TRAVIS BOTHNER | RIDE NF FOUNDER

April 28, 2025

After reviewing the NF DP5 Pant, I really wanted to learn more about the brand. NF is a company I have lusted at from afar, seeing their kits on some of my favorite riders and trail builders. Being a small agile brand up against some heavy-hitting competition I reached out to Travis Bothner, one of the founders at NF to get an inside scoop on the brand, product and future directly from the man behind the action.

Cole Gregg (CG): What inspired you to start NF, and what gap in the mountain bike apparel market were you looking to fill? 

Travis Bothner (TB): It wasn’t just one thing. I guess it was more the situation we (ying (wife/partner) and myself) were in at the time. We owned a garment factory at the time that was struggling. I was riding a LOT and hated my moto style pants for pedaling, then started thinking about creating a range of products from the ground up using our combined experience and at the same time filling a big gap in the market, well made, comfortable, riding gear.  

CG: How does being based in Canada influence your brand identity and the design of your products? 

TB: We were here long before the brand, so I guess naturally there is a lot of Canada infused into the product and culture surrounding it. As far as it being made here, that was just out of convenience as we already had the factory and a ton of collective experience in the sportswear industry–both on the design side, retail side, and manufacturing side. 

CG: What challenges did you face when starting NF, and how did you overcome them? 

TB: I don’t remember any real challenges in the beginning. It was just a gradual process reacting to the situations and opportunities. As we gained popularity, the main challenges were keeping up with demand while still producing everything in our small factory. Once we outgrew that we still encountered capacity issues with the factories we worked with around the city [Vancouver]. The other thing that kind of held us back was the fact that we bootstrapped the whole thing ourselves. I don’t see that as a problem though as it allowed us to stay 100% true to the brand without interference from investors or shareholders looking for big ROI. The downside was limited cash flow to produce big batches of inventory. 

CG: What sets NF’s fabrics and materials apart from other mountain bike apparel brands? 

TB: We scratch develop our core materials – Zrilix 2, and Zrilix 4 which are found in our pants, shirts and jackets. It started with a base fabric in 2018 that has been tweaked to the point where it is now very much our own thing. Fiber blends, weights, weaves, weather resistance, and the way it reacts to impacts, and abrasion are all results of a lot of testing and re-development over the years. The reason it is so comfortable while also being so durable in rough situations is no accident. All the features and benefits are derived from a lot of testing and tweaking.  

CG: Can you walk us through the design process for your products—from concept to finished product? 

TB: In most cases we don’t put anything in the market that we feel the market doesn’t need. If we feel there is something missing, we will make an attempt to bring it to life. If we can’t do a good enough job, or if someone else is already doing a good enough job of a product, we won’t go there. The products we do put out are a solved problem in our humble opinions, and we will always tweak and update as we need. We ride a LOT and adjust as needed. A typical process, once we determine we can make a reasonably priced product at a level that doesn’t currently exist – we will draw out the idea, make a pattern, make a sample [out of the most suitable material], then go test it out, bring it back to the workshop, tweak it, then go test more. Once we (developers) are satisfied with it, we will hand it off to team riders to really put it through all the paces. Sometimes this process can take more than a year before we have the confidence to go to market with it. There have been cases where we’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars and several months of development into a product that never ends up going to market for one reason or another. So, when we do bring a product to market, we are 100% unanimously happy with it (until we are not), then the process starts again. 

CG: How does NF ensure durability and performance in the apparel? 

TB: Testing, testing, developing, destroying, and more testing.  

CG: What role does sustainability play in your fabric sourcing and production processes? 

TB: It’s a big part, and luckily nowadays it is actually quite hard to find a factory that is malicious in its practices. We are quite a small brand and are involved heavily in the selection and manufacturing of all materials needed to create the product – from the thread to the labels, tags, and fabrics, to the factories that cut and sew the garments. We know all the factory people personally, so it is very easy to see if there is anything wishy, washy going on. We also try to cover our environmental footprint by repairing or recycling all our products by giving our customers an opportunity to bring back old gear for repairs or trade-ins. We take the trade-ins, repair them, and resell them on our used gear section of the website. I should also note that due to a legal issue with one of our trademarks, we had to shut down the trade in program until we have enough product with our new branding in the market. By law we were not allowed to sell anything (new or used) with our old logo on it. Our “eco-system” should be back up and running at full steam by mid-summer ’25. We also pay a percentage of every product to research and development companies working on clean energy technology in an effort to offset our emissions from shipping products worldwide. (that can probably be rephrased!) 

CG: How does NF engage with the mountain biking community, and how has that shaped the brand’s growth? 

TB: We all ride and support riders, trail builders, and content creators, spreading positivity and authenticity to the industry.  

CG: How does NF differentiate itself from larger, more established mountain bike apparel brands in terms of design and branding? 

TB: We do things our way and literally pay no attention whatsoever to what the generic/bigger brands are doing. I feel they are always trying to sneak a peek at each other’s cards to see what the next move is. That’s why they all more or less look and feel the same. 

CG: What is the legacy you hope NF will leave in the mountain biking industry and outdoor apparel space? 

TB: Get out of the city and be stewards of Mother Earth. Respect all living things, whether you eat them or not and leave the place cleaner than you found it. Nature heals the mind, body and soul. We aren’t going anywhere anytime soon so the legacy will have to wait!

CG: What’s next for NF in terms of product innovation, partnerships, or expanding into new markets? 

TB: Too much to list in one question. Might need a separate interview for that.  

CG: What was the first product you launched, and how was it received?  

TB: Our first product was a Quikstrike jersey. I think it took 3 weeks to sell it. I may have even had to just give it away. I don’t remember, haha. 

CG: Were there any key moments or decisions that helped NF Apparel gain traction in the market?  

TB: I think the pivotal moment for us was making pants. I think we came out with something completely different that people wanted but didn’t know yet. Also designing, developing, and manufacturing everything in our own facility helped a tremendous amount. Just being different and doing things our own way, working within our proverbial “toolbox”, set us apart from everyone else. 

CG: Have there been any major innovations in fabric or construction that have shaped your product line?  

TB: Not sure so much as innovation opposed to being selective about our materials. Our waistband seems so generic, but we have never found another vender offering the same one, so that has been a key component. Also, our own zrilix™ line of fabrics that we have developed over the years. We can honestly say it is our own development with a set of recipes we created which i suppose we could call innovative in a sense.  

CG: Are there any new materials or technologies you’re currently exploring to improve performance and sustainability?  

TB: Our current line of zrilix™ materials is partially made from recycled fibers, PET, and a specially formulated PFC*-Free DWR*. PFC, or PFAC (polyfluoroalkyl substances) are known as forever chemicals that do not degrade, and end up in our waterways, food, we eat, and water we drink. 

CG: Who do you feel is your biggest competitor in the market? And what do they do that you look up to?  

TB: I’ve never looked at any other brands in the market really as competitors and I have never felt as though we were competing against anyone. We are just doing our own thing our way, and our customers are all that we really care about. If they choose to run our gear, then we are doing something right. If not, they either haven’t tried our stuff yet, or we are doing something that could be done differently, so we take that seriously. There is only one apparel brand that I look up to and that is Patagonia. I don’t see them as competitors, more so a source of inspiration on how to run a clean, meaningful apparel business.

CG: What’s next for NF Apparel—any upcoming product launches or expansions you’re excited about? Spill the beans! 

TB: We are nearing the end of a big transition/transformation at the moment. We have onboarded some exciting new partners with big names and achievements in the world of mountain biking, as well as the apparel trade. As well as a new and improved manufacturing situation down in L.A., and an inventory management system that should take care of our #1 issue that we’ve had from the get-go—not enough product… 

Staying ahead of the “competition” and being a brand that inspires them is what inspires me as the Creative Director, and Head Product Developer for NF.  

We also have another line of apparel ‘general purpose’ products coming out for the outdoor enthusiasts, or people who see their clothing pieces more as “tools” than fashion statements. They will be products people will want to wear on and off the bike, around town, in the bush, on a daily basis no matter your surroundings, and that you will want to keep forever. The materials, colors, and construction techniques were and will continue to be selected and developed to age gracefully.  

All the same processes have gone into it, and we are friggin’ chomping at the bit to get that out to the world!

Check out Ride NF’s line of technical MTB apparel on their website.