AUDAX RIDE: Thursday Thoughts: Hats & Helmets

Sometime around the dawn of the last century (we’re referring to calendar century here, not your last big ride) the art and science of bicycling began to emerge from the primordial ooze, and then to evolve rather rapidly.

At the first, folks tended to wear the same clothing on the bike as they did for almost everything else. But it didn’t take long for the realization to strike. Riding a bike is better if one chooses clothing and accessories that work well with the bike. Frock coats may be all well and good, but they don’t go so well with two-wheeled frolic.

Take gloves for an example. If you have seen early photos of cyclists, you may have noticed that they wore these big, heavy, leather gauntlets. There were reasons for that. Bikes didn’t have brakes. A rider could brace arms under the handlebar and press-grip the front tire to slow down. Good protection was needed for this.

Hats, in particular, underwent quite the evolutionary process. The bowler derby, or bonnet was just not all that practical. Snap-brim caps quickly replaced derbies. Those caps (sometimes berets) evolved rather quickly into what we now recognize as the cycling cap. In its final form, this hat became a standard for cyclists. The short bill kept the sun and rain out of the eyes. It was light. It afforded some protection from the impact of sunlight on the skull. It could be imprinted with advertising. It was relatively inexpensive. It was a natural.

The cap was pretty much de rigueur for serious cyclists. It stayed that way until sometime in the late 1960s.

Prior to 1965, the cycling world had not discovered head injuries. But borrowing on the experience of motorsport (race cars, motorcycles), football, and aviation, the idea of a crash helmet gradually entered our world. The first of these were not too effective. They were heavy, hot, cumbersome, stupid looking, and didn’t provide all that much competition. Most serious cyclists would not wear one of these things, unless forced to at gunpoint.

For the next 25 years the cycling cap enjoyed a fair amount of popularity. Manufacturers and others printed their logos on them and practically gave them away. (Sometimes they actually did give them away.) Cyclist wore them. Top racers, especially the Euro-Pros mostly refused to wear the rapidly improving helmets, and opted for the caps.

But gradually the cycling cap declined. Helmets improved, and helmet use became mandatory in more and more competitive events. More “civilian riders” wore helmets. Bike shops that stocked cycling caps found that they just stayed on the pegs and gathered dust.

At this point in time the cap is enjoying a bit of a renaissance. The urban-hipster/fixie crowd have taken to them. Small, independent manufacturers have found new and innovative ways to make them, and to update them. And here’s a discovery! The cycling cap can be worn under a helmet!

In fact, the cycling cap works very well under a helmet. It can help keep your noggin warm on cold days. Lightweight ones will protect you from sunburn through the skid-lid on long hot Summer rides. And in the rain, the short bill of the cap, when pulled down low, helps keep rain, and road splash from your eyes and glasses, improving visibility greatly. I even have a Goretex ™ one for rain wear!

A cycling cap weighs almost nothing, and fits nicely in a jersey pocket. It just may be the perfect bit of riding apparel. There are even different ways to wear the cap, proclaiming your attitude and allegiance.

For example...