Unior Bike Tools Knit Cap

A workshop in November can be ten or fifteen degrees colder than the parking lot. A shop space tends to retain the temperature it had overnight unless someone's run the heater since 6am, and most mechanics start the day with a frame on the stand before they get around to the thermostat. The hat is what closes the gap.

Wool is the obvious cold-weather knit material; wool is also the material that itches at the hairline, and over a long working day a low-grade scalp itch becomes a real distraction. We made these in heavyweight acrylic instead. Acrylic gives up a small amount of insulating performance compared to a full-merino, and gives back all of the comfort. For a knit cap that's going to be on a mechanic's head for six or seven hours straight, the acrylic trade is the right one.

The knit construction is heavyweight; denser than a fashion beanie, with the kind of stitch density that retains shape after repeated wear and machine wash. Made in the USA. The shape is a classic cuffed beanie that folds up to sit on the crown without becoming a tall pointed thing.

Specs

• Material: heavyweight acrylic yarn (chosen over wool for no-itch wearability)
• Construction: heavyweight knit, classic cuffed beanie shape
• Sizing: one size fits most
• Country of origin: Made in the USA

Built by a tool company

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče, Slovenia, since 1919, and is the official technical partner of multiple World Tour and downhill teams. Under the Made For Work mark, Unior USA carries that same workshop sensibility into the apparel side. A cold-shop knit hat is one of those simple pieces of gear that gets ignored in catalogs and gets worn in by the second wash. The acrylic-over-wool decision is the one a mechanic who's actually worn a knit hat for six hours straight would make.

Pro tip from our mechanics

If your shop or garage doesn't run heat in winter, the knit cap is the layer that solves the morning-cold problem. Pair it with the pullover hoodie or the zip-up, both built on the same combed-cotton blend, and the shop becomes a working temperature by 9am whether the heater's on yet or not. For warmer-season headwear (flat brim, strap-back), the rest of the line is in: What we wear in the workshop →