Lusso Pain Cave Summer Cap

The Lusso Pain Cave Summer Cap is part of the Manchester marque's new range printed with 'fun catchphrases to help you express yourself on the bike'. It's a lightweight, highly breathable design, well suited to warm weather, where traditional caps can boil the brains. It's also a much better fit beneath helmets, wicks efficiently and takes up nominal space in a jersey pocket, should you want to dispense with it altogether.

It's a much thinner fabric than most, made from a 95% microfibre polyester/5% elastane mix, for a combination of ventilation and stretch. The latter's particularly important, given the single size. Measuring 18.5x24cm, it should fit heads between 53 and 61cm circumference. My bonce measures 54cm and the cap felt tailor made, with no unsightly branding after a few hours.

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I've tested the cap in temperatures between 2 and 17°C and have been pleasantly surprised at both ends of the spectrum. In single figures, especially with a stiff wind and an airy helmet, I wasn't surprised to find things cooler than ideal – though nowhere near 'ice cream' headache country, even on longer, faster descents.

With temperatures in the high teens, the fibres respond quickly to rider-generated heat; it's streets ahead of traditional caps in terms of wicking.

Short, sharp showers quickly penetrate the fabric, but it'll wick dry in around 15-20 minutes.

The peak is perfectly proportioned, offering decent defence against blustery, spring winds and intense periods of sunshine. It flicks up/down and holds in position, and no issues with peripheral vision either.

I've needed to relax my helmets' thumbwheels to ensure a precise fit, but that's the extent of adjustment – no issues with bunching or gathering.

When not needed, the thin fibres fold beautifully, so it can be shoved in or retrieved from a jersey pocket in a trice, ready to wear.

Stitching and detailing is uniformly good throughout, and washing/care instructions are printed inside of the peak, for easy reference. The cap is easy to live with in this respect, too: in the machine at 30/40 degrees and swerve the dryer, essentially. Washing frequency will depend on a wealth of factors but I could wear it for 14 days straight before it was threatening to sprout legs and take itself to the machine.

If skulls and pain aren't your thing, there are six alternatives (seven, if you count the Women Summer Cap flowers, although this is a slightly different design, and considerably cheaper). These include 'On it', 'Mad for it', 'Rest day', 'Bike Addict', 'Rain or Shine' and 'I'm not a climber'.

Value

Caps can be had for a few quid, the cotton sort, that is, but the Lusso isn't a bad price. Perhaps its most direct rival, the Buff Pack Bike Cap, is around a tenner more.

Primal's Neon Crush was rated as another good all-rounder and is level-pegging price-wise at £15.

A better choice for damp, early-season outings would be the Prendas Ciclismo Lisboa Rain cycling cap, also £14.99, but not machine washable.

Conclusion

Although it's a little season-specific, I really rate the Lusso Pain Cave cap. It's lightweight, packable and more comfortable than most when temperatures climb.

Verdict

Great alternative to a traditional cap, especially in milder/warmer weather