Velobici PBP Seamless Cap

The PBP Seamless Cap is part of Velobici's PBP collection. It's a skull-tight beanie made from a Merino-mix material: 42% Merino, 51% polyester Thermo-cool, 4% Nylon and 3% elastane. PBP refers to the Paris-Brest-Paris, of course, and the collection comprises "essential items for the long distance traveller, marrying durability with comfort, practicality and European chic." Though a PBP reference may be over-egging the pudding, there's no doubting that this is a very useful little hat.

Velobici is a knitwear specialist based in Leicester, that has recently turned its attention to cycling apparel. According to my well-informed colleague, it has got specialist machinery that can knit complex shapes and patterns without the need for seams - so you can use CAD in the same way with knitwear as you would with metal or any other material.

Anyway, back to the hat; first off, it's designed to sit comfortably over the ears. Unless you have a large 'fro it should remain firmly in place, keeping your ears cosy all ride long - something that too many winter hats do not achieve. The elastic is just tight enough to keep it on, and it's very comfortable. Secondly, the material is very thin and soft, so it's a treat to wear under a helmet. It has a small embroidered Velobici logo, but aside from that, it's dead simple, with no seams (other than where the material gathers at the crown). It's one of the least intrusive hats I've ever worn - you can almost forget you're wearing it - and doesn't muffle your hearing too much either. Finally, it's warm, but not too warm. Although it's thin, it kept my bonce warm even on an all day ride in sub-5C temperatures, and it's not so thick that you'll overheat, even in warmer weather.

Price-wise, you could definitely buy cheaper, but for a UK-designed and sewn hat that performs so well, I reckon it's totally justifiable price.

Verdict

Very simple, very useful bit of headwear from Leicester's Velobici.