St. Louis residents and business partners Ryan Lee and Dave Aberle have (ahem) rolled out a new line of mountain biking jerseys made to bring trails to life and build a welcoming community for riders.

Their brand, YO-MO!, creates designs based on popular area mountain biking trails: from Chubb to Zombie, Cliff Cave to Deer Run, and more. Each jersey seeks to capture the feel of the trail through a combination of imagery and style and also includes fun details like a map, GPS coordinates, distance, and elevation printed on the sleeve — and upside down on the hemline, so it can be easily referenced by the rider.

“We want to have a good time with this, not turn it into a job we dread doing,” said Aberle. “To actually see the jerseys out on the trail is awesome.”

Ryan Lee and Dave Aberle, YO-MO! founders

Ryan Lee (left) and Dave Aberle, founders of YO-MO!

Lee created YO-MO! in 2021 after his daughter joined the local chapter of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) and he was asked to redo their team logo and jersey. That led to him designing jerseys for each of the Missouri Interscholastic Cycling League (MICL) races. The idea to make jerseys for specific trails spun out from there.

“Mountain biking completely changed our lives, and I wanted to give back,” Lee said. 

Aberle, who tells a similar story of his son joining NICA, met Lee through the team and came on board to help with finances and operations of the business. “It’s the best investment I ever made,” he said.

The back of YO-MO!’s Zombie West Trail jersey.

YO-MO! currently sells its jerseys, as well as stickers and accessories, through its website (yomomtb.com) and at MTB Shed in Eureka. Aberle says the brand hopes to be in other area bike shops in the near future and plans to add shorts, gloves, hats, and other goods to the portfolio.

The business donates a portion of sales proceeds to MICL and trail-building groups like Gateway Off-Road Cyclists. Aberle says YO-MO! wants to continue to form partnerships to raise funds and awareness for the local mountain biking community and plans to start a race team of its own for youth and adults.

“Our families go to every Missouri NICA event, and we love being part of the community and living that life,” he said. “For us, it’s more about the story in the parking lot than about how fast you get up the hill. YO-MO! is an evolution of that.”

Top Image: The back of YO-MO!’s Castlewood Trails jersey.