About

SINCE THE 80’S…

A small cabal of mountain bikers have been escaping from the glass & steel of Vancouver into the mountains that tower over the city’s North Shore. Inside the green envelope of the forest they would experiment with the boundaries of possibilities on their mountain bikes. They carved lines in the forest floor, rode down sheer rock faces & took to the canopy to catch flight–all previously unimaginable acts for cyclists–at the time the emphasis was on racing the clock. Their priority was to be free to explore & to establish their own limits of what they could do on a bicycle. They challenged the conventions of mountain biking, & also provided them with a source of liberation from the urban crush. Vancouver’s North Shore played a key role in the early Freeride movement. It was here that Sombrio was launched to fill the functional & aesthetic void that existed in mountain bike apparel. At the time, skintight Lycra was the status quo for mountain bikers, but these shrink-wrapped layers didn’t suit the rigors of the modern style of riding, & it certainly didn’t fit the aesthetic of it either. When Sombrio introduced a range of functional & stylish threads, riders finally had gear that was appropriate for the radical way they were riding. Sombrio weren’t just pioneers, they created a whole new possibility & experience, just like the trail builders & riders of the North Shore had done. Sombrio takes what it learns in the harsh environment of mountain biking’s toughest testing grounds to create innovative garments that perform both on the trails & in the city streets. With an eye on making both the natural & urban worlds healthier & more vibrant places, Sombrio provides a platform for riders to express their beliefs through something that isn’t just ‘what we wear’, but a movement.