originalseven
Retro Newbie
I’ve had this chunk of steel since new and despite it’s floor-queen appearance, it’s been ridden and raced substantially in 26 years and is still my daily driver for tooling around Northern California. All custom geometry built for a specific rider (my 21 year old self) and a specific trail style (stupid fast single track and monotonous fire road climbs).
I saw these in the the early nineties in Southern California; a neighbor rode for Team Kahlua and the local shop had a mountain team that all rode em’. They were, at least in 1990, some sort of magical hyper bike that only fanatics rode while I putted around on my bio-pace equipped Rockhopper. Adding to the aura was the fact that they were built in barn about five miles from my house and literally at the foot of a trail I rode every weekend (Viper Trail) Curtlo (Doug Curtis actually built a frame for this trail, called the….Viper. Aluminum. Pretty rare.
A few of the parts have been refreshed but this is basically as it looked when I finished it in ’96. It’s missing it’s XTR front derailleur and the Nuke Proof hubs on Campy rims were swapped out for the current set up. It was built with the Judy in mind but when you bolt the Accu-Trax on, it steepens the head angle and tracks like a gazelle. However, it then proceeds to beat you about your upper body with a baseball bat.
Good times all around. Highly recommend.
Frame: 1996 Curtlo Mountaineer. OX3 Fillet brazed. Dupont Imron ‘Masi Rossa’. 17.77" C2C
Fork: Rock Shot Judy XC. White Brothers internals with LT kit. SRP titanium hardware/ Ti steerer tube
Answer Accu-Trax / Early ’91. Ringle' 1 1/4” cable hanger
Headset: Chris King Threaded 1 1/4”
Stem: Answer A-TAC 110mm
Handlebar: Easton CT2 Carbon
Grips: OURY Mountain
Barends: Onza Raw
Brakes: Shimano XTR Cantilever
Brake Pads: XTR Cartridge/Ritchey
Brake Cables: Shimano
Cantilever cable hangers: XTR
Brake Levers: Avid Speed Dial 2.0
Shifters: Grip Shift X-Ray 800
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore LX
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XTR / ControlTech pulleys
Derailleur Cables: Shimano
Cassette: Shimano 8 Speed XTR
Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace
Cranks: Cook Brothers 177 RSR 110/74 Pre-’92
Crank Bolts: SRP Titanium
Chainrings: Sugino 44/36t Onza Buzzsaw 24t
Chainring bolts: Cook Quality Products/ARP
Bottom Bracket: Phil Wood Titanium Sealed
Pedals: Shimano Deore DX DH/DS
Hub Skewers: ControlTech Titanium
Rims: Sun 0 Degree XC 32H Radial/3X
Hubs: Phil Wood High Flange
Nipples: Wheelsmith Stainless
Spokes: Wheelsmith Double Butted
Tires: Michelin Country Gravel
Tubes: RA
Saddle: Schwinn Stinger Homegrown Team Kevlar/Ti Rails
Seatpost: American Classic Single Bolt
Seatpost Binder: SRP Titanium
Weight: 25lb with Judy XC
22lb with Accu-Trax


I saw these in the the early nineties in Southern California; a neighbor rode for Team Kahlua and the local shop had a mountain team that all rode em’. They were, at least in 1990, some sort of magical hyper bike that only fanatics rode while I putted around on my bio-pace equipped Rockhopper. Adding to the aura was the fact that they were built in barn about five miles from my house and literally at the foot of a trail I rode every weekend (Viper Trail) Curtlo (Doug Curtis actually built a frame for this trail, called the….Viper. Aluminum. Pretty rare.

A few of the parts have been refreshed but this is basically as it looked when I finished it in ’96. It’s missing it’s XTR front derailleur and the Nuke Proof hubs on Campy rims were swapped out for the current set up. It was built with the Judy in mind but when you bolt the Accu-Trax on, it steepens the head angle and tracks like a gazelle. However, it then proceeds to beat you about your upper body with a baseball bat.
Good times all around. Highly recommend.

Frame: 1996 Curtlo Mountaineer. OX3 Fillet brazed. Dupont Imron ‘Masi Rossa’. 17.77" C2C
Fork: Rock Shot Judy XC. White Brothers internals with LT kit. SRP titanium hardware/ Ti steerer tube
Answer Accu-Trax / Early ’91. Ringle' 1 1/4” cable hanger
Headset: Chris King Threaded 1 1/4”
Stem: Answer A-TAC 110mm
Handlebar: Easton CT2 Carbon
Grips: OURY Mountain
Barends: Onza Raw
Brakes: Shimano XTR Cantilever
Brake Pads: XTR Cartridge/Ritchey
Brake Cables: Shimano
Cantilever cable hangers: XTR
Brake Levers: Avid Speed Dial 2.0
Shifters: Grip Shift X-Ray 800
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore LX
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XTR / ControlTech pulleys
Derailleur Cables: Shimano
Cassette: Shimano 8 Speed XTR
Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace
Cranks: Cook Brothers 177 RSR 110/74 Pre-’92
Crank Bolts: SRP Titanium
Chainrings: Sugino 44/36t Onza Buzzsaw 24t
Chainring bolts: Cook Quality Products/ARP
Bottom Bracket: Phil Wood Titanium Sealed
Pedals: Shimano Deore DX DH/DS
Hub Skewers: ControlTech Titanium
Rims: Sun 0 Degree XC 32H Radial/3X
Hubs: Phil Wood High Flange
Nipples: Wheelsmith Stainless
Spokes: Wheelsmith Double Butted
Tires: Michelin Country Gravel
Tubes: RA
Saddle: Schwinn Stinger Homegrown Team Kevlar/Ti Rails
Seatpost: American Classic Single Bolt
Seatpost Binder: SRP Titanium
Weight: 25lb with Judy XC
22lb with Accu-Trax




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