POC has released a new time trial helmet named the Procen. The Procen aero-optimised time trial helmet has been developed in collaboration with the EF Pro Cycling teams, and debuted with EF Education-TIBCO-SVB on the 1st of May at La Vuelta Femenina. It will also be used by the EF Education-EasyPost men's team at the upcoming Giro d’Italia.
POC says the Procen has been designed to drain the high-pressure zone found at the front of the helmet. This creates stagnant air and additional air resistance that riders then need to push through; instead, the Procen guides air through the helmet itself. POC claims the Procen creates the Venturi effect inside the helmet which creates superior ventilation and cooling. The Venturi effect, named after Giovanni Battista Venturi, is a little techy to succinctly explain here but focuses on lowering static pressure, useful in time trial helmets.
Magnus Gustavsson, Director of hard goods, POC, said: “We already knew that with the Tempor and Cerebel we have some of the fastest time-trial helmets in cycling. With the team, we brought our combined experience together and dug into our wealth of CFD data and evidence to analyze the precise needs of performance and elite cyclists, especially how to manage heat. Our objective with the Procen was to maintain the speed and aerodynamic advantage of the Tempor and Cerebel and add a layer of performance through enhanced heat management, allowing riders to be optimized aerodynamically, use their speed for cooling, and be able to hold peak efforts for longer.”
The Procen was developed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) like the Tempor and Cerebel time trial helmets, and both models were used to provide the analysis and benchmarks for the new model. Both EF Pro Cycling teams 3D body scanned riders in order to help fine-tune rider positions and the Procen itself.
Andreas Klier, Sports and Technical Director, EF Education-EasyPost, said: “We’ve been partners with POC since the 2014 season, and their innovation and support of the team have been critical in many of our achievements. Together we wanted to take another leap forward as we know optimized aerodynamics and cooling will improve performance for every rider, regardless of what kind of time trial rider they are. And with the Procen, POC has created a real ‘Goldilocks’ time-trial helmet that will benefit the vast majority of our riders.”
According to POC the helmet uses a precise shape to manage air travelling over and around the helmet, in particular the trailing edge. This is said to be optimised to reduce turbulence and meet the air flowing around the helmet. There is also an adjustable two-position lens system and what POC calls the 'whole head' adjustment system to help every rider find a secure fit.
The Procen meets the safety certification: EN 1078/CPSC/AS/NZS 2063 and will be available in a size Medium (54-60) with adjustment pads.
Hydrogen White and Uranium Black Matt will be the available helmet colours.
The Procen will be available from September 2023 and will carry a retail price of $400 / €400
