Who are we?

PANORAMA CYCLES – BACKCOUNTRY BICYCLES CO.

Independent bicycle company based in Canada dedicated to backcountry cyclists – those who prefer gravel, snow and off-road trails.

 

Our purpose

We believe that cycling is a catalyst for adventures, no matter how small they can be.

No need to travel across the world or to be a seasoned athlete to live epic outdoors adventures.

From exploring a new trail by night with an headlamp to bikepacking off trails in the backcountry, our outings are never about the distance traveled but about good times with good friends. From the morning espresso shot to the post-ride beer, every moment shapes the adventure.

At Panorama Cycles, we are inspired by mature forests, salmon rivers, rugged mountains, starry skies, campfires and nights spent in a tent.

#backcountrycycling #slowtravel

The vision behind our products

1- Multi-usage

We are not big fans of the “N + 1” concept often conveyed in the cycling world… This idea where we must constantly get a new bike to meet certain specific needs, needs that cannot be met with what we already have.

Of course, each of our bikes is designed to excel in its favorite element. A fatbike performs wonderfully in the snow, a gravel bike is at its best on an unpaved sidecountry road.

However, we design our bikes with geometries and a choice of components to make them as versatile as possible. We try to include all the features and functions on the bike that can be used during the useful life of the bike.

Basically, if one of our designs is too specific to a type of terrain and a specific context, it will be rejected or at least modified to try to make it more versatile.

 

2- Quality

Our bikes are designed first and foremost for our “core target” clientele: those traveling and exploring the backcountry by bike.

Going on an expedition by bike, carrying everything you need to live (and survive) on board, requires absolute confidence in your equipment. The parallel can be made with the whitewater kayaker and his paddle, the climber and his harness or the off-piste skier and his avalanche transceiver. In this regard, we have forged links with some of the best bicycle manufacturing factories in the world. Transparent partners, with an irreproachable work ethic.

There is also the quality of the experience our customers have when using our products. Our artistic collaborations in the development of our graphics, our meticulous choices of Reynolds steel tubing and the development of our composite laminates to meet the needs of our core customers are examples of the choices we make to improve this experience. .

We therefore advocate attention to detail in all the spheres of work that we touch.

3- Suitable for all levels

The geometry of our frames as well as the choice of components provide a balance between performance, comfort and durability. All this at a fair and honest price.

We try to create bikes that will last over time. No chance we will offer super high end bikes that you will be afraid to lean against a tree. At the other extreme, it is out of the question for us to offer cheap bikes with a quality that arouses doubts.

We offer a single choice of components for all our models. A selection which is long thought, and which will offer excellent performance for both a beginner and an advanced cyclist, for many years to come.

expédition route blanche 2020 panorama cycles

Our story

Our adventure began around 2010, completely charmed by the culture of bikepacking. There we found a raw authenticity, where the experience of cycling was put in the foreground, well ahead of the performance or the equipment used.

The idea was to promote the practice of cycling in a non-competitive form, in a spirit of exploration, adventure and inclusivity.

With the popularity of the fatbike growing during this period, it was only natural that the first Panorama Cycles bike to emerge was this unparalleled all-terrain exploration machine. Aboard the group of co-founders, a composites engineer works to validate tooling, laminate sequences and test results. Chic-Chocs was launched in the fall of 2016.

Our mission is to provide quality products and a source of inspiration for backcountry cyclists, those who prefer gravel, snow and off-road trails.

It was at the very beginning, and still today, important to give a sense to all of the effort we put into this compoany. This translates into our involvement in the community of bikepacking enthusiasts.

With the support of this community, we are promoting the local (and sometimes less local) territory subject to cycling trips off marked trails. We take as much  joy in promoting bikepacking and travel by bike as we do in designing and manufacturing our products. This passion is reflected in the many bikepacking circuits that we have created and in our bike trip stories.

We don’t want to bring soulless bikes to the market, which is already inundated with them. From day 1, we wanted to establish a brand that could become a vehicle for change in the practice of sport.

Obviously we want to have a profitable business. Otherwise, it would be impossible to continue to perpetuate our mission. However, to this day, we have no external investor and therefore no pressure that would push us to over-inflate our prices. Independence is important in this regard.

Our “core target” clientele has solidified with the expeditions that have been made on our bikes: Crossing of the African continent, Transtaïga and Route Blanche, to name a few. Another clientele quickly added, those who wanted to experience small-scale bicycle adventures. We are just as passionate about these micro-adventures and the people into them.

Every phone call, email, or chat we have relating a cycling adventure story, no matter how small, reminds us why we started Panorama Cycles many years ago.

Follow us to stay aware of the next chapter!

If you want to learn more about Panorama Cycles, read this interview given by Simon, one of the co-founders, to Bike Gear Database.