The Last Performance Headband You’ll Ever Need

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Here at Singletrack Towers we’re wondering if we’ve been doing something wrong. We haven’t had a first performance headband, nevermind a last one. We’ve not even had a casual headband, or one that doesn’t really work that well. Perhaps we have been missing out on a critical piece of kit? A quick look at the Wickflow website would certainly suggest so:

“One single layer of performance fabric. No stitching, no threads and no hem to irritate the forehead. The Wickflow sweatband is perfect for managing and controlling sweat.­ It’s unique design makes it one of the best high performance headbands for both men and women.”

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Wickflow website, for serious athletes.

Who knew that there was a competitive market for high performance headbands? Not us. But ah, maybe we’ve been doing something wrong:

“The trouble with conventional headbands is that they typically make you hot. They actually cause the sweat they are supposed to absorb. Wickflow is a thin air-flow fabric that is cool to the skin and breathable. Sweat is trapped in the channel and wicked away.”

Sweat. Not just a bit whiffy under the arms sweat, but actual dripping down your face and running in a channel sweat. It might have happened to one of us once on a turbo trainer, but only once. Our usual rides outside don’t involve a lot of sweat – any trace of it is usually a sign that we’ve warmed up enough to feel our fingers, right?

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We’re loving the slogans.

Maybe we live too far north to need this kind of thing. Is there anyone in warmer climes down south, near Watford perhaps, who can tell us if sweat catching headbands are essential kit?

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Author Profile Picture
Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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Comments (10)

    Yes, you are. I’ve been through all the different gadgets on the market to stop sweat in the eyes. Settled on MET helmets with the silicone strip. Not perfect but better than most.

    I still have a load of very 90s purple and orange camelbak headbands for sweat management.

    Whereas I have used the excellent Halo Headband, which has a silicone strip in it to deflect the sweat dripping from my head from my eyes, over my ears.

    Wow. We had no idea it was so much warmer down south. Or that we were taking it so easy on the bike. Chapeau to all you sweaty people!

    Yep – you’ve clearly been missing something although I wouldn’t suggest you’ve been missing ‘out’ as a ‘leaking foreheard’ is more of a curse than a blessing … even in the temperate climate on the western approaches of Sheffield:

    I’ve tried allsorts over the years from a standard buff cut into strips; ‘Sweat Gutr’; Halo Headband and Buff UV Headbands. I’ve settled on the latter and periodically squashing my helmet against my head to produce a very ‘stream’ of sweat …

    I have visited and been out for a ride with some of the staffers, if they weren’t sweaty there was certainly some ‘glowing’ going on 🙂

    Like Pictonroad I’ve tried loads and finally settled on the GoldenEye (same as MET from what I can tell).

    The “glow” is something that I’ve seen in others, dripped out any last energy and been reduced to a pool of at times – mostly involving hills and not enough coffee.

    James

    That headband is going to be really useful down here in Wessex, on the one day a year when it’s actually clear and sunny, still and humid, and the body can’t cope.

    A headband – Buff cut in half then doubled over – is standard riding kit for me. Must be a sweaty barsteward. Any sweat badly irritates my eyes so I need to wear something.

    Plus the 80s look is soooooo cool….

    Northerners sweat too. Even this time of year, a tough climb will have me sweating like the proverbial. Some people just run hot and like a11y, sweat irritates my eyes. So yeah, sweat management is a thing.

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