Bike Industry Veteran Will King Joins 5 Dev as Vice President

Jan 10, 2022 at 12:37
by Alicia Leggett  
photo

Update: 5th Axis and Will King have since parted ways. The original story is below.


5th Axis Inc., which works with machining and automation in aerospace, military, medical, and commercial industries, announced today that bike industry veteran Will King will be the new Vice President of 5 Dev, a new division of 5th Axis that makes bike components.

King worked for SRAM LLC for 11 years and brings immense experience in the bike industry to the company, having helped SRAM design and develop multiple drivetrains and pushed forward projects in a variety of materials. Although the 5th Axis founders, Steve Grangetto and Chris Taylor, have mountain biked since the '90s, bringing on someone with such extensive product engineering and development experience hints that 5 Dev may have big plans in the works.

bigquotesWill is an outstanding addition to the 5 DEV team, as he brings a deep blend of engineering expertise and bike industry knowledge.—5th Axis co-CEO Chris Taylor

bigquotesAs 5 DEV continues to grow rapidly, Will’s strong background will drive the company in the right direction. We are excited to welcome him to the team!—5th Axis co-CEO Steve Grangetto

At the moment, 5 Dev makes cranks and pedals, with stems planned for release in the near future. In a recent Instagram post, the company noted that "change is coming" and said it will be focusing on innovation and "pushing the boundaries of manufacturing."

In his new role, a press release from 5th Axis said, King will lead the engineering, marketing, and business development strategies for 5 Dev.

Author Info:
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Member since Jun 19, 2015
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138 Comments
  • 145 14
 Anyone else notice a real lack of content lately? Reviews, podcasts, etc. have been non existent for awhile now. Is everyone on vacation? If so have fun!
  • 72 1
 to be fair, we did just have a whole bunch of field test stuff, right after the race season. not saying your wrong, but keep in mind, its pretty much the off season for everyone in the northern hemisphere
  • 6 0
 They did do all the product of the year, company of the year, etc.. stuff
  • 29 0
 On the plus side, that means less changes to make your current stuff irrelevant.
  • 38 1
 It's January, who in their right mind releases product in January when everyone's broke and miserable?
  • 6 28
flag Danzzz88 (Jan 11, 2022 at 7:20) (Below Threshold)
 @Fix-the-Spade: STANS just did...released their magnetic hubs..no news made it to Pinkbike though...
  • 5 0
 Tell a lie I just missed it...Guess that is all the news there is then.
  • 87 1
 On front page news next week: Bob from accounting at SRAM is moving to a new office down the hall and Cheryl will get his office.
  • 5 1
 Northern hemisphere winter. Pretty typical of the content for this time of year.
  • 11 0
 The winter gear articles are coming out this May, hold tight
  • 1 0
 ...
  • 9 1
 Even the NOTOUTSIDECEO doesn't bother commenting
  • 1 0
 @Danzzz88: they posted about that yesterday, it's 7 posts below this one
  • 6 0
 @the-one1: “Outside is consolidating all the marketing and HR roles to their central office” wait hold up that’s Vail…
  • 1 0
 @the-one1: hahaha exactly what I’m getting at
  • 2 1
 @surfhard987: does mean vital mtb will be more popular now? i watched one of their video reviews of an eeeeee bike it was really interesting
  • 5 0
 @Compositepro: He’s too busy setting up the paywall process……or he’s busy roasting chestnuts on his Coleman camp stove.
  • 2 0
 @the-one1: good Office Space rip, thanks Bob.
  • 38 2
 @the-one1: If I hear ANYBODY saying I got that office through any means other than hard work and competence at my job I'll report you to HR. Oh, and just wanted to congratulate Bob on the new office, you earned it handsome ;-).
  • 1 1
 @ltharris: to be fair, off-season is still no reason to post press releases about executives changing positions, unless they just want the clicks.
  • 1 0
 @Fix-the-Spade:
There could be some reviews, even of fairly basic stuff. Not everything needs to be high end or game changing. There's plenty of products released throughout the year to have a review a day(not that I'm suggesting that).
  • 7 1
 @SramGirlCheryl: This is some of the best content I’ve seen here lately. Well done.
  • 2 0
 @surfhard987: Stevens Pass HR department was replaced with an app.
  • 3 0
 It's all about the breakups...it's now like a gossip rag.
  • 1 0
 Old technology. If your not moving into the internet with head gear you'll be out.
  • 1 1
 KInda burried under snow at the moment. It is winter!
  • 5 0
 @SramGirlCheryl: this is the kind of extra effort and can-do attitude we need around here. Well done.
  • 2 0
 @Compositepro: that goes In the pro column

-weebleswobbles
  • 3 2
 @ltharris: "you're." contraction of "you are."

"your" is the possessive of "you."

have a nice day! :-)
  • 2 0
 @Fix-the-Spade: Cadbury the shelves of Tesco are already riddled with Easter eggs
  • 2 0
 This totally discredits the story-but is funny as hell. @the-one1:
  • 11 1
 @TheR: I'm all about the content....unlike a Shimano warehouse which has zero contents at all.
  • 10 3
 @VtVolk: ;-) Why thank you! I haven't felt so flattered since the time the crank and Bottom bracket department took my cost saving advice on micrometers and vernier calipers. We saved a FORTUNE (Bob thanked me...vigorously... for that). Besides it's not like anyone noticed that missing 0.01mm anyway; just sent it over to marketing pretended it was intentional, slapped a DUB logo on it, presto.
  • 1 3
 @mattmatthew: i was gonna actually respond with something helpful, but you are a 46 year old male with a doge pfp, which i can respect. have a good night
  • 4 1
 cant they just make shit up like the newspapers do?
  • 2 1
 their podcasts are garbage
  • 2 0
 @notu: Vail stock looks steeper than the backside of Stevens. Not that Vail would know about the backside of Stevens this year…
  • 2 0
 @Compositepro: Dude is occupied counting all that subscription money, give him a break!
  • 2 0
 @ltharris: the picture is a 100% accurate representation of myself
  • 50 1
 “a machining and automation leader in aerospace, military, medical, and commercial industries”

If that’s the case, why the hell do they want to make bike parts.
  • 37 9
 Higher profit margins in MTB, this industry is nuts.
  • 4 2
 the more they can diversify, the more money they can make. Mountian Biking can lead to motocross, which can lead to 4x4 and jeep, and the list goes on and on.
  • 16 0
 Probably have excess capacity, their machines aren't running 24/7
  • 4 0
 to have multiple income streams, it's a good idea for businesses and individuals
  • 43 0
 @skerby:

Yeah, military projects run on real thin margins /s
  • 3 0
 @hllclmbr: LOL
  • 4 6
 Probably are not leaders in aerospace...
  • 9 0
 to be fair, this usually happens because the owners get in to a new hobby or hear they can make bank and ..shit i can make this if only i had a machine....oh wait a minute i have a shop floor full of them lets make stuff , two years later they go back to not making bits to go on toys
  • 16 2
 @skerby: HA. No. I work in aero/defense and let me tell you there is no higher markup than what an old Italian guy named Vinnie who owns a machine shop adds to an order when he sees the end customer is Uncle Sam…

Excess capacity and varied income streams make the most sense. Whip up a batch of bike parts when you’ve got downtime on your machines while you wait for the high dollar whales to come back through
  • 2 1
 @sino428. The a lot of competition in there industry of machining and work holding. They do not hold a significant market share in that sphere. Companies like Jergens, Techni-Grip, Kurt and Schunk are all high end work holding companies. So diversification is key and why not make money doing what you love.
  • 1 1
 @surfhard987: That may be true of government contracts but Boeing isnt paying over 25%
  • 4 0
 @rivercitycycles: My comment was more of a joke about how selling bike parts usually isnt very profitable.
  • 14 0
 Because the owners are mountain bikers and they likely want to do it because they feel they can do something rad. Not everything is a spreadsheet decision, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be successful.
  • 3 0
 @rivercitycycles: they make nice instamachinist products though i suppose it depends who you follow and who follows you on istagram , Kurt are the daddies when it comes to good ol american iron your grandad used and they have that rep
  • 3 0
 @Blownoutrides: love it upvoted for being a guy who realises sometimes you do something for the love
  • 2 0
 Cascade Components does the same thing.
  • 3 0
 @skerby: I worked at a company that was primarily a DOD contractor.....that's a big "not even close". Mountainbike industry pay is shit, nobody is making money on bikes except some PON execs and some dude named Sinyard.
  • 3 0
 @skerby:

Boeing runs a real shithole company, as of the last decade, at least.

I wouldn’t use them as an example of anything being done right.
  • 1 0
 5 Dev is just one arm of the parent company.
  • 5 0
 @Pmrmusic26: Pretty much everyone in the aerospace is beaten by a dude who smokes weed on live stream and names his kids after airplanes... Big Grin
  • 2 2
 just one more reason to not buy anything from them
  • 33 5
 Looks like the bad old days are here again. Pretty, machined components that are visibly inferior to what’s out there.

Hollow crankarms are stronger. Period. Shimano, SRAM carbon or (if you’re feeling flush) Cane Creek cranks are as good as it gets.

These are weaker because of how the material is distributed. These are weaker because they’re machined not forged.

Pretty? Yes. Functional? Sort of, at best.
  • 2 2
 There have been plenty other machines cranks that are strong enough. I see these as an expensive mud trap, but they're pretty so they'll sell.
  • 1 0
 *machined
  • 5 0
 @AndrewHornor: sure, there are machined cranks that are strong, but forged is stronger (all else being equal).

There are solid (not hollow) cranks that are strong, but once again all else being equal hollow is stronger.
  • 2 0
 @wyorider: I guess that just doesn't bother me as long as they're strong enough not to break or flex noticeably. The mud holes are a bigger deal to me, which probably just tells you I'm a light person living in a wet place, haha
  • 1 0
 Time for 90s inspired BMX purple and green anodized parts with cursive and block lettering font sticker logos.
  • 2 0
 @cogsci: I remember as a kid in the 90's this guy showed up at the trails with an anodized purple Hyper bmx frame. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen at that point in my life.
  • 9 0
 THIS^^

They weren't lighter then other cranks that are cheaper. The only "innovation" I see is that they have come up with a use for their 5 axis CNC during it's down time between aerospace part orders?? Smile
  • 10 1
 I had the privilege of working with Will at a prior company and it's cool to hear about his success in the mtb industry. Congrats to Will and to 5 DEV!
  • 7 0
 I've been buying workholding products for all my machines from 5th axis for years now, and watching this new division of theirs grow has been so awesome. Really awesome dudes over there! I believe this all started out as an after hours hobby thing, and exploded into this for them. Much like the Scor brand.
  • 4 0
 Same - I’m a 5th axis customer an it’s good stuff.

This move is surely going to see things get going super quickly, they certainly have the machinery to achieve it.
  • 3 0
 I too use 5th Axis work holding it’s good cost effective kit. There are definitely higher end stuff like Schunk. We have a Matsuura Cublex 63 that has 18 pallets of Schunk work holding. That was spendy
  • 1 0
 @rivercitycycles: Agree with that, we have a few Schunk vices and they are more solid that the 5th axis, we actually use them with 5th axis rocklock plates which I really like.

I don’t want to think of how much the tooling and work holding bill was for that machine….
  • 1 0
 @rivercitycycles: Those Matsuura's a well built as well....and not cheap. That's a serious setup!!
  • 2 0
 @Jimfunn: $1.X million for the Cublex 60 with 18 pallets and the 500 tool changer. Hope Technologies have a number of smaller Matsuura 5 axis mills. They’re doing machining the right way.
  • 1 0
 @rivercitycycles: Haha, tooling that up to capacity would be more expensive than our last machine cost.
  • 16 6
 Who cares that some dude we've never heard of changed jobs??
  • 5 3
 Those who know him do. Depending on the flavor of components on your mtb or road bike there’s a good chance he had something to do with the engineering.
  • 1 0
 I don't know him either,but congrats on being the new president of the vice at 5 Dev.
  • 7 1
 Interested to see what this crank looks like in a solidworks simulation. I am sceptical of the torsional rigidity.
  • 8 0
 Yeah, I'm not convinced either. These sort of beam style cranks are stiff in bending, but generally not great in torsional rigidity. My enduro bike came with RF Ride cranks which are C channel cross section and they had an uncomfortable amount of twist in the pedal under load. I'm certain they were strong enough, they just made me feel uneasy, even under my puny 165 pounds.

Oh, wait... it's called compliance. You're just not sophisticated enough to appreciate it. Wink
  • 7 0
 Someone got excited with cad
  • 3 3
 @nathanawebster: Replaced the carbon cranks on my Kenevo SL with alum after watching the PB huck to flat fail, then promptly bent the alum ones on a deep landing the very first ride. They have a C cross section.

Wish cane creek would tool up and start making ebike cranks. Eewings have been absolutely bombproof on my Enduro (after destroying 2 pairs of XTR and 1 pair of XT cranks).
  • 10 0
 @Blownoutrides: dam dude, try hitting the transition once in a while... Smile jkn
  • 3 0
 @nathanawebster: nailed it.

Absolutely perfect FEA colors...............because someone got so carried away (after hours with a beer in hand) they forgot to attach a pedal.
  • 5 3
 Those are very nice looking. A bold choice, they wouldn't exactly blend in with most bikes. The case looks nice but cranks don't spend a lot of time in the case. I like how Brand X uses very simple cardboard that I can throw in the recycling or Spank who put their handle bars on a little fender.
  • 2 0
 They come in a cardboard box
  • 3 0
 My 5 dev cranks came in a plain black box. gonna recycle the shit out of it!
  • 1 0
 @danstratplr: Good to know.
  • 5 2
 This is fantastic news. I'm thrilled at the 5dev products I have. I'm fortunate enough to have seen the behind the scenes for their products. Expect big things from 5dev soon.
  • 2 0
 Forging provides a higher level of structural integrity than any other metalworking process. By eliminating structural voids that can weaken parts, forging provides a level of uniformity to help maximize part performance. During machining, grain ends are exposed, making parts more susceptible to weakening and cracking.
  • 2 0
 Maybe if they forge the block of aluminum and then CNC it?? Smile





yea, I have no idea what I'm talking about as usual...
  • 1 0
 The solution to that problem is post machine shot-peen. Machined item could come from a forged blank.
  • 3 0
 That CNC cranks looks flexy and prone to fail. No, serious. The best design is a tube, like shimano hollowtech. I'll take a forged shimano crank over CNC any day.
  • 2 0
 Does anyone else notice a striking resemblance between these cranks and the SRAM 3D printed Ti crank prototype?
www.pinkbike.com/photo/20647675
  • 3 0
 Next generation of prices
  • 3 0
 Yooo King Will making the front page.
  • 2 0
 yeaahhh!!!
  • 3 0
 Please make rebuildable derailer
  • 1 1
 If anyone has any components from this company on their bike pls respond to this comment.
  • 4 0
 I have a crankset. They’re really nicely made and look/feel great. No issues.
  • 2 0
 @danstratplr: how heavy?
  • 2 1
 @michaelbozof: no idea. Haha. They definitely felt lighter in my hand compared to my last SRAM crankset.
  • 3 0
 I have this crankset also. I ordered the 165mm and they weight the same as the 170mm GX cranks they replaced.
  • 2 2
 Ordered the pedals at the end of November, still waiting.
  • 5 1
 i own one of their vices its sat on my cnc machine
  • 2 2
 @tomhoward379: what is it with you buying ultra cool shit but waiting forever for it… can’t you just settle for the run of the mill crap like the rest of us?
  • 2 2
 @justanotherusername: they were ‘in stock’ when I ordered! Honest! Patience is a virtue I guess…
  • 1 0
 I have these cranks in black. Not on my bike yet.
  • 4 1
 Caveat, the owners are some of my oldest friends, but I have the cranks on all my bikes. Weight is just under 500 grams for 170's. These initial sets are not for gram counters, but there are lighter designs coming if you are into that sort of thing.

Biggest difference you will feel is clearance relative to other designs. I have eeWings, XX1/XO1, GX etc and the reduction of 5-10 mm for similar length is very noticeable on the trail.
  • 2 4
 @salespunk: let’s be realistic, unless you want shorter cranks than commonly available the main draw to these is their looks alone.

I happen to think they look amazing and on the right build would look awesome and really set the bike off, but I don’t think they will realistically work any better than a slx crankset.
  • 1 2
 @justanotherusername:
  • 3 1
 @speed10: ooooh. Really expensive cranks that weigh the same as SRAM GX.

I wish every Gumby who bought crap this dumb just bought GX or SLX and gave me the difference.
  • 1 0
 @wyorider: if You find XT cranks in 165mm hmu
  • 1 0
 @speed10: evans cycles have them on sale for £80 www.evanscycles.com/brand/shimano/fc-m8120-xt-crankset-without-ring-712360#colcode=71236011 seriously in stock as of when i posted that link 65 quids off rrp in the sale
  • 1 0
 @speed10: or were you being sarcastic couldnt tell
  • 2 1
 i have their cranks and have been testing the pre-release and have had 0 issues, i've noticed way less rock strikes, less weight and more compliments out on the trails!
  • 1 0
 @mikeyegan: Less rock strikes as they are shorter than your last crank was? - have you gone shorter than the commonly available 165mm?
  • 1 0
 @mikeyegan: you notice les weight while riding them? Also what makes these cranks less susceptible to rock strikes?
  • 2 0
 @sino428: If you look at the end of the cranks they hang down less size for size. Riding a 170 setup I gained another 4-7mm of clearance vs Sram carbon 170's. Vs GX or lower it is even greater since Sram just uses the same crank arm for EVERY size and drills the pedal spindle in different locations.
  • 1 0
 @salespunk: I guess that could be true of some cranks but I don't think its due to anything innovative here. I have a $100 set of 165mm SLX cranks that have only10mm of material between the end of the crank and the outside edge of the pedal threads. Not going to find much less than that and seems similar to what these have.
  • 1 0
 You buy these cranks because of how they look, because you want US made components, or both. I have these cranks and there is no discernible performance over any OEM cranks as far as I can tell. But ymmv.
  • 2 2
 Podcast doesn’t seem to even work? can’t play any, What’s up pink bike?
  • 1 8
flag MattYatesNZ (Jan 11, 2022 at 7:20) (Below Threshold)
 Pay and you will receive.
  • 1 0
 Prez, Can I call you willy ?
  • 1 0
 CRANKS PEDALS AND STEMS THANKS SO MUCH
  • 2 1
 Has he learned that the industry needs a few more standards ASAP?
  • 2 0
 Kooka 2
  • 1 0
 I expect 400eur cranks :-)
  • 1 0
 YES.....
  • 1 0
 Good Stuff
  • 2 1
 A beautiful crankset.
  • 4 5
 Those cranks will have some really pointy bits when they fail.
  • 1 2
 So they’ll be making a stem next?
  • 1 2
 hmmmmm thomson
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