Originally posted on March 26, 2018, updated on July 1, 2019

Despite cold winters and varied climate throughout the year, Canada is a country rich in cycling culture. This is evident by the Canadian bicycle brands that have sprung up across the country. From custom builders in small communities to multi-national corporations that distribute across the world, Canada has it all when it comes to bicycle companies. Whether you are looking for a bike built for speed or to tackle the country’s most technical trails, a Canadian bike company makes it.

Here is a list of Canadian bicycle brands, organized alphabetically, and a little about each of them.

Altruiste Bikes recently recieved a lot of attention for winning the Best Mountain Bike and Best in Show award at the 2018 edition of the North American Handmade Bike Show (NAHBS). The Notre-Dame, N.B. based company offers hand made custom steel gravel, road, kids and mountain bikes.

Read our interview with Altruiste’s Gabriel Lang.

Founded by retired cyclist Gervais Rioux in Montreal in 1989, Argon 18 has grown to distribute bikes aross the world and sponsors a number of professional cycling teams and triathletes. In 2019, Argo 18 sponsores Hugo Houle’s UCI WorldTour team Astana.

Aquila is the in house brand of Oakville and Toronto based bike shop Racer Sportif. The company offers carbon road, triathlon and track bikes that have been ridden by Canadian development squad Team RaceClean as well as by Canadian track athletes on the international circuit.

Banshee Bikes is a B.C.-based brand specializing in enduro, DH and trail bikes. With a long history on Vancouver’s North Shore, Banshees are designed tough to take the abuse of everyday riding, from enduro races to laps of the Whistler Bike Park.

Al Bergman began building bikes in 2005. A promising young mountain biker, he was injured when he fell off a cliff while fighting a forest fire in 2000. He became a paraplegic after the accident but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing his passion for sport competing in the wheelchair marathon at the 2004 Paralympics in Greece. Berg Bikes based in Victoria offers road, dual suspension mountain bikes and city bikes.

Ross Allan is the builder behind Bonavia Cycles. The company has been building lightweights and bespoke bicycles since the 1970’s. Allan took over the building operation in 2007 after an 18 month apprenticeship with Clive Bonavia in South West London. Bonavia builds lugged or fillet brazed road, ‘cross and touring frames in Vancouver.

Founded by Paul Brodie in 1986, Brodie Bicycles began manufacturing custom steel hardtail mountain bikes in Vancouver. They expanded into making complete bikes and working with aluminum to expand their offerings. Brodie now has a catalogue of dozens of models from trail to commuter through to road and cyclocross.

Cachet Bicycle Company is a North Bay, Ont. based street and dirt jump focused custom builders. The company makes Jordie Lunn’s titanium dirt jump specific frames he’s used at Crankworx events.

Connecticut based Cannondale was opened in 1971. Today the company which distributes a range of aluminium and carbon bikes is owned by Canadian company Dorel Industries which is headquartered in Montreal. While the bike company holds onto its American roots, it’s been owned by Dorel since 2008. Cannondale supplies road frames for WorldTour team EF Education First-Drapac. The company also produces a range of mountain bikes, cyclocross bikes and urban bikes. Dorel also owns bike companies GT Bicycles and Pacific Cycle who in turn own Iron Horse Bicycles, Mongoose, Roadmaster and Schwinn Bicycle Company.

Review: Cannondale Topstone

Cervélo was founded in 1995 by engineers Gerard Vroomen and Phil White. The company started by making high-end aerodynamic carbon race bikes. Cervélo bikes continue to be used in top level competitions by Team Dimension Data on the WorldTour and professional triathletes while the industry as a whole has followed the emphasis on aerodynamics. The company’s headquarters are in Toronto but it is now owned by Dutch conglomerate Pon Holdings.

For more Cervélo see the S5 road bike and Áspero gravel bike reviewed.

Chromag is a Whistler, B.C. based company specializing in steel and titanium hardtail mountain bikes. The brand offers frames hand-made in B.C. as well as made in Taiwan options. Chromag also offers an extensive range of components, including stems, pedals, seat posts, saddles and more.

Circa was founded by Moise Bensimon of Toronto who also owns a company that designs and builds upscale custom carpentry for residential and commercial properties. The company offers titanium city single speeds, road, track and cyclocross models in sizes 52, 54, 56, 58.

Deep Cove in North Vancouver is where Cove got its start making freeride bikes in 1992. The North Shore company now offers 10 frames.

Guillaume Desy is the welder and owner of Cycles Golem. It is a small bike company with the frames built in his Québec City workshop. Trained a mechanical engineer, Desy builds steel bikes based from his passion for mountain biking, road and cyclocross racing. Golem builds road, mountain, cyclocross, touring and fat bikes with a host of custom options and add ons.

Peter Daam started DaamBuilt bikes during his 10-year career as a mechanical engineer. Since then, Daam’s relocated from North Vancovuer to Montreal and left engineering to build frames full time. DaamBuilt creates full suspension mountain bikes, road, track bikes, and bike packing rigs. With his engineering background, Daam will custom build your bike to your riding style, down to fine tuning the suspension linkage and progression.

Chris Dekerf is the frame builder behind Vancouver-based Dekerf Cycle Innovations. With over thirty years in the business, Dekerf produces frames, forks, bars, stems and complete custom bikes, as well as doing paint and OEM frame building for other brands. At NAHBS 2016, Dekerf was recognized with the show’s Artisan Award.

Devinci was established in Chicoutimi, Que in 1987 by two engineering students and have expanded to headquarters in Saguenay under new ownership. The company makes road and mountain bikes. Steve Smith was one of the company’s sponsored athletes at the time of his passing. The company also sponsors Unior Devinci Factory Team which competes in Enduro events. Devinci also make Montreal’s Bixi bikes and the ones for Toronto Bike Share.

Evolve is based in Squamish, B.C. and source their frames from overseas but use as many components and parts from companies in North America in their assemble. The company also does custom paint to deliver custom bikes.

Based in Quebec, Flansberrium Fabrications is a one man shop making custom unicycles and bicycles for on and off-road use.

Forbidden Bike Company

Based in Cumberland, Vancouver Island, Forbidden Bike Company is a small brand of experienced mountain bike engineers and designers building a HPP trail bike. Started in 2017, the brand recently released its first model, the Druid.

Kermode Cycles is a boutique operation making custom bicycles of all kinds. Kermode is now located in Vancouver, B.C., but the name maintains the brands connection to its northern B.C. roots. With experience building track, mountain, and all other kinds of bikes, Kermode’s Instagram is always documenting the next unique build.

KindHuman is a made to order bike company based in Toronto that offers complete bikes. Kindhuman offers stock sized frames and gives customers the controls on choosing the groupset and components the bike is built with. Kindhuman have road, gravel and cyclocross models to choose from with the frames painted in Canada.

Knolly Bikes has been building mountain bikes in Vancouver since 2002. With a focus on quality manufacturing, durability, and founder Noel Buckley’s background in engineering, Knolly’s are built tough to thrive on the notoriously tough North Shore trails. While carbon fibre frames have recently been added to the line, there are no plans to stop making the alloy frames Knolly built its reputation on.

For more from Knolly see our review of the 29″ Fugitive LT and Warden 27.5″ mountain bikes.

Kona was founded in Vancouver in 1988 by Dan Gerhard and Jacob Heilbron. The headquarters are now in Ferndale, Washington. Kona make bikes from carbon, titanium, aluminum and steel. The company has a world-class gravity team, Kona Factory Team which races internationally.

Vancouver-based, Landyachtz are new to the bike building scene launching in the summer of 2016. The company that was building longboards, skateboards and skateboard accessories have decided to enter the cycling industry thanks to the founders Mike Perreten and Tom Edstrand interest in the sport. The company makes city, touring, road and custom bikes.

Based in St.-Hyacinthe, Que., Letellier makes custom carbon fibre road bikes. The company offers two base models, aiming to mix high performance and competitive prices.

An apparel company founded in 1984 in Quebec City by former Olympic cyclist Louis Garneau, the Garneau has expanded to offer a range of sports products that began including bikes about 20 years ago. They now offer a range of time trial, cyclocross, road, adventure and fat. Customers can have their frames painted to their liking through the Garneau Dream Factory.

For more from Garneau see our review of the Garibaldi C Prohibition or, for winter rides, the Gros Louis fatbike.

Lyle’s 29+ Bikepacking Adventure Mountain Bike. Image: Kyle Thomas LT Wiens road bike. Image: Mark Reimer

Lyle Wiens has been building bikes in Altona, Manitoba under the LT Wiens name for four years now. Wiens first started building to meet his own needs: at 6’8” he couldn’t find a bike that fit him properly. Having built everything from road bikes to dual suspension mountain bikes, Wiens is comfortable with all kinds of projects, but admits he has a particular knack when building for other extra tall riders.

Giuseppe Marinoni started building frames in the early 80s after a lengthy career as a cyclist. Over 40 years ago he started building steel bikes in Montreal and the family business continues to this day. While known for the bikes, the founder himself has captured headlines in recent years. In 2012, Marinoni broke the 75-79 age group hour record with a 35.728-km ride at a velodrome near to where he was born in Brescia, Italy. In 2017, he broke the 80 to 84 hour record with a 39.004 km ride in Milton, Ont..

Since 1969, Mariposa has been hand-making frames in Toronto. The company was founded by John Palmer and Mike Barry, the father of former professional cyclist Michael Barry Jr. who now operates the business with his wife Dede since the brand’s relaunch in 2012. The company makes custom classic steel frames.

For more Mariposa see our steel Cyclocross review and 2018 CX nationals bikes

Based in Quebec, Moose Bicycles is a consumer direct company that offers budget-friendly commuters, city bikes, fixies, a gravel bike and fat bikes.

Naked Bicycles based on Quadra Island in B.C. has been building custom frames since 1998. Founded by Sam Whittingham, Naked Bicycles makes road, cross and mountain frames out of steel and titanium.

For more from Naked Bicycles see Carter Wood’s titanium X20 cyclocross bike.

A frame building shop based in Montreal, Cycles Narval specializes in fillet brazed steel bicycle frames.

Owned by two Canadians and named after the atomic number of the company’s favoured material, No. 22 make hand-made titanium frames in their Johnstown, New York facility. With seven models, custom options and ready-made complete bikes, No. 22 have been growing rapidly in recent years. The company also offers in-house anodized finishes. No. 22 won the People’s Choice Award and Best in Show at the 2018 edition of NAHBS. In 2017 they took the award at NAHBS for Best Campagnolo Build.

For more No. 22 see our Aurora review.

Norco opened its doors in 1964 as Northern Cycle Industries and was founded by Bert Lewis. The company changed its name but has grown considerably from its humble roots. The company introduced the first full suspension BMX bike in 1973 and in 1975 began making 10-speed road bikes. The company expanded into mountain biking as the sport became more popular and continues to have the strong Norco Factory Team of pro riders who race internationally in various disciplines.

For more Norco, read about the 2020 Revolver XC bike, Optic trail bike, Sight all mountain shredder and Fluid FS. Norco has recently expanded into eMTB, including the Sight 29 VLT.

Opus began in Montreal focused on building road bikes but has expanded in recent years with particular emphasis on commuting and urban riding in mind. They also offer e-bikes, trail and youth models in its line-up.

For more on Opus, see our review of the Horizon 1

Panorama is a Montreal company that currently offers two carbon fibre bikes. They make a fat bike and a gravel bike. The companies emphasis is on creating bikes for outdoor enthusiasts.

The Rise only makes one frame: The Partymaster. Designed specifically by The Rise crew to survive their brand of street, dirt jump and slopestyle riding, the Partymaster’s Chromoly tubing focuses on a different type of performance than chasing podiums. Handmade in Canada by NAHBS-winning builders at Altruiste Bikes, The Rise is Canada’s street and slopestyle brand.

Founded in Vancouver in 1981, Rocky Mountain have been making bikes used at the top level of mountain biking for decades. The company’s line-up is punctuated by various models for different mountain bike riding styles but their wide catalogue also includes gravel bikes as well. The brand’s HQ are now in Quebec, and Rocky continues to sponsor elite and pro freeride, enduro and cross country athletes.

For more Rocky Mountain see: Felix’s Element, Andréane Lanthier Nadeau’s Instinct, or the Slayer.

Rollingdale Cycle was established by Dale Marchand. The Alberta-based frame builder primarily focuses on building custom titanium frames, trailers and components (including stems and seatposts).

RSD was founded in 2012 and their name stands for Rubber Side Down Bikes. They are based in Toronto and offer fat bikes. The RSD line-up includes 27.5+ and 29+ mountain bikes for riders looking to put very thick rubber on their ride. The bikes are built from steel and titanium at a Taiwanese based plant.

Schön Studio is a Toronto welding shop that tackles a wide variety of projects including bikes. Schön builds custom frames, forks, lugs, stems, racks and repairs from mostly steel.

Spawn Cycles is based in Squamish, B.C. and has been building high quality mountain bikes and components for youth since 2012. Spawn Cycles models range from 12″ wheels up to 26″ wheels for youth of all ages.

Spherik is based in Quebec City and offers a full catalogue of bicycles built from carbon and alloy. There are fat bikes, hybrids, tri bikes, MTB and road bikes. The company also sells wheels.

Squad bikes are assembled in Montreal. The company offers different models of road and triathlon bikes with custom paint, builds and are constructed to the riders desired fit.

Staran bikes are assembled at their facility in Burlington, Ont. The company offers a couple of different models of mountain bikes as framesets or full builds. The frames are built from hydroformed aluminum.

Steelwool is the in house custom brand for Ottawa, Ont.’s Tall Tree Cycles. The brand has made custom steel cyclocross, touring and gravel bikes for over ten years.

Structure Cycleworks is a Calgary-based brand that has developed a linkage chassis mountain bike. The engineering-focused company currently offers two models of the unique looking bike.

Want to know more about this innovative Albertan brand? Listen to our interview with founder Loni Hull.

T-Lab builds titanium bikes in Montreal. The company designs, engineers, manufactures and finishes their bikes at their facility. T-Lab currently offers two road models and two adventure frames. The brand came together lead by founder Tony Giannascoli after Guru bikes folded in 2016.

Find out more about T-Lab in our recent profile of the Montreal brand.

Founded in 1993, in a farm workshop in Alma, Ont. by Hugh Black, True North history began with mountain bikes. Now based in Belwood, Ont., True North build steel and titanium frames ranging in riding styles from touring to mountain biking.

Alain Levesque has been building custom steel bicycles in Toronto under the Velos Levesque name since 2011. Focusing primarily on road and gravel bikes, from race light to rugged, Levesque will build both lugged and fillet-brazed steel frames. Each bike is purpose-built for its future owner, and no two bikes are the same.

Vitess is a made-to-order bicycle company based in Toronto, Ont. The company makes custom carbon fibre bicycles.

Wildwood Cycles bikes are custom built from steel in Victoria. The company was founded in 2013 by Jesse Hildebrandt who is a Red Seal welder by trade. He’s also a very skilled and experienced BMX rider. Hildebrandt builds all sorts of bikes using a range of tubing and joined together using different methods to deliver custom bikes.

YessBMX produces handmade in Canada frames and parts designed for top-level BMX racing. With experience building frames dating back to 1994, YessBMX focuses on high-quality aluminum frames.