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review
2022 Endura Women's Virtual Trail Cap LTD 3.jpg£19.99
VERDICT:
Beautifully shaped and made from comfortable, stretchy, breathable fabric – a great cycling cap
Lightweight
Stretchy
Breathable
Nicely shaped
None really, but better suited to the drier seasons
Weight:
26g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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Made from a light, stretchy and breathable fabric, the Endura Women's Virtual Trail Cap LTD offers all-day comfort and protection in a pocket-friendly package with a nice design.
This particular cap is designed to coordinate with Endura's Virtual Texture Short Sleeve Jersey (we tested the men's version recently) but is essentially the same as the others of the same price in Endura's men's and women's ranges, just with a different pattern and colours aimed loosely at different genders.
> Buy now: Endura Women’s Virtual Trail Cap LTD for £18.99 from Tredz
It's made from three panels of a lightweight and stretchy 100% polyester fabric, with a flexible stiffened peak and elasticated rear section, and sizing is one size fits all (or most).
I actually found the fit quite exceptional. The shape of the main part contours the skull beautifully, dipping just below the occipital protuberance to cup it very comfortably, resulting in it sitting nicely out of the way of helmet gubbins. It's the best shaped cap I've ever worn, in terms of there being no superfluous fabric or creasing under the helmet and so on.
The peak is a good size to protect the face from sun glare, but not too large, and the band sits comfortably across the forehead without any squeezing.
The fabric is sufficiently lightweight and low bulk that the cap fits under a helmet very easily, but it also rolls up and pops into a rear jersey pocket if you just want it for café stops and the like.
It's very breathable, too, meaning it's ideal for keeping the sun off your noggin without making it overheat. I found it very comfortable under a helmet even in hot weather, and it was nice to not worry about sweat build-up running into my eyes or bugs in my hair.
Although the lightweight fabric is fundamentally orientated towards warm, dry weather, it did repel the odd shower too, although the fabric has no inherent water repellency. It dries quickly too.
At £19.99, it's not the cheapest of its ilk, but you do get a good looking, well-shaped cap that's very light and breathable.
It is £5-£10 more than the Lusso Pain Cave Summer Cap, though – currently on sale for £9.99 (down from £14.99 when we tested it) – which offers similar levels of performance at a similar weight but the style is very different.
> Read more road.cc reviews of cycling headwear here
Primal's caps (I tested the Change 1850-2019 last year) are a bit (10g) heavier, and a bit thicker, but again also cheaper than the Endura at £15 instead of £19.99.
For me, the shape of the Endura and the lightweight stretch fabric would be worth the extra money.
Overall, it's a great looking and really comfortable cap that performs really well in warm weather and should remain useful all year round. Well worth the money.
Verdict
Beautifully shaped and made from comfortable, stretchy, breathable fabric – a great cycling cap
road.cc test report
Make and model: Endura Women's Virtual Trail Cap LTD
Size tested: One size
Tell us what the product is for
Endura says: "Classic cycling cap in limited edition design
Design Philosophy
Sharing the same design as the Women's Virtual Texture S/S Jersey, this cap can either be worn to complete the outfit or to add some pop to a more subtle look.
Head-to-toe outfitting
Fresh, bold designs for Spring/Summer with matching designs in jerseys and caps that pair with FS260-Pro Bibshorts and FS260-Pro Aerogel Mitts for head-to-toe outfitting.
Fashion and Function
Ah! The trusty cycling cap, often misunderstood or even forgotten. This fashionably functional accessory comes into it's own when the sun drops in the sky or the rain begins to lash down, protecting your eyes and keeping you riding.
Panel Engineering
Simple on the surface, the 3-panel design ensures a snug fit under your helmet and the flexible skip (or peak) allows it to be worn up or down. Choose your own luft level."
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
100% polyester stretch fabric
3 panel design
Rear elastic
One size
Machine washable at 30
Rate the product for quality of construction:
7/10
Nice quality fabric and very well shaped, but some of the stitching isn't the neatest.
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
Performed very well indeed.
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
Light and stretchy but good quality.
Rate the product for fit:
10/10
One of the nicest shaped cycling caps I've ever worn.
Rate the product for sizing:
7/10
One size fits all. If you have a particularly large head this may not suit, but ideal for small to moderately generous bonces.
Rate the product for weight:
9/10
There's nothing to it.
Rate the product for comfort:
9/10
A superbly comfortable shape and nice stretchy, breathable fabric.
Rate the product for value:
5/10
More expensive than some, but justified by the quality and comfort.
How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?
Washed very well and dried quickly.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
An extremely comfortable cap that gives good protection with no weight penalty.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The style and the shape are brilliant, and the comfort offered by the lightweight stretchy breathable fabric.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Nothing really.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
It's a little more than some, but worth it to my mind. The Lusso Pain Cave Summer Cap is currently on sale for £9.99 (down from £14.99 when we tested it) and offers similar levels of performance at a similar weight but the style is very different, while Primal's caps (we tested the Primal Change 1850-2019) are a bit (10g) heavier, and a bit thicker but also cheaper than the Endura at £15 instead of £19.99.
Did you enjoy using the product? Very much.
Would you consider buying the product? Definitely, or one of the other designs of the same cap.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
It's a very competent and stylish lightweight summer cap with a quite exceptional shape and fit. It costs a little more than some, but worth it to my mind.
About the tester
Age: 48
I usually ride: Liv Invite My best bike is: Specialized Ruby Elite
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: commuting, touring, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,
Lara has been riding bikes for longer than she'd care to admit, and writing about them nearly as long. Since 2009 she has been working as part of the road.cc review team whilst championing women's cycling on the side, most notably via two years as editor of the, sadly now defunct, UK's first and only women's cycling mag, erm, Women's Cycling.
Believing fervently that cycling will save the world, she wishes that more people would just ride a bike and be pleasant to each other.
She will ride anything with two wheels, occasionally likes to go fast, definitely likes to go far and is always up for a bit of exploring somewhere new and exciting.
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4 comments
So, to be clear, the only reason this is a gender specific cap is because it matches the colours on a gender specific jersey?
What the heck does virtual mean in this context?
And equally bafflingly, what does the LTD denote? You're not liable for any losses it incurs beyond what you originally spent on it?
It seems Endura anticipated everyone's bafflement. From their blurb: "Ah! The trusty cycling cap, often misunderstood"