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review
Giro SPF 30 Ultralight Cap£24.99
VERDICT:
Lightweight cycling cap ideal for the spring and well into the summer
Weight:
22g
Contact:
www.madison.co.uk
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 meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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Giro's SPF 30 Ultralight Cap is an extremely lightweight cap that keeps your head drier than without and also provides sun protection, especially handy if you're follically challenged.
It's designed and styled like a regular cotton cycling cap but is made with an X-Static Performance mesh panel, a fabric typically used in jerseys, while the side panels are Power mesh. The two fabrics in combination provide an airy cycling cap that works well to combat sweat buildup, and keeps you drier versus not wearing a hat. Because it's so airy, you don't feel too warm wearing it.
A simple multi-panel design and the thinness of the material means it slips unnoticed under a helmet. The small peak is good for keeping the bright sun out of the eyes, with the added benefit of funneling sweat away from your forehead - it drips off the end of the peak rather than running down your forehead and collecting in your shades.
As well as using it on warmer days, I've taken to wearing it for early morning and late evening rides when there's a chill in the air. It provides a tiny bit of extra insulation without any risk of overheating.
Verdict
A lightweight cycling cap ideal for the spring and well into the summer.
road.cc test report
Make and model: Giro SPF 30 Ultralight Cap
Size tested: One
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?
The Giro SPF30 Ultralight Cap is ideal for when the temperature is high but you want the protection of a cycling cap, this high tech classic will deliver.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
- High performance X-static heat dispersing and moisture wicking top panel, rated SPF 30
- Open mesh side panels for increased ventilaion
- Elastic rear panel
- One size fits most
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Seamless construction makes it comfortable on the head.
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
For hot weather and keeping the chill at bay in the spring, it's a good alternative to a traditional cotton cycling hat.
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
8/10
You really don't notice you're wearing it, because it's so light and thin. But it noticeably keeps your head drier.
Rate the product for value:
6/10
It's more expensive than a traditional cotton cycling cap which does the job just as well.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
It's a very nice hat and serves well equally on very hot days with the sun protection and chilly morning commutes, but I can't help feeling a regular cotton cap does the job equally as well.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
It's nice having a peak on bright sunny days.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Possibly.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe.
About the tester
Age: 31 Height: 180 Weight: 67
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, mtb,
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
Latest Comments
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It sounds like a question from Ian Walker's motornormativity paper. Is it OK to dismember a (car|bike) when it is left in an inconvenient location?
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Add new comment
5 comments
I wear Walz caps and can't really say a bad word about them, price and styling is very nice!
but it's ultralight and it's white, so it's guaranteed to make you go faster!
So, let me get this right.
It's a hat.
It make you look like butcher.
and it costs 25 quid.
That said, it would be 60 quid if it said Rapha on it
you're not allowed to wear it without the helmet, that's against the rules
Pretty sure my Rapha cap only cost me £25, and still going strong after 3 years, all the cheap ones I buy the elastic has gone after a few months.....