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.
New rocker link, chainstay, and carbon (?) seatstay on the session... Looks like a new front triangle too
New rocker link, chainstay, and carbon (?) seatstay on the session... Looks like a new front triangle too
seems like they lowered the pivot a bit but the idler seems to be running above the pivot where the current Session has the idler pretty much in-line with the pivot.
also looks like external only routing on the downtube, whereas the current production frame has the option to run internal or external on the top tube. granted something like that could still be added.
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...
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.
It must be true that cast is run by athletes and not by a competent marketing team. Just sad that those proceeds likely will not trickle back to those riders, but instead might need to invest in redoing all their branding if they don't want to run the risk of getting sued by the worlds biggest bicycle manufacturer. Cadex components (high end component brand from Giant group) has a pretty identical logo , and they are making stems, handlebars and tires too... so far they have been focusing on road and gravel but i can't see them being happy with that.
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?
There also appears to be strong Red Bull connection with the seemingly random group of riders. The majority of them are Red Bull athletes, with the exception of Greg and the rest of the Norco race team.
The whole thing seems a bit weirdly executed, from announcement to product line up. I'm curious how it will all go... because the industry DEFINITELY needs another generic alloy handlebar and stem combo🙄.
I am curious about the tires though.... not that I'll ever need a trials specific tire... rather how the tire lineup will evolve around pirelli's own brand, and if there will be competing tire categories down the road, like DH and enduro tires.
Cast seems off to a rough start. The design language is inconsistent between the stems (not including the logos or hash marks) and the bars are just odd with their dimensions. Not implying the parts are crap, but the branding and ID could use a bit more how you say, finesse. I can't really see em journeying into other tires due to potential conflicts of interest with other sponsors. And the grips look like a rehash of others. Aside from a heavy roster of talent, I'm just not seeing any reason to choose their goods over any other brand's.
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?
There also appears to be strong Red Bull connection with the seemingly random group of riders. The majority of them are Red Bull athletes, with the...
There also appears to be strong Red Bull connection with the seemingly random group of riders. The majority of them are Red Bull athletes, with the exception of Greg and the rest of the Norco race team.
The whole thing seems a bit weirdly executed, from announcement to product line up. I'm curious how it will all go... because the industry DEFINITELY needs another generic alloy handlebar and stem combo🙄.
I am curious about the tires though.... not that I'll ever need a trials specific tire... rather how the tire lineup will evolve around pirelli's own brand, and if there will be competing tire categories down the road, like DH and enduro tires.
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?
There also appears to be strong Red Bull connection with the seemingly random group of riders. The majority of them are Red Bull athletes, with the...
There also appears to be strong Red Bull connection with the seemingly random group of riders. The majority of them are Red Bull athletes, with the exception of Greg and the rest of the Norco race team.
The whole thing seems a bit weirdly executed, from announcement to product line up. I'm curious how it will all go... because the industry DEFINITELY needs another generic alloy handlebar and stem combo🙄.
I am curious about the tires though.... not that I'll ever need a trials specific tire... rather how the tire lineup will evolve around pirelli's own brand, and if there will be competing tire categories down the road, like DH and enduro tires.
I already mentioned it a few pages back, but for the RB connection, you just need to look at Tarek Rasouli and his "sell me your soul and 50% of your paycheck and get on Canyon and Red Bull" business model (mostly). Almost all athletes are formerly or currently managed by him. He was at the launch too.
It's all so half assed that it has to be some kind of scheme.
Hit the P2 link a few pages back. Could this be a new banshee? Not aware of anyone else using drop outs like this. Looks to have a pivot point near the axle now.
Hit the P2 link a few pages back. Could this be a new banshee? Not aware of anyone else using drop outs like this. Looks to...
Hit the P2 link a few pages back. Could this be a new banshee? Not aware of anyone else using drop outs like this. Looks to have a pivot point near the axle now.
Hit the P2 link a few pages back. Could this be a new banshee? Not aware of anyone else using drop outs like this. Looks to...
Hit the P2 link a few pages back. Could this be a new banshee? Not aware of anyone else using drop outs like this. Looks to have a pivot point near the axle now.
Does this also mean it's an ebike? Banshee's first?
Hit the P2 link a few pages back. Could this be a new banshee? Not aware of anyone else using drop outs like this. Looks to...
Hit the P2 link a few pages back. Could this be a new banshee? Not aware of anyone else using drop outs like this. Looks to have a pivot point near the axle now.
Hit the P2 link a few pages back. Could this be a new banshee? Not aware of anyone else using drop outs like this. Looks to...
Hit the P2 link a few pages back. Could this be a new banshee? Not aware of anyone else using drop outs like this. Looks to have a pivot point near the axle now.
From a photo from the same website looks like a pivot on the chainstay, unless Banshee has something different coming up the current K2S linkage doesn't have a pivot there. But, they also don't do UDH so the axs derailleur checks out. Would be odd to make an ebike and not be able to spec transmission. Does look very Bansheeish though
Hit the P2 link a few pages back. Could this be a new banshee? Not aware of anyone else using drop outs like this. Looks to...
Hit the P2 link a few pages back. Could this be a new banshee? Not aware of anyone else using drop outs like this. Looks to have a pivot point near the axle now.
From a photo from the same website looks like a pivot on the chainstay, unless Banshee has something different coming up the current K2S linkage doesn't...
From a photo from the same website looks like a pivot on the chainstay, unless Banshee has something different coming up the current K2S linkage doesn't have a pivot there. But, they also don't do UDH so the axs derailleur checks out. Would be odd to make an ebike and not be able to spec transmission. Does look very Bansheeish though
Current ks link doesn’t leave room for a motor. I suspect they are changing their linkage for an e-bike
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
seems like they lowered the pivot a bit but the idler seems to be running above the pivot where the current Session has the idler pretty much in-line with the pivot.
also looks like external only routing on the downtube, whereas the current production frame has the option to run internal or external on the top tube. granted something like that could still be added.
It must be true that cast is run by athletes and not by a competent marketing team. Just sad that those proceeds likely will not trickle back to those riders, but instead might need to invest in redoing all their branding if they don't want to run the risk of getting sued by the worlds biggest bicycle manufacturer. Cadex components (high end component brand from Giant group) has a pretty identical logo , and they are making stems, handlebars and tires too... so far they have been focusing on road and gravel but i can't see them being happy with that.
There also appears to be strong Red Bull connection with the seemingly random group of riders. The majority of them are Red Bull athletes, with the exception of Greg and the rest of the Norco race team.
The whole thing seems a bit weirdly executed, from announcement to product line up. I'm curious how it will all go... because the industry DEFINITELY needs another generic alloy handlebar and stem combo🙄.
I am curious about the tires though.... not that I'll ever need a trials specific tire... rather how the tire lineup will evolve around pirelli's own brand, and if there will be competing tire categories down the road, like DH and enduro tires.
Cast seems off to a rough start. The design language is inconsistent between the stems (not including the logos or hash marks) and the bars are just odd with their dimensions. Not implying the parts are crap, but the branding and ID could use a bit more how you say, finesse. I can't really see em journeying into other tires due to potential conflicts of interest with other sponsors. And the grips look like a rehash of others. Aside from a heavy roster of talent, I'm just not seeing any reason to choose their goods over any other brand's.
Seems like they are Pirelli tires with a CAST logo om them. https://castmtb.com/pages/about-us
I already mentioned it a few pages back, but for the RB connection, you just need to look at Tarek Rasouli and his "sell me your soul and 50% of your paycheck and get on Canyon and Red Bull" business model (mostly). Almost all athletes are formerly or currently managed by him. He was at the launch too.
It's all so half assed that it has to be some kind of scheme.
Hit the P2 link a few pages back. Could this be a new banshee? Not aware of anyone else using drop outs like this. Looks to have a pivot point near the axle now.
Dropouts really look similar, axle seems a bit optimized but is there a pivot on the bottom? Another crab?
good eyes. that does look like a banshee dropout.
Does this also mean it's an ebike? Banshee's first?
Crab link for motor clearance checks out.
Unfortunate for Max snapping his Achilles, blacked out unlabeled frame
From a photo from the same website looks like a pivot on the chainstay, unless Banshee has something different coming up the current K2S linkage doesn't have a pivot there. But, they also don't do UDH so the axs derailleur checks out. Would be odd to make an ebike and not be able to spec transmission. Does look very Bansheeish though
Current ks link doesn’t leave room for a motor. I suspect they are changing their linkage for an e-bike