Salewa launches ‘Vento’ – it’s first ever bike capsule collection
For summer 2023, Salewa is presenting its ‘bike-to-’ collection with intelligent designs, natural materials and reliable mountain performance.
For over 85 years, Salewa has been well-known for producing technical and innovative equipment for alpinists, climbers and mountaineers and supporting them on their alpine adventures all over the world. The South Tyrolean mountain sports brand is now applying its expertise in making technical weatherproof apparel to its first ever bike collection for the 2023 season. Salewa sees biking as a natural way of moving on off-road trails through the mountains. It is a fast and sustainable way of accessing remote areas to pursue alpine objectives. True to the motto, ‘Live the mountains, ride with nature.’ the capsule collection was designed to leave as few traces as possible and features, among other things, innovative fabric blends with natural materials such as Alpine Merino and Alpine Hemp. In addition, all styles in the collection bear the Salewa Committed icon, which means that they meet additionally strict environmental and social responsibility criteria, with the exception of the padded liner shorts. The products are available exclusively on www.salewa.com and in selected Salewa stores.
Bike-to-hike, bike-to-climb or bike-to-the top – the entire collection was designed by Salewa following its ‘bike-to-...’ concept that supports mountain enthusiasts to move freely, flexibly and sustainably through the mountains. It’s a way of reaching more distant destinations, such as remote summits or mountain huts that might form the starting point for a hike.
Biking can mean riding to college, to work, to the gym or just riding around town. For many of us, bikes are more than just a sporting device, they’re an everyday means of transport. The increasingly widespread use of e-bikes and gravel bikes is inspiring more and more people to use bikes to travel to their hiking, trekking or climbing tour. So to bike-to-hike, bike-to-climb or bike-to-whatever they feel like doing in the mountains. We feel strongly about this development and it has inspired us to develop our first capsule collection for ‘bike-to-…’ activities in the mountains. Our goal was to create an outfit that could be worn for biking, hiking and climbing. As such, we tried out and iterated a lot of ideas, refining and further refining them to combine the best of all three worlds in our first ever bike collection called Vento
Thomas Aichner
Marketing Director Salewa
Travelling through and exploring the mountains by bike requires self-sufficiency, inner balance and mental strength – whether alone or with friends. The Salewa Vento bike collection comprises six styles for men and six styles for women and offers mountain enthusiasts technical apparel solutions for their tours. Whether forest roads or singletracks, by mountain bike or e-bike, the Salewa biking collection is designed to support bikers in every situation.
To meet the requirements of bike-to-activities, the products are made with a high percentage of natural materials, such as Alpine Hemp and Alpine Merino. Alpine Hemp in particular is a natural functional fibre that offers high wear comfort and outstanding breathability. In addition, hemp can be sustainably cultivated and has a lower environmental impact than other conventional fibres.. Salewa reinforces the hemp stretch fabrics used in the collection with recycled polyester yarns for additional abrasion resistance. Salewa’s proprietary AlpineWool® fabric that contains Tencel™ Lyocell fibres is also used in the collection due to both fabrics’ natural odour-inhibiting characteristics and outstanding moisture management. The thermoregulating properties of this intelligent material mix provide a certain amount of insulation for frosty early-morning temperatures or winter use, but also cooling performance during strenuous activity, such as cycling uphill. The Vento collection features a range of refined bike-specific details. As such, the Salewa design team gives the functional T-shirts secure pocket storage options for accessories and energy bars, and the pants and padded shorts have abrasion-resistant fabrics that ensure maximum flexibility and freedom of movement. A further design element that runs through all products are the reflective details and neon stripes for greater visibility at dawn and dusk on longer mountain tours.
For the 2023 summer and autumn/ winter season, the Vento products are available exclusively as a capsule collection on www.salewa.com/biking and in selected Salewa stores. From Summer 2024, the Vento collection will become part of the main Salewa collection and be available via other channels and retailers.
Highlights of the 2023/2024 Vento collection
VENTO HEMP/DST SHORTS M
These robust, breathable MTB shorts are a versatile option for mountaineering, climbing and biking. Their main material is Alpine Hemp – a natural, comfortable and sustainable high-performance functional fabric with a low environmental impact. The hemp stretch fabric is reinforced with recycled polyester ripstop yarns for additional abrasion resistance. Areas subject to greater wear have built in Durastretch panels, which increase durability and extend the overall lifetime. The anatomical gusseted leg ensures excellent freedom of movement both on and off the bike for mountaineering and climbing. The comfortable Velcro-adjust waistband has a mesh insert at the back yoke for enhanced breathability and a snap button and zippered fly. Further features include: a laser-cut zip-secure cargo leg pocket, two side pockets and reflective details for additional safety when riding in the dark, making this the ideal companion for long mountain adventures.
RRP: 130 euros
VENTO AM HZ T-SHIRT W
The lightweight, breathable Vento Shirt for women has an athletic fit and specific features for bike tours. It has a longer cut back for greater wear comfort, a short front zip for additional breathability and two flap pockets set at the lower back to store smaller essentials close to hand. The close-fitting, bodymapped design features Salewa’s proprietary AlpineWool®, which contains soft merino wool from mountain sheep and bio-based Tencel™ lyocell fibres that are manufactured using an environmentally responsible production process from the renewable raw material wood. Both fibres have natural anti-odour properties, provide excellent moisture management, and offer thermoregulating heating in frosty temperatures and cooling performance during intensive activity. For additional long-lasting durability, there are Durastretch softshell inserts at the critical wear zones, such as the back and shoulders. The striking colour block design is further complemented by fluorescent, reflective coral red details positioned to reflect car headlights in the dark.
RRP: 120 euros
VENTO AM HYB JACKET M / W
This hybrid windbreaker is made from a lightweight 160-gram merino wool blend with Tencel™ lyocell fibres. Its fine, soft AlpineWool® merino wool comes from mountain sheep and has natural anti-odour properties, the same as its Tencel™ content. Bio-based Tencel™ lyocell fibres are manufactured using an environmentally responsible production process from the renewable raw material wood. In addition, the naturally wicking yarns have a smooth texture that offers superb moisture management. For additional long-lasting durability, the merino wool blend is reinforced with polyamide fibres. The windbreaker jacket is built according to the bodymapping principle where carefully chosen materials are matched with the specific needs of different areas of the body to ensure best possible functionality. At the front torso, there is a wind-protective, but breathable nylon Tencel™ overlay panel that fits closely to prevent flapping when riding fast or on downhill sections. The Vento Jacket has an athletic, cycling-specific cut with a longer drop tail back for greater protection on bike tours. The close-fitting sleeves are extra long to prevent wrist-gap when the arms are extended on the bike. Further features such as the stylish, contrasting rear zip pocket, full front zip and high collar to seal out the wind, make this wind-resistant jacket the ideal companion for all bike, gravel, MTB or bike-to-climb tours. For additional safety in poor visibility conditions, a reflective neon coral red stripe is strategically placed to catch car headlights.
RRP: 160 euros
VENTO AM SHORT LINER M/W
Salewa designed the Vento Short Liner specifically for mountain biking on mountain trails. The padded liner shorts are made of a breathable merino-Tencel™ blend with open polyester mesh panels. This combination of materials ensures high breathability and pleasant wear comfort in the saddle, while the polyester inserts further increase the overall durability. The integrated cushioning seat pad is treated with an antibacterial finish. The short liner is the ideal combination with the Salewa Bike Shorts or 2/1 Bike Pant, but is also compatible with all MTB shorts. With soft, yet secure silicone grippers to prevent friction and chafing for all-day pedalling comfort. The Vento Liner is available in both a men’s and a women’s version.
RRP: 90 euros
About Salewa
Salewa is passionate about mountain sports – ambitious alpinism and the mountain experience. Founded in Munich in 1935, the management-led, family-owned company is now located in the Dolomites of South Tyrol. Based at its headquarters in Bolzano, the company develops technical products that combine traditional materials and progressive design. Salewa is committed to high environmental and social standards and rooted in regional identity, quality and integrity. Consistently striving to find new ways to build better, game-changing equipment, the brand has a unique understanding of mountain sports. Progressive mountaineering is about more than just performance, it encompasses an appreciation of the natural world and individual and shared experiences in the mountains. Salewa is a leading international manufacturer of mountain sports equipment with innovative products in four product categories: Apparel, Footwear, Equipment and Technical Hardware.