The keen-eyed can have observed a brand new POC helmet atop the heads of EF Education-EasyPost riders on the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia Women.
It sat atop Richard Carapaz’s head when he took the yellow jersey on Stage 3 of the Tour; although curiously not for his stage win on stage 17.
POC has now formally launched it because the POC Cytal Carbon, its newest aero/vented helmet which sits alongside the Procen Air aero helmet in its pro-level helmet line-up.
When we took the Procen Air to the Silverstone wind tunnel, we discovered that it was essentially the most aero of over 20 helmets that we examined, and will save 12.8 watts over the least aero helmet within the take a look at, which occurred to be the POC Ventral.
This new Cytal Carbon will little question substitute the Ventral within the lineup, although we’re claiming no duty for its demise.
POC’s most ventilated helmet but
POC claims that the Cytal Carbon presents a brand new method to security, aerodynamics and air flow. The new helmet has been engineered specifically to advertise air flow and cooling, as POC factors out that these are vital for efficiency.
As with most of the greatest aero helmet designs, the Cytal Carbon makes use of the Venturi impact to extend the pace of the airflow by way of the helmet and excessive of the rider’s head.
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Key to this, says POC, is a carbon ‘wing’ integrated into the helmet. It has a variable thickness and form, which POC compares to an plane’s wing. It says that this creates stress zones which enhance air pace by way of the helmet and therefore cooling.
The structural energy of the carbon factor has additionally allowed POC to include giant air intakes – already a function of a lot of POC’s helmets. This, it says, makes the Cytal Carbon the best-ventilated helmet in its vary.
POC has used a mixture of CFD modelling, wind tunnel testing and real-world testing by the professionals to show the design’s airflow credentials in addition to its aerodynamics.
More aero too
POC says that the brand new helmet’s aero efficiency is best than its earlier vented helmet designs too, notably at larger speeds. That’s due to the massive entrance openings enabled by the carbon shell, which POC says results in air flowing by way of the helmet, moderately than being blocked at its entrance.
Of course, a helmet’s primary goal is to guard the rider’s head and the POC Cytal Carbon has achieved a five-star Virginia Tech security ranking. POC says that the density of the helmet’s EPS foam has been chosen to steadiness crash safety and low weight, though there’s no extra safety tech resembling MIPS included.
With POC’s parallel sun shades line, it’s additionally integrated an ‘eyewear dock’, although our personal wind tunnel testing discovered an aerodynamic loss when docking them up entrance.
The new helmet goes on sale instantly at poc.com in addition to by way of bodily and on-line retailers throughout most markets, though Asia-Pacific gross sales might be later this summer time.
The three sizes accommodate head sizes from 50cm to 61 cm with a claimed weight of 250g for a dimension M.
The new POC Cytal Carbon helmet is offered in black solely (sorry to anybody wanting the team-only pink EF model), and is priced at $400 / £360 / €400 / AU$575.
Look out for our evaluation coming quickly on Cyclingnews.