zanq

I'm curious to know more about cycling caps. My eyes are pretty sensitive to light so I'm always wearing a hat and sunglasses outside. For years, I've just dealt with the fact that when riding, I don't have a brim to help shield my eyes. I'm starting to think about wearing a cap under my helmet.

I see there are a variety of materials - cotton, poly/wicking, and wool. I'm leaning more toward a wicking model for all-around, all year use but cotton seems to be the most common. I question how comfy a cotton hat would be once soaked with sweat (I sweat like a pig).

So I'm just curious who here wears a cap while riding and what, if any, tips you can offer?

Thanks!

Vexxer

Cycling caps brims are not big enough to shield your eyes, at least none I have ever seen.

kbarch

I'll wear a cap to keep my head warm, or in warm weather to be a little more presentable with helmet removed, but never gave much thought to the bill serving as a shield from the sun while riding; sunglasses - especially the ones for cycling that fit close - generally take care of that.

rpenmanparker 

Fashion statement is just about the whole story. Not much else going on there.

Reynolds 

I like traditional cycling caps. The brim is good enough if used low, but they are too warm to wear under a helmet in a hot day. I know this is the Road forum, but you can break the rules and wear a helmet with a visor.

Bike Gremlin

Or wear just a cycling cap without a helmet.

dim

I wear one of these:



with a pair of Serengeti Driver sunlasses (rimless):

anotherbrian

I like brims, they keep the sun off my forehead (so no need for sunscreen that'll eventually get in my eyes), and the sun out of my eyes when it is low to the horizon.

I've got a big head though, and even Walz's largest cap is a tight fit ... then the already tight fitting helmet is too much. And in the summer it's just too hot.

One of Specialized's mid-priced road helmets has an internal visor that is attached to the padding, and it is absolutely awesome. All the utility of a brimed cap without any of the tight fitting, heat stroke inducing, downsides. I think it's called the Airnet ... ~$120 during a recent sale.

redfooj

aero helmet, aero handlebar, and a cap underneath the helmet with the bill flipped up....

mercator

I wear cheap cotton hats under my helmet, they do a good job of soaking up the sweat and the brim does shield my eyes when riding directly into the sun.

BamaBulldawg

I too am light sensitive and always wear a cap. The bill blocks the sun early morning and late afternoon very nicely. I wear one all summer with no issues in Deep South heat.

WalksOn2Wheels

I find that a cycling cap works well for me under a helmet. It's not a fashion statement, it's functional. It's cheap and it works as a sweat band. I also find that if I am wearing sunglasses only, light can enter the top of the glasses and throw a lot of glare on the lenses. The short bill keeps that light out and I don't have any glare.

I don't know why people feel like they have to dismiss the cycling cap as an anachronism or hipster fashion statement. There is a reason it has stuck around for decades.

But it is against The Rules to wear one when not engaging in cycling activity. There has to be some order for crying out loud.

Lazyass

Yes they are. They especially help when you're riding into the sun during sunrise and sunset, when you're blinded even with sunglasses on.

To the OP, cotton is fine when you sweat. Waltz caps are awesome, and they come in two sizes which is nice if you have a larger or smaller skull. Most come in a one size fits all.

rpenmanparker 

I'll respect your opinion. I just want to clarify that I wasn't thinking of the cycling cap as a HIPSTER fashion statement. IMO it was just a fashion statement long before hipsters were even invented. There could be a stupider design for a cap, but I can't think of one. I would be a bit more forgiving if I had never seen one worn with the bill flipped up, or backwards, or backwards with the bill flipped up. Unfortunately I have seen all of those things...and they cannot be unseen.

silversx80

I started wearing cycling caps a few years ago, but have been wearing wicking head covers for the better part of the last decade. The cap I currently wear is a PrimalWear, which has a very nice and light material that breathes well and the wicking properties cool well.

1- keeps sweat out of my eyes
2- keeps the bugs out of my hair
3- keeps the sun off my head (fair skin and close-cropped haircut)
4- keeps my head cooler than no cover at all
5- keeps the sun out of my eyes when on the tops or hoods
6- helps my sunglasses in keeping the wind out of my eyes
7- the peak can be up to give greater viability, like when in the drops... peak down otherwise
8- Helps keep my helmet fresh
9- I don't have to wear sunblock on certain areas of my face and head
10- I look like a damn fool with a cycling cap and hairy legs, and I revel in it

Marcus_Ti

How about the beret?

Doesn't keep anything out of your eyes or face. Only makes your head hot when warm. Doesn't do much to keep your head warm when cold. Only becomes a sopping wet bag in the rain.

bmthom.gis

I'm a big fan of them. While the brims aren't long, they are long enough to shield the gap between the top of your sunglasses and your helmet. I have both cotton and a wicking material one. Most of mine are from Waltz, but I have one or two not from them. They also do a great job of stopping the sweat from getting into your eyes. Another added benefit - once you're done, or if you take a break, you don't have helmet hair in the sense that your hair is compressed except for areas under the vents.

Hiro11

A cycling cap:
1. is cheap and readily available in a wide variety of designs
2. is just warm enough for 40-50 degree weather
3. acts as a sweatband. Also, the short bill allows sweat to drip off in front of your face instead of on your glasses.

Doesn't seem useless to me.

GuitarBob

I wear one all the time too, and I probably have collected 6 or 8 of them, all makes, models, materials. When it's hot and sunny (as it is frequently here in southern Arizona), I wear a wicking job. And if worn properly, the bill absolutely helps to keep the sun out of my eyes.

melloveloyellow

Pace Coolmax Cycling Cap - Outside Outfitters

I've been wearing these for many 1000s of miles. Very comfortable and sweat-wicking. Yes, the visor is effective too. I do not wear a helmet.

TimothyH

Cyclists and golfers can take the simplest thing and change it into a major undertaking.

It's a cap, that's all. We are not smashing atoms or sending a man to Mars here.

rjones28 

I wear cycling caps quite often. The brim will help keep sun out of your eyes, especially when used in conjunction with sun glasses. They will soak up sweat pretty well and keep my head from getting too cold in temps down to the mid-30s. On particularly hot days, I have a couple of caps that are made from jersey material that wick well. I usually skip the cap in moderate weather though.

There also fashionable way to keep my hair out of my eyes, when I'm working at the shop.

WalksOn2Wheels

But then what would we fill 20 pages with?

WalksOn2Wheels

I want to make a crack here about breaking the rules, but mostly I'm just jealous that you have a good enough hairline that you need to keep hair out of your eyes.

HardyWeinberg

I was experimenting w/ a cycling cap last year, seems like I could shield my eyes if I pulled it low enough that the visor was basically in front of my glasses. I am back to a baseball hat now, w/ visor perpendicular to my eyeglass lenses.