Who came up with such a silly-looking cap?

June 9, 2007 2:10 PM

Where the the design for the cycling cap originate?

My wife was rooting around in a pile of my stuff and pulled out a cycling cap that was given to me last year. After making me try it on and then laughing at how silly I looked (that is not me in the picture, by the way), she asked me what it was about this cap that made it special for cycling, and who came up with the design in the first place.

After thinking hard, I realized that I had no clue. I searched the series of tubes and found this thread that attempted to answer the question. While it explained the functionality of the cap, it failed to explain who came up with the design.

Can the Ask MetaFilter gods help me explain the nature of the cycling cap to my wife (in the hopes that she'll let me keep it)?

posted by scblackman to sports, hobbies, & recreation (8 comments total)

Velocipede racers in France used to wear jockey's caps, which is no doubt the forerunner.
posted by oneirodynia at 2:27 PM on June 9, 2007

And they fit under helmets.
posted by YoBananaBoy at 3:09 PM on June 9, 2007

Second everything mentioned in the bikeforums thread. Jockey caps are a good origin point -- they have to be streamlined, not to improve efficiency but because they'll fly away otherwise.
posted by ardgedee at 3:29 PM on June 9, 2007

You can print logos on them cheaply, so they're good marketing material.

And caps like that can be worn in two ways. Either normally, to block out the sunlight from your sight. or the other way around, to protect your neck from sunburns.
posted by ijsbrand at 4:01 PM on June 9, 2007

They were called painter's caps when I was a kid, because that's what they were: cheap, incredibly light, and sold at hardware stores.
posted by Phred182 at 6:44 PM on June 9, 2007

So to answer: repurposed items, not a cycling-specific design.
posted by Phred182 at 6:46 PM on June 9, 2007

And remember, with shaved legs, tight shorts, slippery-soled shoes with exposed cleats, shirts with pockets in the back, fingerless gloves -- clearly silliness isn't even on the specification sheet for cycling clothes.

(One thing to keep in mind is that cyclists are religious about weight and slipstream; if there's any way to make something smaller, lighter, or smoother without breaking rules or practicality, they do it.)
posted by mendel at 8:51 PM on June 9, 2007

they are different than painter's caps.

with the brim down, they are great for keeping rain and sun out of the eyes; the brim can be easily flipped up to keep it out of the way.
posted by entropone at 7:24 AM on June 10, 2007