Cycling Caps?
 

Alright guys, shoot me straight - what's the consensus on cycling caps? I saw some All-City caps I really dug but they're all sold out everywhere except for blue ones which I don't want. So I found some pretty stylish caps at Retrogression and bought a charcoal colored one. Very hip, not your typical neon racing cap. More casual.
http://www.retro-gression.com/category/apparel-hats

So is it pretty d0uchey to wear one if you're not some kind of hardcore bicycle champion of the streets? Or can anyone rock one? I don't want to look like a poser but I really do dig that hat. Once it arrives I'll get to try it on and if it looks good I'm going to wear it. But I am curious what the community consensus is. I live in a very hip trendy bike neighborhood in Chicago and maybe I'm not looking hard enough, but I see very few cycling caps.

I currently wear a baseball cap whenever I ride. It keeps my hair from getting jacked up, and it keeps sun/wind out of my eyes when adjusted strategically. Same things that a cycling cap would do, essentially. I'm thinking the cycling cap will be cooler and more breathable than my 100% wool Orioles hat that I currently wear. Right?

Thoughts? Advice? Opinions?

It's against the rules, but I wear mine both on and off the bike.

Right on. Well if it looks good there's no foul there. People don't just wear baseball caps only when they play baseball. Or sunglasses only when it's sunny. Or work boot only when they are working. Or sports jerseys only when they are playing that sport. Or cowboy hats only when they are cowboying.
Most of the images I see when I google imaged "cycling cap" look pretty cool. But if you search the web you do find older pics of dudes who have them propped up real tall on their heads, etc. So it definitely can look silly. But most I see nowadays look like pretty cool hat option - whether you're cycling or not.
It's a f*ck of a lot better than those damn fedoras that are taking the hipster world by storm lately. I tell you what...

I don't wear one, but I have no ill regard for anyone who wears them on or off the bike.

"The Rules" are based on an attitude of exclusivity, and honestly, in this country, we need the exact opposite. Maybe a sedentary, overweight kid on the way to being a Type II diabetic will see someone in a bicycling cap and think, "hey, that's pretty cool" and start riding a bike. Maybe drivers will take note of it be a bit more open and patient when it comes to sharing the road.

If people who ride bikes try to segregate themselves from the mainstream then it only makes our lot worse. /rant

I always seem to wear a cycling cap. I got more athletic/breathable ones for days i wear the kit, some more formal soft billed ones similar to the Walz caps and ones with warm earflaps. I think cycling caps are fine and are only kinda lame when people ride around with the brim flipped up and no helmet on. kinda defeats the purpose in my opinion.

When not on a bike: cycling hats (with the brim flipped up) look just as stupid as propeller hats:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=255813
Thats just my opinion, you are free to wear whatever you want

This is my cycling cap. I bought the fabric and a friend of mine made it for me. I don't wear it off the bike because I look kind of goofy in it. But I wear it on the bike (with or without helmet) on all but the hottest days. I also have a wool one with ear flaps for winter.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/6...3c2366ef_n.jpghttp://farm7.staticflickr.com/6043/6...80517b38_n.jpg

Definitely wear whatever you want.

Edited to add: the soft bill caps are my favorite, but riding fast enough/into a strong enough headwind will deflect the bill down which can get a little annoying.

I wear one of these from Pace when I'm not riding
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Pace-Sportswe...bju!~~60_1.JPG

FWIW...actual bike racers don't wear cycling caps.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3CMyzYoV5f...0069659ff2.jpg

Very few hardcore bicycle champions wear cycling caps. See for yourself: http://www.google.com/search?q=cycling cap&tbm=isch

And when they do, people make a big deal about it: http://www.bikecrave.com/how-to-wear-a-cycling-cap/

They only reason why "cycling caps" exist is because wind would catch the brim of a normal cap and flip it off the rider's head. But if that isn't a problem for you then you don't really need a cycling cap, per se.

Cycling caps do keep those lucky enough to have hair from getting "helmet hair"...but so does a scarf or beanie.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_VQxZLVZkUAY/S-...umb%5B1%5D.jpg

I can agree with all of that. I definitely don't plan to flip the bill up. And if I do, it won't be while I'm not riding.

And Carleton, I wasn't being 100% serious when I asked if only hardcore bicycle champions of the streets wear them. I didn't actually think it might only be a racing thing.
I do have a lot to learn though. Especially about bicycle fashion. For example, I wouldn't be caught dead in those spandex getups that the really fast guys/gals with quads bigger than my waist wear. You know, with all the sponsors and stuff. I have no idea why that is needed, or what they benefit from wearing it. I suspect it's a racing thing? I know very little. I just know that my bike rides are always under 20 miles and just around the city to run errands or to visit friends, etc. If I had a bike with 27 speeds maybe I would understand what those spandex are for... but that's a whole 'nother thread.

You can either choose it for comfort or for show, but it should be for comfort. Something along the lines of "f_ the haters" type deal if you ever question whether you should wear something or not.

You do not need a 27 speed bicycle to know what those spandex are for. Ride fixed gear for 50+ miles in 1 day wearing jeans or any other cotton fabric and you will learn first hand why people wear lycra. I think form fitting looks of lycra material is ugly, but I still wear it for longer rides (even if its underneath my shorts)

i wear all the spandexes.

Never said I needed a 27 speed bike to know... I said maybe if I had a 27 speed bike I would know.
In other words, if I had 27 speeds that would mean I'm probably doing longer and more hardcore rides and would therefore come to know the need-for/benefit-of spandex. Luckily, I live in a metro area so I don't have to travel far in my day-to-day life (work, food, drinks).

But it's cool. I didn't mean to say people shouldn't wear spandex. I just said I don't, and I don't plan to.
But that's not even entirely true. I run long distance races (26.2 miles, 50km, etc) and in the winter I run with tights. So yeah, I guess I lied. I do wear spandex. :(

I have a wool one (the yehuda moon one from Walz) that I wear when I don't want hat hair and it's cool out so it blocks the wind through my helmet vents. In the summer when I sweat a lot, a headsweats beannie that's pretty much all vented wicking fabric (though absorbant around the edges) serves a similar purpose.

Ride longer an hour at a time and you'll understand why Lycra, chamois, and chamois cream are necessary.

There is no pain like having your crotch rubbed raw from a mix of jeans, underwear, sweat, heat, and friction for over an hour.

Trust us.

I just wanna be like Wesley Snipes.

I know what you mean... Freds come in all shapes and sizes
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=255819

That sounds unpleasant. I have some experience with chafe (as a runner). It's real bad for nipples. Even worse for your, um, nether-regions. Some of my runs have been 5-6 hours in length. I can't imagine biking for that long.

Heh. Just went to grab my lunch. Biked over to this delicious little eatery near my office called Hannah's Bretzel. And wouldn't you know it... all of the workers are wearing cycling caps! I never noticed it before and I eat there all the time. Weird. And cool.

You just kinda food derailed your own thread.

I'm having a ham and cheese omelet and about 4 ounces of steak.

Yes but, are you wearing a cycling cap?
Aaaaand we're back.:p

I have 2-3 I alternate on sometimes. If I'm not wearing my helmet and I don't want to sweat all over myself I usually grab one before heading out. I guess it may make more sense to just wear my helmet, but I don't always feel like dealing with babysitting it afte' a ride.

I've been considering getting a cap, but haven't brought myself to it yet. I think they're pretty d-bag status, but I don't like sun in my eyes, and can't wear sunglasses because my prescription is way too god damned strong.

I'll probably pick up a black Nitto cap from scrod when the time comes.

They do nothing to protect your eyes from the sun.