Curtis BMX

[steviebwoy]

Hi all,

Visited a best pal at the weekend who always rocks out with an original Curtis BMX.

He doesn't know much about it, but says that his family bought it for him when he was a nipper from a "bloke somewhere near Bath".

I was wondering, more out of curiosity more than anything, how much this beastie would be worth? It seems to have blue decals (they're original) but I can't see many like this at the online BMX museum.

Can anyone tell my buddy and I any more about the bike please? :thanks:

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[Skratchski]

int that a mongoose wi curtis stickers?

[steviebwoy]

Haven't a clue to be honest? What do you reckon?

[southern andy]

That looks like an MRD frame with Mongoose forks. Defo not a Curtis.

[Skratchski]

dunno, i cant see it too well on this laptop, the rear drop outs are putting me off mongoose and i cant zoom on the welds. still, you came to the right place mate, someone on here will tell ya.

[Spen69]

Gotta say it has a Birmingham Wheels look about the rear stays but could be mini MRD - deffo not a Curtis and deffo got Gose forks mind

[southern andy]

Nah Spen, Brum wheels are totally different at the rear. That's an MRD Expert frame mate, you can just about see the start of a triangle in the rear drop out next to the trick nut.  The high bit of frame on the seatstay where a seatclamp would go is another giveaway.  Also the headtube is quite steep.

[steviebwoy]

Wow, thanks for the responses guys, what an ace community 

So the current view is an MRD frame with Mongoose forks then hey? Along with Curtis stickers and Mongoose pads! 

[deeman]

Defo not a Curtis! don't know much else! 

[steviebwoy]

It's weird because the frame has the Curtis stickers throughout - there's even one on the front which strikes me as pretty odd.
Why would they be so keen to stick Curtis stickers on a non-Curtis bike? Especially since they're in the "authentic" positions? From what I know, this is exactly how his parents bought it for him.

[Spen69]

Steve, to answer your question on value it is a tricky one. If it's an MRD then there is a lot of love for them out there, but without the correct forks you'd probably get only £150 to £200 for the frame if it's in good nick and an Expert size. If it's a Pro frame, you can almost name your price as so few were made, but it doesn't look anywhere near long enough to get your hopes up

The Goose forks if in great nick would possibly get up to £50 if sold seperately as people will be looking for a set to finish a build - you could get closer to doubling that if they were Supergoose forks

The rest of the parts are anyone's guess to be honest without close-up shots and details

And finally, get that stem lowered before someone gets hurt riding it please

[steviebwoy]

Thanks Spen, that's ace mate. I'll get him to e-mail me some more photos so we can nail this bad boy!

[deeman]

It's weird because the frame has the Curtis stickers throughout - there's even one on the front which strikes me as pretty odd.
Why would they be so keen to stick Curtis stickers on a non-Curtis bike? Especially since they're in the "authentic" positions? From what I know, this is exactly how his parents bought it for him.

people used to swap stickers all the time bitd! I particularly remember burner owners sticking Skyway t/a stickers on....they still do, Although I can't imagine why anyone would want to make an MRD look like a Curtis! Curtis frames are very distinctive and have some unique design features, the most obvious being the headtube which is flared at both ends. They are also made of hand braized T45 which is easily distinguishable from welding. Also, as far as I know Curtis did not utilise looptail construction....

[steviebwoy]

Good day! My mate sent me a bunch of new photos last night, which will hopefully provide a bit more clarity.

Any help much appreciated. Let me know if you need any more

[Spen69]

MRD Expert frame and Mongoose forks 

100%

[steviebwoy]

Aha, very groovy! Thanks Spen! They're quite credible aren't they? 

[Spen69]

Yes they are a desirable frame for sure, and some of the bits look ok too so well worth hanging on to.  Your mte needs to read the thread in the restoration section for cleaning chrome up I'd say

Get him to measure the top tube length from the centre of the seat post tube to the centre of the head tube. I am willing to bet it's 18.5"  but if it's 19.25" then let me know first please

Joking aside it's a great bike and could do with a bit of a scrub, lower the stem and change the tyres and grease it. Job done - keep on riding it

Spen

[southern andy]

It's got Weinmann rims on it aswell.

Parts wise, there isn't anything on there that will make your mate a lot of money sadly.

The frame's the most desirable part.