Craft Monument Bike Cap

Craft's Monument Bike Cap Giro Di Lombardia is a simplistic piece of kit that works wonders at keeping the elements off your face and out of your eyes. It's very well made too and comfortable, but then again it needs to be as it's at the upper end of the price bracket.

• Pros: Excellent fit, firm peak
• Cons: Priced at the top end of what I'd pay for a cap

The Monument range is Craft's way of celebrating the various classic races of the professional calendar, the likes of Milan-San Remo, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Giro Di Lombardia that we have here, amongst others. (I tested the matching jersey, too.)

Simple as a road cap is, it can be easy to get it wrong but the Craft scores well right across the board. Its 100% polyester construction is soft to wear and is relatively breathable until the effort and temperature really ramp up.

When that happens, usually while ascending a long steep climb in the mid-20s, any excess sweat from your brow is transferred to the peak to drip off rather than run down into your eyes.

It's the same with the rain. And when everything calms down, it doesn't take long to dry.

The peak is a firm one with a classic round shape which doesn't restrict your vision anywhere, and if you want to you can flip it up to expose the GDL (Giro Di Lombardia) logo on the bottom.

The fit is really good for a one-size-only garment. The polyester itself doesn't have much in the way of flex but at the rear is an elasticated section around the base. It's taut enough to hold the cap in place at speed without ever feeling too tight.

The seams are quite pronounced inside but are quite soft so aren't noticeable when you are wearing the cap. And where they all meet in the centre doesn't leave a hard lump that can be irritating when you've got a helmet pressing down on it.

Colour-wise it's pretty discreet in a dark burgundy to match the other pieces of apparel in the range. The orange base of the peak and the panel on the front lifts it a little. Foglie morte, in case you didn't know, is the nickname of the GDL – Classica delle foglie morte, or the Classic of the falling leaves.

Price-wise, like I mentioned, at £20 it's at the upper end of what I'd be prepared to pay for a cap when you can already by some good 'uns for a lot less.

> Read more road.cc reviews of cycling headwear here

The high-scoring Primal Neon Crush Cap is yours for £15, for instance, or the FWE Fred Unisex Cap for £11.99.

Others, like the Café du Cycliste Cap Sardine at £25, are pricier, though, so the Craft isn't over the top.

Verdict

A simple design with all the attributes to make for a top performing cap