After looking at the ‘gravel cycle helmet’ thread..... there’s lots of mention of a peaked cap under a cycle helmet. Other than aesthetics, or maybe warmth, why would that be a good thing?
I’m a off-road cyclist, through and through, so have never understood this.
You may now enlighten me.
Keeps my head warm but not too warm like a buff, they haveca short window of use for me.
Keeps the sun out of your eyes.
Warmth in cool weather, absorbs sweat in warm weather, keeps sun/rain out your eyes, stops bugs getting in your hair or stinging you.....
Annoys MTBers.
Like giblets, arm and knee warmers, until you use one you just think they are roadie affectation.
The question I wanted to ask, but didn't.
To my mind it is like bib tights under mtb shorts, wearing (and therefore dirtying and sweating) 2 items where one correctly chosen item would be superior.
Leaving an odd aethetic that is apparently pleasing to its fans, but looks bizarre to other "types" of cyclists and the general population.
There is a lot of tradition in road cycling (and some of it warranted) and the peaked cycle cap was excellent for the reasons given above in the many decades before the era of a) helmets and b) "sporty" sunglasses.
I'm former roadie, I never saw the point.
Like giblets
Personally id never wear Giblets, they belong in a Chicken or the bin!
Ive a rain proof cap with a peak i wear under my helmet when on the road bike
Like giblets
I wouldn't have the guts to wear those.
Caps for all the reasons above. If you're not Pantani or a 75yo SPanish club cyclist, don't wear a bandana.
if you're on the drops, you don't want a helmnet with a peak as you can't look up and see in front of you. But, a cap with a peak means you can flip it up out of the way when needed, or have it down to give a bit of shade. Plus,
Warmth in cool weather, absorbs sweat in warm weather, keeps sun/rain out your eyes, stops bugs getting in your hair or stinging you…..
Annoys MTBers.
It's to make you look like a Belgian cyclo cross hardman. Or a hipster.
I wear one to keep my heed warm and make the rain run off past my hooter.
I now struggle to like wearing a helmet without a cap underneath.
In winter it keeps my head warm, in summer it keeps the sun off a balding head and absorbs sweat and the peak does aid keeping the rain off my glasses.
It has nothing to do with tradition or aesthetics.
Similarly, it turns out a proper lycra jersey albeit in a slightly more casual / non skin tight model, e.g. Sportful Giara when used mountain biking results in far better temperature and sweat control than any 'mtb' top that I have worn over the past 30 years in my opinion.
like a lot of "Roadie" kit they're a bit of a multi-functional item:
-Peak can be flipped up/down to help with low sun
-In cold weather can contribute to keeping your noggin slightly warmer
-In sun can contribute to keeping sun off of scalp
Of course cycling caps pre-date helmets so they were used for the above before we started wearing foam hats over the top of them and as a result were easier to whip off/pop on while a rider was in motion...
Personally I find them mainly useful for low sun, even in combination with sunglasses, but if it's cold I prefer a Buff and if it's really sunny, I'll merrily rub Factor 50 into my scalp...
Ultimately they're entirely optional, nobody will shun you for not wearing a cycling cap...
Anecdote time, wearing a cap on road means I get fewer close passes from drivers who think 350g of polystyrene will keep me safe around their muppetry.
Anecdote time, wearing a cap on road means I get fewer close passes from drivers who think 350g of polystyrene will keep me safe around their muppetry.
but that is wearing just a cap. Which, helmet debate aside, is a perfectly reasonable and practical choice of headwear.
Sun/rain as above. I popped it on today when the rain started and it kept my specs clear. As far as I'm aware no-one s****ed or pointed.
Bindun
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/peaked-helmet-caps/
For me, peaked cap under roadie helmet offers a better fit and more versatility than peaked helmet.
Plus more opportunities for accessorising your cap to your socks or whatever 😎
Like giblets
I wouldn’t have the guts to wear those.
Curse autocorrect and a deadline to correct it.
I prodded this particular nest a month or two back, probably many of the same replies as above. Just call it a cap rather than some pretentious French "casquette" but other than that I concede its each to their own, or "a chacun son gout" if you must.
Keeps your head slightly warmer on colder days, but not cold enough for a fleece hat when it's properly freezing.
Also for reducing rain splatter on specs. Works because the peak is close to the lens. Trucker caps or helmet peaks don't work as well. If you don't wear specs this is probably less important. If it's really chucking down specs go in a pocket and have to ride by feel through the blur.
I have always assumed it was a fashion thing. I have several thickness of lycra skull caps that go under the helmet and a peaked helmet (not my mountain bike one). As a baldy suncream in the summer! Love caps and wear them of tye bike just not on it.
Like most cycling kit, its purely a statement about the type of rider the wearer is (or wants to identify as). And nobody cares except the wearer. And the internet.
To my mind it is like bib tights under mtb shorts, wearing (and therefore dirtying and sweating) 2 items where one correctly chosen item would be superior.
Yeah ditch the MTB shorts and save on the washing
Does the same job as a helmet peak but without making you look like one of those frightful MTBer neophytes.
Yeah ditch the MTB shorts and save on the washing
That or trousers. Either extreme is better than the no mans land of shorts and leggings.
If you’re not Pantani or a 75yo SPanish club cyclist, don’t wear a bandana.
Wait ... what ...? I'm neither of those, but I like to wear a bandana - why is this a bad thing?
They keep the sun off your head, provide a bit of warmth, can be stuffed in a pocket when no longer required. A bit like towels in the Hitch-hiker's Guide they have dozens of other uses. Is it one of those daft 'rules'?
To my mind it is like bib tights under mtb shorts
In a similar vein, why do male runners wear a pair of baggy shorts, over their leggings/tights?
The only reason I can think of is to preserve your modesty in skinny leggings.
MTB shorts over tights - an extra layer on the cold parts, and pockets.
Warmth in cool weather ... keeps sun/rain out your eyes
Cotton's not exactly warm when cold. And a peak does both. And I don't find cotton to be cooler than nothing when hot.
It's a style thing, like "bidon".
DezB has it.
In a similar vein, why do male runners wear a pair of baggy shorts, over their leggings/tights?
Running tights don't have a pad. Like cycling shorts.
Your Johnson's pretty much fully on show.
Not a good look
Peak keeps the rain out your glasses - main benefit I get from it. If it's not raining, it's just flipped up and I just forget its there.
Never #twinpeak
Definitely a wee bit warmer so good on colder days. My other two reasons are at cafe stops I can take my helmet off and my hair doesn't look disgustingly flat and secondly the stupid little yellow mounts that keep the mips plastic membrane in place rips my hair out every time I remove it.
Never noticed this but sounds like it wouldn’t work for me. I’m completely bald and just wearing a helmet, in any weather, has my bonce getting seriously warm. I’d be sweating buckets with a cap on underneath too.
Tights too come to think of it. I wear shorts and knee pads and can’t say my shins have ever got cold enough for me to add a layer. I’ll wear extra layers on my top half in the colder months and gloves because my hands get cold very easily. Beginning to think I’m broken and should be feeling colder than I do. Am I alone in this or are there others out there too? Is it a road riding thing?
I’m completely bald and just wearing a helmet, in any weather, has my bonce getting seriously warm. I’d be sweating buckets with a cap on underneath too.
Nah. I"m often one all over and always wear a cap. Helps with sweat. As per other thread cheap and cotton only. Unless it's my Belgian winter cap. I remove any helmet peaks in favour of caps.
What are giblets?
Running tights don’t have a pad. Like cycling shorts.
Yeah, but he talked about runners. Who don't need a pad. Unless I'm doing running wrong.
Your Johnson’s pretty much fully on show.
Not a good look
It just isn't though, plus who cares how you look while running. If they want to wear shorts over then crack on, it's not affecting me. I don't - it's just a useless extra layer that I have to wash and extra weight too. But others are free to wear whatever.
I do because a peak doesn't come down low enough to stop flicker of light behind/over my specs. I can't have curved sporty glasses as I've got a weird prescription and need a quite flat frame.
For years I've ridden with a peak and decided to try a cap this year for reasons above and definitely better. The peak is still on the helmet as I don't always want the cap. Pragmatism over other people's fashion sensitivities. 🙂
Nah. I”m often one all over and always wear a cap. Helps with sweat.
By making you sweat even more?
If you really want to look like you're the guitarist in Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, accept no substitute
Surely this conundrum pales into insignificance compared to the whole shaving of legs thing?
To my mind it is like bib tights under mtb shorts, wearing (and therefore dirtying and sweating) 2 items where one correctly chosen item would be superior.
Unless you're going commando, then the liner from the shorts is still "2 items" as you put it?
Yeah, but he talked about runners. Who don’t need a pad. Unless I’m doing running wrong.
It just isn’t though, plus who cares how you look while running. If they want to wear shorts over then crack on, it’s not affecting me. I don’t – it’s just a useless extra layer that I have to wash and extra weight too. But others are free to wear whatever.
I don't think you appreciate quite how thin running leggings are. They're not cycling shorts. My running leggings are probably 1/4 the weight of even my most spray-on castelli summer shorts.
It's like saying why do you wear trousers on a rainy day instead of white jersey shorts.
Ok, thanks all.
Still weird though.
Caps - good for rain and a bit of warmth.
Not an every ride item but they have their place.
Shorts over tights makes sense to me. Same reason mtbers first started wearing baggies over lycra. Tights are relatively fragile. Good baggies stop you destroying the arse of them on a muddy ride.
Still don't like trousers for xc as I've yet to find any a good fit. I'd still want bibs in any case which would be two items to wash.
Ref shorts over bibs, do you never fall off or ride through those bastard big brambles? Bibs are expensive and fragile. I'd be going through a pair a fortnight without shorts on top.
Still weird though.
I don't think it is really though is it (bibs under baggies).
Baggies are the conventional uniform of general purpose off-road cycling, have been for about 25 odd years now, being a bit less conspicuous than lycra, more flattering for tubby IT managers, providing a bit of upper leg protection and blending better with the bulk of a kneepad, bibs are the best way to position and hold a pad next to your arse...
So the combination makes functional and aesthetic sense...
Personally I tend to only wear already knackered (getting a bit translucent) bibs under my baggies when MTBing and save the 'nice' non see-through bibs for road/gravel type riding, thus extending their useful life...
Ref shorts over bibs, do you never fall off or ride through those bastard big brambles?
yes - point of contact with the floor generally the knee, sharp flora is often around calf level.
I did use "tights" to encompass all skintight long bottoms, before we get into a debate about the relative durability of fabrics.
Like giblets, arm and knee warmers, until you use one you just think they are roadie affectation.
Arm warmers are where it is at for night riding, I find.
Mine are self-made mind- cut the heels out of some old merino knee-length socks. Great over the top of a jersey.
