The new Poc Procen Air helmet is based heavily on the Procen time-trial helmet, but adapts the design for group riding. That means a less enclosed design that affords the rider more peripheral vision as well as better hearing, with airflow modelling suggesting that it lowers wind noise around the sides of the head.
The Poc Procen Air helmet has a claimed 350g weight for a size M and is priced at £360 in the UK.
Watt savings for road stage use
We pointed out the Poc Procen Air in our tech leaks post when it showed up at early season races on the heads of several EF Pro Cycling riders. A development of the Procen time-trial helmet, the Procen Air has been adapted for road racing use, which Poc says means added ventilation and better ability to hear and see what’s happening around you.
Magnus Gustavsson, Poc’s Director of Hard Goods, said, ‘Our mission with the Procen Air was to create a helmet with all the watt savings of a TT helmet, not compromising safety and improving a rider’s ability to hear and see.’
The Procen Air has the frontal slot vents of the TT helmet, which are designed to lower air resistance by opening up apertures in the leading edge of the helmet shell. The air scooped up is directed through the helmet for cooling, then out at the rear, using the Venturi effect to speed up airflow over the head for improved cooling.
As with the time-trial helmet, there’s a visor for the Procen Air, but Poc says that this is a new design with greater peripheral vision. It has Poc’s Clarity lens and is attached with a new magnetic clasp.
There are magnets at the rear of the helmet, so that the lens can be parked when not needed, without digging into the rider’s neck when riding in a tucked position. Poc says that the lens can be moved with one hand and without touching the lens surface, so no mucky fingerprints. Poc supplies the helmet with both a smoke mirror lens and a clear spare lens.
Better surround sound
While TT riders may be fine with having their ears covered to increase speed, in a race peloton, being able to hear your surroundings and riders approaching from behind is important. So Poc says that the Procen Air has been designed using CFD to reduce air turbulence around the ears, so that riders can hear better.
Riders in the EF Pro Cycling women’s squad have already won seven races this year using the new helmet. Poc says that the aero performance of the helmet, when tested in the wind-tunnel, is an improvement of between five and 18 watts over the Poc Ventral helmet, dependent on ride speed, with the figures achieved at between 30 and 60kmh.
EF reckon that, relative to wearing the Ventral, the Procen Air contributed over ten seconds to Alberto Bettiol’s winning solo ride time over the last 30km of the Milan-Torino race in March 2024.
Of course, the best cycling helmet isn’t just about going faster, it also needs to provide crash protection. Poc says the Procen Air’s EPS liner is designed to do so while keeping the helmet’s weight low, with a size medium helmet having a claimed 350g weight. There’s no Mips liner incorporated.
The Poc Procen Air is available immediately from Poc online and from retailers, with three sizes covering heads from 50cm to 61cm.
Poc Procen Air specs and pricing
- Sizes: S, M, L
- Colours: Hydrogen White, Uranium Matt Black
- Claimed weight: 350g (Size Medium)
- Price: £360 / $400 / €400
Read our review of the Poc Propel aero sunglasses.