POC officially launches Cytal Carbon helmet worn by EF Education First featuring a 'carbon wing'

Swedish safety equipment brand POC has added a new performance aero road helmet to its lineup, which we've seen used by EF Education First riders in recent weeks at the Tour de France. The Cytal Carbon, priced at £360, claims to offer "a new approach to safety, aerodynamics, and ventilation" thanks to its unusual carbon wing design.

A.S.O

The beady-eyed among you may have spotted some EF Education First riders using a new POC helmet during the Tour de France. POC is known for its forward-thinking and innovative safety products, and today, the brand has officially released this helmet as the Cytal Carbon. 

According to POC, the Cytal Carbon is the first and top model in a new line-up that will adopt this shape, with plans to release additional models and revamp the range going into 2025. 

Oscar Huss, Chief Product Officer at POC, emphasised that the helmet was designed to enhance safety, aerodynamics and cooling. Central to its design is the integrated 'carbon wing', essentially a layer of carbon fibre in between the vents that POC claims should enhance all three of these.

Huss says, "By challenging conventional thinking, using unique materials and developing new shapes, we found an answer by creating a brand-new helmet and integrating a carbon wing handmade in Italy. And we are extremely positive about the result." 

Ventilation

POC says the carbon wing was inspired by high-performance race cars to facilitate "superior ventilation and cooling across the whole head". 

To optimise airflow, the carbon wing is described as having a variable shape and thickness. This design is said to enhance air velocity, aiming to deliver what POC claims is its most ventilated road helmet yet. 

Aerodynamics 

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In addition to enhancing ventilation, the carbon wing is also engineered to improve aerodynamics. According to POC, this design facilitates larger frontal ports and ensures that the frontal air intakes guide air through the helmet rather than around it. This is said to reduce high-pressure zones at the front of the helmet, minimise turbulence and maintain smooth, linear airflow over the helmet and rider. 

The Cytal Carbon also incorporates POC's "Venturi effect" airflow optimisation, which is a technology featured in its Procen time trial helmet. This innovation is designed to manage airflow around the helmet, claiming to reduce drag and improve aerodynamic performance. 

Safety

POC emphasises safety as "the cornerstone of the development and design process", constructing the Cytal Carbon helmet with its in-house Finite Element Model research and testing. It features an expanded polystyrene liner claimed to offer "the ideal balance of low weight and crash protection", while the carbon wing is designed to help force distribution during impact.

Additionally, the Cytal Carbon has achieved the highest (five-star) rating through Virginia Tech’s independent testing.

Pricing and availability 

The claimed weight of the Cytal Carbon is 250g (size M) which is around the same as the POC Ventral Air Mips, which we weighed in at 260g. 

The Cytal Carbon is currently only available in black and costs a whopping £360, which would make it the most expensive helmet we've reviewed here at road.cc. Stay tuned for that review in the coming weeks.

www.pocsports.com