Looks like cast is now live after being hyped by some big name athletes for a whileexpensive stems, alloy bars, grips and a trials tire i...
Looks like cast is now live after being hyped by some big name athletes for a while
expensive stems, alloy bars, grips and a trials tire i guess? So nothing really new or that doesn’t exist in abundance already. The bar roll markings are nice but oneup also does that
Something just seems a bit fishy about the Cast brand... I'm not buying into the picture of these top riders joining forces to come out with...
Something just seems a bit fishy about the Cast brand... I'm not buying into the picture of these top riders joining forces to come out with just this. :D
If you look at the page and who they list on the team, it seems like it might be a Norco play at a component company.
Their list of riders includes: Greg Minnaar, Danny Hart, Gracey Hemstreet, Erice Van Leuven, Bodhi Kuhn, Lina Frener, Lucas Cruz, Kirk McDowall, and others.
That's the Norco DH team (I'm unsure if Kirk is racing this year) plus others.
Or it might be a Greg Minnaar thing and - since he's the figurehead of the Norco DH team - he's floating components to everyone on the team.
"Others" includes some Canadians, some trials riders and some enduro riders. Greg Callaghan is obviously a great rider/representative but Kriss Kyle, Danny Mac, and Fabio Widmer are all some of the biggest names in mountain bike social media.
Honestly, I'm kind of hyped on this brand "idea." It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers. The same way my buddy started a bmx shirt company and another friend started a local cycling advocacy/race series/merch line.
Cast went live now with their lineup of stems and handlebars. Strong list of riders on their rooster, but probably the least innovative new mtb company...
Cast went live now with their lineup of stems and handlebars. Strong list of riders on their rooster, but probably the least innovative new mtb company i`ve seen. Anyone up for a "38mm!!! high rise" handlebar?
Cast went live now with their lineup of stems and handlebars. Strong list of riders on their rooster, but probably the least innovative new mtb company...
Cast went live now with their lineup of stems and handlebars. Strong list of riders on their rooster, but probably the least innovative new mtb company i`ve seen. Anyone up for a "38mm!!! high rise" handlebar?
If you look at the page and who they list on the team, it seems like it might be a Norco play at a component company.Their...
If you look at the page and who they list on the team, it seems like it might be a Norco play at a component company.
Their list of riders includes: Greg Minnaar, Danny Hart, Gracey Hemstreet, Erice Van Leuven, Bodhi Kuhn, Lina Frener, Lucas Cruz, Kirk McDowall, and others.
That's the Norco DH team (I'm unsure if Kirk is racing this year) plus others.
Or it might be a Greg Minnaar thing and - since he's the figurehead of the Norco DH team - he's floating components to everyone on the team.
"Others" includes some Canadians, some trials riders and some enduro riders. Greg Callaghan is obviously a great rider/representative but Kriss Kyle, Danny Mac, and Fabio Widmer are all some of the biggest names in mountain bike social media.
Honestly, I'm kind of hyped on this brand "idea." It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers. The same way my buddy started a bmx shirt company and another friend started a local cycling advocacy/race series/merch line.
Dunno to me the feel is less " It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers." And more "vulture capital cash grab by churning out more "same, same, but different label" " marketing.
Dunno to me the feel is less " It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers."And...
Dunno to me the feel is less " It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers." And more "vulture capital cash grab by churning out more "same, same, but different label" " marketing.
The About Us page gives off Prestige Worldwide vibes...
Cast must have spent some money to get Danny Mac Askill off Continental Tires. Automotive should have deep pockets... Otherwise I can't feel the least bit excitement...
Cast must have spent some money to get Danny Mac Askill off Continental Tires. Automotive should have deep pockets...
Otherwise I can't feel the least bit excitement looking at the Cast components...
My guess is he's invested, and somebody chumped him into thinking he's gonna make more off sales than a sponsor's salary.
If you look at the page and who they list on the team, it seems like it might be a Norco play at a component company.Their...
If you look at the page and who they list on the team, it seems like it might be a Norco play at a component company.
Their list of riders includes: Greg Minnaar, Danny Hart, Gracey Hemstreet, Erice Van Leuven, Bodhi Kuhn, Lina Frener, Lucas Cruz, Kirk McDowall, and others.
That's the Norco DH team (I'm unsure if Kirk is racing this year) plus others.
Or it might be a Greg Minnaar thing and - since he's the figurehead of the Norco DH team - he's floating components to everyone on the team.
"Others" includes some Canadians, some trials riders and some enduro riders. Greg Callaghan is obviously a great rider/representative but Kriss Kyle, Danny Mac, and Fabio Widmer are all some of the biggest names in mountain bike social media.
Honestly, I'm kind of hyped on this brand "idea." It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers. The same way my buddy started a bmx shirt company and another friend started a local cycling advocacy/race series/merch line.
Dunno to me the feel is less " It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers."And...
Dunno to me the feel is less " It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers." And more "vulture capital cash grab by churning out more "same, same, but different label" " marketing.
Possibly. I don't know anything about how it all came to be. It's just as likely it's someone with a pile of money trying to extract capital from the unsuspecting mtb public as it is a collective of riders trying to seize (some of) the means of production. If I were a pro rider, I'd prefer to hold the value myself rather than risk my life throwing myself down a hill selling components for a boardroom of people in sport coats who have never ridden a muddy trail on a windy day.
On the Pinkbike article released in the time since I posted, they've said that they're trying to concentrate the capital into the riders' pockets rather than into distributors and resellers' pockets. I'm curious what that's going to look like but we'll see, I guess.
I don't love another random company entering into the market with another stem and handlebar. I DO like the markings to make repeatable adjustments, though. That's a thing I was just complaining about with my Burgtec stem and bar pairing (but interestingly I have fewer complaints about setting up my Commencal house brand RideAlpha stem and bar...because they have some markings for alignment on them). The Burgtec bar and stem are a great size and design and I forget all about them as I'm riding. I don't have the same feelings on that RideAlpha set. I wish my Burgtec had some markings for repeatable adjustments.
Cast's new bar and stem is not "innovation" in a revolutionary new design but they (as would the Burgtec bars if they had markings) sure would allow me to iteratively and repeatably innovate and improve my riding. They've chosen to do something simple in the finishing of a product (like including those markings) that's sort of obvious for riders who are serious about riding but is often missed by component makers. That feels like innovation through decomplication. I wonder if that higher-than-I'd-prefer price is the result of the finishing/printing process on those components?
Black marker may not be as sexy as fancy markings, but that never stopped me from returning to previous adjustments when playing with different parts or configurations.
Dunno to me the feel is less " It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers."And...
Dunno to me the feel is less " It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers." And more "vulture capital cash grab by churning out more "same, same, but different label" " marketing.
If you look at the page and who they list on the team, it seems like it might be a Norco play at a component company.Their...
If you look at the page and who they list on the team, it seems like it might be a Norco play at a component company.
Their list of riders includes: Greg Minnaar, Danny Hart, Gracey Hemstreet, Erice Van Leuven, Bodhi Kuhn, Lina Frener, Lucas Cruz, Kirk McDowall, and others.
That's the Norco DH team (I'm unsure if Kirk is racing this year) plus others.
Or it might be a Greg Minnaar thing and - since he's the figurehead of the Norco DH team - he's floating components to everyone on the team.
"Others" includes some Canadians, some trials riders and some enduro riders. Greg Callaghan is obviously a great rider/representative but Kriss Kyle, Danny Mac, and Fabio Widmer are all some of the biggest names in mountain bike social media.
Honestly, I'm kind of hyped on this brand "idea." It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers. The same way my buddy started a bmx shirt company and another friend started a local cycling advocacy/race series/merch line.
From a branding standpoint, this would be quite unexpected. Norco and its DH team have a bold, modern, and highly distinctive identity—one that stands out and even sparks debate. In contrast, CAST’s branding feels generic and lacks personality; its logo could easily belong to an early 2000s tech or finance company. That said, the bar and stem markings are an innovative touch. It would be interesting to see how consistently these details are applied across different products.
Dunno to me the feel is less " It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers."And...
Dunno to me the feel is less " It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers." And more "vulture capital cash grab by churning out more "same, same, but different label" " marketing.
Black marker may not be as sexy as fancy markings, but that never stopped me from returning to previous adjustments when playing with different parts or...
Black marker may not be as sexy as fancy markings, but that never stopped me from returning to previous adjustments when playing with different parts or configurations.
Agreed. A silver marker is how I've gotten sorted on my Burgtec set.
A bunch of measurements later I realized the bike shop was off center by a few mm in their initial setup. A mistake that wouldn't have been made if it shipped with those markings!
Black marker may not be as sexy as fancy markings, but that never stopped me from returning to previous adjustments when playing with different parts or...
Black marker may not be as sexy as fancy markings, but that never stopped me from returning to previous adjustments when playing with different parts or configurations.
Agreed. A silver marker is how I've gotten sorted on my Burgtec set.A bunch of measurements later I realized the bike shop was off center by...
Agreed. A silver marker is how I've gotten sorted on my Burgtec set.
A bunch of measurements later I realized the bike shop was off center by a few mm in their initial setup. A mistake that wouldn't have been made if it shipped with those markings!
*if the markings were acurate.
You‘d be surprised how big the tolerance actually is.
Black marker may not be as sexy as fancy markings, but that never stopped me from returning to previous adjustments when playing with different parts or...
Black marker may not be as sexy as fancy markings, but that never stopped me from returning to previous adjustments when playing with different parts or configurations.
Agreed. A silver marker is how I've gotten sorted on my Burgtec set.A bunch of measurements later I realized the bike shop was off center by...
Agreed. A silver marker is how I've gotten sorted on my Burgtec set.
A bunch of measurements later I realized the bike shop was off center by a few mm in their initial setup. A mistake that wouldn't have been made if it shipped with those markings!
Agreed. A silver marker is how I've gotten sorted on my Burgtec set.A bunch of measurements later I realized the bike shop was off center by...
Agreed. A silver marker is how I've gotten sorted on my Burgtec set.
A bunch of measurements later I realized the bike shop was off center by a few mm in their initial setup. A mistake that wouldn't have been made if it shipped with those markings!
Exactly this, the position variation on the marking will easily be a couple of mm or more.
So I've heard on the internet,but measured all my RF, OneUp, Chromag bars, and they're all pretty much bang on, within a mm. Doesn't hurt to check,but is it really that common?
So I've heard on the internet,but measured all my RF, OneUp, Chromag bars, and they're all pretty much bang on, within a mm. Doesn't hurt to...
So I've heard on the internet,but measured all my RF, OneUp, Chromag bars, and they're all pretty much bang on, within a mm. Doesn't hurt to check,but is it really that common?
A few RF bars I had back in the day were routinely 5mm off.
Looking at the Cast offering, it's just so random. A 35 mm diameter handlebar with either 35 mm or 38 mm rise and 8/5 or 9/6 degrees of sweep. Then a 28 mm rise bar with a 31,8 mm diameter and 9/6 degrees of sweep.
I was kind of expecting them to only have one diameter of stem, but at least both options are covered. One length only though.
Another peculiar thing is the fact that only the direct mount stem had an "EFBE certified" claim in the bullet points, the standard (EFX) stem and the handlebars do not. The grade of testing is also not specified.
I kinda wanna think this is just a menagerie of catalogue components chosen at will by what people supported by the project (supporting the project?) wanted to ride and was thus included in the lineup?
Looking at the Cast offering, it's just so random. A 35 mm diameter handlebar with either 35 mm or 38 mm rise and 8/5 or 9/6...
Looking at the Cast offering, it's just so random. A 35 mm diameter handlebar with either 35 mm or 38 mm rise and 8/5 or 9/6 degrees of sweep. Then a 28 mm rise bar with a 31,8 mm diameter and 9/6 degrees of sweep.
I was kind of expecting them to only have one diameter of stem, but at least both options are covered. One length only though.
Another peculiar thing is the fact that only the direct mount stem had an "EFBE certified" claim in the bullet points, the standard (EFX) stem and the handlebars do not. The grade of testing is also not specified.
I kinda wanna think this is just a menagerie of catalogue components chosen at will by what people supported by the project (supporting the project?) wanted to ride and was thus included in the lineup?
Being launched by Probikeshop and given their link with Troika international, the catalog hypothesis seems plausible.
The 13 year old in me also wonders if they meant the "d" to be a "p"... 😆
If you look at the page and who they list on the team, it seems like it might be a Norco play at a component company.
Their list of riders includes: Greg Minnaar, Danny Hart, Gracey Hemstreet, Erice Van Leuven, Bodhi Kuhn, Lina Frener, Lucas Cruz, Kirk McDowall, and others.
That's the Norco DH team (I'm unsure if Kirk is racing this year) plus others.
Or it might be a Greg Minnaar thing and - since he's the figurehead of the Norco DH team - he's floating components to everyone on the team.
"Others" includes some Canadians, some trials riders and some enduro riders. Greg Callaghan is obviously a great rider/representative but Kriss Kyle, Danny Mac, and Fabio Widmer are all some of the biggest names in mountain bike social media.
Honestly, I'm kind of hyped on this brand "idea." It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers. The same way my buddy started a bmx shirt company and another friend started a local cycling advocacy/race series/merch line.
I love the closeup shot of the worked frame hardware, gorilla tape, and a zip tie holding the derailleur cable in place 😭
MMMM I do love me some $100 stems and $80 alloy bars. With all the big names on it, they have to charge those prices.
Of all the things in the bike world that need a purge, apparel and contact accessory brands should be up there.
One piece bar and stem need to be purged.
Cast must have spent some money to get Danny Mac Askill off Continental Tires. Automotive should have deep pockets...
Otherwise I can't feel the least bit excitement looking at the Cast components...
Dunno to me the feel is less " It feels like some people decided to start a thing after a good ride and a couple beers."
And more "vulture capital cash grab by churning out more "same, same, but different label" " marketing.
The About Us page gives off Prestige Worldwide vibes...
My guess is he's invested, and somebody chumped him into thinking he's gonna make more off sales than a sponsor's salary.
Possibly. I don't know anything about how it all came to be. It's just as likely it's someone with a pile of money trying to extract capital from the unsuspecting mtb public as it is a collective of riders trying to seize (some of) the means of production. If I were a pro rider, I'd prefer to hold the value myself rather than risk my life throwing myself down a hill selling components for a boardroom of people in sport coats who have never ridden a muddy trail on a windy day.
On the Pinkbike article released in the time since I posted, they've said that they're trying to concentrate the capital into the riders' pockets rather than into distributors and resellers' pockets. I'm curious what that's going to look like but we'll see, I guess.
I don't love another random company entering into the market with another stem and handlebar. I DO like the markings to make repeatable adjustments, though. That's a thing I was just complaining about with my Burgtec stem and bar pairing (but interestingly I have fewer complaints about setting up my Commencal house brand RideAlpha stem and bar...because they have some markings for alignment on them). The Burgtec bar and stem are a great size and design and I forget all about them as I'm riding. I don't have the same feelings on that RideAlpha set. I wish my Burgtec had some markings for repeatable adjustments.
Cast's new bar and stem is not "innovation" in a revolutionary new design but they (as would the Burgtec bars if they had markings) sure would allow me to iteratively and repeatably innovate and improve my riding. They've chosen to do something simple in the finishing of a product (like including those markings) that's sort of obvious for riders who are serious about riding but is often missed by component makers. That feels like innovation through decomplication. I wonder if that higher-than-I'd-prefer price is the result of the finishing/printing process on those components?
Black marker may not be as sexy as fancy markings, but that never stopped me from returning to previous adjustments when playing with different parts or configurations.
Prestige AI generated generic text vibes 😂
I automatically read Kogel as Kegel.
From a branding standpoint, this would be quite unexpected. Norco and its DH team have a bold, modern, and highly distinctive identity—one that stands out and even sparks debate. In contrast, CAST’s branding feels generic and lacks personality; its logo could easily belong to an early 2000s tech or finance company. That said, the bar and stem markings are an innovative touch. It would be interesting to see how consistently these details are applied across different products.
investors? Possibly you!
BOATS & HO's
Agreed. A silver marker is how I've gotten sorted on my Burgtec set.
A bunch of measurements later I realized the bike shop was off center by a few mm in their initial setup. A mistake that wouldn't have been made if it shipped with those markings!
*if the markings were acurate.
You‘d be surprised how big the tolerance actually is.
Exactly this, the position variation on the marking will easily be a couple of mm or more.
So I've heard on the internet,but measured all my RF, OneUp, Chromag bars, and they're all pretty much bang on, within a mm. Doesn't hurt to check,but is it really that common?
A few RF bars I had back in the day were routinely 5mm off.
Looking at the Cast offering, it's just so random. A 35 mm diameter handlebar with either 35 mm or 38 mm rise and 8/5 or 9/6 degrees of sweep. Then a 28 mm rise bar with a 31,8 mm diameter and 9/6 degrees of sweep.
I was kind of expecting them to only have one diameter of stem, but at least both options are covered. One length only though.
Another peculiar thing is the fact that only the direct mount stem had an "EFBE certified" claim in the bullet points, the standard (EFX) stem and the handlebars do not. The grade of testing is also not specified.
I kinda wanna think this is just a menagerie of catalogue components chosen at will by what people supported by the project (supporting the project?) wanted to ride and was thus included in the lineup?
I'd love to ride the two of those rigs back to back and really compare them along with my current non gb rig. When pigs fly chance I'd say.
Being launched by Probikeshop and given their link with Troika international, the catalog hypothesis seems plausible.
New rocker link, chainstay, and carbon (?) seatstay on the session... Looks like a new front triangle too
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