Handmade cycling caps

Chaps

I've been making cycling caps for about as long as I've been riding a fixie (a 1980s Le Jeune frame made by Francois du Toit in Cape Town).

My latest iterations (and there have been many) are made from cotton twill lined with printed cotton, which will soak up 27 times their own weight before allowing a drop of sweat to run into your eyes.

The polypropylene brims (unbreakable, or just about) are slightly shorter and wider than standard, which improves visibility and makes them fit comfortably under your helmet. And I make them to measure in 1 cm increments, so you'll never get the bunching elastic or brain squeeze of a one-size-fits-all cap, just snug fits.

I've attached a few pics, but please check out my other handmade cycling cap designs on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/UnclePetesHandmade).

Drop me a line if you'd like to discuss custom sizes or fabrics. I'd love to make upcycled cycling caps out of your dad's favourite shirt (God rest his soul), for example.

PS - Have you ever noticed that mountain bikers almost never wear them? That has to be worth something.

5 Attachments

Very cool……prices?

£30 according to the Etsy shop.

Thanks for the retail assistance, ketsbaia!

CoolHandDave, the lined caps are mostly around the £30 mark, though the wool versions run to £35.

I do make unlined versions for £25, if you're interested.

Any custom orders will attract an additional fee of £5.

Lovely stuff.

Thanks so much! If you haven't tried a custom-fit cycling cap, it's worth a spin.

Just ordered a polka dot one for myself for Christmas (can't rely on anyone else to get me one ;-))!

Just spotted the email notification - thanks so much for the order, Mark. I'll have that in the post to you directly.

These are great! Also, as a bighead, thank you for making different sizes. I'll defo grab one once the crippling Christmas spend is out of the way.

Great stuff! Looking forward to breaking out those bigger patterns in the new year.

Got my first custom completed by @UnclePete in waxed cotton! Look forward to giving it a go and reporting back.

1 Attachment

Received mine recently - very happy with it (& a great fit)! It is currently hanging on Mt bed post waiting to go out on the road.

1 Attachment

If you wanted one made out of a particular fabric/print how much fabric would you need to supply and can you specify a longer brim?

Top work @UnclePete. Can you replace a broken brim in an existing cap?

Any pics of your caps on peoples heads?

Hey Andy. 80 cm x 40 cm for the outside (crown and peak) and the same again for the liner. My older pattern had a longer, traditional brim, so that's no problem to slot in. What sort of fabric do you have in mind?

Thanks so much! I've just been asked the same by another person, and I'm happy to. I've done this for a few of my own casquettes - a new polypropylene sheet brim makes a great replacement.

I'll have to let recent buyers post their own pics, but here's two of me. You'll see the deep fit of the cap and the angle of the peak, which makes the cap fit properly under a helmet. Flipped down, it's also not so low that it obscures your vision.

2 Attachments

Quality

They look great. Will need to order one and hope it suits my head

No foot retention?

Nice. The key question is: how is their luft? I wouldn't want to lose my street cred if I ever met King Kelly or Big Mig.

1 Attachment

Nobody can compete with the Mig!

None! I use SPDs on my road bikes, but I've always just ridden flats on the fixie. Never had a foot come off the pedals. Those RockBros platforms have got a lot of grip screws . . .

I can't guarantee suitability, but it'll fit like a glove!