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review
Headwear
Cube Helmet Cap Aeroproof BlacklineCube Helmet Cap Aeroproof Blackline

Cube Helmet Cap Aeroproof Blackline

8
by George Hill
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published May 15, 2015

2
£29.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Does the job well, comfortable, simple and windproof; possibly too expensive, but it works
Weight: 
27g
Contact: 
www.cube.eu
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The Cube Helmet Cap Aeroproof Blackline is designed to keep your head and ears warm while riding in colder conditions. It is windproof and sits well underneath the helmet; essentially it does everything it needs to do on a winter ride.

Resembling a scrum cap, the Cube Helmet Cap Aeroproof Blackline is a beanie that sits underneath your helmet, made from 45% polyamid, 42% polyester, and 13% elastan. It is not a cap that you are ever likely to wear without a helmet as it would look slightly strange in isolation.

Find Cube Helmet Cap Aero Blackline online here
Find a Cube dealer here

The material used is flexible and sits well on your head, tight enough that it feels secure, but flexible enough that it does not exert any kind of unpleasant pressure on your forehead or ears. The only thing to watch out for is the stitching at the base when putting it on initially, there were a couple of cracks from the seams when I was stretching it over my head.

The material has been well thought out, being both practical in terms of heat retention and thin enough to not need to adjust your helmet. It is impressively wind resistant, although it's worth noting that the coldest temperature I could test at was around 5 degrees, but I'm confident it could go significantly lower.

The cap effectively covers your ears without putting pressure on them (something that I have found with other helmet caps in the past), while allowing for a decent level of breathability due to the vented panel covering the forehead.

One of the worries that I had with this was the amount of stitching throughout. It has six lines of flat lock, double stitching across the top of the cap that I thought may cause some irritation, but the truth is that I barely noticed them at all.

At £30 the Cube Helmet Cap is expensive. It works well for wind resistance and the thin materials allow it to sit perfectly underneath the helmet. In essence, it is a simple but important piece of cycling gear for winter training. It has been well designed and made, the only problem I could find is the potential weak stitching around the base of the cap, but this is fairly minor.

Is it worth £30? Perhaps, but others can be found at half the price for what is a simple piece of kit. If people are happy to pay £30 for this cap, they would not be disappointed with its wind resistance and warmth, but others are available considerably cheaper that perform to a similar standard.

Verdict

Does the job well, comfortable, simple and windproof; possibly too expensive, but it works.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Cube Helmet Cap Aeroproof Blackline

Size tested: Black

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?

'With the wind repellent helmet cap you're perfectly equipped for training sessions on cold days. The ergonomic shape fits perfectly under a helmet while keeping ears warm and providing sufficient neck movement.'

This is everything that Cube have written about it, but sums it up pretty well. It is is more about function than form and it does everything it needs to well.

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

Windproof material

Vented front panel

Ergonimically designed for ease of neck movement

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Very strong stitching throughout the majority of the cap. Possible question marks about the stitching around the base, but aside from this, very well made.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Can't fault it. I was limited to a minimum of 5˚C, but could see this cap still being comfortable at much lower temperatures.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Strong stitching and well chosen materials mean that it would last well. Possible question mark over stitching at the base, but even if this broke completely, it probably would not have an impact on how the cap performs.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10

Very comfortable, breathable when necessary combined with no undue pressure and easily fits underneath a helmet with nothing pressing into your head.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Can get similar products cheaper, are they are as good? Probably not.

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

Very well, comfortable, easy to wear under a helmet, keeps out the wind, keeps in the warmth without getting too hot.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The fact that you can forget it's there. You barely register it underneath your helmet, but its performance means that compared to other caps, you can tell the difference.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Simple product that works, not alot to dislike, but possible question marks over the stitching at the base of the cap.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

Simple product that works well. Possibly too expensive for some, but it does exactly what needs to do.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 27  Height: 6 ft  Weight:

I usually ride: Cannondale Supersix Evo 6  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed,

 

Cube Helmet Cap Aeroproof Blackline
Cube 2015
Cube
George Hill

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

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2 comments

Avatar
Leviathan | 8 years ago
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So the acting didn't work out for Haley Joel Osment. Now available for modelling.

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crikey | 8 years ago
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I call that look 'Mmmm, chippy tea...'

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