POC helmets have always stood out from the peloton thanks to their distinctive design. Just like a Volvo 240 in a sea of Seventies Fords, the Swedish helmet brand deploys a bold, futuristic, Scandinavian aesthetic that’s instantly recognisable – and that goes too for its latest road helmet, the Cytal, which was released earlier this year.
The comparison with Volvo doesn’t stop there. Just as the automotive brand has traditionally placed a high value on safety, the new POC Cytal is Virginia Tech’s top-rated road helmet in the US university’s testing system that is designed to represent real-world impact scenarios. POC and Volvo have actually collaborated to research helmet-to-car impacts, producing studies that form part of POC’s ‘The Cube’ internal database which it says contains nearly a million real-world data points and which it uses in the design of all its helmets.
The Cytal is already familiar as the vented helmet used by the EF Pro Cycling teams when they’re not using the aero Procen Air – but that’s the Cytal Carbon, which is around 20 grams lighter mostly thanks to the use of carbon-fibre in its construction. However, the Cytal Carbon doesn’t have a rotational impact protection system whereas the new Cytal has inbuilt Mips Air Node. The other big difference is in the price: at the time of writing the Cytal Carbon has a retail price of £370 while the Cytal has a SRP of £290.
The Cytal’s ventilation and aerodynamics work in exactly the same way as that of its pro-level counterpart. There’s a top sheet or integrated wing which, combined with the wide frontal vents, creates the Venturi effect, the principle in fluid dynamics when fluid – or air – speeds up as it is compressed. According to POC: “To encourage airflow and create precise pressure zones inside the helmet, the wing has a precise shape that increases air velocity and enhances cooling. Combined with the linear interior channels to guide airflow, vast amounts of air pass through and out of the helmet, all cooling the rider in the process.”
Meanwhile, for aerodynamics: “The integrated wing supports larger frontal ports of precise size and angles. It allows the Cytal frontal air intakes to capture and lead air through the helmet instead of around it, significantly reducing the high-pressure zone at the front of the helmet and improving a rider’s aerodynamic profile.”
However, before we forget why we wear them, POC is clear that safety is the main role of a helmet and says the Cytal has been developed with this as its priority. The EPS has variable density across the helmet, which the brand says was created by heat map evidence, leading to a lightweight and naturally balanced helmet.
As for Mips Air Node, unlike the earlier Mips systems that used a separate plastic slip liner it adds practically no extra weight or volume and doesn’t pull hair. The rotational motion system is integrated into the padding itself, connected to the inside of the helmet using fasteners that allow brain-saving slippage in an impact.
Ride impressions
I hope I’m never going to need to test the Cytal’s impact protection, but the independent Virginia Tech rating is nevertheless reassuring and POC rightly highlights this – it’s a considerable achievement to top the charts for safety while still keeping the weight well below 300 grams (the size medium I tested weighs 271 grams). Although most of us put on a cycle helmet without questioning it – now it would feel strange to go out bare-headed – if we wear a lump of polystyrene on our heads it might as well be one that does the job as effectively as possible.
I was almost surprised to find that despite the angular appearance, the Cytal was perfectly head shaped inside, sitting in exactly the right position on my head even when looking upwards in an aero crouch. Some helmets can move forward and press your glasses down painfully onto your nose, but the POC happily doesn’t do this. It sounds like a cliché, but it was easy to forget it was there. POC’s Damian Phillips said at the press launch that the Cytal’s perfect balance was one of its highlights – as soon as I wore it I understood that. There’s no pressure on any part of the head. There’s plenty of adjustability and the straps can be moved up, down or sideways to get the right ear clearance but I didn’t need to touch them – just a couple of clicks of the dial ratchet and everything was perfect.
Equally surprising is how much air gets into the helmet. Despite the Venturi effect explanation, in real life the Cytal doesn’t look as though it will be as well vented as the helmets from 10+ years ago that had more holes than a colander – yet it is. I’ve worn it on some very hot days this summer and have felt as cooled as if I wasn’t wearing a helmet at all.
The ability to stick your sunglasses easily into the front of the helmet easily can seem trivial compared with its main role of protecting your brain, but it’s annoying when you have to practise doing it in the mirror in advance or can’t do it at all. With the Cytal you can’t miss. It has probably the best eyewear garage/port I’ve ever used thanks to the simplicity of the large side-by-side vents all starting at the same height at the front. And, unlike some helmets that are annoyingly designed to work best with the brand’s own eyewear, all glasses work equally well with the Cytal. To top off the eyewear garage masterclass, it even has grippy strips stuck to the insides of the two relevant vents to hold the arms securely in.
Verdict
There’s nothing I don’t like about the POC Cytal. The fit is perfect so that it stays comfortably and almost imperceptibly in the same place in all head and neck positions, the ventilation is exceptional, details like the sunglasses port are masterfully done, the aesthetic is clean and functional yet distinctive and attractive – and although there are nine colours available I would choose this white shell/white EPS version every time. Not only does it nicely complement the Scandi style, but outdoors it is very visible, almost radiant – it's literally brilliant all round.
See all the details and specs at POC's website.
