Helmets with built in visors aren’t new tech, though since the Giro Air Attack in 2017, no brand has really tried to fill this particular niche, confining the visor to the track and in time trials.
Recently though it seems the road helmet visor is having something of a renaissance. Oakley recently released its ARO7 road helmet, complete with Prizm Road magnetic visor, and POC is hot on its heels with its new Procen Air, released today.
It’s no great secret, as we’ve seen it in use as early in the season as the Tour Down Under, but we can now give you all the juicy details on what is already a helmet that has split opinion, both in the office and in the comments section.
Time trial tech
You don’t need to be a well-heeled cycling tech journo to work out that this helmet is derived from POC’s well-established experience in time trial and pursuit helmets. The truncated teardrop shape means the leading edges have all the aerodynamic efficiency of a TT lid, without falling foul of the UCI’s pesky rules on maximum helmet lengths.
The smooth form, especially with the integrated visor attached, clearly have wind-cheating in mind, but curiously the three vents at the front are said to make the whole package faster. Positioned as they are absolutely at the leading edge of the cyclist's frontal area, especially in a full aero tuck, they sit right at the high-pressure zone. POC says adding the vents both drains the high pressure zone making the whole helmet faster, and has the added benefit of aiding cooling. The truncated rear end helps create a low-pressure zone to further enhance the airflow and improve the efficiency.
Naturally, the clear visual focus on speed may mean consumers don’t see it as a viable option for general use, but if the wattage claims are to be believed, there are big gains to be had. POC claims that at race speeds of between 30 and 60km/h, the Procen Air is 18 watts more aerodynamic than its Ventral all-rounder model.
Luckily for you, we have both of these helmets and access to a wind tunnel, so will be reporting back with our own data shortly.
Magnets and hearing aids
Producing a time trial helmet is one thing, but for the road where riders are in the bunch, compromises to both sound and vision are far less tolerable than when a solo rider is against the clock.
The ear flaps, similar to those we saw on an unreleased new Kask helmet in the early season too, are not just there to help keep fresh air away from turbulent ears. Partially occluding the ear with a flap apparently also drastically reduces the wind noise and therefore enhances the ability of the rider to hear while riding at max pace.
In much the same way as on the Oakley ARO7, the visor on the Procen Air is removable, held in place with magnets, and can be stowed away on a second set of magnets. In this case, the magnetic visor garage is at the rear of the helmet, tucked out of the wind. A clear lens is included too, and the main lens is the same Clarity lens used in the brand's sunglasses.
Curiously it seems to buck the trend of POC’s recent helmet releases by not coming with a MIPS system.
Pricing and availability
Three sizes are available covering head sizes from 50cm to 61cm. There are only white and black colour options, unless you are an EF rider, and if you want to purchase one it’ll set you back €400 / £360 / $400. The weight for a medium helmet is 350g.
