Caps NOT Hats

Since 2014, Walz Caps have been a big part of my cycling experience, offering a variety of caps for every purpose and style. I use them every day, even when I am not cycling (I am wearing one right now) and I look for more all the time. I am up to about a dozen Walz Caps in wool, cotton, and wicking varieties all with their own distinct "flavor"

(naughty caps taking a bath ; )

I also own at least a dozen non-Walz caps which now sit idle for two reasons, they seriously suck in comparison and, well I can't shamelessly promote Walz if I am not wearing their caps all of the time now can I? That said, in the before times I didn't know any better. I wore cotton-polly blends that I would buy when ever I would visit a shop during my travels. Some have even been given to me from other brands as well. THIS cap for instance, was given to me by a local bicycle-themed eatery. 

It does not say who makes it (and I didn't ask), outwardly, it would appear that this cap is very similar to the wicking cap offered by Walz, it is where this cap falls short that I begin to draw the distinction between a good cap and a great one. 

Built into this cap is an elastic band that serves as a sponge. It is much thicker and taller (meaning it takes up more surface area on the skin) and quite honestly, gets itchy when it is 80 degrees outside. 

The Walz cap on the other hand...

...has a headband constructed with moisture wicking material. Not only is it soft to the touch but also has less of a "foot print." It is very pleasant to wear for long periods and while it unavoidably gets sweaty, the moisture is pulled from the skin leaving a cooling effect while riding. 

Another reason the other cap does not hold up to the litmus test is the bill. 

Much thicker than the Walz bill, it is not only harder to flip up but if you fold it up and put it in your pocket (which is sometimes the case when it is just too damn hot for a cap) the bill gets creased and stays that way until you manipulate it back in to shape. That in combination with its shape makes for an ill-fitting cap. Its kind of like buying a carbon Pinarello knock-off from China. It looks like one, but it is not.

To be fair, it should be noted that the proprietor of a local establishment gave me this cap for completing some service work on his classic Motobecane road bike. Knowing that I love caps he gave me this one for which I am grateful. I do wear it occasionally though now that my wife has begun mountain biking it has been claimed as her own. It is a fine cap which represents to me someone being kind enough to thank me for work that he deemed "above category." 
It's as simple as that and that is what it will remain.

So clearly I heart caps. And Walz are the best. If you want to try one and you don't know what a BikeSnobNYC is then maybe try this wicking cap...

Proceeds to Amy D. Foundation. Click HERE to learn more, click HERE to buy one.

Now, I bought TWO of these last time so I expect you to do better than that ;)

After that, get off the internet and go ride a bike.
Cheers.
 

Caps NOT Hats: Winter Edition

It has been unseasonably warm all of the sudden here in Indiana. So much so, that I managed to sneak in a couple of 40 mile rides in my short sleeved kit. You already know that I do not prefer riding in doors, but if I have to, at least I have my Sportcrafters rollers. With the exception of riding to work and such, I try to get my work outs done in doors this time of year. But hell, where I live, if the thermometer reads more than 40 degrees, you get your ass outside.

The mild temps were partly to blame for the delay in posting this but being the peak season for winter caps, it is high time that I fulfill my "Gentleman's Agreement" with the folks at Walz Caps. In the interest of full disclosure, Walz Caps does not monetarily contribute to this blog in any way. In fact, no one does. (Yes, I do this for FREE.) My obligation to them is simple: They provide me with caps and I provide an honest review for my readers' consideration and occasionally send some photos their way. I am grateful for the opportunity and hope to continue working with such cool people.

With all that out of the way, consider the following; When temps get below 30 degrees, riding outside can prove too daunting a task for most fair-weather cyclists. Some of us are more dedicated (or more insane depending on who you ask) to staying in the saddle as much as possible. Some choose the bike simply to ease the cost of transportation. If you are like me, you choose it because you love craft beer and need to work of the calories so you don't start the next season with a beer belly. Not matter why you do it you need to be prepared to do it. This means keeping warm.

Keeping "warm" is a relative term. Depending on where you live, the temps might not get too low this time of year which certainly allows for less layers when one heads out. In colder climates, layers are key to staying warm. Too many layers however, can lead to sweat which can cool and leave you miserable and cold. So warm may mean different things to different folks.

It is important to have all the right gear to take on the cold. I like Swiftwick wool compression socks and Smartwool base layers. Choosing the right cap, well, that's what I am here to discuss...

About 2 years ago a customer gave me my first winter cap. It was a wool ear flap cap made by Wildhagen Wear of Canada.

The Skipper 

With the ear flaps folded inside the cap, it looks just like an ordinary wool cap. Classy enough to wear out on the town and woolen enough to keep your melon warm. On some occasions, maybe even too warm. Hand made in Toronto, this cap will set you back $135.

It wasn't until this year that I had ever tried anything different. Upon my request, Walz was gracious enough to send me their own winter offering. 

Black Wool Ear Flap Cycling Cap.

A lighter, more breathable layer that fits seamlessly inside a helmet, this cap features a traditional bill which makes it feel more like the caps you are used to. All Walz caps are made in the United States and are much more affordable at  mere $33.

Because I am a shameless self-promoter, you have seen me wear both of these caps before.

Wild Hagen                          Walz

Here is where it gets interesting though as, in each of these moments, I would have preferred that the caps be switched. Meaning, I remember taking both of these photos. The snowy one was the result of one of the most beautiful rides to work I had ever been on. I mean, the snow was just everywhere! A hard snow like that however, means that there is cloud cover which keeps the temps up. 
So as much as I enjoyed the ride, I was sweating my ass off. Almost literally on the other side of the coin, the other picture was from later the same day while going out for lunch. At this point in the day, the clouds rolled back and the snow stopped. This actually made the temps drop and become, what I like to call "bitterly cold." As the wind permeated the thin layer of wool it occurred to me, had the caps been reversed, 
I may have found myself more comfortable in both instances. 

I have had about a solid month of cold weather riding in which to "demo" the Walz cap and after looking at the "data" (pictures from my iPhone), I can confidently say that while I love both caps, they could not be more different from one another. Do they share some of the same attributes? Sure.

Are they both wool? Check.
Do they both have ear flaps? Check.
I assure you, this is where the similarities end.

Truth be told, my experience with wool is rather limited as it was only two years ago when I began using wool to keep warm, as my winter commuting routine grew. The addition of wool was a welcome one. As long as I was warm, I never really thought much more about how warm. As the old saying goes, "you don't know what you don't know," I never realized the difference in temps from day to day and how my Wildhagen cap reacted to them. Meaning, I was always warm but there were days when I was actually sweaty when I would get to where I was going. Hard to believe when the Winter temps here are often 20 degrees or below, but Wildhagen caps are much thicker than Walz.

So thicker is better, right?
A) That's what she said, and
B) Not necessarily

I don't much care for being a sweaty, smelly mess when I get where I am going which is partially why I use lighter layers on my torso. Meaning, I would rather be slightly cold when I begin my ride than covered in perspiration when I arrive at my destination. This is where the wool offering from Walz begins to flex its muscles. Much thinner, the Walz cap fits beautifully under a helmet. This is not something I can say for my thicker Wildhagen caps. It also breathes better. Coming from a thicker cap, this was immediately noticeable as it started off a bit cooler until I warmed up but I expect that if I had never a cap to compare it to, I would not have noticed that. Regardless, knowing full well what my Wildhagen could handle due to past experiences, it was with my new Walz cap in hand, that I set out to see what it was really made of...    

The day I got my cap was both the perfect and the worst day to try it. I rode to work in my Wildhagen cap with temperatures in the low 20's and near white-out conditions. That afternoon at work, a care package from Walz containing a woll cap and, yet another BikeSnobNYC cap (in the new blue color).

So it was a perfect day in the fact that I had just used my normal cap so I had a chance to make an immediate comparison, and it was the worst day in the fact that, before the ride home, the temperature dropped pretty radically. As it would only be natural to reach for the familiar cap that had gotten me through temps like this before, I instead donned my new Walz cap and set off into the dark on the ride home.

That's right, my first time taking a gamble with an unfamiliar garment it felt like it was three degrees below zero. To be frank, temperature combined with the wind chill proved to be too low for my level of comfort in this cap. I had my other cap in my pannier and could have easily swapped them, but my ride home is only about 20 minutes. So in the interest of an in-depth review, I "took one for the team" as they say, and rode on. It wasn't so much a problem with my whole head being warm as it was my ears being cold. A big (and at first, hard to get used to) difference between the two caps is how it covers the ears. As I stated before, Wildhagen caps incorporate ear flaps that fold in to the inside of the cap when you are not using them. They are broad and flat and cover a large area around the ear. When using a helmet (which it was never designed for), the straps hold down the flaps nicely. The Walz cap however, uses an elastic band inside the flap portion that naturally draws them up under the ears forming a sort of an "ear sack" if you will. It is a nice feature which, coming from another cap, took me a few rides to get used to but is no longer a second thought for me.

So naturally, I had to find a temperature that was befitting the use of this particular cap. So for the next two rides (for review, not in a row), I documented the rides home as, minus the heat of the sun, they were colder than the morning rides.

The next ride showed only a three degree change in actual temps, but with a lower wind chill, it felt like a difference of nine degrees! Hell, round these parts, that's a fricken heat wave! This ride yielded much better results. It was still a bit out of the comfort zone I was accustomed to, but was a much better experience than the ride before. The experiences only got better from there...

It was at this point (25 degrees that felt like 13), that I found a comfortable threshold upon which I could confidently "hang my cap." An additional seven degrees was all it took to find the perfect balance of warmth and wicking. Meaning, I was all the warmer I needed to be, and not at all sweaty.
I continued to ride with only my Walz cap for more than a month (about 35 days of continuous riding) to accomplish a couple of things; get used to the elastic band, and to be sure I could duplicate these results. So with that my research complete, I have some final thoughts:

For the price, you cannot beat a Walz Winter Ear Flap Cap. They retail for a staggering 1/4 the price of Wildhagen Wear and can often be more competitively priced than their Pace, Surly, and 45NRTH counterparts.  

As for style, Walz winter caps come in 6 colors/styles and can be personalized for an additional $5.

Wildhagen caps are also available in a myriad of colors and are fully custom...

...Only trouble with that, is that they want you to go visit them in Toronto to get one made to order. While it is possible to get them at an occasional trade show, I would say that part of the appeal is their exclusivity. Almost to a fault, it seems as though it is a lot of fuss to pay that much for a cap.

On the Walz: I cannot find fault with the cap as it covers the head itself. It is the perfect thickness to remain effective yet light and airy. Plus (and this cannot be stated enough) it fits seamlessly under a helmet. As it covers the ear, I believe it would be more effective if the ear sack were thicker, lined with flannel or a wind front. Just a slight tweak in that direction might be enough to make it a more versatile cap and make up for that 10 degree swing I experienced while testing it. (Hint, hint...)

On the Wildhagen: A much thicker cap that incorporates form in to its function. Meaning, it is as nice to look at as it is useful. As designed, it is a really warm cap, but in many cases, I find it too warm. These caps are certainly not in everyone's budget, and truth be told, had I not gotten both of mine as gifts from a customer, the price alone might have been enough to scare me away from them all together.    

Before Walz came along I was rocking a cotton cycling cap with an Pearl Izumi ear band. Now having both winter specific caps in my winter wear arsenal, I find myself using the Walz more for cycling and Wildhagen for everyday wear. When the temps are 20 degrees or above, the Walz cap is really all you need. While my other caps stand at the ready for use in temps below 20, I am no longer in a hurry to reach for them. Sitting ready on my bike, in my helmet this time of year is a Walz cap. I cannot foresee that changing anytime soon. So thanks again to the folks at Walz and as always, 

keep warm and keep the rubber side down.

In or Out, Cycling in the Winter

Quality products are a thing to be cherished among the many things that cycling has to offer for those who choose to "take to the bike".

Some products add to the training experience when we cycle. Others add to the practical side of cycling, the overall user experience. I want to talk about both.

While not all of us use our bicycles to train per se, all of us are in fact getting a work out, regardless of how small, by climbing on the bike.

If you are the type of cyclist that has to ride in-doors in the winter, spinning out all day on a trainer sucks. I for one, was all for trainers, I got a really nice one too. The device is sound, really well built, and a great tool to use if the job is riding indoors. In a nutshell, it’s a lot of pedaling against resistance and being locked into one spot. You tend to sit more upright and do not use a lot of upper body. If your bike is not level, the position could put pressure on the wrists and elbows making the “ride” very uncomfortable. Saddle discomfort increases, as you are mostly just sitting there. Meaning you’re not out riding around, leaning, standing, and generally speaking, moving.

The first time I was introduced to ROLLERS, It was by a co-worker of mine that races. I initially thought that they were reserved as a training tool for the elite. It’s not that at all. Much like having a trainer indoors is a useful tool, so is being able to take it with you pretty much wherever you want. While good sets of rollers have a variety of levels of resistance, they feel more natural than resistance units on trainers. It also allows the rider to move unhindered. Since you have to keep balance to stay on the rollers, it feels much more like being on the road. Plus it brings the upper body in to play which makes for a much better “workout.” It’s so simple to just put your bike on it and go. No special tire, no “climbing block,” just a work out when and where you want it.

For the uninitiated, rollers look like this:

While a good trainer look like this:

Clearly different from one another, a trainer holds your rear wheel stationary and uses a resistance unit to create the realistic road feel. Again, it does require the addition of a so-called "climbing block" under the front wheel to level the bike, as well as a special tire. The tire is needed because of the heat build up where the tire contacts the drum. A normal tire would succumb to this heat and shed rubber like a poorly groomed dog, leading to tire failure. Both the tire and the block are extra purchases when, all tolled; trainer, tire, and block, can run in the neighborhood of $500.

The only problem with rollers is not so much a problem with the device, as it is with the rider's ability to use them. Using rollers requires balance that some people just don't have. You know the type; people who are new to biking, people who never learned how to "hold their line" in a group ride...

Go ahead, go to YouTube and search for "first time on rollers" and prepare for what is sure to be plenty of self-inflicted suffrage.

This is so painful to watch. 

The dude in this video made several mistakes which I could talk about all day, but I won't.

...Except for the obvious questions; 

A) Why the hell would you video tape your first attempt at rollers? 

B) After failing so, SO badly, why on Earth would you up load it to Youtube?

Regardless of why people make silly and often ill-advised choices on the internet, the point is, rollers are not as hard to use as they appear.

They are not always this easy to use either;)

So which rollers should you choose? That's a big question as there are several brands out there that make a quality product. While I have only tried three different brands, they just so happen to be regarded as three of the best brands out there. My personal favorite among them being made right here in my hometown. If you think that is bias on my part, think again. I choose Sportcrafters for many reasons.

Among them being Price; at $400 they are a little cheaper than their trainer counterpart yet they do not require the use of special additions like tires or climbing blocks.

Also, the resistance is built in to the rear drum and therefore takes up no additional floor or storage space. Probably the biggest selling point for me was the lifetime warranty:

"We offer a lifetime warranty to all of our customers. We don’t care if you are the original owner, second owner or whether you bought it at a garage sale…it doesn’t matter. The only way we know how to make the best product in the world is to know when your bike roller, trike trainer or handcycle trainer is not performing properly. We will immediately ship the replacement parts needed, and, if we want the old parts for analysis we will pay for return shipping."  (please see their website for details)

More important to me however, is the fact that they are hand made right here in Indiana by people I know and trust. People I play bikes with. They may be our competitors, but they are still our friends. I am glad to support their brand.

Aside from indoor training equipment, another Winter must have is Wool. LOTS of wool. Once again, if you are anything like me than you will go fricken stir crazy cycling inside for four months which means you will venture out on the warmer days. In my case, I commute by bike almost every day so that means I will venture out on the not-so-warm days as well. That is why I hoard wool.

Socks, caps, base layers... hell, I would grow a wool beard if I could.

Burr...

Socks. If you are going to rock wool socks, you can choose any brand you want. I mean, you really cannot go wrong. Wool is simply warmer. Often the theory, "the thicker the better" is true, but you really should consider how thick a sock you need which generally depends on the activity they will be used in. If you are sitting around the house on a blustery Winter day, then by all means, thicker is better, especially if you have to go outside periodically to shovel. In a more active setting, say, commuting by bike or even the rare mid winter road ride, you may want a thinner sock. Seems counter intuitive but it needs to be able to fit in you cycling shoe, right? For most conditions I have encountered, I prefer Swiftwick seven inch wool compression socks.

 They seem pretty technical, but in all reality they are, simply put, form-fitting, warm, compression socks that feel great while both riding and running. Where they set themselves apart from other brands is a part of the brand's moniker: SwiftWick. While thicker socks may be great for casual winter wear, it is the wicking action in these socks  that keeps you warm. We have talked about wicking before which is the process of moving moisture away from the skin through capillary action. During activity, a thicker sock can lead to high amounts of sweat which can be cooled by moving air, thus making your feet cold. Having a sock that is the perfect amount of warm is exactly what I want to wear during the cold Indiana commutes.

Swiftwick socks are made in the USA and are a perfect edition to any Winter wear arsenal.

Caps. (NOT hats) Can be a life saver on the bike. In the summer they help keep the sun out of your eyes and sweat off your face. In the winter, they have one goal: keep your brain bucket warm. A good cap will go a step further and keep your ears warm as well. It is here that I am torn between a brand that I have been using for about two years now, and a brand that, as you all know, has been very supportive over the last year. It is no secret that Walz Caps has been a huge part of my cycling experience this year. It was not until the winter hit that I suddenly realized, "I don't own any Walz Winter caps." Quick to rectify this matter, I got an email saying some were already on the way. I look forward to sharing with you my thoughts on the matter but for now, it will have to wait.

Stay tuned for part 2, where I pit cap against cap, in my review of Walz Winter caps.

In the mean time, get some rollers and get your socks on... it's still cold outside.

Cheers!

The Great Debate

In a debate that will go down in history as being almost as controversial as "Flat Pedals vs. Clipless Pedals," is the debate over "Helmet or No Helmet."

A debate which is perpetuated by high-profile arguments by people like Grant Petersen.

 An example:

-Adding to a statement made by Bicycling Magazine;

"That's your only brain up there. Strap this on to help keep it safe."

-To which Mr Petersen answers:

"Are you safer wearing a helmet and overestimating its protection, or going helmetless and riding more carefully?"

Um... Yes, wearing a helmet is safer. Having safety equipment on you head is safer than having none. Period. I am not "overestimating" shit. I ride in a straight line, down the right lane with lights, a bell, etc...in the same way. Every time. I don't ride any different with or without a helmet. 

Compared to going, the helmet's equivalent of "commando," using a helmet reduces the risk of Head, Neck, and Brain injury by 66 to 88%.

Or, in layman's terms, a whole fucking lot. 

Even on the low end of that statistic (66%) it still means you are OVER 50% more likely to survive a vehicle related crash (as far as head an neck injuries are concerned). The other part of the argument that "going helmetless...," you will somehow "ride more carefully," is total bullshit. First of all, we all have that one friend who screams "cars are coffins," yet rides off of sidewalks,into traffic, through cars, etc... with his helmetless pig tails blowing in the breeze. Seriously, ask any responsible cyclist who has been hit by a car, helmet or not, if they were being careful when that jerk in the SUV cut them off, boxed them out, or just "didn't see" them, and I am pretty sure the answer will be, "yeah, I was being careful. It was that ass hat in the shitbox that wasn't."

And they are probably right. Cars and the dick heads that pilot them are the problem here, not how dorky your helmet looks. So now that I am done with the slinging of verbal diarrhea against one of the most beloved frame builders of our time, I want to stop here and state for the record, that I am NOT beating up on Grant Petersen. He was simply making a point about getting on your fucking bike and riding it. You don't have to clip in, you don't have to wear lycra, and you don't have to wear a helmet. He is right on all accounts. Some of it is situational, some, personal preference. If I am going on a 40 miler, sure, lycra, helmet, clipless pedals... If I am riding to fill my panniers with beer at the corner store, maybe not. So again, it is not like he is WRONG, but making is seem like your being "more careful" is just as safe as wearing a helmet, is kind of completely ludicrous. Which is about as ludicrous as being seen in one of these:

KILL IT!! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!

Ah, yes, the Ribcap. Man's answer to "dorky looking" helmets. What a joke.

"Say for some reason you really don’t want to wear a helmet but would like to at least have something on your head. That may be the reasoning behind Ribcap’s newest offering which comes in the form of a cycling cap."

"For some reason you really don't want to wear a helmet..." why? Because the look "dorky" and motorists might make fun of you? I got news for ya dude, they are already making fun of you.

"...but you would like to at least have something on your head."

 What the fuck is that supposed to mean? "Something?" Like what? A cat?

The cat on the hat?

Cycling caps are already struggling to reclaim their rightful place atop our heads, and this is clearly an attempt to capitalize on (and at the same time, bastardize) their unique appeal to those who even remember what they are... and it's a shitty one at that.

"Ribcap started out with a number of winter hats that claim to offer an additional layer of protection thanks to viscoelastic protectors sewn into the layers of the hat."

 "fancy, trendy, Lenny"

Excuse me, I just threw up in my mouth a little. Looks like something a Hipster would wear, you know, except for the stupid chin straps...

"I ain't got time for chinstraps, brah"

"Much like the winter offerings, the new cycling cap doesn’t claim to offer the same protection as a helmet but does offer something over a standard cap or nothing at all."

Ok, you have my attention...

"If you’re the type to reach for a cycling cap instead of a helmet, the newest Ribcap may be of interest…"

...and you lost it.

That is about the least interested I have ever been about anything. Plus, I am pretty sure if I were to reach for anything other than one of my MANY caps, I would be more likely to rock that "Cat Hat" than one that basically looks like a baby's bonnet

Honestly, I would rather wear the one with the ears. 

"Each cap includes a removable, adjustable chin strap. When not in use the caps fold into a small triangular shape that can easily be stashed in a bag or pocket."

 Wait, so you're saying I can just remove the chin strap? Well shit! That would make it just another every-day cycling cap! You know... except for the dorky look. 

"Is the Ribcap the next big thing in cycling protection? Probably not,"

You don't say? 

"but if it gets people that otherwise wouldn’t wear a helmet at all to wear something, that seems like a win."

Let's go to the comment section shall we:

...etc, etc....

It's no secret that I have a particular love for cycling caps and the awesome people who know how to make them right. Do I wear a helmet every time I get on a bike? Sure I do, but I have a wife and three kids that depend on the millions that I make writing bicycle blogs. Do I expect you to? No. No I don't. AND, helmet or not, I always have on a cap for my OWN reasons.

At the end of the day, it is not so much the "do or do not" choice that people make for themselves, it's the perpetuation of the anti-helmet propaganda that really grinds my gears.

Companies like Ribcap, catering to some sort of "middle ground" like they have come up with a solution to a problem, is contributing to the problem itself. It certainly doesn't help the cause any when you have industry titans spewing propaganda claiming that going helmetless is in anyway safer than wearing one.

Helmet or not, please stay safe, and stay warm. We have a long winter ahead of us.

Milestones: My Cap's Off To You

You have come a long way with me and I want to say thank you. Because of you, the blog has reached 10,000 views in just under a year. You have shared, liked, and otherwise supported me via Facebook and Twitter. You have logged on from all parts of the world to read my thoughts on a number of things, some good, some bad. I have had readers and friends share their thoughts with me on whether or not I am "trying to be Bike Snob" and I can assure you I am not. It is true that after reading his blog for the past few years I have drawn some influence from his style but we each write from our own minds. For those who don't like the language, all I can say is at least it is a little more laid back than what pops up on Yourbikehatesyou, now that is some truly unfiltered commentary. So while it is true that I found inspiration in a mix of the two, I am not trying to emulate either one. Wild Cat has been very nice to me in our interactions with one another and has had the biggest impact on the amount of people who are reading this daily. By sharing my blog, he he helped increase my reader base by well over 2,000 new readers! So indeed a big thank you goes out to The Real Bike Snob.

I would also like to thank Walz Caps for their support. While not an official "sponsor," they have been kind enough to provide me with products for testing and review. My admiration for their products is not fluff, it is the real deal. They make great products and they stand behind them. They also gave a jerk like me a shot and for that, I am grateful. #capsnothats

In our time together, we have discussed industry "standards" and witnessed the evolution of technology. We have seen the most beautiful things and the not so beautiful. We have heard it all. Together.

So what will the future hold for this blog? Who knows? Probably more whining, more hate speech, and furthering my own agenda. Which is not to gain wealth and power, rather to simply get it off my mind. The aim of this Blog is, and will remain, simple: To entertain, to inform, and to poke fun at others' expense.

Thank you for sharing this with me. I only hope this gets better with time.

In closing, I would like to address those who have gleaned nothing from me and I want them to remember,

Love, Queso

On the Podium: With Walz Caps

The great BikeSnobNYC has once again teamed up with the great Walz Caps to bring you another great cap!

 (Did I mention they are Great?!)

The guys at Walz have been, well, great in providing me with caps that are well worth talking about. If you remember, I have been fortunate enough to have collected two other BSNYC caps. 

The latest one pictured above is of the wicking variety, and is in a class all it's own.

You see, I am a heavy sweater (a person who sweats a lot, not a dense garment used to stay warm)

and as I had explained in the previous blog, I find it hard to wear caps while riding in the warmer months without wanting to rip it from my head mid-ride. The first time I tried a Walz cap I was mostly impressed by the wicking fabric that they use in the head band area. Keeping the sweat off of my face soon became easier with their caps than with others I have tried.

This particular cap, is all wicking material. It is the lightest, most airy cap I have ever worn.

Possibly more important than that, It commemorates one of the greatest moments in cycling history*

 ...the moment the first Fred captured on tape, breaking the speed barrier at which it makes a Fred go, "Woo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoo!" 
This moment will forever be know as 

"Fred Woo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoo! Speed"

 Coined by our Bloggular Hero BikeSnobNYC 

*the most dork-tastic documentation of anything cycling related.

Though I have no room to speak considering I am the founder of the Strava Club:

Future Freds of America

But I digress...

It is no secret that I had recently won my first EVER* mountain bike bicycle cycling off road MTB event, and did so in the aforementioned cap.

*Not my first rodeo ;)

In an effort to bring cycling caps back to the podium,

(check out "Caps Not Hats") 

I was sure to keep this one on for the pictures. Sure it was emblazoned with the the "46 flamed logo" to commemorate that historical day, and yeah, it made me look super cool, but most important was indeed its function. It really did come in handy, as I usually continually douse my head with water during a race. The wicking material alone was good enough at moving moisture away from the skin through capillary action, but by soaking it in water it was like attaching an air conditioner to my helmet. Granted, I never reached the terminal velocity that is Fred Woo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoo speed, but I kept my cool (pun intended) even after crashing hard, and grabbed myself a spot atop the podium.

I could not recommend a better cycling cap.

Thanks to the folks at Walz Caps for coming along for the ride,
 and thanks for reading.

No good deed goes unpunished

Karma is a bitch for sure. Let me take you through my day thus far...

Driving my daughter to school, a bunny runs out in front of my car. I quickly bring traffic behind me to a stand still to allow for the bunny's safe passage. No doubt I pissed off a few motorists, but hell, 

I don't want to kill a bunny, do you? I certainly don't want my kid to see that. Now the bunny is frolicking with his bunny friends, and likely humping like, well...a bunny.

 

Good deed for the day? I thought so, until we get to the school. It seems that all the kids are wearing silly hats, as my daughter informs me 

"oh, no! I forgot, it's silly hat day." 

"Dad, do you have a "bike hat" in the car?"

 Any other day, and yes I would have had one on my head, 

today I did not, and then the tears...

 "can you go get me one from home? Please?" 

So what did I do? I of course drive home, grab a cycling cap and take it to school. Now she is frolicking with her hatted pals, and the tears are all dried up. I am starting to feel pretty good about myself about now. 

That of course is where I made my mistake...

See, I am normally sort of a Pessimist (as if you couldn't tell by now). I generally like to expect the worst case in the event that it works out better than I had thought. That way it becomes a bright spot on an otherwise dreary life experience. Being an Optimist just sets you up for disappointment. If you expect the best, and life shits on you instead, you can be left feeling pretty, well... shitty. It's no day at the park for sure. With that in mind, I like to think of myself as more of a Realist. Like me, the Realist tends to call it as they see it.

   (I'm the guy on the right ;)

So back to the story: I am the kind of guy that will hold a door open for multiple people even if it means they will be ahead of me in line. What do I care if I get my coffee 2 minutes after they do? This morning however, still feeling great about my good deed doing for the day, I forget myself and my surroundings (Big Box Coffee Shop on every corner in America). What do I get in return for holding the door for 4 people who all looked me in the face as they passed? Not so much as one thank you. I mean, I guess I shouldn't have expected it, as these are the same entitled pricks who sit in an SUV convoy that stretches around the building with engines running and looking down at their "smart" phones, while they bitch at the Barista  for taking so long. 

 I hope you choke on your Latte asshole.

"What does today's blog have to do with bicycles?" you ask...

Well, at least the story had a cycling cap in it. 

My favorite things: Made in the USA

The last time I spoke on the subject of my favorite things, I showed you a couple of brands that you can get either factory direct, or from a dealer, but both were made in China. To me, there is no shame in purposefully buying things from China or Taiwan because let's face it: most of the stuff in this industry comes from there. I compared each product I was speaking of to that of an American manufacturer.

The only reason for the comparison was the fact that most American made cycling products are simply the benchmark by which all other quality products should be measured. The argument I made for the other products was simply based on value for the dollar. It is understandable that most American made products are more costly than their foreign counterparts. I thought it only fair to share with you, one of my favorite products that is both made in the USA, and affordable.

It is no secret that I am a big fan of BikeSnobNYC, aka "Wildcat Rock Machine." He is a hell of a lot funnier than I, and as a result, more widely read than myself. Not only is he a blogger, but a published author, father of seventeen (17), and has collaborated with Walz Caps, to bring us some bike snob themed cycling caps. When I saw them, I decided that I had to have them.

I paid little attention to who made them because I was more concerned about the subject matter. Little did I know that the quality of the products from the California based manufacturer would far surpass the quality of caps I already own. I mean, I never gave any thought to who makes the caps that I wear. "A cap is just a cap, right?" Wrong. I currently own about 12 caps, all of which represent brands that I own (or had owned), brands that I trust, caps from shops I have visited, and caps that were sitting there on the shelf on days that I needed a cap (right place, right time). If I had one complaint about cycling caps it was that they only helped me in the winter. Keeping heat in, and with an ear band, kept wind out. In the warmer months however, I needed a way to keep sweat off my face and rain off my glasses when the clouds would roll in. I would find myself overheating quickly if I were to wear a cap in the same way as in the winter. That said, I feel I just might have found the perfect all-weather cap.

I got three (3) Walz Caps, 
and they all have distinct qualities that set them apart from the rest.

The first of those was the cotton, black and white, 4 panel BSNYC cap.

A very well fitting, and light weight cap. You would think that a negligible weight difference would not matter much, but a heavier fabric just cannot allow for moisture exchange. If it can't breath then it just stores heat and moisture. I like the addition of what seems to be an actual sweat band inside the base of the cap.

Rather than soaking up the sweat and showing it, it seems to have the wicking properties of any good base layer. Wicking as defined by Wiki:

 "The purpose of the inner layer is to draw the sweat away from the skin to the next layers, which makes the wearer feel warmer and more comfortable. The transfer of moisture happens due to capillary action. This is sometimes called wicking, and thus the used materials are called wicking materials. When moisture has moved from the skin into (nonabsorbent) clothing, it has more surface area and will evaporate faster."

If this was not the intention of the materials that Walz used, then it was one damn fine, happy accident (though I have not confirmed this with them, I am sure they knew what they were doing). After some hill repeats this week, I was sweat free in the head band area and could not be happier. Finally, a cap that I don't want to rip from my head mid-ride. 

The next cap is their wool offering. Complete with a "murdered out" color scheme.

Also emblazoned with the BSNYC theme with a bill that fits much more like a ball cap than a cycling cap.

Unlike most other wool cycling garments I have experienced, 

the fabric is very thin to the touch. It is extremely form-fitting so 

It fits very nicely inside a helmet without feeling bulky 

and is still just a warm as any other wool product.

This is a really well done cap. 

The price point is about $10 more than the cotton cap but hey, 

wool is not cheap. 

The third cap is a bit more unique. Having nothing to do with Bike Snob, but everything to do with cycling.

In an effort to put caps back where they belong in their traditional place on the podium and cycling culture as a whole, this special-edition cap was inspired by Bill Strickland, designed by Superissimo, and produced by Walz. Upon receiving mine, I took the obligatory "selfie."

Beyond being another well-made cap, 

it's the message that is important with this one.

"Caps Not Hats"  Is not merely a Hash Tag or a catchy marketing slogan, instead, it is an attempt to preserve an important article from cycling's past. Replaced by a common ball cap, the cycling cap atop a champion's head showed his allegiance to his sponsors and team. See, back in the day, cyclists were not required to wear helmets and wore a chapeau which was not only functional as a sweat mop, but showed who they rode for and made them identifiable to the fans. Teams wore them as a sort of uniform. Now, with helmets required, caps seem to take a back seat because teams can paint their helmets with the team colors and name, making the job of the cycling cap, sort of obsolete. On the podium however, it is not the beloved cycling cap that they reach for, instead, the trendy trucker cap. 

Probably because some genius marketing strategist decided that 

"it's what the cool kids are wearing these days." 

Who gives a shit about the "cool" kids though? If it means selling out your traditions in order to reach out to a new demographic, then perhaps you are marketing to the wrong crowd. That's all I am saying. You don't have to be on the podium to wear a cap. No, you just have to know what it means to wear it. If you bike, it is your right. Even all the silly hipsters that use cycling caps to show which coffee they drink have continued the tradition of cycling in a cycling cap. Even if it was because it was pink and said "Campagnolo," it still honors, in its own way, cycling's past. What does that mean for the cycling cap's future? We will not know unless we put the cap back where it belongs. A cap for every head that has an ass on a bike. A bike for every ass and so on... 

So be sure to visit the great folks at www.walzcaps.com, where you can find all sorts of awesome caps including caps for a cause, which benefit many great organizations.

Be sure to pick up one or five from them, or your local bike shop.
Then, get on your damn bike.