Designing Contour: Read the Land, Follow Your Own Line
Contour turns topographic map lines into a race jersey: dusty lilac contours on deep olive, one citron line, and an imagined landscape with no place name on it.
In this post
A topographic map with no place name on it. The climb is whatever you make it.
Contour is the first jersey in a new Corbah series we're calling Terrain Studies. It takes the lines you see on a hiking map and turns them into a race jersey: dusty lilac contours on deep olive, with one bright citron line running through the terrain. Here's how it came together.
Why contour lines
Cyclists read terrain all day. Tight contour lines on a map mean a steep climb is coming; wide gaps mean you can breathe. We wanted a jersey that looks the way a good climb feels, without stamping a famous mountain on it. So the terrain on Contour is imagined. It isn't a map of any real place, and there are no elevations or coordinates to argue about at the café.
Four colors, used like a map
- Deep olive is the ground, on every panel, the collar and the hem.
- Dusty lilac draws the contour lines, finer on the slopes and heavier every fifth line, the way index lines work on a real map.
- Citron marks one line on the front and two on the back, like a route traced in highlighter.
- Chalk is used only for the small CORBAH wordmark on the chest and rear pockets.
Panel by panel
The front
The front is lopsided on purpose. A dense summit builds on the wearer's right, with the citron line running down its flank. The left side is quieter: a calmer contour field under the CORBAH mark.
Sleeves and sides
Each sleeve has its own small summit, and the side panels carry their own lilac fields. Every panel gets its own piece of terrain, so no line has to meet across a seam. That keeps the print clean in every size from XS to 4XL.
The back
The back opens into one big summit between the shoulders, ringed by citron. Below it, the three rear pockets get their own low hill and a second CORBAH mark.
On the road
We pictured Contour on stone-walled mountain roads, switchbacks above a lake and long days that end at the top. It's quiet enough for every ride and still reads clearly from the back of the group.
Pair it with plain black bibs like the Men's Classics Midnight Bib Shorts ($139.95). Buy bibs with a jersey and you save 10% on the bibs, taken off at checkout. The bib shorts in these photos are sold separately.
Want a map of your own climb?
Contour is imagined terrain. If you'd rather wear a climb you've actually ridden, Your Ride turns your own route and elevation profile into a jersey. More mountain designs are in Climbs.
Get yours
The Contour Topographic Cycling Jersey is $99.95 in sizes XS to 4XL. It's made to order and takes about 5–6 weeks, with free personalization (name, text or logo). Ordering as a gift for Christmas? Order by Friday, November 13 for US delivery by December 25.
Check the size guide before you order. We can't take returns or exchanges on made-to-order kit, but if the size is wrong you keep the jersey and can order the same one in another size within 15 days of delivery for about 20–60% off that new order.
