How Assos Changed Cycling

When Toni Maier made cyclists faster by changing how they dress, he was actually trying to make them faster by changing the bikes they rode. Amazingly, he did both.

Maier founded Assos in 1976 in Switzerland and immediately went to work on a radical new bike frame design, made with carbon fiber and featuring teardrop-shaped tubes and a bullhorn handlebar. Pioneering the use of wind tunnel testing, Maier created an extraordinarily aerodynamic bike frame. He also made another discovery: The standard wool garments cyclists wore at the time were not aerodynamic at all, especially compared to the innovative apparel gaining popularity in other sports.

Inspired by the Swiss national ski team’s race suits, Maier adapted the concept to cycling, developing the first Lycra shorts and anatomical skinsuit for cyclists. Overnight, the more aerodynamic designs changed the performance and style of cycling apparel—and established the DNA of Assos.

As Assos CEO Edwin Naves puts it, “Quality is not only a product thing; it’s really like a mindset inside of the company.” This philosophy has driven Assos from the outset, as the brand pushes innovation by ​​developing its own textiles, designing new patterns, building prototypes, and doing real-world testing. Result: Assos apparel has been worn by 400 Olympic and world championship medalists and earned 25 patents over the past half-century.

A critical part of that success is the location of the Assos HQ, in the Ticino region of Switzerland, near the Italian border. Known as La Terra del Ciclismo—“The Land of Cycling”—the area boasts a perfect blend of lakes, mountains, and rural roads. “We’re located in the best place in the world to test our products,” Naves says. “Just by leaving the office, within a range of five to ten kilometers, you can try all our products under the most demanding circumstances.” Breathtaking scenery, diverse terrain, and weather conditions that vary from warm summers to cold and wet winters—Ticino has it all.

Assos maintains rigorous quality control by managing every step of the production process, from raw material selection to assembly. This vertical integration allows for meticulous care across the full product line, ensuring entry-level gear receives the same level of attention as pro-level kit.

This vertical integration also makes the production process remarkably efficient, enabling Assos to turn concepts into finished products quickly. “We can assemble items here from the start to the finish,” says Luca Zanasca, senior product development manager. This efficiency allows for immediate testing and refinement based on real-world performance. It creates an environment that fosters development and experimentation and allows Assos to meet and react to the needs of its riders.

Those riders include plenty of pros. Since its inception, Assos has been rooted in professional racing, as the brand grew out of Maier’s passion for the sport and his collaboration with the Swiss Cycling Federation. In the early years, as word of Maier’s Lycra shorts spread throughout cycling’s professional ranks, many racers purchased Assos shorts with their own money. Today, 40 of the company’s 140 employees are dedicated to partnerships with WorldTour teams. Assos product managers know that meeting the needs of pros should trickle down to all riders, so the feedback from elite athletes directly influences product development.

As Assos approaches its 50th anniversary, the company’s commitment to innovation and quality remains steadfast. Designers are working on new ways to improve moisture management and aerodynamics, and the company continues to build on its legacy of collaborating with pros, announcing a new partnership with EF Pro Cycling.

In every way, Assos is delivering on the promise of its name, which in ancient Greek means “the first, the ace that wins everything.”

Assos’ passion for cycling was born 50 years ago in the heart of Switzerland, standing out with a unique focus on high-end technologies and maniacal attention to detail. To this day, after 400 Olympic and world championship medals and 25 patents, Assos’ protocol has remained steadfast: “to destroy, reset, and improve.” Whether it’s developing its own textiles, exclusive fabrics within 150 kilometers of its headquarters, stress-testing prototypes with WorldTour athletes, or refining a product over the course of several years, the merging of total comfort and technical performance is the hallmark of every Assos product.