Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to REVIEWS
review
Headwear
Chapeau! Cotton Cap Chapeau! Cotton Cap
Chapeau! Cotton Cap

Chapeau! Cotton Cap

7
by Neil Gander
UPDATED Wed, Jun 14, 2017 15:46

First Published Jun 14, 2017

4
£19.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Warm and well made, with a versatile peak, but hangs on to sweat a bit too long and sizing is a bit small
Weight: 
27g
Contact: 
www.chapeau.cc
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

This white-with-grey-stripes Cotton Cap from Chapeau! is the most restrained design in a wide range available for people who like to ring the changes. It's warm, but slow to dry, and has a fairly soft peak which helps prevent it pushing your helmet out of position if you wear it underneath.

Cycling caps seem to come in either cotton/polyester mix or 100% cotton, and this falls into the latter group. The fabric quality is good and it is quite thick, which makes it warm on a cold day but too hot for summer. Also, it hangs on for a long time to sweat or rain. (Chapeau! makes a polyester 'Lightweight Cap', for £16.99, which might be a better choice on hot days.) The construction is in four panels, like a baseball cap, and the stripe is sewn on, not printed.

> Find your nearest dealer here

I liked the peak, which is softer than some – not to the point of floppiness, but enough to make it possible to roll it upward in an 'analogue' manner, rather than the 'either up or down' way of most. This made it easy to turn up the peak without tilting my bike helmet too far back.

Chapeau! Cotton Cap 2.jpg

The cap comes in no fewer than 26 designs, of which this, with its discreet bowler hat logo and grey stripe in three shades, is the most restrained. This design is also available in red, black and dark blue.

It's one size only. My head is an 58cm, which seems to be medium-to-large judging by most helmet sizing, but I found it quite tight so if you measure bigger than this try before you buy.

> Read more road.cc reviews of headwear here

Looking through my collection of cycling caps, I can't actually remember ever buying any of them. Most have been given, found, picked up for free at some sportive or race event or appeared mysteriously in the drawer from some fifth dimension. True to form, the Chapeau! Cotton Cap has been given to me by road.cc and therefore passes that particular test. If, unlike me, you have to pay for it, well – £20 seems to be about the rate for a Chinese-made cotton cap featuring a prestige brand logo (though you can buy cotton caps from prendas for £7.95...). It's well made, so should last a long time.

Verdict

Warm and well made, with a versatile peak, but hangs on to sweat a bit too long and sizing is a bit small

road.cc test report

Make and model: Chapeau! Cotton 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?

Chapeau says: "The cap is an icon of the cycling world, worn well it elevates the wearer's panache levels exponentially whilst protecting against the sun's harsh glare and clouds' damp drizzle."

Fair enough.

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

100% cotton, made in China.

One size

26 designs

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
6/10

It's all-cotton which makes it warm, but it holds sweat and rain for a long time. I like the not-too-stiff peak which makes it possible to tip it up without pushing your helmet back too far.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Well made from quality fabric so should last well.

Rate the product for fit:
 
7/10

The fit is quite close, as indicated by the sizing below.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
6/10

One size only. I have a 58cm head and found it tight, so big heads may find this too small.

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
6/10

Okay, but this will depend on your head size. At 58cm it left a bit of a ring mark on my head.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

About typical for a Chinese-made, all-cotton cap with a prestige brand logo on it. You can buy cheaper, lots cheaper.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

The white shows the dirt, especially if you grip the peak with grubby hands, but it came up well in the wash and in hand-washing.

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

Much as you would expect from an all-cotton cap: warm, but slow to dry.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Nice style, and the slightly soft peak made it easy to adjust to fit under a helmet. There's a wide range of designs too.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Slightly tight fit given it only comes in one size.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? A bit expensive for me.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes. It would make a nice present.

Use this box to explain your score

There's not a lot to distinguish most cycling caps apart from the designs and whether they are all-cotton or a cotton/polyester mix. The not-too-stiff peak gave this a small advantage in that it makes it easy to turn up the peak without upsetting your helmet position. There's a wide selection of designs, of which this is the most subdued.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 52  Height: 6'2  Weight: 73kg and holding steady

I usually ride: Cannondale CAAD10   My best bike is: Tomassini Prestige

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: touring, sportives, general fitness riding, mountain biking

Chapeau! Cotton Cap 2017
Chapeau! Cotton Cap
Chapeau! 2017
Chapeau!

Add new comment

4 comments

Avatar
Team EPO | 7 years ago
0 likes

This was my first foray into caps and thought I just had a big head as I found it a bit tight too.

 

My second cap was off eBay and it has turned up and is a fake team Cannondale one but cost £11 might take a look at the Planet X ones

 

Avatar
srchar | 7 years ago
1 like

Twenty quid for a cotton cap?

Avatar
bechdan | 7 years ago
0 likes

I would have expected a nicer material for that price. PlanetX cap for about £4

Avatar
rkemb | 7 years ago
2 likes

£20!!!

Quote:

though you can buy cotton caps from prendas(link is external) for £7.95...

... or indeed, three for a tenner on some designs.

Latest Comments