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review
Headwear
Velotastic Beeley Cap Velotastic Beeley Cap
Velotastic Beeley Cap

Velotastic Beeley Cap

8
by John Stevenson
UPDATED Sat, Feb 25, 2017 09:45

First Published Feb 25, 2017

0
£19.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Comfortable and warm cool-weather cap
Weight: 
40g
Contact: 
velotastic.co.uk
How we test

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The Velotastic Beeley is a warm winter cap in classic style, made from a wool/viscose mix that's comfortable on chilly days.

This is a simple cap, but it's very nicely executed, with a stiff peak to keep the winter sun out of your eyes. Okay, let's be honest, it'll keep the rain out of your eyes and off your glasses too.

> Buy this online here

Being a simple cap, it covers the top of your head only. That means it works fine when the weather is merely cool, but when the temperature gets down to low single figures – anything under about 6°C for me – I want something over my ears too. But for those days when it's appropriate, it's very nice indeed: cosy and comfortable.

Velotastic Beeley Cap - peak up.jpg

The Beeley – named after a favourite climb of the folks at Velotastic – comes in just the one size. It's on the large side. It fits my 59cm-ish head, but when my partner tried it she found it too roomy for her much smaller sizing, with the elastic at the back producing unsightly bunching and the cap not feeling very secure.

> Find more road.cc reviews of cycling headwear here

The fly in the ointment here is the viscose in the fabric blend. A sort of semi-synthetic cotton, viscose is a cellulose fibre made from wood pulp by a process that can involve some hazardous chemicals ending up in the environment. Outdoor clothing maker Patagonia says that most viscose factories only recover about 50% of the carbon disulphide used in the process. There are environmental issues with almost all fabrics, but leaking a highly toxic solvent into the world is arguably on another level entirely.

If Velotastic could find a less dodgy fabric to make the Beeley, it'd be perfect cool-weather headgear.

Verdict

Comfortable and warm cool-weather cap

road.cc test report

Make and model: Velotastic Beeley Cap

Size tested: One size

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

It's a wool-mix cycling cap for keeping your head warm when it's chilly outside.

Velotastic says: "Named after one of our favourite Peak District climbs, this British made cycling cap is ideal for those cooler days."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

One size fits most

60% Wool, 40% Viscose

Made in England

Colours – Camel brown or Ninja Black

Embroidered logo

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10

Velotastic says "one size fits most". It's fine on my 59-60cm head, but on smaller heads like my girlfriend's 53-ish it bunches quite a lot and doesn't feel secure.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
5/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10

It's very comfortable and the fairly open fabric means you don't get too sweaty when working hard.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Kept my head warm without making it sweaty when working hard.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Spot-on fit (for me, see above), good but not excessive warmth for cool days.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Use of viscose in the mix.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? No

Would you recommend the product to a friend? No

Use this box to explain your score

Two things mark the Beeley down. It needs to come in at least two sizes so people with smaller heads can use it; if you're below about a 55 in hat size, don't bother.

The use of viscose in the fabric is the bigger issue for me, though, and I considered knocking it down a few points for that alone. But viewed just as a cycling cap it works very well, so I'll let you make up your own mind whether the environmental aspects of viscose production put it on your 'don't buy' list or not.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 48  Height: 5ft 11in  Weight: 85kg

I usually ride: Scapin Style  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, general fitness riding, mountain biking

Velotastic Beeley Cap 2017
Velotastic Beeley Cap
Velotastic 2017
Velotastic
John Stevenson

John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.

He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.

Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.

John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.

He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.

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