Gore Equipe Windstopper cap review
A good cap is essential for cold-weather rides. We’ve tested Gore’s Equipe Windstopper model
The Gore Equipe Windstopper cap is a nice accessory to have available through the cooler months. It’s comfortable, with good coverage and extendable side flaps for extra coverage. Being made of Windstopper fabric, it adds warmth and water resistance without bulk and it fits easily under a helmet.
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Extra warmth on colder rides
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Windproof fabric
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Well enough ventilated to be comfortable
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Fold-down ear coverage
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Peak can become uncomfortable
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Need to remove helmet to fold up the rear wind flap
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A bit tight on larger heads
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You can trust Cycling Weekly.
The Gore Equipe Windstopper cap is a very useful accessory as the temperature drops. Being made of Windstopper fabric, it’s windproof and water repellent, so it is good for colder, damp days.
It’s stretchy enough that one size should fit the majority of heads, although I did find it a bit tight on my size-large head. There’s a band of elastic fabric going around three quarters of the rim to hold the Gore Equipe Windstopper cap in place and to help mop up sweat.
>>> Eight types of cyclist you see on every winter ride
The Gore Equipe Windstopper cap is thin enough that it fits easily under a helmet and coverage is good. It’s also breathable, so you can wear it on cooler rides without getting too hot or sweaty.
Below the elasticated edges of the Gore Equipe Windstopper cap, there is a flap of non-Windstopper fabric which can be pulled down to add even more coverage of the ears and the back of the neck. It’s sufficiently deep to easily cover the ears and leave only a small gap at the back of the neck above the collar on the majority of winter jackets.
>>> Winter cycling survival guide
This adds a lot more comfort on the coldest winter rides without impeding hearing traffic noise or getting in the way of helmet straps. If it gets warmer on your ride it’s very easy to fold the flap upwards above the ears for more ventilation, although the helmet’s cradle gets in the way if you try to fold up the rear too.
The peak of the Gore Equipe Windstopper cap is quite stiff and can be flipped up or down. Its rigidity means that it can cope with the breeze when cycling. I found it a bit hard against my forehead though, particularly when in the cyclist’s favourite flipped up position.
>>> The best winter cycling gloves
Gore includes a reflective logo on the upper side of the Gore Equipe Windstopper cap’s brim for a bit of extra low-light visibility. There’s a non-reflective logo on the underside of the brim and another reflective logo on the right side of the cap as well.
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Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.
He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.
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