5DEV — From Product Storytelling to Performance Marketing

5DEV designs and manufactures high-performance cycling components in San Diego, California.

Built within the manufacturing expertise of 5th Axis, the brand operates at the intersection of precision engineering, product development and performance cycling.

RDUB Creative’s relationship with 5DEV has evolved into an integrated creative and marketing partnership spanning original photography and video, product launches, event coverage, social content, advertising creative and the ongoing management of paid media across Meta and Google.

The objective isn’t simply to make content. It’s to understand the product, create compelling ways to tell its story, put that creative in front of the right audience and use what happens next to inform the work that follows.


Understanding the Product

5dev pedal in the manufacturing process in san diego california

Technical products deserve more than technical storytelling.

5DEV products are developed through an extensive background in precision manufacturing and tested across demanding disciplines ranging from cross-country and gravel to enduro, freeride and downhill racing.

Telling that story requires understanding more than how a product looks.

It means understanding how it’s manufactured, why specific design decisions matter, where the product fits within the market and, most importantly, why a rider should care.

That understanding shapes everything from product photography and press materials to campaign concepts, advertising copy and the way a component is presented in the field.


Creating the Visual Library

Studio to trail.

The visual needs of a performance cycling brand change constantly. A product launch may require controlled studio photography one week and imagery captured on a mountain the next.

RDUB Creative produces original photography and cinematography across product, lifestyle, manufacturing, event and riding environments, creating a library of assets designed to work across multiple channels rather than exist as isolated deliverables.

That content supports product launches, advertising, social media, editorial placements, websites, press releases and ongoing brand communication.

frameworks racing junior pro team, female pro down hill racer at the pro downhill race at big bear lake

Working With World-Class Athletes

Great creative sometimes starts with recognizing what you already have.

original video provided by Frameworks Racing

Not every piece of media used in a campaign needs to originate with RDUB Creative.

Through 5DEV’s relationships with athletes and programs including Frameworks Racing and Cam Zink, RDUB Creative also works with photography and video supplied by sponsored athletes, teams and media partners.

My role is different in those situations: identify the strongest material, edit and format it appropriately, develop the messaging around it and turn it into campaign-ready creative for advertising and social channels.

That’s an important distinction—and an important capability.

Knowing how to represent content created at the highest levels of the sport requires understanding both the significance of what happened in front of the camera and how to translate that moment into something meaningful for the brand.

On the left: Original high-quality video provided to 5DEV featuring notable athletes.
On the right: An edit I created specifically for paid advertising, which became one of 5DEV’s higher-performing video ads of 2026.

From Creative to Campaign

The work doesn’t stop when the export finishes.

5dev meta ad featuring Cam Zink at redbull rampage standing behind his bike looking at it

Built for the kind of riding that breaks things.

5DEV MTB cranks are precision-machined in San Diego for freeride, gravity, and riders who expect their components to hold up when the terrain gets violent.

Tested at Rampage. Ready for your ride.

Made in America. Built to last.

(Image provided by Cam Zink)

5dev meta ad featuring the road cyclist with the large dam behind him.

The ride doesn’t care how good your excuses are.

Only how well your equipment performs.

Engineered To Perform.

(RDUB creative original photo)

RDUB Creative develops advertising creative and manages 5DEV’s paid campaigns across Meta and Google, connecting content production directly with distribution and performance.

That includes campaign and audience structure, creative development, copy, deployment, budget management, ongoing performance analysis and creative iteration.

Because the same person evaluating campaign performance is also involved in developing the creative, insights from advertising can directly influence what gets photographed, edited or tested next.

Create → Deploy → Measure → Learn → Refine

That feedback loop has become an important part of the relationship.

Instead of producing creative based entirely on assumptions, actual audience behavior provides another source of information for deciding what comes next.

On the left: Riding footage provided by Frameworks Racing, paired with manufacturing footage shot by RDUB Creative.
On the right: Original video shot by RDUB Creative. Both were edited specifically for 5DEV Meta ad campaigns.

On the left: Video provided by Cam Zink.
On the right: Video provided by Frameworks Racing. Both were edited by RDUB Creative specifically for 5DEV campaigns and brand use.

Frameworks Racing photography provided by Frameworks Racing. All other photography is original work by RDUB Creative.


Performance

Creative That Performs

10.54×

Meta-Attributed Return on Ad Spend

53

Attributed Purchases

Meta broad campaign · August 2026

Performance reflects platform-attributed results for the specified campaign and period. Advertising performance varies by product, audience, creative, offer and market conditions.


Great media creates opportunity.

Knowing what to do with it creates value.


Performance in Context

Strong campaign performance doesn’t happen in isolation. 5DEV’s relationships with athletes and teams such as Frameworks Racing provide access to exceptional performances, stories and media.

RDUB Creative’s role is to recognize that opportunity—identifying the strongest material, connecting it to the product and brand, developing campaign-ready creative, deploying it across the appropriate channels and learning from the response.

The result is a creative process informed by both storytelling and measurable audience behavior.


From Creative to Performance

01 — Creative

Exceptional media provides the foundation. Original RDUB Creative production is combined with select photography and footage from 5DEV’s athletes, teams and media partners.

02 — Deployment

The strongest assets are identified, edited and developed into campaign-ready creative with supporting messaging, copy and audience strategy.

03 — Performance

Campaign data provides insight into which products, stories, athletes, formats and creative approaches are connecting with the audience.

04 — Learning

Performance is evaluated in context—not simply by which ad generated the highest return, but by understanding why certain combinations of story, product and audience resonated.

05 — Refinement

Those insights inform future campaigns, creative decisions and, when appropriate, what gets photographed or produced next.

Create → Deploy → Measure → Learn → Refine


Learning From the Data

Performance informs creative. It doesn’t replace instinct.

5DEV Meta advertising performance showing purchases, purchase value and attributed return on ad spend

One of the advantages of working across both production and paid media is seeing how creative performs once it leaves the editing room.

Not every beautiful image makes a great advertisement. Not every high-performing ad needs to be the most polished piece of creative in the campaign.

Performance data helps identify patterns—products that generate interest, athletes and stories that connect with audiences, formats that encourage action and creative that deserves further investment.

Those insights can then influence the next production.

Data doesn’t dictate the creative process. It gives us another tool for understanding the audience.


Product Launches & Editorial

Giving new products a story.

5DEV Jumpline pedal launch campaign spanning product photography, manufacturing, editorial, social media and advertising

A product launch often requires more than photography.

RDUB Creative supports 5DEV launches through combinations of product imagery, video, campaign creative, advertising copy, press releases, social content and supporting editorial.

Working across those disciplines helps maintain consistency from the first announcement through the advertising and content that follows.

Rather than treating each asset independently, the goal is to build a cohesive story around the product.


Social Media

Keeping the story moving.

Between major campaigns and product launches, RDUB Creative contributes photography, video, editing, copy and social content that helps maintain a consistent brand presence.

The objective isn’t simply posting more often. It’s making sure everyday communication still feels connected to the larger visual identity of the brand.


More Than Deliverables

The 5DEV partnership represents the kind of work RDUB Creative was built to do.

Photography and cinematography remain at the center, but they’re strengthened by understanding how imagery will ultimately be used—across advertising, social media, editorial, product launches and the broader customer experience.

Sometimes that means creating an image from scratch. Sometimes it means recognizing the potential in footage captured halfway around the world. Other times it means looking at campaign data and realizing the next creative decision should be different from the last.

The tools change.

The objective doesn’t:

Understand the story.

Create with purpose.

Put the work to work.

Asa Vermette racing for Frameworks Racing at the national downhill championships in Big Bear

Project Details

Client
5DEV / 5th Axis

Services
Commercial Photography
Cinematography
Creative Strategy
Paid Media
Content Production
Social Media

Advertising Platforms
Meta
Google

Industry
Cycling · Outdoor · Manufacturing

Location
San Diego, California


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