolts)
Curve GMX+ Carbon fork – Pricing & availability
The new carbon Curve GMX+ fork is available now for A$900 in Australian Dollarydoos (~$680 US / 570€) and can be shipped globally from Curve’s base in Melbourne, Australia. Or you can even pick one up straight from a number of participating dealer bike shops around the world.
