These caps have been a life saver for us (thank you Walz), taking us through rain, snow and hail without fail. Pure wool and designed to be worn under a helmet they are a synthesis of style and practicality, earning a number of positive remarks from fellow cyclists on the road.

A gift from Walz caps in San Diego (www.walzcaps.com) they couldn’t have come to us at a better time or place. We picked them up in Portland, the home of cycling with flair (and attitude), in the middle of a freak, early winter cold streak. As we continued north, temperatures rarely rose above freezing and the caps rarely left our heads (day and night).

Despite the broad range of choices via their website, we both naturally gravitated towards the winter selection. Nico choose a smart herringbone pattern and Mykal a black limited edition Merino wool design. Both caps came in an attractive four panel design equiped with a soft manipulable brim and an ear cover which can be folded up in warmer weather. 100% wool, they allow sufficient breatheable warmth yet thin enough to squeeze under your standard helmet. The only practical downfall I could say is one came with a slight kink in the brim meaning the brim doesn’t quite sit straight (but when you’re luzuriating in your warm comfy head while cycling through the freezing cold, that’s one of the last things you care about.)

In terms of style the walz designers have done an outstanding job, capturing that ‘old school’ style so popular in the hip cycling world today. You can almost picture yourself toddling down a narrow cobblestone alleyway on an old Italian three-speed with a worn leather satchel slung over your back. However for those that are shopping specfically for style, I would recommend shying away from the ear flaps, as the elastic that holds them over the ears, although indubitably practical in stopping them from flapping in the wind looks a little bit like a shower cap. This is most noticeable in the herringbone design where the flaps are a different colour and pattern from the cap.

When it comes down to it we would highly recommend these caps to any cyclist; commuters, hipsters and long distance. We can truthfully say that they have become part of our essential gear and that we will hang on to them even after we hit warm weather and start to purge our winter stuff.