In the end, we are the stories we tell: the black bear that chased its cubs down the road in front of us story, the I got boxed in at the finish story, the then the ranger told us there was no where to get water for thirty miles story. Much has been made about cycling’s secret handshakes, its racing culture, its sharp-jawed elite participants and its vanity. (All of which, to be fair, is one pillar of what makes pedaling great.) But those aren’t the whole deal.
On the whole, cycling is about the experience of moving. That a human pedaling a bike is the most efficient method of animal locomotion- three times the speed of walking with five times the efficiency – offers a perspective that quite literally nothing else in the world can match. It’s not possible to see more with less energy. The act of pedaling, itself, is a tale.
Furthermore, a rider livesmore in the time that they pedal. Unencumbered by any enclosed space, held aloft, riding is a platform, a way to take in more. Ride 90 miles in the rain and your understanding of rain changes. Pedal for three days with someone and how they trade time in-and-out of the wind will give you real insight into the fabric of their character. Pedal from pavement to dirt road to two-track to a forgotten game path in a lonely wood and the memoir of a landscape writes itself under your tires in progressive chapters.
The goal of Velocio is to create clothing that improves the experience of riding, to get at the stories told by cycling more efficiently, more comfortably, more absolutely. We do this by marrying technological progress in apparel with the natural progress of pedaling. We celebrate design that adds to the conversation, that says “hello” when you pass by and that encourages a little more so here’s what happened with every ride.
Design. Ride. Design again. It goes on like this for a while. Velocio clothing is built around fit first. Every fabric, panel, seam, enclosure, and stitch is considered. We sweat the details. We source materials from amazing Italian mills because we're picky about fabrics that manage moisture and extend comfort. The result is a better riding experience. A better story around cycling.
That story is the crucial key to our process. It means cycling clothing that rides perfectly and looks inspired. It means clothing that withstands trend and upholds style. Classic lines beat cheap attention grabs. Technical function doesn't happen at the cost of beautiful clothing. We ask over and over: Can-we-make-it-better? Is this just right? How can we write a better cycling story?
Making Our Clothing: It isn’t enough to make beautiful clothing for cycling. At Velocio we care about how our clothing is made, how the folks that make our clothing are treated, where the raw material of our clothing comes from and what we stand for as a company. We work with a family-owned Italian manufacturer with over a half century of experience sewing and constructing garments. We’ve met the sewers, chatted with the printers and shared coffee with the fabric suppliers. Velocio clothing is made under strict EU labor guidelines and fair labor practices. Velocio fabrics are carefully considered for their performance and function balanced within their impact, environmentally. Our mills are Bluesign approved and have undergone reviews for their treatment of wastewater and energy efficiency meeting the European standards for environmental conservation. Velocio packaging is recyclable. All printed collateral is made on 100% post consumer recycled product. Velocio uses minimal packaging in shipping.
Velocio + The Conservation Alliance Our clothing is made to perform amidst riding adventures. The forgotten two-track that tires out beyond the edge of the pavement, the lost pieces of road through miles of unknown space, those are our best testing grounds. We believe in the Conservation Alliance because it has a proven track record of bringing together brands from the outdoor industry and affecting real change. Furthermore, The Conservation Alliance doesn't shirk from protecting those lands to be enjoyed. We've ridden trails saved by funds from the Conservation Alliance, we've pedaled past vast expanses of beauty that make is moved and proud to be a part of the cycling community, the outdoor community, the human community. We're members of The Conservation Alliance and we're proud of the work our membership does on behalf of wild places, imagination and adventure.