The Rise and Fall of Cycling Caps 

As someone with a shaved head, I've found a cap to be essential for sweat management, warmth, sun protection (stripes on head otherwise) and protection from bees that get trapped in my helmet. The little brim gives some sun protection (not a sunglass guy), as well.

I wear them under my helmet all the time when cycling and I've accumulated a bit of a collection. My only problem is some cycling caps are non adjustable one size fits all and they squeeze my head a bit tight. Fortunately, some brands have an L/XL size and your cap fixes that issue by being adjustable.

I wear cycling caps mainly in the warmer months. One reason, to keep the sweat off my face and glasses like you mentioned. Second reason, protection from critters like wasps and bees that somehow find their way through the vents on my helmet. Nothing is worse than a P O'd wasp/ hornet who gets trapped in your helmet while flying down a long descent. Believe me, I have first hand knowledge....😢

As an teen in the early 80s, completing ignorant of the racing scene but vaguely aware that cycling was somehow Euro-cool, I used to wear a checkerboard Peugeot cap while riding in south Florida. Just what a gangly, glasses-wearing nerd in a nearly bike-free town needed to perfect his image. :-P

Once I got one at a bike messenger event I never stopped wearing mine. It's phenomenal.

Shoutout to the legendary Rick Denman who was the bicycle camera rig man / rider filming Quicksilver (and American Flyers). If you're ever in Cambria, California check out Linn's Restaurant to see the bike and related paraphernalia!

The value of the short-billed cycling cap for BLAD people CAN NOT be overstated. The is nothing better than seeing the beads of sweat dripping off the end of that bill instead of your eyes.

Tadej Pogacar still wears one on the podium, god bless him.

Quicksilver- thinking thats to do with the guardian angels in NYC? Think todays riders want to imulate others sports like F1 and motogp. kinda sad as you have pointed out, it's cycling history.

Damn Russ. That segue into a merch plug was smoooth.

Never not w/out!!! OMG, what a marvelous segue into plugging the party pace caps👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍🏼👊🏼

cap-italism is my new favorite economic theory.

Is that wear CAPitalism gets its name?

With all due respect Russ, make that partypace logo huge. That's half the fun of the cycling cap.

I use them every ride! I find it weird when my head touches the helmet directly without a cycling cap.

I don't like wearing one under my helmet, but I carry a cap for the coffee stop. My bald head burns in the sun, so It's nice to pop on a hat that I can keep folded up in a jersey pocket. Nice work designing this one. Looks like a quality product.

I like the fact that your cap has a longer bill. Most are too short to provide a cyclist's face with much sun protection.

I still use caps, mostly during spring, fall and winter I also use them when riding at night under a helmet so I dont get dazzled by on coming traffic.

Still use a cycling cap-each and every ride-and through all seasons. Nice to see your version, love it!

So, ya .mid 80s, a reverse Kangol or sort of french legion wool beret were the peak of fashion. Think Ferris Buehler, Jim Kerr, Capt. Sensible. However,, back then because helmets weren't worn by pros quite yet, wool winter caps with ear covers were worn in every spring classic. Bicycle Couriers in cold cities frequently wore these, or Kangols, or paid extra premiums for fleece lined racing hats. Before Gore started making synthetic, I always went for black wool Santini short bills

Yay! I'm so glad these caps are back! I like the extra cool mesh fabric and the slightly larger brim. I was really hoping for the paisley design, but this'll do nicely. Can't wait to try it out next summer. I almost always wear a cap under my helmet. It just feels more comfortable, like wearing socks with shoes. My favorite brand I've found so far is Pace. Sadly, they just shut down after like 50 years in the biz.

I got tricked into watching a 4 minute ad right after watching a RU-vid video about adblockers….

My head is on the bigger side and almost all cycling caps are "one size fits all", which, in practice, means they are all way too small. So my choice is very limited. A cycling cap under a helmet is useful in both winter and summer. Plus, not unimportant, it adds a bit of old-school style to your kit.

I love my cycling cap in the summer

Nice! Best cycling look is still the cycling cap worn under (or over) a leather hairnet... a la Tafi and Bortalami at 1996 Paris Roubaix or many of the cyclists racing early season classics in the 1980s and 90s.

My Campagnolo cap was my helmet back in the late 70's. Man, I thought I was so cool wearing that thing, being the only kid in my area who had an Italian road bike and a fake Italian accent 😅😅😅

I got a MASSIVE head, so no cycling cap for me...

I wear a cycling cap with my bike helmet on top

Wasn't Quicksilver set and filmed in San Francisco?

Russ, they are wearing military-style berets in the movie at about 1:06 minutes in your video.

I wear one year round under my helmet

$60? That's CAPitalism. Maybe I get on the payment plan...

I never wore them because 1) the brim distracted me when down and 2) I didn't want to look like a 'cyclist' especially in rural areas. I wore a low profile baseball cap on bike tours. Why did I change? I like being able to flip the brim up and down and realized that the nice folk in Hyannis, NE and similar towns down care about my cap styles at all. Plus it works great for absorbing sweat and washes better than most baseball caps.

Dawg, those were MFin' Raspberry Berets!

As you will probably discover within the next 6 months Russ, a cycling cap will help keep your head cool in hot, sunny conditions. A bandana works well too. They stay wet under your helmet and provide constant evaporative cooling and prevent the sensation of your head being branded with lines from the sun shining through the gaps in your helmet. Not sure how well nylon will provide these functions though.

I pull a buff over my head and then lay the excess backwards so it covers my neck then the helmet over the top. Stops the sweat from my head dripping into my eyes and keeps the sun off my head and neck. If it's cold I have a second buff to pull up from. My neck over my face to keep them warm.

Nelson Vails was wearing a beret, the head gear of some pre WWII Frenchmen and the military almost wordwide, including the 'Green Beret' special forces of the US.

I love cycling caps, I wear them under my helmet instead of a Lycra head cap often times-

Currently wearing one right now. They're great for sweat absorption, lessening the need to constantly clean the helmet inner (you will still need to clean it though) and it keeps your hair away from your face. Also, not all helmets have a visor, so they serve their purpose in sun protection.

I wear one under my helmet. It stops me from getting a sunburnt forehead in summer and helps to keep my head warm in winter.

I wear them in the summer or my bald head will end up looking like a grilled steak otherwise.

On Nelson Veils cap - plausible explanation is that he may have been a member of famous NYC Guardian Angels (I tried to confirm but couldn't find any source, maybe you could?). Red beret like that is their symbol/uniform. Suggestion for merch' that I never see actively used in cycling but is of great help in hot places (and warm version in cold): headband. In mid-2000s I won one intended for runners by winning a TDF online prediction game. It immediately became a must for me and I got one for cold times too. Why cyclist don't use this simple, light, absorbing piece is beyond me but, I too never thought of it 'till I got one!

Love thinking about this. I wear one all the time. Keeps my bald head warm and sweat out my eyes. FYI: Quicksilver was set in San Francisco :)

I wear a cycling cap under my helmet! It protects from the beating down sun, keesp rain off your glasses and in winter helps you see against the sun low on the horizon.

I learned from my non-cycling partner, a long time ago, using colorful language, how disgusting a helmet can feel and smell, even (especially) in winter. 💩☠😱 Almost lost the girl, for good, on a first date when she encountered my helmet after a long ride. Since then, I have a vast collection of caps to fit every mood and clash with everything and complete the insouciant clown/racerboi/lumberjack ensemble. I wear them in all weather, they can be soaked with a waterbottle in hot weather for instant refrigeration, provide a little comfort in cool wind and the brim shields low angle sun rays in shoulder seasons. But mostly, I don't need to worry about being a social outcast (caused by helmet stink anyway). And how else can you scratch that itch to sport an advertisement for Cholula Hot Sauce (my current favorite cap and salsa) as an adult with a "serious" job? And Russ--- if you were to add a "party pace" cap to your swag store, don't make it a timid "safe color", go bold, ideally something in a colorway that is absolutely egregiously non-fashionable, made by Pace (the best quality IMHO) I would definitely buy one for myself and a bunch for gifts... Just sayin' I'll buy the beige one anyway because I love your channel, but only to wear when I ride to church.

I still wear one because it still serves a purpose.

I wore a cycling cap during a downpour and found them very useful. I also found my without one during another downpour and kept thinking I wish I had one that time.

Some pros still wear them!

A very creative and entertaining video. Classic pics including Greg LeMond and his thick hair. I do like cycling caps for all the reasons you presented. But I always wear a helmet now at age 73 learning none of us are invincible.

I have a 7-11 cap. It gets some odd looks when I wear it in a 7-11.

I wore the same yellow Campy cap (a la Breaking Away) for every race when I was a junior. It was my lucky cap. But I never won a solo race so guess it didn’t do shit.

Please exercise caution recommending cycling caps (gorras) as sun protection. Some do offer UV protection but not all. My father spent the latter years of his life having skin cancers removed from his scalp after 30 years road riding in the South of France. All the best!

Dunno, when I stopped racing in the 80s they were like $2.95-$3.95. Now the MAAP one I have is like $38 +...somebody thinks they're back.

Yup, prevents patchy sunburn on bald head, sun/rain protection, sweat absorption - I'll keep wearing mine!

I always wear a cycling cap, either under a helmet or just by itself if I'm cycling to the shops etc. I have long hair and it helps keep everything calm and also provides a flippable peak which helps with sun/rain/snow etc.

"Could be seen sprinting throughout New York City streets"... BayArea Californians : :O

My PartyPace Cap arrived today. I'm so thrilled. It's a beautiful object. If you watch Russ' content and want to show some support, do yourself a favour and pick one of these beauties up.

I hate to be picky, but the Kevin Bacon movie Quicksilver was set in San Francisco, not New York. When Bacon's character goes back to the stock exchange his pass says "PSE" on it for Pacific Stock Exchange (it's a block off Sutter Street).

Super later to this convo and coming from the MTB side, why don’t road helmets have visors like MTB helmets? I’ve never had to think about this because my half shell or full face helmets all have visors, adjustable visors at that.

Cycling caps compliment helmets. Keeps my helmet from ripping out three hairs every time I take it off. Thin and moisture-wicking, keeps out the sun and rain, looks better than a trucker cap, makes you go faster. All around win.

I'd say cycling caps fell out of favor from the moment Mariah Carey wore one in the turkey movie Glitter in 2001

Cycling caps and caps in general are absolutely essential in my view, especially for bald men. People tend not to use sunscreen and even if they do it would lose effectiveness with sweating, time etc. skin cancer is absolutely a thing and the the most common place for balding guys is the head. I wear a cycling cap under my helmet and I wear a UPF50 baseball cap anywhere else. I never leave the house without some kind of cap on.

Where one a year round, keeps the elements off, then again I don't use a helmet. Recently treated myself to the Cinelli 75 anniversary cap, it's waterproof too !! Aren't they space cadet berets in quicksilver

How did Russ miss that Julian Alaphilippe / Quickstep Team *still* wear proper cycling caps on the podium??

A bandana worn under mountain helmet (with visor) was a game changer for me. Insulation/evaporative cooling, sweat/rain/sun/bug/sleet protection its awesome! Often wondered about a cycling cap under helmet, but never tried that. Interesting history.

I think you should consider doing more content about origins of cycling culture, especially with where you now live. Maybe some stuff on the famous climbs.

I wear the cycling cap under my helmet to keep spiders off me in the woods 😮

I wear cycling caps all the time. Great for directing the sweat away from your eyes. The peak helps keep the low winter sun out of my eyes. Caps rock.

Russ I just bought one of your caps. Would be great to see a vid of how it came to be - made in Japan? Seems a video in need of making :)

For the real winter, the German army winter cap is basically a cycling cap, but it's thick and has those flaps that cover your ears and the back of your head down to your neck. Also they're actually available (or at least were made) in various sizes with one centimeter intervals, none of that "one size fits medium" thing. A workmate claimed that I was giving mixed signals with a camo cap and a hi-viz helmet, but hey, even stealth bombers have transponders.

I’d buy a PLP cap if it didn’t have mesh sides…bald guy over here, lol

The only issue with caps with a larger bill is that in a full tuck on a descent, you're vision is 100% obscured. You need a cap that has a bill that can flip up, like the traditional cotton casquette.

Lmao, I just bought a cycling cap from the 80's that matches my 80's fuji bike.

ha CAPitalism good one Russ. Do your caps now ship from Europe or the states?

It's a shame because even 5 years ago, they were still fairly popular amongst cyclists, and are still far more useful then the load of other products/bodges that do one of the jobs of a cycling cap.

knowing next to nothing about cycling history, I totally assumed they designed cycling caps to fit underneath a road helmet 😂

I started riding and racing when the racing world transitioned between either wearing no helmet, or wearing a hair net to modern plastic helmet designs. I know of one guy who quit because he refused to wear a helmet while racing which had been recently required. I remember reading about the European pros complaining too. Sean Kelly says he hates riding with a helmet. I currently wear a cap I made with no brim on it to wear under my helmet to absorb sweat. It works better than a traditional cycling cap in my opinion. It also works brilliantly as an indoor fitness cap when I want to keep sweat from dripping into my eyes, but find I either don't need a brim to protect me from light, and/or a brim obstructs my view.

I have a collection of classic cycling caps. At the coffee shop the helmet comes off and the cap goes on. Gotta look cool. Brim up. Always brim up. 😉

When I was in the military, I always thought it was stupid to wear a cap under your helmet. Same goes with a cycling cap. I don't wear a cycling cap because I wear a cycling helmet and it seems kind of stupid to wear one under a helmet. As for bees or other insects that can get trapped in my helmet, I used to wear a hairnet stretched over my helmet, but now I wear a fluorescent green rain cover over my helmet. It keeps the bugs out and also helps with being seen by cars and, as an added plus, it beaks the wind in the winter so my head doesn't get cold.

I always assumed that cycling caps were specifically designed to be worn under cycling helmets.

15 years ago when I was 12 the coolest thing for us was having a pro team cycling cap. Either ag2r or cofidis.

Cycling caps are the socks and sandals of the bike world. Looks bad on everyone. Horrible.

Ordered one :-) Got it to replace black baseball cap which gets too hot cycling in summer :-)

Shaved head here, and I like skull caps better. The bill from cycling caps has never fit right with any helmet on my head

I wear cycling caps during the Spring and Summer months to keep sweats and the sun from my eyes which explains my sun tan line on my forehead.

as somebody with long hair, no other hat can hold my hair and be breathable with or without a helmet

Love your hat. Gonna order one. Ooo - expensive, but worth it to support the channel, I figure.

If the mechanic in your LBS wears a traditional cycling cap, prepare to be ridiculed.

I think the first cycling cap I remember seeing was worn by the cabbie character is Crocodile Dundee

I think people quit wearing them because people look like assholes wearing them. Nothing screams pretentious elitist cyclist asshole quite like a good cycling cap at the ol coffee shop

I never ride without a proper hat. The inconsistent sizing is an issue but flat brims are for something that is not cycling. I appreciate the brim for the mtb too. I always remove the visor.

I wear a "truckers" (baseball?) cap when cycling as the brim on a cycling one is too small to keep the sun out of my eyes.

The nerds I run with wear cycling caps 24/7. Timeless drip

Cycling caps in UK and colder EU countries are still a big thing

Safety is overrated. Ditch the helmet and bring back the cyclig cap.

My forehead sweats so much that a casquette under the helmet is a must. The hat soaks up the sweat and when it gets really hot the sweat drips off of the bill, not on to my face. Kudos for knowing who Nelson Vails is.

I wear a cycling cap every time I ride my bike. Caps4EVAH

I feel like you missed the mark here, cycling caps are still worn by most under helmets as they always have been. clean trucker caps are worn after races for sponsors

I like the cap!!! I'll probably buy one!! Get keep partypace. ✌️💜😎

A baseball hat blocks your view when looking down. Hence the traditional short nib