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Headwear
Rothera Cycling All Weather Cycling CapRothera Cycling All weather cycling cap

Rothera Cycling All Weather Cycling Cap

7
by VecchioJo
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Oct 22, 2012

5
£20.00

VERDICT:

7
10
A practical technical twist to the cycling cap - windproof and water repellent and will fit any head
Weight: 
36g
Contact: 
www.rotheracycling.com
How we test

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Rothera are based in Philadelphia in that U.S.A and they make nothing but cycling caps. Your standard three panel cap, all-weather caps and Winter caps with lots of designs to chose from. Lots of designs. Each cap is hand made and all of the materials, from fabrics to brims, thread, and sewing machines are bought locally and from other small businesses. Local to Philly that is.

Their All Weather Cycling Cap is made of a supplex material that has the durability of nylon but looks and feels like cotton. It's got a high thread count to keep it windproof and it's coated with DWR (durable water repellant) to make it waterproof too.

Saying it feels like cotton is a bit of a stretch; it's man-made material shiny but it's certainly not a rough fabric and it is comfortable on the head. This model is reversible so has a twin layer of fabric, albeit two thin layers, so it's a little thicker than a standard cycling cap and some might find it tricky to fit underneath their helmet. It's not as close fitting as your traditional cycling cap either which might lead to bunching and rubs as well.

The small/medium is Rothera's standard 'one size fits most' size, while the large is very much so and best left for people with heads over 24 inches round. The strongly elasticated section at the back keeps the cap securely on and while the peak is just as deep as your average cycling cap it wraps around a lot further offering a noticeable amount of extra protection from the sun, or most likely, rain.

Being made of nylon, with a high thread-count and then waterproofed, it's not what you could call a breezy summer cap, there to absorb sweat and keep the sun out your eyes, but then it's meant to be a warmer cap for chillier days and designed to keep the rain out.

And it does that very well. The twin layer of nylon fabric keeps a cool wind off the forehead and the waterproofing means rain beads up and rolls off quickly - and keeps doing so even after a season of misuse.

The Rothera All Weather is a hardwearing little cap that's been abused: forgotten about in the bottom of a bag, pulled out to use in sudden showers and put back again damp, turned inside-out instead of washed, and it still looks fresh.

Verdict

A practical technical twist to the cycling cap - windproof and water repellent and will fit any head.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Rothera Cycling All weather cycling cap

Size tested: Small/Medium, Black & Pink

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?

Rothera hats started as an alternative to the cheap cotton cycling caps that all look and fit the same way, and fall apart. A cap with both form, function and made for the elements, this all weather cycling cap utilizes a supplex fabric that has the durability of nylon, but the look and feel of cotton. The DWR (durable water repellent) coating allows water to roll right off the cap, while a high thread count makes it windproof yet lightweight and breathable.

That just about covers it, literally. It's a bit too shiny to mistake for cotton but it's still comfortable, and it's a more windproof and considerably more waterproof than your usual cycling cap.

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

Water repellent finish, windproof, fast drying, moisture wicking and breathable, odor repellent, wrinkle free, machine washable cold, tumble dry low, fully reversible, handmade in Philadelphia.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
5/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

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

As a windproof and water-resistant cycling cap it was great, and I didn't even realize I needed a waterproof cycling cap.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The weatherproofness and the vast choice of colours and patterns.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? I didn't think I needed a waterproof cycling cap, until this summer, so yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 180cm  Weight: 73kg

I usually ride: It varies as to the season.  My best bike is: The one I'm on at the time

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, cyclo cross, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Fun

 

Rothera Cycling All Weather Cycling Cap
Cycling cap
waterproof
VecchioJo

Jo Burt has spent the majority of his life riding bikes, drawing bikes and writing about bikes. When he's not scribbling pictures for the whole gamut of cycling media he writes words about them for road.cc and when he's not doing either of those he's pedaling. Then in whatever spare minutes there are in between he's agonizing over getting his socks, cycling cap and bar-tape to coordinate just so. And is quietly disappointed that yours don't He rides and races road bikes a bit, cyclo-cross bikes a lot and mountainbikes a fair bit too. Would rather be up a mountain.

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