Recently our eye has been caught by an up and coming organisation called Blackline Clothing. What stood out is that this is more than just an MTB brand - it’s a company with a clear goal: to support free-to-ride trails across the UK. It does this by offering affordable, quality MTB gear and donating a portion of each sale directly to their trail partners to fund trail maintenance and development with every purchase.

We caught up with Alex Bowley, the founder and owner who shared that since launching, BlackLine which is based in Cardiff in Wales has already raised over £1,300 for UK trails, with plans to increase both funding and the number of supported locations. Currently, the brand has partnered with:

• North Cardiff Trails (Cardiff)
• Sandbay Trails (Weston-Super-Mare)
• Trail Collective North Wales (North Wales)

How the Trail Partnership Model Works

"One of the biggest challenges for UK MTB trails is securing funding for maintenance. Most rely on volunteer efforts, local fundraising, or small grants to cover costs like tools, surfacing materials, legal fees, and general upkeep. BlackLine’s model aims to bridge this funding gap in a way that’s simple, effective, and entirely transparent."

• For every product sold, a portion of the profits goes into a donation fund.
• Trail partners don’t pay anything or take on any obligations—they simply receive funding to use as needed.
• Every twelve months, BlackLine reassesses partnerships, ensuring funds are directed to trails that are actively maintaining and improving their infrastructure.

This approach makes it easy for trails to access funding without administrative overhead or complicated agreements. It also helps ensure the riding community has access to free-to-ride trails all year long. 

How Trails Can Get Involved

BlackLine is actively seeking future partnerships with free-to-ride trails that need financial support for maintenance and development. They are particularly looking for trails in the Midlands, South, and East Midlands to broaden their impact.

If you manage or volunteer at a trail and are interested in becoming a BlackLine partner, you can join their waiting list by emailing:

📩 partnerships@blacklineclothing.co.uk

To apply, trails need to provide:

✅ Their name & role within the organisation

✅ A link to their website or social media

✅ A brief description of their trail network

Blackline Clothing assesses new partners as funding allows, with plans to onboard more trails in the future as the brand grows.

For Riders: How You Can Help

Supporting Blackline Clothing means supporting UK trails. Here’s how riders can contribute:

1️⃣ Purchase MTB gear from BlackLine – their jerseys, trousers, and hoodies are affordable, great quality and designed for riders, by riders.

2️⃣ Tag on social media - Riding in BlackLine? Give them a tag on socials. All posts and stories are shared with their followers.

3️⃣ Spread the word – share BlackLine’s mission with local trail builders and riders who might not know about this funding opportunity.

BlackLine Clothing is proving that a grassroots approach to funding can make a real impact on UK trails. By offering stylish, functional, and reasonably priced MTB gear, they’re giving riders a way to support their local trails simply by choosing where they shop. iBikeRide wishes them tons of luck as the ethos is spot on as far as we are concerned and we've just placed our first order for a new MTB top :).

🔗 Learn more at blacklineclothing.co.uk

📩 For partnership inquiries, contact: partnerships@blacklineclothing.co.uk

Read: 97 times Published: 23/03/2025