It was my love of craftsmanship and bicycles that led me in 1995 to begin my apprenticeship in building with Dan Wynn in Seattle.  For a year, under Dan’s watchful eye, I did little more than file, sand fillets, and machine and align frames and forks.  It was great work, hard and satisfying because I knew I was learning essential skills at a remarkable rate.  When the opportunity arose to work building Rodriguez frames with Matt Houle at the well-established R&E Cycles shop, my focus turned to TIG-welding and my role, as well as my knowledge, expanded again as a builder.  But my heart was in working with more traditional lugged construction.  In lugged steel I found a melding of beauty with function that connected deeply to history and one I also believed would remain relevant to cycling’s future.

After nearly two years working with R&E Cycles, I learned that Tim Isaac was setting up a high-end production shop.  Our first project would be to build Schwinn Paramounts and, meeting Tim, I knew that this was an opportunity to cultivate further my craft and my passion for lugged steel frames.  I was the third hired at the match bicycle company and had the great fortune to work with others whose skill and passion complemented my desire to develop as a builder: Kirk Pacenti, whose gifts in lug design are now better known than ever, Steve Hampsten whose design and insight has led to the success of Hampsten Cycles and now Cycles Tournesol, and Mark Bulgier, Dan Swanson, and Martin Tweedy, and others, all of whom shared in the experience of frame building with talent, enthusiasm, and friendship.

Two years after the Paramount project began, Grant Petersen of Rivendell Bicycle Works approached match bicycles to deliver frames to relieve Rivendell’s long backlog.  For the next year I built Rivendell frames while Martin Tweedy built forks.  But change was in the works as match bicycle company was closing shop.  Spending a week at Serotta Competition Bicyles in close conversation with founder Ben Serotta, I was offered a position building steel and titanium primarily in TIG-construction.  I realized then how deeply I felt about building lugged steel designs and declined Serotta’s very generous offer.  Shortly afterwards, Grant Petersen offered me the opportunity to continue building custom Rivendells and so my wife Kate, our new daughter Mae, and I moved our family to Minneapolis to establish my own frame shop.  Since 2000 I have built custom lugged steel frames for Rivendell and, when asked privately, the occasional frame upon request.  I hope to continue building Rivendells for many years to come: each one offers an opportunity to work collaboratively with Grant Petersen and to deliver a customer’s dream.  Curt Goodrich Bicycles is an opportunity to extend my craft in ways that complement my work with Rivendell and offer bicycles that reflect the many ways lugged steel and filet-brazed construction can provide new cycling experiences.  Here you will find road bikes and all-arounders, racing cycles and long distance randonneuse with custom carriers and constructeur-style design; you’ll find examples of city porteurs, track bikes, and other styles as well.  In short, you’ll find the full range of what is possible in custom lugged and filet-brazed bicycles.   Have a look at our design page to consider more possibilities and styles and to our gallery page to see more examples of my work.