Are you a rider? These are The Best Canadian Brands Worth Your Money

Think about how much Oakley charges for a pair of sunglasses. 400? 300? Even 200 is a bit too much. You're mostly paying for a logo. The performance is there, so I won't talk down on them.

The truth is, as cycling is becoming more popular, brands are focusing more and more on those new riders that just want to look good.

Why not do both? There's only one brand I'm aware of (please let me know if you know another) that offers pro performance and, in our opinion, look absolutely great.

Hard to find, and they're kind of a new brand.

Let's start with the good

GVTY is a Vancouver-based brand. I used them for most of the past season during my trip in France and Italy. They did everything I'd expect from my Radars, including the occasional compliment.

Light, sturdy, polarized. They offer a 4 lens kit, so your pair is good for almost any condition. I even used the amber lens for night skiing.

When researching for this article, I was surprised to find out that they recently introduced a lifetime warranty to all pairs ever sold. That includes my pair, bought over 2 years ago. Which is intact.

The bad

When I ordered my pair on February 2024, they forgot to include the clear lens in the box. I reached out, and I had my clear lens within a few days. They were nice enough to send me a digital gift card.

They can get a bit dirty. The mirrored lens is susceptible to fingerprints. Noting a microfiber won't solve. Even when dirty, you can see just fine.

They're not the absolute lightest. Don't get me wrong, they're extremely comfortable, they've got rubber that molds to your ear. The problem is when you wear them for 10+ hours, you can definitely feel the weight then. I wore them the Whistler GranFondo without any issues.

Who this is for

Everyone. Unless you're wearing them all day.

Most "Canadian" bike brands design here and build the frame somewhere far away. Devinci actually welds theirs at home.

Their factory sits in Chicoutimi, Quebec, in a region that runs on clean hydro power and makes a big slice of Canada's aluminum. Raw metal goes in one door. Finished aluminum frames come out the other. Cut, welded, heat treated, painted, all under one roof. They build more bikes in Canada than anyone.

They're honest about the rest too. The carbon and entry-level models are made in Asia, and they label it plainly. No "made in Canada" smoke. Every Devinci, made here or abroad, carries a lifetime warranty.

If you want a bike with real Canadian metal under you, this is the short list.

Chromag is Whistler in brand form.

Ian Ritz started it in 2003 out of a bike shop, building steel hardtails tough enough for the kind of riding that breaks normal bikes. Two decades later he still owns it. Still based in Whistler. Some of their frames and parts are still hand-built right there in BC, a few doors from the shop, with the rest made overseas and labeled clearly.

It's the opposite of a faceless brand. Founder-owned, rider-run, built around a real local scene.

If you want gear with a story you can actually trace, Chromag has it.

Argon 18 was born in Montreal in 1989, started by a three-time Canadian Olympic cyclist. Their bikes are designed and built in Quebec and raced at the top of the sport around the world. On the road, the name carries real weight.

I need to note that they're not 100% Canadian owned.