Nov. 19, 2025

Born in Pisgah: The Cane Creek Story with Doreen O’Malley & Brent Graves

Born in Pisgah: The Cane Creek Story with Doreen O’Malley & Brent Graves

Send us a text What happens when a small North Carolina factory lets the trail—not the spec sheet—make the call? We sit down with Doreen O’Malley and Brent Graves from Cane Creek to unpack 30 years of curiosity, craft, and rider-first design. From rugged Pisgah prototypes to components trusted around the world, they’ve shaped everything from headsets and titanium cranks to the legendary Thudbuster seatpost and Invert Gravel Fork—all designed to make every ride smoother, more controlled, and m...

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Season 1

Send us a text

What happens when a small North Carolina factory lets the trail—not the spec sheet—make the call? We sit down with Doreen O’Malley and Brent Graves from Cane Creek to unpack 30 years of curiosity, craft, and rider-first design.

From rugged Pisgah prototypes to components trusted around the world, they’ve shaped everything from headsets and titanium cranks to the legendary Thudbuster seatpost and Invert Gravel Fork—all designed to make every ride smoother, more controlled, and more fun.

Step inside their Experience Center, see how forks and shocks are hand-built and tested, and hear their vision for a future where cities embrace cycling for everyone—from school bike buses to e-bike family rides.

Mike Andress
Host, Exploration Local
828-551-9065
mike@explorationlocal.com

Podcast Website
Facebook
Instagram: explorationlocal

00:00 - Setting The Story And Guests

02:58 - What Cane Creek Makes And Who They Serve

03:58 - Origins: From Diacompe To Cane Creek

07:44 - Pisgah As Proving Ground

10:40 - Company Reset And Core Values

13:25 - Products Explained In Plain English

18:53 - Gateway Upgrades And Rider Confidence

21:16 - The Invert Gravel Fork: Four Pillars

28:18 - Real-World Handling: Control Over Chatter

31:59 - Experience Center And Factory Craft

37:02 - Hand-Built Calibration And Prototyping

40:31 - The Future Of Cycling In The U.S.

45:20 - Community, Access, And Growing Participation

WEBVTT

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What happens when a small North Carolina factory questions the Mora's better mindset and lets real-world riding call the shots?

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Today we're joined by Doreen O'Malley and Brent Graves from Cane Creek Cycling Components to tell that story.

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It all started in the 1970s when Diacomp moved from Japan to Fletcher during the gas crisis.

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BMX and mountain bike wave were rising during those years, and in 1995, the Cane Creek brand was created as a way to better distinguish Diacomp USA's more innovative products.

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The namechains also rooted them firmly in Pisca.

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That rugged terrain became their proving ground.

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Prototypes left the lab and hit gravel, bumps, and descent to test what spec sheets could never measure.

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Control, comfort, and confidence.

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Along the way, Cane Creek created parts that became legendary.

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And this year, they're celebrating 30 years of curiosity, craft, and rider first invention.

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We'll hear from Doreen and Brent about hands-on testing, their new experience center, and innovations like the Invert Gravel Fork.

00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:06.239
A reminder that listening to riders still drives everything they do.

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Let's dive in.

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You're listening to Exploration Local, a podcast designed to explore and celebrate the people and places that make the Blue Ridge and Southern Appalachian Mountains special and unique.

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My name is Mike Andris, the host of Exploration Local.

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Join us on our journey to explore these mountains and discover how they fuel the spirit of adventure.

00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:36.879
We encourage you to wander far but explore local.

00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:38.000
Let's go.

00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:46.959
Doreen and Brent, I'm thrilled to have you here today to talk about how Cane Creek has been shaping the cycling industry for 30 years here in Western North Carolina.

00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:48.719
Thanks so much for making the trek down.

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Welcome to the show.

00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:50.400
Thanks, Mike.

00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:51.680
We're excited to be here.

00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:58.640
All right, so for listeners who aren't hardcore, either mountain bikers, gravel enthusiasts, or road cyclists, let's start at the beginning.

00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:07.200
And what is the simplest way for someone who hasn't heard of Cane Creek to explain what you do and who Cane Creek is?

00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:14.159
We design and produce, sell, distribute, market premium bicycle parts.

00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:20.960
When I say premium, they could be for the racer, just as well for a commuter in Switzerland, right?

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They're designed to provide additional benefit, whether it be speed, safety, comfort, you name it, to people riding bicycles.

00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:33.439
So that's what we do, make premium aftermarket bicycle parts.

00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:33.919
Nice.

00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:40.960
And something you just alluded to when you said either for the cyclist here or in Switzerland, this isn't just a small regional type of company.

00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:52.800
This is an international company, it sounds like Yes, actually, more than half of our sales are outside of the United States, particularly Central Europe, and we have a good following in Asia as well.

00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:58.639
So we always want to go back to the beginning, if we can, and kind of understand where you came from.

00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:02.240
So I'm really curious to know how did Cane Creek get its start?

00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:07.599
And when did you realize that your company had its own identity in this space?

00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:20.560
So back in the first gas crisis in 1974, so OPEC came to prominence, flexed, flexed its muscle and said, hey, we're gonna squeeze petroleum production.

00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:22.400
And America freaked out.

00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:31.199
I was only about six years old, and I remember lines literally a mile or two at the gas station with people with gas cans in hand, right?

00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:37.039
And overnight the sales of bicycles doubled in America.

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And it was this Japanese company called Die Cump, it's been around since the 30s, that made quality brakes for major brands.

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Back then, brands were like Schwinn, Huffy, Murray, Columbia, and those brands had factories in America.

00:03:53.439 --> 00:04:01.840
So the Japanese company, DieCump, decided they wanted to be closer to the hottest market in the world at that time, which was the U.S.

00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:07.280
How they landed in Fletcher, North Carolina in 1974, I couldn't tell you.

00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:07.759
All right.

00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:10.319
There wasn't not even an airport then.

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Wow.

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But there was some railway nearby, which I understand was a piece of it.

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But like I said, there were bike factories.

00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:20.000
Murray had a factory in Tennessee.

00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:22.720
Obviously, Chicago was a home with Schwinn.

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Uh Huffy had a number of factories, uh, Columbia.

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So they built this factory starting in 1974.

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They shipped machinery over from Japan to truly build a factory.

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They erected the walls and everything.

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We're still on that same site in the same major main building that was completed in 75.

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Wow.

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So the company was supplying parts of those bike brands of those factories.

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And then come the 80s and this thing called BMX.

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And the Americans that worked in the company were telling the Japanese counterparts, hey, this BMX thing is pretty cool.

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We should make some parts.

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And the Japanese were pretty conservative.

00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:05.040
They said, no, we know our thing.

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We make these kind of brakes for these kind of bikes.

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But eventually the Americans convinced them and they made some BMX product, primarily brakes and brake levers.

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And when I was a kid, it was something to lust over.

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Wow.

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I never even got those.

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I couldn't afford them.

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And the same story happened again in the mid to late 80s with mountain bikes.

00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:32.879
They became popular, and the American team convinced the the Japanese to develop some mountain bike products.

00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:41.439
And this continued on in early 90s, where there became more of a um, let's call it some friction between the two companies.

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And it was decided to split the companies.

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And the US was renamed Die Cup USA and was taken ownership by two of the employees.

00:05:54.079 --> 00:05:59.439
And that continued uh through the nineties, major mountain biking uh boom.

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And in 1995, the company here in Fletcher was uh developing the first product here.

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Okay.

00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:14.160
Not relying on the Japanese engineering and and development lab and so forth.

00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:16.319
It was a rear shock for a mountain bike.

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And they decided to call it Kane Creek to really tie into the local scene and right across the street from us is Cane Creek.

00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:24.800
That's right.

00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:35.120
And the next year they decided that it was smart to take that one step further to rename the company because there was a lot of confusion.

00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:43.600
At this time, I was working for a bike company, and the salesperson from Diacump, USA, was coming to me going, you know, die comp this, die comp that.

00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:44.800
I'm going, which which die comp?

00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:49.600
Japan, USA, and it's oh, we're changing our name to Cane Creek.

00:06:49.839 --> 00:06:51.759
So that happened in 1996.

00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:55.199
Didn't you tell him that that was the stupidest idea you've ever heard?

00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:56.240
That that's true.

00:06:56.319 --> 00:06:56.560
Yes.

00:06:56.639 --> 00:07:04.959
Peter Gilbert uh retired just a few years ago, employee at Cane Creek for like 35 years, one of the nicest guys you'll ever ever meet.

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He was calling on me.

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I was a product manager designing bikes and specing parts, going, Oh, we're gonna use this seat, this brake, and so forth.

00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:16.800
And he came to me and said, Hey, yeah, here's our new product line for next year.

00:07:16.959 --> 00:07:20.160
I'll send you samples, here's our price list, and by the way, we're changing our name.

00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:22.240
And I said, That's the stupidest.

00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:25.040
I won't use the exact wording but idea I've ever heard.

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Diet comp is legendary.

00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:29.040
Why would you change the diet from the die comp name?

00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:33.040
Well, obviously it made sense, and uh that happened in 96.

00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:40.319
So when we talk about 30 years, we talk about 30 years of the Cane Creek Company name.

00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:44.240
But actually, we've been an ongoing concern for 50 years, right?

00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:49.279
Uh making bike parts uh in that in that factory since 1975.

00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:50.639
Oh, that's amazing.

00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:58.000
One of the things when you look at Cane Creek that really kind of comes through is this idea of born in Piscah.

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From what I understand from really hardcore bikers, even the people who go out west and come back here, um, some of this area is not for the faint of heart.

00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:07.759
Uh now there's something for everybody to ride here.

00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:12.560
Help us understand how you kind of tapped into that Pisgah-born whole ethos.

00:08:13.120 --> 00:08:14.160
Yeah, you're right, Mike.

00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:15.360
There's something for everybody.

00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:22.800
And people also generally think of mountain biking first, but the road riding here when you get out of Asheville proper is fantastic.

00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:29.839
I mean, yeah, you might think of the parkway or whatever, but north, northwest of Asheville towards Tennessee, Irwin, Tennessee, and so forth.

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There are just fantastic back roads for road riding.

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And I say this because I've had the great fortune of living in some areas with some great riding.

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Southern California, Northern California, Switzerland, traveled a lot, and the riding here, road and mountain biking, is just fabulous.

00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:55.840
But to your question, there are a number of things that we we started to uh uncover, if you will, about 10 years ago.

00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:05.279
The company had gone, was going through a very, very difficult time financially, made some missteps, missed timed the market, had some product that wasn't as good as it should be.

00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:10.960
And so we had to re basically restart and and yeah, save the company.

00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:15.600
And so we were like doing some soul searching, you know, who are we, what are we?

00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:18.559
And it wasn't a matter of coming up with a story or whatever.

00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:19.679
The pieces were there.

00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:23.919
We were like archaeological archaeologists, you know, dusting off, oh, yes.

00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:27.279
We have always been about craftsmanship.

00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:34.720
When I was at that bike company I mentioned, you know, looking at the product from from the outside, I saw the craftsmanship craftsmanship.

00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:43.600
The brand has always been about being an alternative, doing something a little different than the big guys, because in the grand scheme of things, we're a pretty small company.

00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:52.399
There are a number of billion-dollar, multi-billion dollar uh bicycle parts makers out there, and we're a fraction of that size.

00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:58.320
So we look at ourselves as trying to offer something a little different, a little better, something the big guys can't or won't do, right?

00:09:58.480 --> 00:09:59.919
But that was always there.

00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:01.360
We didn't come up with this.

00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:02.879
We just said, hey, yeah.

00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:05.120
We've been there, we just didn't put a word to it.

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Right.

00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:06.480
So alternative.

00:10:06.639 --> 00:10:08.559
And then authenticity, right?

00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:13.519
Being here 50 years, making the product, designing all the stuff ourselves and so forth.

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That was something we dusted off.

00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:20.240
And then as we got deeper into it, we got, hmm, what about our local surroundings?

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Right?

00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:22.000
Not just in this building, right?

00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:23.840
What we do, but our local surroundings.

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And as you said, people come here from all over.

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It's more of a destination point now, not just from Atlanta or Charlotte or Florida.

00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:33.840
But we just had people in from Brooklyn last week doing a factory tour.

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Amazing.

00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:34.879
Right.

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Uh and they were down for riding and so forth.

00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:38.879
So the riding area, right?

00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:48.480
We go, we actually make the prototypes, put them on our bikes, go out to trails and roads and so forth, and put time on them.

00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:52.240
And that's in addition to our lab testing, which is really, really critical.

00:10:52.480 --> 00:11:02.639
But the the roads and trails here truly are, you know, the crucible, if you will, of the development process to make sure they do what they are intended to do.

00:11:02.799 --> 00:11:12.000
You can check off boxes in the lab and on the on the spec sheet on your on your Excel sheet and so forth, and then you can have this product in your hand and you say, Well, okay, big deal.

00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:13.360
What do you bring to the table?

00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:15.039
How's it different or better than anyone else?

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Why should someone buy this?

00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:16.879
Right.

00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:23.840
But when you ride it and you live with it on these trails and on these roads, then you go, yeah, I feel good about this, right?

00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:29.039
And if I feel good about it, if you're not feeling good about it, how do you expect riders to feel good about it?

00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:29.519
Right.

00:11:30.159 --> 00:11:30.720
Wow.

00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:32.399
Doreen, that's impressive.

00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:33.759
And you lead a lot of rides too.

00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:35.279
Anything you want to kind of add in there?

00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:39.440
To talk about the gravel here in the western North Carolina area, right?

00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:44.879
We're looking at a lot of gravel, calling ourselves the gravel capital of the east over here.

00:11:45.200 --> 00:11:45.519
Nice.

00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:46.159
Mm-hmm.

00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:53.840
So there's a lot of product that we do that also complements our gravel folks, the invert being one of them.

00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:56.240
The inverted front fork, yeah.

00:11:56.799 --> 00:12:04.399
That part is the part that really has my attention because I uh I enjoy a lot of outdoor sports and I only have but so much money to spread out.

00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:07.200
And I have a mountain bike that uh I think I share with you.

00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:10.000
I've been riding a hardtail Gary Fisher uh for years.

00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:19.360
It gets me around, but the gravel definitely has my attention because I feel like when it's uh rainy and you can't get out on the trails, you have so much more to do.

00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:22.240
And to your point, Brent, they are everywhere.

00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:27.519
We are just inundated with just amazing gravel trails and routes here in these forests.

00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:35.120
Yes, like you guys said at the beginning, we have something for everybody, no matter what level you're at, no matter what kind of riding you do.

00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:40.399
I spoke to someone recently, she said, Well, I ride my bike, but I wouldn't call myself a cyclist.

00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:52.320
And that's something that we really need to be conscious of is yes, I ride my bike, but I'm not one of those people that you'd say, Oh, I'm bombing downhill and I need to get into it.

00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:53.360
And what do we call them?

00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:54.240
Enthusiasts.

00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:55.200
Enthusiasts, yes.

00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:57.519
That's a tough word to come up with enthusiasts.

00:12:57.840 --> 00:12:58.480
Hey.

00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:01.039
After a certain age, forget words.

00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:07.600
But to pick up on that, I mentioned 10 years ago we had to to you know turn the company around.

00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:14.559
And one thing I found out quickly is I had to write the company name up on a whiteboard.

00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:17.519
Kane Creek Cycling Components.

00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:24.320
Okay, doesn't say anything about mountain bike or BMX or road or gravel or track or cycle cross or right?

00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:26.639
Cycling components.

00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:34.000
And at that time we were really fixated on extreme gravity slash downhill mountain biking.

00:13:34.159 --> 00:13:40.399
We had a huge legacy, and what was paying the bills most of those decades were all those other bike parts.

00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:44.559
So we had to remember who we were and not just be focused.

00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:49.200
Didn't mean we gave up on making great downhill-oriented mountain bike shocks.

00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:52.879
No, but we were letting all this other stuff die, right?

00:13:53.200 --> 00:14:00.320
And that's really what fueled the company turnaround was broadening, reopening our perspective on those other components.

00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:01.600
People ask, well, what are you?

00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:09.840
I said, we make cycling components and we will make design whatever we feel like there's an opportunity to make better.

00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:11.840
And if it's in gravel, that's where we are.

00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:13.440
If it's in mountain bike, that's where we are.

00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:15.919
So we're not predisposed to be in one versus another.

00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:16.720
I love that.

00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:21.919
Well, it expands your market for sure of who you're gonna reach out to and who your users can be.

00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:29.759
But as we were walking into the factory from the experience center that we're gonna talk about here in a minute, one of the things that I noticed was that saying that was on your wall.

00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:31.759
And I'm gonna read it because I don't want to mess it up.

00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:33.279
I think it was your vision and purpose.

00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:38.320
It says, we believe riding bikes makes life better, so we work to make bikes better.

00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:51.840
And I think that really kind of dovetails into what you're talking about because it's not just these one percenters, it's not just the ultra-enthusiast, it's really kind of capturing a much broader market from or from what I'm hearing.

00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:54.720
Yes, it's it's as simple as it sounds, right?

00:14:54.879 --> 00:15:04.320
I mean, really, whether it's physically, emotionally, psychologically, riding a bicycle is just healthy and it's good for the world.

00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:05.120
Yeah.

00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:06.480
It really is.

00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:17.679
We just came from a um a convention or conference actually in Bentonville and heard this guy speak, uh, and he's the founder of what's it called, bike bus.

00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:19.039
Yeah, the bike bus.

00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:19.919
Bike bus.

00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:23.039
And it's just fantastic, right?

00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:30.879
He just started riding bikes, riding uh helping kids ride bikes to school in the morning, right?

00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:39.039
And they go in a little caravan and they've got, you know, adults around to keep them corralled and do intersections and all this.

00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:50.639
And it was so awesome to see these kids ride their bikes to school, and it's now or it has been um growing to other cities and they call on him for advice and so forth.

00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:53.840
But just a great example of of the power of the bicycle, right?

00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:57.679
Again, congestion, environment, health, right?

00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:00.879
And for most people, it's pretty freaking fun.

00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:01.919
Yes, right.

00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:20.399
So if we can find ways to to improve the bicycle, like I said earlier, it doesn't matter if you're about speed or comfort or just ride longer or feel more confident and safer, whatever it is, we want to make the bike better because we meet believe that riding bikes for everybody is better.

00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:23.919
You know, just a small story about that.

00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:29.679
We a couple weeks ago, my wife and I and my dad, we got my mom and dad some e-bikes.

00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:34.720
I may have told you this, Doreen, but it has just brought joy back to them just to see them moving.

00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:36.159
And so they're out riding again.

00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:40.080
But my and so we did 20 miles and on an e-bike, that doesn't sound like a whole lot.

00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:46.399
But my but my brother, um, he has a friend who has a bike shop uh in Charlotte, and so he borrowed his bike.

00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:50.159
And so he did the and he hasn't been on a bike in a a while.

00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:53.919
So he does the full 20 miles with us out and back when he got off.

00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:58.240
He looked like he sent us a meme that he was like a baby giraffe trying to walk and he couldn't get his legs.

00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:06.960
But it was, we're still talking about it two weeks later about how much fun that particular trip was, and it was all directly related to getting on bikes and pedaling.

00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:12.559
And love hearing about schools in Bentonville, Arkansas that are finding ways to make that accessible to the kids.

00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:13.359
I wish we had.

00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:15.440
My wife and I keep talking about this road right here.

00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:19.359
We wish there was more sidewalks so our kids could actually that kids could actually ride the bike.

00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:21.200
We do have a bike bus in Asheville.

00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:21.680
Do we?

00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:22.000
Mm-hmm.

00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:26.160
Asheville on Bikes has definitely gotten on the bike bus movement.

00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:26.720
Okay.

00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:32.319
And then with the Asheville on paved trails that will be coming too, we should be able to get more kids out on natural surface trails.

00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:32.960
Oh, I love it.

00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:34.480
In the future, I love that.

00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:35.759
That's so good.

00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:42.640
So we've been talking about components, and I'm sure that people who are customers of Cane Creek they will know these components we're talking about.

00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:48.640
But for people who might not be familiar, what are those components that you all focus on that you all make and manufacture out of here?

00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:54.319
We make pretty much every part on the bicycle except for seats and tires.

00:17:54.480 --> 00:18:00.079
Uh we make the headset, which is your steering bearing set.

00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:11.599
That's something that uh really put us on the map because we uh had a patent for design that revolutionized bicycles beginning in around 1990 or 91.

00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:16.160
I would say most people do know us for the headset because it came standard on a lot of bikes.

00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:18.319
Depending on your vintage, yeah.

00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:20.240
Uh cranks.

00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:23.279
Um the cranks are the lever arms that hold the pedals.

00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:27.039
So when you push on the pedals, they actually direct your energy into the sprockets.

00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:34.240
We make sprockets, we make uh the bottom bracket bearings, that's the bearings that are in your frame that when you turn the pedals, they turn.

00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:42.160
We make rear shock absorbers for mountain bikes, we make front forks, which are front suspension forks for mountain bikes, we make handlebar stems.

00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:49.519
Uh, we make some unique handlebar stems that actually have a little mechanism that provides some shock absorption.

00:18:49.680 --> 00:19:00.079
They're not like a full-off mount full-on mountain bike product, but for people riding gravel, as we mentioned earlier, or rougher back roads, it takes the edge off because let's not deny it.

00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:03.119
Generally, when you climb on a bike for the first time, you're not comfortable.

00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:03.519
Yeah.

00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:04.079
Right?

00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:17.359
And a lot of that is you're not accustomed to it, but the fit, being bent over, all these different things, and there are a lot of products and adjustments now that can reduce that barrier, if you will, way down.

00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:23.200
And the more we bring it down and the less intimidating we make it, the more people will ride.

00:19:23.359 --> 00:19:26.720
Another item is the uh C post that holds your seat.

00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:31.759
We have a post that's called, I didn't come up with this name, called the Thudbuster.

00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:36.480
And we actually uh worked with the inventor back in the 90s.

00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:41.119
He developed it for performance mountain biking because this was before full suspension mountain bikes.

00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:47.599
Before you had shock absorbers on your mountain bike, he came up with a design to put a small shock absorber underneath your seat.

00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:54.640
Now, when suspension finally came around in the form of full suspension on mountain bikes, then this was obsolete.

00:19:54.880 --> 00:20:05.599
But it hung around and hung around until, particularly in Europe, they started using on commuter bikes because they ride bike paths and cobblestones and so forth until it took on a whole new life.

00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:10.480
And now it's one of our biggest selling products to the tune of hundreds of thousands of units.

00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:14.960
And it just has this little shock absorber, very simple, that takes the edge off.

00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:17.279
So you're riding, go over railroad tracks or something.

00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:19.039
It's just nice and smooth, right?

00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:26.480
And they're most of those that we sell now go onto e-bikes, computers that are e um e-bikes.

00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:27.119
Nice.

00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:30.000
It does make a difference when you're going over some of the terrain.

00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:34.960
It's just the you know, the difference of your feeling like your eyes can't focus to it kind of smooths out a little bit.

00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:35.759
Absolutely.

00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:36.880
That's the thing, right?

00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:47.279
You want to increase a rider's confidence, no matter what their skill level or what their aims are, the more confidence they have, the more comfortable they're going to be mentally and physically, right?

00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:52.480
So we talked, thank you for sharing all the products that you guys have.

00:20:52.720 --> 00:21:02.559
If somebody was to kind of become a Cane Creek customer for the first time, is there like a signature component that you would want them?

00:21:02.720 --> 00:21:06.640
And that may be kind of a loaded question because there's so many different ways to ride.

00:21:06.720 --> 00:21:07.519
I know that.

00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:12.799
But it like what would be a good introductory component for somebody?

00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:15.519
Well, it depends on which way you're coming into it.

00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:22.720
If you come in from the mountain biking side and the performance mountain biking side, we have a crank uh that I mentioned earlier.

00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:24.400
It's made out of titanium.

00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:29.759
And it's it's literally, even after only a decade in production, it's it's iconic.

00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:41.200
I have we have had people from the inside the bike industry, bicycle designers, engineers, product managers call us and say, Hey, Brent, I want one of those.

00:21:41.359 --> 00:21:42.319
I'll pay for it.

00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:47.119
I can get anything I want from the other brands for free, but I want to buy your crankset.

00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:47.599
Wow.

00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:58.880
And that's that's really like the high if you're in the industry, that's like the highest praise when people that can get and have anything say, I want yours, right?

00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:10.880
So if you're coming from that perspective, on the other hand, if you're just riding in Bent Creek on dirt roads and you're on an e-bike, that Thudbuster I mentioned earlier could be your gateway.

00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:16.799
Gravel, we have what we refer to as the world's first gravel fork, the invert.

00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:23.680
Um, it's more of a lightweight, dare I say, performance product, not so much your gateway product.

00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:26.880
But again, it just depends on which door you're coming through.

00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:30.400
Uh and we have products too that are are very basic.

00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:37.759
We have a simple computer mount that's like sixty, sixty-nine, seventy-nine dollars that offers adjustment that other mounts don't have.

00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:48.720
And you can put your your computer there, you can put a camera or light underneath it, and it doesn't encroach on your hand space, on your handlebars, and it's yeah, like I said, affordable.

00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:58.400
I'd say the suspension seat post and the suspension stem, especially if you're coming at it to just do gravel and you're on one of those you're on an older hardtail.

00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:01.279
I want to keep your old steel bike, just make it a little softer.

00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:01.920
Yeah, yeah.

00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:04.160
Suspension seat post and the suspension stem.

00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:05.759
All right, adding it to the list.

00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:08.559
Family, if you're listening, Christmas is right around the corner.

00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:09.599
I would love to.

00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:16.000
The one thing I'd love to talk about a little bit more is this invert, because this was a very new concept to me.

00:23:16.079 --> 00:23:20.880
And I know when we were in the Experience Center, you were very, very, very proud of that, Doreen.

00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:27.039
And I love for you guys to kind of unpack that a little bit more for folks who may not be aware of what this little invert fork is.

00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:29.359
That that's a that's a good story.

00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:30.720
Really good story.

00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:38.400
We have this huge heritage in mountain bike suspension, and our suspension is for the enthusiast.

00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:46.319
It has all these adjustments, and to get the most out of it, you need to spend time trying different adjustments out to see what works best for you.

00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:52.880
And so when we started talking about doing a suspension fork for gravel bikes, it was just natural.

00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:57.599
You should put all that technology, all that sophistication into the gravel fork, right?

00:23:57.680 --> 00:23:58.720
That's just what we should do.

00:23:58.880 --> 00:24:00.319
That's what people expect.

00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:06.960
And some of us were, we don't know if that's the best route.

00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:07.759
Why?

00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:14.000
Well, we see a lot of gravel riders as people that are looking just to ride a bicycle.

00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:18.400
They don't see themselves doing big jumps in a full face helmet.

00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:24.799
They don't see them themselves, you know, riding a road bike against all the traffic or or whatnot and shaving their legs.

00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:27.039
They go, I just want to ride a bike, right?

00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:31.599
And gravel riding has opened that up to a lot of people.

00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:36.400
Riding back roads that are all choppy, maybe that dead end or turn into gravel, whatnot.

00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:37.920
They're away from cars.

00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:42.799
It's just more of a uh sense of freedom, adventure, maybe even escape.

00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:55.759
And with that in mind, we're the question was why would we put all this sophistication, complexity, weight, cost into the gravel fork if people just want to go out and ride and have a good time?

00:24:56.079 --> 00:25:13.359
So to test that theory, we actually built some prototype forks, and we set up some test um sessions, and we had both internal riders, employees, and some external people, local riders, bicycle shop employees, and so forth.

00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:25.440
And we set up a very, as much as you can, a structural structured test where it was a 20-minute loop with some gravel roads and a small walking trail, not for mountain bikes, but you could ride a gravel bike on it.

00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:32.000
And then after every lap, the engineers would interview them and try to quantify what they're feeling.

00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:34.160
But they didn't know what was inside the forks.

00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:34.720
Oh.

00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:45.440
So we had some forks that had sophisticated sophisticated damping, hydraulic damping, like our mountain bike suspension does, some without it, some with an airspring, some with a coil spring.

00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:57.440
And at the end of the day, with such a limited amount of travel, suspension movement, they could not tell when we had the sophisticated damping inside and when we didn't.

00:25:57.759 --> 00:26:06.000
And so it's wow, if they can't tell, if it's not providing a real benefit to them, why are we gonna add cost, weight, and complexity?

00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:06.559
Why?

00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:09.279
Well, because that's just what you do, right?

00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:11.440
You're always gonna add more, right?

00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:13.039
If you don't, your competitor will.

00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:13.680
Right.

00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:19.200
And we had a real challenge, you know, coming to Jesus kind of moment, like what are we doing here?

00:26:19.279 --> 00:26:27.119
Are we really, you know, walking the talk and saying we don't do product unless it really is authentic and provides real rider benefit?

00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:29.200
If that's the case, then don't put it in there.

00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:32.319
And so we didn't.

00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:35.680
And that was the cornerstone of this invert fork.

00:26:35.839 --> 00:26:37.519
Invert meaning upside down.

00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:43.519
So traditional suspension on all mountain bikes and gravel bikes, if they have a suspension fork.

00:26:43.920 --> 00:26:50.960
The moving portion, uh, the lower legs is usually the outer side, outer section.

00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:56.160
And with an invert fork, you flip it upside down and the smaller sections on the bottom.

00:26:56.480 --> 00:27:00.880
It uh provides some benefits that uh really speak to gravel bikes.

00:27:00.960 --> 00:27:03.839
One, it's visually integrates well to the bicycle.

00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:13.119
And we heard time and time again all around the country when we talked to people about putting suspension on their gravel bikes, they said, I don't want a mountain bike fork on my on my bike.

00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:15.680
It doesn't I don't want a mountain bike, I don't need it.

00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:18.480
And we dug into that deeper and they didn't like the look.

00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:20.559
Wasn't the function of it?

00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:22.799
Well, part of it was a function, it was too much.

00:27:23.039 --> 00:27:23.200
Okay.

00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:29.920
It was too much, it was too much weight, it was too much complexity, it was too much aggressive look, it didn't look right.

00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:34.319
And sometimes when something doesn't look right, you have to say, hmm, maybe it's not right.

00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:45.920
So going through this process, we identified four key what we call pillars that we felt like were really intrinsic to gra for for most gravel riders.

00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:47.039
One is simplicity.

00:27:47.119 --> 00:27:51.839
Like I said earlier, they just want to get out and ride, away from cars, not doing crazy stunts, right?

00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:52.240
Just ride.

00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:53.359
So keep it simple.

00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:55.759
The other is lightweight, right?

00:27:55.839 --> 00:28:01.839
It is a drop bar bike, and weight's always important because even with a motor, you're still doing work, right?

00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:04.400
A third is the aesthetic.

00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:09.279
Like I said, we heard people say, I don't want a mountain bike fork, it just doesn't look right.

00:28:09.680 --> 00:28:09.839
Right?

00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:14.880
And the fourth is offering true suspension benefit in terms of control and comfort.

00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:15.440
Okay.

00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:21.920
So each one of those things had been delivered by other brands for several years.

00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:31.039
And arguably some brands had maybe delivered two or of those uh pillars, but no one had delivered all four in one product.

00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:31.440
Wow.

00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:35.200
Keeping it simple, really visually tying it in, right?

00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:38.319
Offering true suspension performance and keeping it lightweight.

00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:42.000
So I said, you know what, guys, this is the world's first mountain bike fork.

00:28:42.079 --> 00:28:43.200
And oh no, we can't say that.

00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:46.079
We can't say that because brand X had this and brand Y had that.

00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:48.720
I said, Yeah, but they didn't speak to these four pillars.

00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:49.839
Do we believe these four pillars?

00:28:49.920 --> 00:28:50.799
Do we really believe them?

00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:55.039
Then when we believe them, go out there and proclaim it, right?

00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:57.759
In the very least, it's just start a dialogue.

00:28:57.839 --> 00:28:59.440
And people go, how can you say that?

00:28:59.599 --> 00:29:00.240
Here's why.

00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:04.160
You just open the door to give me an opportunity to explain why, right?

00:29:04.319 --> 00:29:05.279
So we did that.

00:29:05.440 --> 00:29:07.359
And we still get some pushback so forth.

00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:08.319
I said, great.

00:29:08.640 --> 00:29:15.359
That gives us an opportunity to have some dialogue on why this is the world's first gravel fort and why it's best for most people.

00:29:15.599 --> 00:29:16.559
They just go out and ride.

00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:18.079
Yeah, if you're a racer, that's great.

00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:19.039
Okay, it worked for you.

00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:26.000
And yeah, if you're doing this underbiking, trying to ride your gravel bike on steep, technical, downhill trails, that's fine.

00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:26.640
You can do that.

00:29:26.799 --> 00:29:35.440
But for the majority of people, just getting out and trying to get away from cars and explore, be out of nature, get some exercise so forth, this is for you.

00:29:35.680 --> 00:29:36.400
Oh, that's great.

00:29:36.559 --> 00:29:37.759
So I'm that category.

00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:39.039
That I mean, that would be me.

00:29:39.200 --> 00:29:43.519
And so what I'll do is I'll go just down the road, I'll go into North Mills River.

00:29:43.680 --> 00:29:46.960
And uh if that gate's closed, um, I just kind of go around that.

00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:48.240
I mean, you can, you can ride, right?

00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:52.880
But so I try to climb to the top, usually and go through the switchbacks and then kind of bomb down.

00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:56.799
When I say bomb down, this is Mike's you know, 57 year old bombing down.

00:29:57.039 --> 00:29:59.759
But um, but I still kind of experience some of that.

00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:02.880
Same thing going through the gravel, and you probably can't get rid of it entirely.

00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:05.039
But would this fork really kind of mitigate?

00:30:05.200 --> 00:30:05.440
Okay.

00:30:05.680 --> 00:30:07.759
Are you talking about riding up uh towards the parkway?

00:30:07.920 --> 00:30:08.240
Yeah, yeah.

00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:09.200
To the bridge and back down?

00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:09.759
Yes, yes.

00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:12.960
That's that's like the gravel riding, right?

00:30:13.200 --> 00:30:17.359
That's what we define as you know the riding for this type of fork.

00:30:17.839 --> 00:30:20.880
Crushed shale if you're in Florida or roads or whatnot.

00:30:21.039 --> 00:30:22.720
But taking away the chatter.

00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:23.279
Yes.

00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:23.839
Yeah.

00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:28.480
And does that chatter also affect the the steering?

00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:34.319
So you kind of feel like you're you're kind of staying more to the ground than the chatter just kind of flapping, I'm imagining.

00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:34.799
Right.

00:30:34.880 --> 00:30:38.799
So when you're coming down from the parkway on that that that gravel road, right?

00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:46.400
You start to go into a corner and you have the braking butts or the braking bumps or road uh rain ruts, right?

00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:48.319
And so what do you do, right?

00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:50.720
You grab your brakes, you tinch up, right?

00:30:50.880 --> 00:30:55.200
Yeah, and you just turn into this rigid structure and you're going, this is no fun, your eyeballs are bouncing around your head.

00:30:55.440 --> 00:30:55.759
That's me.

00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:59.359
And you feel like, hey, you feel like you're on marbles, right?

00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:00.480
Yes, yes, yes, yes.

00:31:00.720 --> 00:31:04.480
So there's always gonna be some aspect of that, varying speeds.

00:31:04.559 --> 00:31:11.279
Uh, but when you put on suspension, it changes dramatically, where you can go in there and go, oh, you know what?

00:31:11.440 --> 00:31:12.880
I can stay on that line.

00:31:12.960 --> 00:31:15.680
I don't feel like I'm gonna have my tires wash out.

00:31:15.839 --> 00:31:20.799
I have control, I'm not tensing up because you your body is your best form of suspension.

00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:27.119
Beyond any shock or fork you put on any bike, your arms and legs are the best suspension for your body.

00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:29.920
So when you lock up, and which is natural, right?

00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:33.599
You just freeze, uh holding on tight, that makes it worse.

00:31:33.839 --> 00:31:36.480
The very thing you're trying to avoid, you're just compounding.

00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:39.759
So when you have the fork, it actually snowballs the other way.

00:31:39.920 --> 00:31:42.880
You feel a little more comfortable, you don't tense up.

00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:50.960
Now you have your arms and legs providing a suspension, and you actually can carry your speed more safely, controllably through that corner and down the hill.

00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:51.759
Amazing.

00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:52.480
Yeah.

00:31:52.640 --> 00:31:54.799
Okay, that's the second thing from my list.

00:31:55.119 --> 00:31:56.880
We've got the thud buster and the invert.

00:31:57.200 --> 00:32:01.599
Dang it, but we're gonna have to cut this episode off because all of a sudden I'm gonna be in the No, I'm just kidding.

00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:11.839
All right, so uh we talked about the the Experience Center, and I don't want to kind of bypass that because uh unfortunately I wasn't able to make it to your 30-year celebration and it was in the Experience Center.

00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:22.319
You were thoughtful to have me over and tour the plant, and it is amazing, both and just how it sort of shares the whole story, the color schemes, the product that's out there, everything.

00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:27.200
Tell me about the Experience Center Doreen and who can come in and when can they come in?

00:32:27.359 --> 00:32:28.160
Check it out.

00:32:28.480 --> 00:32:31.839
The Experience Center was actually our old cafeteria.

00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:35.599
So the building was built, as Brent mentioned, in 74, 75.

00:32:36.079 --> 00:32:40.240
And literally we had the tables and chairs in there from 1974.

00:32:40.400 --> 00:32:47.599
And over the past few years, we thought maybe we should open an experience center somewhere else, a little closer to trails.

00:32:47.759 --> 00:32:50.880
And one of our employees said, Why don't we use the cafeteria?

00:32:51.039 --> 00:32:54.960
It's 800 square feet of space, and nobody uses the cafeteria.

00:32:55.119 --> 00:32:57.359
So we thought that was a brilliant idea.

00:32:57.920 --> 00:33:01.920
So we transformed that cafeteria into the experience center.

00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:11.359
And what the experience center is, is a museum of what we've done over the last 50 years, along with a retail center, along with a coffee bar.

00:33:11.680 --> 00:33:16.319
And you can come into the experience center Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.

00:33:16.559 --> 00:33:17.599
till 5 p.m.

00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:20.640
Yeah, and that's what the Experience Center became.

00:33:20.799 --> 00:33:38.319
And we actually had it happened during the hurricane that we were doing this, and Josh Whitmore with Mountain Bike Skills Factories actually came in and did some of the work for us because he obviously couldn't work out on the trails and he's used to building things, so he came in and helped us out with the transformation.

00:33:38.559 --> 00:33:38.799
Nice.

00:33:38.960 --> 00:33:39.279
Yeah.

00:33:39.440 --> 00:33:40.720
Well, it tells a beautiful story.

00:33:40.880 --> 00:33:41.119
Thanks.

00:33:41.279 --> 00:33:56.240
Uh yeah, you're welcome from the aesthetics to the product that's out there, and definitely for somebody like myself or somebody who may not be, you know, as versed in some of these high-end alternative performance components, it allows you to really kind of dive in and kind of understand what this is all about.

00:33:56.480 --> 00:33:56.720
Yeah.

00:33:56.799 --> 00:34:04.160
And the gentleman that works in the experience center is an enthusiast of bicycle parts, and he can tell you about anything from A to Z.

00:34:04.400 --> 00:34:05.759
Me, not so much.

00:34:06.160 --> 00:34:12.079
I'm more of the I'll tell you why I don't want that, but I can't tell you why it works so well.

00:34:12.400 --> 00:34:12.639
Yeah.

00:34:12.800 --> 00:34:13.039
Yeah.

00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:17.039
But he's also not just an enthusiast of parts, he's an enthusiast of people.

00:34:17.280 --> 00:34:24.880
He loves to try to find solutions to people's problems or or help them out.

00:34:25.039 --> 00:34:28.880
I mean, he has patience to the end of time that I don't have.

00:34:29.199 --> 00:34:29.760
Yeah.

00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:31.039
So he's great at that.

00:34:31.119 --> 00:34:36.559
I mean, you you can go into traditional bike shops and find someone knowledgeable, but you're not getting helped.

00:34:36.800 --> 00:34:37.119
Yeah.

00:34:37.280 --> 00:34:37.519
Right?

00:34:37.599 --> 00:34:40.079
It's intimidating and it's a different language and so forth.

00:34:40.239 --> 00:34:43.360
And the gentleman we're talking about, Craig, he's the opposite that.

00:34:43.599 --> 00:34:45.199
He is he's a Boy Scout.

00:34:45.360 --> 00:34:45.599
Nice.

00:34:45.760 --> 00:34:47.599
And he's fantastic at the at the job.

00:34:47.840 --> 00:34:54.000
But going back to the word you mentioned a moment ago, understanding, we had been doing factory tours for several years.

00:34:54.159 --> 00:35:00.559
And people would come in and they would see shocks being built or forks being built, and they really didn't know what they were looking at.

00:35:00.880 --> 00:35:03.280
All these small parts and subassemblies.

00:35:03.519 --> 00:35:10.400
And we also didn't have a way, if someone said, Hey, I want to buy a shock or even a t-shirt, we didn't have a way to satisfy that, right?

00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:17.440
So that was another piece of the Experience Center was encapsulating all we do out there, and they can say, Oh, that's what this is.

00:35:17.599 --> 00:35:22.159
So you walk in the Experience Center, you can see the products, do the factory tool, or vice versa.

00:35:22.480 --> 00:35:26.400
And we try to show how the products are used.

00:35:26.559 --> 00:35:33.360
You know, I'm in gravel here, all the products that are apple to gravel or mountain biking and so forth, in addition to the history wall.

00:35:33.519 --> 00:35:37.519
And the story I just told you about the invert development, we have that on a wall.

00:35:37.599 --> 00:35:43.679
So you can see that original pro one of the original prototypes and some of the stages of development on how we got to the end product.

00:35:44.480 --> 00:35:45.119
I love that.

00:35:45.280 --> 00:35:46.320
I absolutely love that.

00:35:46.559 --> 00:35:59.360
And we don't have to go into a full thing about your your the the inside of the shop, but one of the things that really got my attention was that once we left the experience center and we started through that factory tour, we started to see these little workspaces.

00:35:59.599 --> 00:36:04.000
And even the people that we could talk to in these workspaces loved talking to people.

00:36:04.159 --> 00:36:05.920
They loved talking about their products.

00:36:06.079 --> 00:36:13.199
But one of the things that really stuck out to me and still does is the fact that it wasn't a machine that all these bits and pieces were going through.

00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:16.320
These were people who were just true craftsmanship.

00:36:16.639 --> 00:36:17.360
Or that's what it was.

00:36:17.440 --> 00:36:18.320
It was true craftsmanship.

00:36:18.400 --> 00:36:20.320
It was an artisan sort of approach to this.

00:36:20.480 --> 00:36:21.920
And it was really kind of hands-on.

00:36:22.159 --> 00:36:29.760
And I'm amazed at the amount of product that you actually do push out when it's not mass-produced, and you just have, you know, all these people doing their little little bits.

00:36:29.920 --> 00:36:31.840
But that part really kind of got my attention.

00:36:31.920 --> 00:36:37.840
I thought this is truly custom people who put their whole heart and soul into what they're building.

00:36:38.320 --> 00:36:41.280
Yes, they're building one fork, one shock at a time.

00:36:41.360 --> 00:36:47.599
We do some prep and with the subassemblies, but basically they're built one at a time and they're all calibrated.

00:36:47.760 --> 00:36:56.719
Uh, we have these dynometers where you run a suspension fork or shock on it to ensure that it has the proper damping characteristics within parameters.

00:36:56.880 --> 00:36:57.760
And we record that.

00:36:57.920 --> 00:37:05.360
So we know when you buy a fork or shock, we record that damping report with that serial number.

00:37:05.679 --> 00:37:14.320
And two years later, five years later, you know, if there's an issue or just for servicing, you know, it comes back, we can go back and look what it was like when it left.

00:37:14.559 --> 00:37:14.719
Right.

00:37:15.119 --> 00:37:17.920
You can't do that with the other brands.

00:37:18.079 --> 00:37:22.159
Now, don't get me wrong, those big brands make great product and it's great value.

00:37:22.559 --> 00:37:23.280
Great value.

00:37:23.840 --> 00:37:31.119
They also produce in one week 10,000, you know, more than we do in a year, right?

00:37:31.679 --> 00:37:38.400
But ours are built one by one and you know, but they have that sp the spoke kind of feel to them.

00:37:38.960 --> 00:37:39.679
I love it.

00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:40.480
I love it.

00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:43.360
Yeah, we also get to do all our prototyping in-house.

00:37:44.000 --> 00:37:44.320
Right?

00:37:44.400 --> 00:37:50.400
I think you saw the machine in the back, which we've only had since the last year, actually, that new machine.

00:37:52.239 --> 00:37:54.960
Our CNC gentleman is never leaving.

00:37:55.679 --> 00:37:58.559
He's happy with his new CNC machine.

00:37:58.960 --> 00:38:04.880
So yeah, all the prototypes are done in-house so that they can go back and forth from RD to prototyping really quickly.

00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:05.840
Nice.

00:38:06.800 --> 00:38:10.639
So we're celebrating 30 years, but we've really been in this space for 50 years.

00:38:11.280 --> 00:38:23.360
When we think about the next 30 years, or at least the foreseeable future, and then you think about the future of cycling and Cane Creek's role in that, what excites you the most?

00:38:24.159 --> 00:38:35.440
I think the next 30 years in America specifically uh is uh is already out there for the us to see, and that's what's gone on in Central Europe for arguably a hundred years, right?

00:38:35.760 --> 00:39:04.800
How cycling can actually go from being uh for the uh people of means to play uh and compete to the bicycle being a valued utility for people to go to school, to the shop, to work, and infrastructure built around that, uh both in the workplace and riding to and from the workplace or school to support that.

00:39:05.039 --> 00:39:11.920
And when you when you're in Germany or Switzerland or Austria, the Netherlands, right, it's just uh all over the place.

00:39:12.079 --> 00:39:13.280
And it's amazing.

00:39:13.599 --> 00:39:21.039
By coincidence, you know, they tend to be healthier, they tend to have higher scores on mental wellness and so forth.

00:39:21.360 --> 00:39:24.719
So that is there for us to see.

00:39:24.960 --> 00:39:28.559
And organizations like People for Bikes, a U.S.

00:39:28.719 --> 00:39:38.400
organization that's trying to to advocate and support cycling infrastructure and use in America, you know, they look to Europe as that model.

00:39:38.719 --> 00:39:38.880
Right?

00:39:38.960 --> 00:39:40.239
It's there in front of us.

00:39:40.719 --> 00:39:45.599
And that's that's real promising uh and very needed.

00:39:45.760 --> 00:39:47.599
When I was a kid, we all rode our bikes everywhere.

00:39:47.840 --> 00:39:48.000
Right.

00:39:48.079 --> 00:39:48.639
That's exactly right.

00:39:49.119 --> 00:39:54.559
You just rode your bikes, and now if I see a kid riding a bike somewhere in the neighborhood, I'm going, what's wrong?

00:39:55.280 --> 00:39:57.199
You know, where's the parent?

00:39:57.440 --> 00:39:58.400
Is that safe?

00:39:58.559 --> 00:39:59.599
And that's that's terrible.

00:39:59.840 --> 00:39:59.920
Right.

00:40:00.320 --> 00:40:00.880
It's terrible.

00:40:01.119 --> 00:40:12.639
When I live in Switzerland, I would ride to work in the mornings or go out at lunch ride lunch and have a a short ride, and I'd go through a little village and I'd see four or five little girls walking down the sidewalk with no adult inside.

00:40:12.800 --> 00:40:15.840
And literally, I would stop and go, Oh my gosh.

00:40:16.639 --> 00:40:19.039
You know, somebody better call an adult.

00:40:19.360 --> 00:40:20.960
But they're safe and secure there.

00:40:21.119 --> 00:40:23.039
They've really invested in an infrastructure.

00:40:23.519 --> 00:40:29.760
And so to see that come back, potentially come back, and like I mentioned earlier, the bike bus, that's that's a little piece of it.

00:40:29.920 --> 00:40:40.960
And then there are towns, Portland, to some extent, Boulder, Austin are few that have invested in that, and you're starting to see that opportunity present itself, right?

00:40:41.440 --> 00:40:46.079
So that's where the bright future lies in the US for cycling, I think.

00:40:46.320 --> 00:40:46.880
Yeah.

00:40:47.440 --> 00:40:55.920
I I would agree with all that, and I've experienced a little bit of of that too, even just being in Europe, not the piece about wondering, but just being having the freedom and the flexibility to go.

00:40:56.079 --> 00:41:02.400
I lived in Spain, and it was nothing for my mom to send me with you know 25, 30 pesadas to go and buy bread at the market.

00:41:02.480 --> 00:41:04.800
And I was like in the fourth and fifth grade.

00:41:04.880 --> 00:41:05.039
Yep.

00:41:05.199 --> 00:41:08.960
And I would go through the little villages in Spain, and that's a core memory for me.

00:41:09.039 --> 00:41:11.280
Like I will never forget that.

00:41:11.599 --> 00:41:17.519
And uh also M Boulder had a chance to kind of uh be there last this time last year.

00:41:17.679 --> 00:41:24.960
Uh Carson took me and just to see how many people are actually getting around, and that's their mode of transportation was amazing.

00:41:25.039 --> 00:41:29.760
Um, from the little canyon road into town, all around town.

00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:40.800
And then most recently, being in Charlotte, when I can ride from South Charlotte all the way to uptown and ride through different neighborhoods and different parks, y'all.

00:41:40.880 --> 00:41:53.280
I mean, I was seeing things that I had never seen before, and that happens a lot when I'm riding the bikes, but but it was community, it was people that was, you know, they were out and they were all ages, and most of the people were actually on bikes.

00:41:53.360 --> 00:42:00.480
I mean, there were people who are walking and jogging and running, but most of the people were on bikes, and I would love to see that more.

00:42:00.639 --> 00:42:03.599
I know even here in Hendersonville, you know, we have the Acusta Trail.

00:42:03.679 --> 00:42:13.519
Yeah, and I can go down to you know horseshoe right here by uh cognitive and right across the street from cognitive and and ride bikes down to my son's house and visit and then ride home.

00:42:14.559 --> 00:42:15.679
We have to do more.

00:42:15.840 --> 00:42:17.039
Yeah, we really do.

00:42:17.519 --> 00:42:22.719
So on the opposite side of this innocence loss that you you touched on, I just touched on, right?

00:42:22.960 --> 00:42:24.719
That we used to do this when we were kids.

00:42:24.880 --> 00:42:29.440
What we do have now that I see did not have when I was a kid.

00:42:30.239 --> 00:42:39.519
Yesterday I was finishing up a mountain bike ride in Penn Creek yesterday, and right before I came out of Hard Times Connectors, this couple was coming my my direction.

00:42:39.840 --> 00:42:45.360
And they were every bit of 75 years old on regular mountain bikes heading out for a ride.

00:42:45.679 --> 00:42:49.760
When I was a kid, or even 20 years ago, you would never see that.

00:42:49.920 --> 00:42:50.159
Okay.

00:42:50.480 --> 00:43:02.559
Also, I don't know how many times we went riding, and to see deep in the woods, out on ingles or something, a mom and her 12-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter on mountain bikes.

00:43:02.880 --> 00:43:04.159
Holy cow.

00:43:04.400 --> 00:43:12.719
I tell you, if Martians would have landed in 1975 in my yard, that would have been easier to see than my mom riding with her sons out on a trail.

00:43:12.800 --> 00:43:12.960
Yeah.

00:43:13.119 --> 00:43:13.440
Right.

00:43:13.599 --> 00:43:19.599
So while we don't have that innocence that we had, we do have those things, right?

00:43:19.840 --> 00:43:22.639
More people getting out to ride.

00:43:22.800 --> 00:43:27.599
And participation studies time and time again show that cycling is now in the U.S.

00:43:27.760 --> 00:43:30.320
at the highest level ever of people just getting on a bike to ride.

00:43:30.400 --> 00:43:31.199
So that's very positive.

00:43:31.519 --> 00:43:31.840
Love that.

00:43:32.079 --> 00:43:37.039
But there's a lot of work to do in terms of infrastructure and safety to make it more accommodating.

00:43:37.280 --> 00:43:37.599
Yeah.

00:43:37.840 --> 00:43:38.159
Yeah.

00:43:38.559 --> 00:43:39.519
Well, listen, y'all.

00:43:39.599 --> 00:43:41.679
Um I have thoroughly enjoyed this.

00:43:42.079 --> 00:43:50.079
But before I I let you go, I really have to ask, is there anything that we um that you would love for listeners to know that we haven't touched on?

00:43:51.440 --> 00:43:55.199
Well, we've talked about it, but I would just like to to really crystallize.

00:43:55.440 --> 00:43:57.360
We invite anybody to come by and visit.

00:43:57.440 --> 00:43:57.599
Okay.

00:43:57.840 --> 00:44:02.079
Don't think that you've got to be a cyclist, you've got to be a racer or whatever.

00:44:02.239 --> 00:44:07.199
If you've if you ride bicycles for whatever reason, right, come by and visit.

00:44:07.679 --> 00:44:12.239
I pretty much guarantee you'll find it interesting and fun and enlightening.

00:44:12.480 --> 00:44:14.639
Um yeah, just come by and visit.

00:44:14.800 --> 00:44:15.039
For sure.

00:44:15.360 --> 00:44:15.519
Yeah.

00:44:15.599 --> 00:44:23.119
Our Experience Center, we're going to start doing some tech talk Tuesdays, and we'll get I ride and lead a group called the Silver Shredders.

00:44:23.440 --> 00:44:26.320
And so we're going to do some courses just for women.

00:44:26.639 --> 00:44:29.039
I do a saddle workshop just for women.

00:44:29.119 --> 00:44:32.880
So all the Experience Center is going to start having more activities out of there.

00:44:32.960 --> 00:44:36.000
So things for people to learn more about their bicycles.

00:44:36.320 --> 00:44:36.719
Love that.

00:44:36.880 --> 00:44:37.199
Yeah.

00:44:37.440 --> 00:44:37.760
All right.

00:44:37.840 --> 00:44:39.280
Where are you located physically?

00:44:39.519 --> 00:44:41.840
And then how can we find you on the internet?

00:44:42.400 --> 00:44:47.679
We are located at 355 Cane Creek Road, right across from Cane Creek Creek.

00:44:48.239 --> 00:44:51.519
And you can find us at CaneCreek.com.

00:44:51.760 --> 00:44:53.760
Well, Doreen, I know it's taken us a couple of years.

00:44:53.840 --> 00:44:56.320
I think the first time we had this conversation was the Outdoor Economy Conference.

00:44:57.760 --> 00:44:57.920
Yep.

00:44:58.079 --> 00:44:58.639
Two years ago.

00:44:58.960 --> 00:44:59.519
Two years ago.

00:44:59.599 --> 00:45:11.119
Well, we did it, and uh, and I appreciate you all taking the trip down and certainly appreciate your enthusiasm for cycling and all things cycling and the amazing components that you all are producing.

00:45:11.519 --> 00:45:12.400
Thank you for having us.

00:45:12.480 --> 00:45:13.599
We're excited to be here.

00:45:14.079 --> 00:45:14.639
Absolutely.

00:45:14.880 --> 00:45:15.840
Thank you much, Mike.

00:45:16.000 --> 00:45:17.039
My pleasure.

00:45:18.159 --> 00:45:24.719
That was Cane Creek, celebrating 30 years of curiosity, craft, and rider first invention.

00:45:24.880 --> 00:45:35.280
From Hall of Fame classics to new breakthroughs like the Invert Gravel Fork, their story shows that paying attention to riders and the trails never goes out of style.

00:45:35.599 --> 00:45:36.960
Thank you for tuning in.

00:45:37.119 --> 00:45:45.199
If this episode resonated, follow the show, share it with a rider who could use more comfort and control, and leave a review so others can discover it.

00:45:45.440 --> 00:45:54.159
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook, drop me a note at mike at explorationloc.com if you have ideas for future episodes or you just want to say hello.

00:45:54.400 --> 00:45:58.000
And don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss the next episode.

00:45:58.159 --> 00:46:00.159
Well that's gonna do it for this episode.

00:46:00.400 --> 00:46:04.880
As always, I encourage you to wander far but explore local.