7mesh: cycling apparel rethought by Arc'teryx alumni
7mesh is a Canadian cycling apparel brand based in Squamish, British Columbia, launched in 2014 by three former Arc'teryx executives. Their starting bet fit in one sentence: cycling apparel had fallen behind technical outerwear, and it was time to apply the same methods to it — taped seams, breathable membranes, in-house prototyping, an obsession with durability. Twelve years on, the brand is known for its waterproof shells, but its range now covers everything you wear on a bike. Here is where it comes from, what its name means, and which pieces you'll find at Bicycles Quilicot.
Squamish and the Coast Mountains: 7mesh's proving ground since 2014.
In short
7mesh is a Canadian cycling apparel brand founded in Squamish, British Columbia, and launched in 2014 by Tyler Jordan, Ian Martin and Calum Davidson, three Arc'teryx alumni. Its name references Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh, the Squamish Nation's name. At Bicycles Quilicot, the selection covers Farside trail shorts, Atlas and Roam technical tops, Foundation chamois liners and the Glidepath pant.
Where does 7mesh come from?
Three people left Arc'teryx to found 7mesh: Tyler Jordan, who led the outdoor apparel maker as CEO for eight years, Ian Martin, its design director, and Calum Davidson, its supply chain director. Three roles that, between them, span an entire production chain: the vision, the product, the making. The brand launched in 2014 out of Squamish, a small coastal town in British Columbia wedged between the ocean and the mountains.
The observation that set the project in motion was a simple one, and Tyler Jordan put it bluntly in an interview with Bicycle Retailer:
"We felt cycling was lagging behind... Cycling apparel had stayed very traditional."
— Tyler Jordan, co-founder and CEO of 7mesh
They attacked that gap through the shell: the first 7mesh pieces were cycling waterproofs built like mountaineering jackets. It worked — so well that it became a perception problem the founder now readily owns.
What does the name "7mesh" mean?
It is probably the most asked question about the brand, and the answer has nothing to do with cycling. 7mesh is not a word. It borrows from Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh, the name the Squamish Nation gives to its territory and its language. The numeral 7 marks a glottal stop — a real sound in the Squamish language that the Roman alphabet simply cannot write. The brand took the last five characters of that name rather than adopting the colonial place name.
The logo carries the same idea through two peaks that stand over the town: the 7 traces the outline of Nch'kay (Mt. Garibaldi), and the m follows the curves of Siyám Smánit (the Stawamus Chief). The company explains its reasoning on its page about the name and logo, noting that British Columbia is home to 34 distinct Indigenous languages, all of them endangered.
Seam tape, measuring tape and cut panels: prototyping happens in-house, in Squamish.
What sets 7mesh construction apart?
The Arc'teryx heritage shows in the details rather than in the marketing. Seams taped instead of merely stitched, panels cut to follow your position on the bike rather than a standing posture, fabrics chosen to keep breathing once they are wet. Prototyping happens in-house in Squamish, and pieces are tested on Coast Mountain trails — terrain that, for rain and mud, looks a lot more like a Canadian October than a cycling ad.
The second half of the story is the more interesting one if you are after something other than a rain shell. The brand deliberately widened its range toward light layers, shorts and base layers — what goes under the shell and, above all, the 90% of rides when it isn't raining.
"There was a risk that would be perceived as the jacket company. [...] we had a lot to learn about what goes on underneath."
— Tyler Jordan, co-founder and CEO of 7mesh
Fabric that keeps breathing once it's soaked: the brand's starting point.
Which 7mesh pieces are available at Bicycles Quilicot?
The selection at Bicycles Quilicot focuses on exactly that second family: versatile pieces that work on the trail and still work once you step off the bike. You'll find them all on the 7mesh brand page.
| Piece | Who it's for |
|---|---|
| Farside 9" Short (men's) · Farside 8" (women's) | Warm days on the trail — short, clean cut in quick-drying stretch fabric |
| Atlas T-Shirt (women's cut too) | Technical performance without the jersey look — light, breathable, stretchy |
| Roam Merino Wool T-Shirt | Long days and warm weather — moisture management and odour resistance |
| Podium T-Shirt | The everyday tee, soft to the touch from the first ride |
| Foundation Boxer · women's liner | Bib-short comfort under regular shorts — commuting and shorter rides |
| Glidepath Pants | Cool seasons and trails — the long version of the Glidepath short |
| GO Cap | After the ride — light, quick-drying, packs into a pocket |
The Farside 9" short: the most common way into the range.
How do you choose your 7mesh piece?
If you ride mountain or gravel, the logical entry point is the Farside 9" short worn over a Foundation chamois liner. That combination replaces bib shorts on trail rides: you keep the comfort where you sit, without the skin-tight look that stops plenty of people from grabbing a coffee afterwards. The Atlas tee completes the kit with the breathability of a jersey and the cut of an ordinary shirt.
Félix Burke, 7mesh and Bicycles Quilicot ambassador, who runs the Trail Trybe camps in Mont-Tremblant.
It is also what Félix Burke wears, an ambassador for both 7mesh and Bicycles Quilicot. A cross-country racer who came up through the Quebec and Canadian teams, he now runs the Trail Trybe camps in Mont-Tremblant, introducing more than 200 young riders to mountain biking every summer. Apparel that holds up across a full season of Laurentian singletrack is a far more telling test than any spec sheet.
If you mostly ride to get somewhere, the approach flips: the chamois liner slips under your everyday clothes, and that's it. You arrive dressed for your day, not for your ride. To compare with the rest of the offering, our cycling apparel collection gathers every brand we carry, and our mountain bikes section is there if it's the bike itself you're after.
Frequently asked questions
Is 7mesh a Canadian brand?
Yes. The company is based in Squamish, British Columbia, where design and prototyping take place. It was founded by three former Arc'teryx executives — Arc'teryx itself being a Canadian technical outdoor brand born in the Vancouver area.
How do you pronounce "7mesh"?
You simply say "seven-mesh". The numeral 7 comes from the Squamish Nation's name Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh, where it stands for a glottal stop — a brief catch in the sound, like the one between the two halves of "uh-oh".
Do you need bib shorts under 7mesh shorts?
Not strictly, but that's what makes the formula work. Farside shorts are built to be worn over a chamois liner like the Foundation: you get the padding of bib shorts with the look of ordinary shorts. On rides under an hour, plenty of people skip the liner without issue.
What's the difference between the Atlas tee and the Roam merino?
The Atlas is a stretchy synthetic cut for movement: it dries fast and moves with you, the pick for harder rides. The Roam relies on merino wool, which handles moisture better over a long day and resists odour far longer — the right call for bikepacking, or for wearing the same piece two days running.
Does 7mesh make women's apparel?
Yes. At Bicycles Quilicot, the Atlas tee, the Farside 8" short and the Foundation chamois liner all come in women's cuts, built on their own patterns rather than as scaled-down sizes.
Explore the 7mesh range
The right piece is chosen by trying it on as much as by reading specs.
Torn between two pieces, or two sizes?
Our staff will help you pick the right layer for your riding and for the weather here — in store or from a distance.
Shop the 7mesh range Get in touch7mesh holds a particular place in the cycling apparel landscape: a brand that started from mountaineering know-how, set up in a small mountain town, and built its reputation on the shell before widening into everything worn underneath. It's that second half of the range you'll find with us — trail shorts, technical tops, chamois liners. Pieces that don't shout "cycling", but that do the work while you ride. If you're not sure where to start, write to us or drop by: a cut is easier to judge in person than on a page.
Sources: 7mesh — Our Name & Logo · 7mesh — About Us · Bicycle Retailer, "Five years after launch, 7Mesh is showing it's more than a jacket brand" (2019)