One of the best ways to stay warm on cold winter rides is with a hat or headband. Having long hair, I find it’s often difficult to fit a hat on under a helmet, but Sportful’s Women’s Headband provides the ideal solution to warm the ears while leaving airflow through the helmet and keeping hair out of your face.

It’s a bright and colourful headband to look at, and putting it on, it is also soft and comfortable. It keeps both hair and sweat off the face when riding. The thin, fleecy fabric doesn’t impede hearing and has kept its softness through several washes. It has effectively kept my ears and forehead warm on cold winter rides.

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The feature setting this apart from the majority of headbands on offer is what Sportful calls a ‘Ponytail port’. This is a relatively simple slit in the rear of the headband which a ponytail can be threaded through. All helmets have slightly different adjustment systems, but when wearing my own helmet, the material over the hair was perfectly positioned to prevent it from tangling in the adjustment dial. Having also tried several other helmets on with the headband, it was well positioned to keep my hair out the way of each of those too.

Sportful W Headband – back.jpg
Sportful W Headband – back (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

The headband comes in a single size and stretches over the ears without being uncomfortably tight. It’s also lacking in bulky seams, with the neat, raw-cut edges meaning it is light and slim, fitting easily underneath a helmet.

> Winter cycle clothing on a budget

The only issue I found was the difficulty of sitting your glasses over the band, but a well-fitting helmet solves this. Otherwise, it does everything you would expect from a headband and more.

Verdict

Does everything you would expect and more

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Sportful Women’s Headband

Size tested: Uni

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?

Sportful says that with its luxuriously soft fleece inside and raw-cut edges to easily fit under your helmet, this headband will keep your ears covered and forehead toasty on colder days.

I found it to be warm, breathable and very comfortable, doing everything the manufacturer says it will.

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

ThermoDrytex Plus fabric

Raw-cut edge to easily fit under helmet

Ponytail port

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Raw-cut edges are very neat and slim.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Warm and breathable as expected, plus the ponytail loop stops hair getting caught up in my helmet’s dial adjuster.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10

One size, fairly stretchy and not too tight.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
7/10
Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10

Very thin and light, yet still warm.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10

Really comfortable to wear and stops hair getting tangled up in my helmet.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Didn’t stretch when washed and the fleecy lining kept its softness.

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

The fleece lining is soft and comfortable and adds an extra bit of warmth for the ears on chilly winter days.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Love the extra feature of the ‘Ponytail port’ as I am constantly getting my hair caught in the dial adjuster of my helmet, and this was a perfect solution to the problem while also being cosy and warm.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

No particular dislikes.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

It’s soft, warm and comfortable with a bright colour scheme and a couple of great extra features.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 19  Height: 164cm  Weight: 56kg

I usually ride: Boardman Team Carbon  My best bike is:

I’ve been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, commuting, club rides, track