BMX Brand
Cult
Cult is a BMX brand founded around 2010 by Robbie Morales in Southern California, known for its street team, the video Talk Is Cheap and Vans collaborations.
Updated 2 min read489 words
Cult is a BMX brand founded around 2010 by Robbie Morales in Southern California. Morales left Fit Bike Co to start it and brought several riders with him. Cult quickly became one of the defining street brands of the 2010s through its team, its full-length video Talk Is Cheap and a long running collaboration with the shoe company Vans.
History
Robbie Morales was a pro rider in the 1980s and 1990s and then ran the Fit team for roughly a decade. Around 2010 he left to start his own company. Cult launched with a team that already had a shared history, including Dakota Roche, Chase Hawk and Chase Dehart, so the brand arrived with an identity instead of having to build one.
The early 2010s were the peak of the web edit era, and Cult used it well. Short edits of the team, filmed in a consistent style, appeared constantly and gave the brand a presence out of proportion to its size. After its first DVD, Let 'Em Talk (2011), the brand released Talk Is Cheap in December 2012, a full-length video that stood out at a time when most brands had stopped making them.
The Vans partnership began in the brand's first years. Cult and Vans produced tyres whose tread pattern copies the waffle sole of a Vans shoe, along with grips and shoe colourways. The products sold well beyond the Cult team's fans and remain in the range. Cult later added complete bikes and now sells frames, parts, completes and clothing.
Products
Cult's range is built around street riding.
| Product | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dak | Frame | Signature frame for Dakota Roche |
| Hawk | Frame | Signature frame for Chase Hawk |
| Dehart | Frame | Signature frame for Chase Dehart |
| Vans tyre | Tyre | Tread pattern based on the Vans waffle sole |
| Vans grips | Grips | Waffle pattern grips |
| Gateway and Control | Complete bikes | Entry and mid level completes |
The brand also makes cranks, handlebars, stems, pegs and sprockets, plus a softgoods line that has at times been as visible as the bike parts.
Team and riders
Cult's team has been central to the brand from day one. Riders associated with Cult have included:
- Dakota Roche
- Chase Hawk
- Chase Dehart
- Trey Jones
- Sean Ricany
- Dan Foley
- Andrew Castaneda
Roche's video parts and Hawk's riding in bowls and on dirt gave the brand two very different anchors, and the younger riders built Cult's reputation in street.
Influence
Cult showed how a brand could be built in the 2010s: a tight crew, a steady stream of web edits, a full-length video when it counted, and crossover products that reached people outside BMX. The Vans tyres and grips are among the most recognisable BMX parts of the decade. The brand's split from Fit also became a reference point for how much of a brand's value lies in its riders and the person managing them.
Related
Frequently asked questions about Cult
Who started Cult?
Robbie Morales founded Cult around 2010 after leaving Fit Bike Co, where he had run the team for a decade.
What is the Cult and Vans connection?
Cult has a long running partnership with the shoe company Vans. The best known product is a tyre whose tread copies the Vans waffle sole.
Does Cult make complete bikes?
Yes. Alongside frames and parts, Cult sells a range of complete bikes aimed at street and park riders.
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