Cane Creek – Authentic Craftsmanship

By John Hardwick | 24th February 2022 |

Released by Cane Creek in the ‘90s, the Thudbuster suspension seat post is finding renewed popularity with the gravel market—lightweight, simple and dependable. Photo: Supplied

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Since the late ‘80s Cane Creek has built their brand on genuine innovation and craftsmanship. It’s key to who they are and to this day they abide by the following mission statement; ‘to design and manufacture components that will make the riding experience better’.

Over the years they’ve prototyped countless ideas, but many concepts never reached production. Not because they were not good or functional, but simply because they offered no clear gains over products that were already on the market.

They’ve designed and prototyped a titanium pedal, but the project was mothballed as they wouldn’t have been any better than the best alloy pedals. Likewise, their dropper post never progressed beyond the prototype stage.

From their early days as a US-based offshoot of the Dia-Compe brand, they’ve been involved with successful and innovative designs.

In 1989 they partnered with RockShox to manufacture the RS1; the first widely available suspension fork in the world. In the early ‘90s they released the Aheadset; a design that revolutionised the way bikes are assembled and to this day, threadless headsets are the standard that everyone depends on.

The Thudbuster suspension seat post was another ‘90s era product that remains a staple of Cane Creek line-up. They’re now finding renewed popularity with the growing gravel and eBike markets, and with travel options ranging from an ultralight 20mm (295g) through to 90mm, they’re made for just about any application.

In 2005 they released the Double Barrel shock and twin-tube, four-way adjustable shocks are still seen as top-tier items to this day.

Cane Creek also makes precisely machined alloy seat post adaptors in over 25 sizes to solve all manner of fitment problems. Photo: Supplied

Partnering with industry-renowned inventor and designer Craig Edwards, Cane Creek released their ‘ee’ product line including stunningly machined rim brakes, titanium cranks and more. The same year (2017) also saw them release the HELM; the first suspension fork to bear the Cane Creek name.

It’s not all about exotic titanium and reshaping the industry of course. Some of the most important items in the Cane Creek range are hidden from sight. Examples include their seatpost shims; they allow customers to adapt expensive dropper posts (or a Thudbuster) to suit a multitude of frame sizes and they’re accurately machined for hassle-free reliability.

Headsets remain a staple for Cane Creek and they cater for just about every standard on the market. Photo: Supplied

Cane Creek is probably best known for their headsets and they remain a staple of their product range, offering fitment solutions for just about every possible frame/fork ‘standard’.

Likewise, their Hellbender bottom bracket line now caters for all the main crank spindle standards; 24mm, 30mm and DUB (29mm). They also use precisely machined alloy cups to suit all manner of frames—both press-fit and threaded.

Their Hellbender 70 Series relies on 440C stainless steel bearings while their flagship Hellbender 110 Series bottom brackets employ Enduro XD-15 ceramic bearings. The 110 Series is noteworthy for their simple yet comprehensive lifetime warranty.

With 440C stainless steel bearings and machined alloy cups, Cane Creek bottom brackets are made to suit 24mm, 30mm and DUB spindles. Photo: Supplied

Of course, there’s always a question hovering over availability these days. Thankfully things aren’t as scarce as you may expect and Dirt Works Australia has strong stock levels in most areas, particularly in the key ‘bread and butter’ lines of headsets and bottom brackets.

Discover more about the breadth and depth of the Cane Creek range by visiting their B2B site: www.dirtworks.com.au/dealer-login or call them on 1800 996 757.