Why Do Cyclists Wear a Cap Under the Helmet? How to Wear a Cycling Cap
Cyclists wear a cap under the helmet to keep sweat and rain out of their eyes and to shade the face from the sun. The brim tucks under the helmet's front edge, and the thin fabric sits between your head and the helmet pads. Wear it snug, brim down for sun or rain, brim up for a clear view.
In short
- A cap under the helmet keeps sweat and rain out of your eyes and shades your face.
- Wear it thin and snug, so the helmet still sits level.
- Brim down for sun or rain, up for a clear view, backwards to shade your neck.
- Our caps are quick dry polyester with mesh sides, one size fits most.
Why do cyclists wear a cap under the helmet?
Sweat is the reason most riders give first. On a climb it runs off your forehead and straight into your eyes, and sunscreen in the eyes stings even more. A cap soaks up some of it before it gets there, and the brim sends the rest off to the side. The product pages of our MAMIL Apparel caps put it simply: the cap is "great for keeping sweat and rain from dripping into the eyes."
Rain is the second reason. With the peak pulled down, drops fall off the brim instead of landing on your glasses or in your eyes. Pro riders still pull a cap on under the helmet when a race turns wet.
Then there is the sun. Helmet vents are open on purpose, so a bare scalp can burn through them, and the low sun of a fall morning comes in right under the helmet's front edge. A short brim cuts that glare. The cap also stops the helmet pads rubbing on your skin and gives a little warmth on cool starts, two more points our cap pages mention.
Last comes the look. A cap under the helmet is a classic road cycling detail, and it says you came to ride.
Where does the cycling cap come from?
The cycling cap, also called a casquette, is a peaked cotton cap traditionally worn by road cyclists. Before helmets were compulsory in road racing, it was a common sight in the pack. It shaded the head from strong sun, and its short brim kept rain off the face.
Once helmets became compulsory in massed-start racing, the cap became less common in the pack. It never went away. Pro teams still have caps made in team colors, worn on the winners' podium, worn under the helmet in heavy rain and sold to fans. Some riders turn the peak backwards, and not for fashion: the brim then protects the neck from sunburn.
The look has spread off the bike too, with plenty of caps now carrying designs that have nothing to do with cycling. For more on where team kit came from, our guide to retro cycling jerseys tells the story from wool to the classic team designs.
What is a cycling cap made of?
The traditional cap was cotton. Ours are made of quick dry breathable polyester, with a 140GSM upper piece that stands up to helmet padding and 100GSM mesh side pieces that help your head stay cool while you ride. They are printed with the same full sublimation as our jerseys, so the design does not sit on top of the fabric as a separate layer.
Every cap is one size fits most for adults, so there is no size chart to check. If you have a large head or wear your helmet on its smallest setting, put the cap on with the helmet you already own before you ride far, using the steps below.
How do you wear a cycling cap under a helmet?
- Loosen your helmet's fit dial or strap before you start, because the cap takes up a little room.
- Put the cap on first, pulled down so the band sits just above your eyebrows and over the tops of your ears.
- Choose the brim position: down, up or backwards (see the next section).
- Put the helmet on over the cap and tighten it until it is snug again. The helmet should still sit level on your head, not pushed up or back by the cap.
- Clip the chin strap, look up the road as if you were riding low on the bars, and make sure the brim does not block your view.
If the helmet will not sit level with the cap under it, the cap is sitting too high. Pull it lower, or flip the brim up so it tucks inside the helmet's front edge.
Brim up, brim down or backwards: which should you choose?
Brim down is the default. It shades your eyes from low sun and keeps rain off your face, which makes it the right choice for most fall rides. With daylight saving ending on November 1, more evening rides finish with the sun right in front of you, and that is when the brim earns its place.
Brim up is the classic racer look, and it is practical too. When you ride low on the drops, a flipped brim keeps the road ahead in view. My guess is that most riders end up doing both, brim up on the climb and down again once the sun gets low.
Brim backwards shades the back of your neck. It suits long rides with the sun behind you, and riders have turned the peak around for exactly that reason for a long time.
Which cycling cap should you choose?
Our Cycling Caps collection has more than 120 designs, from plain colors to retro team looks and jokes. A good way to choose is to start from the jersey you wear most.
For a cap that goes with everything, the Plain Color Block cap and the Retro One Stripe cap keep it simple. Riders who like the old team look can browse our retro cycling gear or pick the MAMIL Apparel The Cannibal cap, with its orange stripes. For something sillier, the Must Be Bananas cap does what the name says.
A cap is also an easy present, since one size fits most and nobody has to guess a size. Our gifts for cyclists collection has more ideas. Every cap is made to order, and a cap added to a jersey order can help you reach free shipping on orders over $125. Non-customized items come with 60-day store-credit returns, as our returns policy explains.
Cycling caps to wear under your helmet
Unisex Plain Color Block Quick Dry Cycling Cap
$28.99$32.99
Unisex Retro One Stripe Black Quick Dry Cycling Cap
$28.99$32.99
Unisex Must Be Bananas Quick Dry Cycling Cap
$28.99$32.99
Frequently asked questions
Can you wear a cycling cap without a helmet?
Yes, off the bike. Our cap pages describe the retro cap look "on and off the bike", so it works at the café stop too. On the bike, wear it under your helmet.
Are cycling caps made of cotton?
The traditional cycling cap is cotton. Ours are quick dry polyester, with a 140GSM upper and 100GSM mesh side pieces to help keep your head cool.
Does a cycling cap protect against the sun?
The brim shades your eyes and face, and turned backwards it shades your neck.
What size cycling cap do I need?
Our caps are one size fits most for adults. Try the cap with your own helmet before a long ride, and loosen the helmet's fit dial if it feels tight.
Should the brim be up or down?
Down for sun and rain, up for a clear view when you ride low on the bars, and backwards to shade your neck on long sunny rides.
