Cascade Components on Making Bikes Better (Ep.106)

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Mountain bike suspension is better than it’s ever been, but there’s always room for improvement. Cascade Components certainly thinks so, and have made a name for themselves making aftermarket suspension links to do just that. And on this week’s episode of Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Cascade engineer Jimmy Davis talk about suspension design, why it’s possible to improve stock bikes for the right riders (and who those riders are), and a whole lot more.
Cascade Components engineer, Jimmy Davis
Mountain bike suspension is better than it’s ever been, but there’s always room for improvement. Cascade Components certainly thinks so, and have made a name for themselves making aftermarket suspension links to do just that. And on this week’s episode of Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Cascade engineer Jimmy Davis talk about suspension design, why it’s possible to improve stock bikes for the right riders (and who those riders are), and a whole lot more.
Cascade Components North Fork Caliper
Cascade Components Link for Norco Optic
Cascade Components Link for Norco Optic

Blister Outdoor Gear review Crested Butte

Mountain bike suspension has improved immensely in recent years, but designing rear suspension kinematics is inherently a game of tradeoffs, with no ideal one-size-fits-all solution. Cascade Components founder and engineer Jimmy Davis saw an opportunity to make his personal Santa Cruz Nomad better for where and how he rides, and soon a new business was born, making aftermarket suspension links for an ever-growing range of bikes. And so we sat down with Jimmy to talk about suspension design and the inherent tradeoffs that come with each decision; what their links do and who they’re for; working with Neko Mulally on his Frameworks DH race bikes; brakes & chain guides; and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

  • Origins of Cascade Components (1:46)
  • First aftermarket link (6:42)
  • Suspension design philosophy (13:11)
  • Neko Mulally’s custom links (26:38)
  • North Fork Brakes (30:25)
  • Chain Guides (39:36)
  • Jimmy’s Big Idea (43:23)

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