The Procen Air\u2019s design shares many similarities with the brand’s recently launched time trial helmet, the Procen TT<\/a>.<\/p> As with that helmet, POC claims the Procen Air harnesses the Venturi effect to improve both ventilation and aerodynamic efficiency.<\/p> Notably, the Procen Air also partially covers your ears, though POC says it has gone to great lengths to ensure hearing and peripheral vision are not affected.<\/p> Available now, the POC Procen Air costs \u00a3360 \/ $400 \/ \u20ac400.<\/p> According to POC, the Procen Air was designed with the goal of offering \u201call the watt savings of a TT helmet\u201d without compromising safety or a rider\u2019s ability to hear and see.<\/p> In fact, POC goes as far as to claim the helmet can improve a rider\u2019s vision and hearing.<\/p> This is due to the Procen Air\u2019s integrated visor, which is said to provide a wide, unobstructed field of view, and the partial ear coverings, which are claimed to reduce turbulence around the rider\u2019s ears.<\/p> POC says the latter \u201cwill result in most riders hearing more clearly\u201d.<\/p> In terms of aerodynamic performance, the Procen Air functions in a similar way to the Procen TT.<\/p> As with that helmet, the Procen Air was designed using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modelling, alongside wind-tunnel and real-world aero testing.<\/p> As on the Procen TT, the three ventilation holes at the front of the Procen Air are said to \u201cdrain the high-pressure zone\u201d, reducing the build-up of \u201cstagnant air and additional air resistance that a rider needs to push through\u201d.<\/p> This airflow is then channelled through the helmet, helping to cool the rider, before exiting through a series of large exhaust channels at the rear of the helmet.<\/p> According to data gathered by POC and its sponsored professional team, EF Pro Cycling (which has teams in both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s peloton), the Procen Air showed gains ranging from 5 to 18 watts compared to the Ventral, measured at speeds from 30 to 60kph.<\/p> POC hasn\u2019t provided any data comparing it to popular aero road helmets from other manufacturers.<\/p> Offering a real-world example, though, Peter Schep, a performance director at EF Pro Cycling, claims the Procen Air saved Alberto Bettiol \u201cwell over 10 seconds\u201d during his successful, 30km-long solo breakaway at Milano\u2013Torino in early March.<\/p> The POC Procen Air is available now in two colours \u2013 \u2018Hydrogen White\u2019 or \u2018Uranium Black Matte\u2019. Both mirrored and clear visors are included.<\/p> It costs \u00a3360 \/ $400 \/ \u20ac400 and comes in three sizes; small (50-56cm), medium (54-59cm) and large (56-61cm).<\/p> Sadly, the bright pink helmets worn by POC\u2019s sponsored professional teams, EF Education-EasyPost and EF Education-Cannondale, aren\u2019t available.<\/p> In terms of weight, POC claims a size-medium Procen Air weighs 350g. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that\u2019s a fair bit more than most traditional aero helmets.<\/p> Specialized\u2019s S-Works Evade 3<\/a> weighs 272g, for example, while Trek\u2019s Ballista MIPS<\/a> weighs 268g (both in a size-medium).<\/p> Given the onslaught of aerodynamic optimisations in professional cycling in recent years, it\u2019s something of a wonder a helmet like the Procen Air hasn\u2019t come sooner.<\/p> After all, despite the UCI\u2019s technical regulations<\/a> being infamously prescriptive about some things, the rules surrounding helmets are surprisingly lax.<\/p> Beyond performance concerns around ventilation, comfort and weight, there are \u2013 as far as we can tell \u2013 no rules preventing a rider from taking to the start line of a mass-start road race in a full-on TT helmet.<\/p> Indeed, we often see riders in mass-start events on the track wearing short-tail time trial helmets, such as the Kask Bambino<\/a> or POC Cerebel<\/a>, for example.<\/p> Despite the protestations of some traditionalists, other bits of time trial tech \u2013 such as skinsuits, narrow handlebars<\/a> and big chainrings<\/a> \u2013 have been rapidly adopted by road cyclists in recent years.<\/p> As mentioned above, even Alberto Bettiol<\/a> \u2013 a rider so old-school he\u2019s yet to fully commit to using a power meter<\/a> in every race \u2013 has been wearing the Procen Air in select races this season.<\/p> In that context, a helmet that takes aerodynamic inspiration from a TT helmet makes perfect sense.<\/p> There may well be compromises to a helmet such as the Procen Air, whether in terms of ventilation, weight or comfort, but if the claimed performance gains stand up to scrutiny we wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see other brands follow suit.<\/p> Indeed, Kask appears to be in the latter stages of development for a similar helmet, which partially covers a rider\u2019s ears<\/a>.<\/p> Perhaps, though, it\u2019s no surprise it should be POC that makes the first leap in this area.<\/p>Time-trial inspired<\/h2>
![\"POC](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/04\/POC_ProcenAir_CFD_01.jpg\")
![\"POC](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/04\/POC-Procen-Air_Uranium-Black-Matte.jpg\")
![\"POC](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/04\/POC_ProcenAir_2024_11.jpg\")
POC Procen Air availability, specification and pricing<\/h2>
![\"POC](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/04\/POC-Procen-Air_Hydrogen-White.jpg\")
![\"POC](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/04\/POC_ProcenAir_2024_10-edited.jpg\")
Analysis \u2013 was this always the logical next step?<\/h2>
![\"POC](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/04\/POC_ProcenAir_2024_3.jpg\")
![\"Kask](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/04\/Kask-Bambino-time-trial-helmet.jpg\")
![\"POC](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2020\/09\/20200923_SB_5DSR_MG_3218-0bf3dd7.jpg\")