The safest bike helmet on the market

Virginia Tech’s independent cycling helmet testing has served as a benchmark for comparing helmets across brands. POC’s latest Cytal road cycling helmet not only has POC’s signature styling and color schemes but it has also achieved the top spot in Virginia Tech’s road cycling helmet ratings. The helmet retails for $330 and is available in a variety of unique color schemes. POC has incorporated a MIPS Air liner along with optimized liner density to help achieve the top safety rating. The helmet also features large open vents and an integrated wing into the structure of the helmet.

The POC Cytal MIPS helmet combines POC’s classic styling with unique colors and an impressive safety rating.

Rating	9.2 / 10
Retail Price	$330
Measured weight (in g)	320 (medium)
Likes	+ Unique color schemes with iconic POC options including color matched foam + Impressive safety rating provides peace of mind + Large open vents provide excellent cooling
Dislikes	– Premium price point – Extended front looks awkward at some angles
Where to Buy (US)	POC

UNBOXING

The POC Cytal MIPS comes in a plain cardboard helmet box with a large POC logo printed onto it. Inside the box you’ll find:

• POC Cytal MIPS helmet
• Additional front pad
• White POC helmet bag

POC’s included fabric bag is a nice premium feature that makes it easy to store and travel with the helmet.

FIT & FINISH

As a part of the Cytal development, POC has done extensive computation and physical testing with the helmet to optimize the EPS foam and structure of the helmet. The result of that is that the Cytal has a much more blunt front than other POC helmets. Given the top Virginia Tech rating, we suspect this vertical front treatment with an integrated wing is a big reason this helmet has tested so well. While the vent shaping and smooth styling look similar to the POC Ventral Air and other POC helmets, the Cytal has a more upright design and larger gaps between your head and the outer shell of the helmet. The design looks a bit strange from some angles but you can still easily identify this helmet as a POC. As with other POC helmets, it’s available in a variety of matte color schemes and a few glossy options.

The POC Cytal is currently offered in 9 different colors in distinctive colors from the iconic uranium black to blue and red colors. What is unique to POC is that some of the color schemes also use white foam or color matched foam color instead of standard black. For this review, we have the hydrogen white which has the matching hydrogen white color foam. The all-white color combination is very sleek as the slightly off-white shell pairs nicely with the white EPS foam. Aside from a POC logo on the rear vent and the yellow MIPS sticker on the side, the helmet has no branding or graphics on it. There are five main vertical vents along the front of the helmet that extend nearly the rear of the helmet. A large wing covers up a majority of the vents while small openings on the top allow hot air to exit the helmet.

The rear of the helmet has a distinctive rectangular vent with a center split and carefully shaped side cutouts to funnel air through the helmet. To maximize the safety of the helmet, POC has used a combination of a MIPS Air liner and variable density EPS foam. That results in a large airy helmet interior with deep air channels that run through the helmet. From the inside you can see how deep the front foam pieces extend and the additional air channels under the brim of the helmet. With this all white design the only black colors are the straps and the padding. You have a matching white rear cradle with dual direction dial to adjust the fit. Slender plastic extensions connect the rear cradle to the front of the helmet and provide even pressure. The straps are standard nylon with a plastic buckle to connect the two sides together. To adjust the fit you can slide the straps side-to-side by feeding it through the Y-splitter but you cannot independently adjust the vertical position.

ON THE ROAD

Having ridden many POC helmets like the Ventral Air and the Octal in the past, we were excited to see how the new POC Cytal would compare. The exterior of the helmet has the same design language while the medium size fits similarly to other POC and Smith helmets with plenty of space for adjustments. The helmet is comfortable with no pressure points and an easy to adjust rear dial system. Aside from the classic white-on-white coloring, we were particularly impressed by the cooling the Cytal has with its large front vents. It is an excellent helmet for warm weather riding as the upright front vents allow air to flow through. Admittedly, the extended front profile looks a bit awkward at some angles as the helmet can look bulky. Otherwise, the helmet feels light and fast on the road with a nice front sunglass dock even for non POC sunglasses.

THE VERDICT

Overall, we found the POC Cytal MIPS cycling helmet to be a comfortable and well ventilated cycling helmet. POC has retained their clean modern design while achieving a top safety rating with the Cytal helmet. The Cytal has an extended front profile which likely helps the helmet deflect impacts as well as flow air through it for additional cooling. As with other POC helmets, the Cytal is also offered in a variety of unique color schemes including options with color matched foam. We were impressed with the airflow of the helmet and the clean design language POC has utilized. As far as negatives, the helmet has a premium price point and the extended front shape looks a bit awkward at some angles. That said, the POC Cytal is a sleek and well ventilated helmet that achieves a top safety rating.

Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by POC. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.