POC Releases New TT Helmet – Procen

With the start of the Grand Tours upon us, expect to start to see lots of new products coming from brands supporting the teams. One of the first is going to be a new time trial helmet from POC, the Procen. A mix of the Tempor’s ventilation ducts and the shape of the Cerebel, the new helmet will be a great option for the EF Education-TIBCO-SVB and EF Education-EasyPost teams.

More recently, POC has been working on their Aero Initiative, a project to focus on the aerodynamic and performance needs of cyclists. This has included working with their two sponsored EF Education pro teams to help them compete with other teams at the top level of cycling. The Procen creates a helmet for the teams to use on longer time trial efforts where cooling becomes a higher priority over straight aerodynamic performance.

“Our Aero initiative is driven by science, our innovations and our open-minded Swedish attitude, to optimize a rider’s safety and performance,” said Magnus Gustavsson, Director of hard goods, POC. “The Procen is the latest result of our approach; an incredibly high-performance helmet with a supreme cooling effect over the whole head, perfect for intense time-trials, especially in the heat or long sustained efforts.”

“Success in professional racing is built on performance, and we came to POC with some ideas and areas of focus for us in the future, notably how to manage even more heat and how to maximize the team’s and rider’s potential,” explains Rachel Hedderman, General Manager of EF Education-TIBCO-SVB. “The Procen is another example where POC can initiate a new way of thinking, creating products with incredible quality and relevance. I know our riders are excited to use it to its full potential.”

The vents on the front of the Procen aren’t just for cooling though. As a rider pushes through the air, it creates a high-pressure zone of stagnant air and additional resistance. By adding the vents to the front, it allows air to pass through the helmet, creating the Venturi effect inside the helmet to pull cooler air through and push hotter air out. This same concept has been used on the Ventral helmet lines that you see the EF Eduction teams use in many races. The trailing edge helps to smooth out the transition from the helmet to the rider, but also brings the air out of the helmet as smoothly as possible.

To develop the Procen, POC relied on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to compare and benchmark the Procen. They also worked with 3D body scans of multiple riders from the team to fine-tune the riders’ positions and the design of the helmet.

Snapshot of Procen CFD testing – CFD is not a static process, it is dynamic and in constant motion, thus the image serves for illustration purposes only.

“We already knew that with the Tempor and Cerebel we have some of the fastest time-trial helmets in cycling,” continues Gustavsson. “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.”

Static image of a 3D scanned EF rider with Procen helmet.

The Procen uses a whole head adjustment system, making it extremely comfortable and easy to get positioned properly. They also designed a 2-position Clarity lens that allows you to keep the lens 10mm out from the normal position to allow for plenty of natural air flow to prevent fogging. When riding, it is locked in place to provide a smooth, aerodynamic profile, and is designed to breakaway in the event of a crash.

“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,” adds Andreas Klier, Sports and Technical Director, EF Education-EasyPost. “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.”

The Procen will be available in size Medium (54-60) and will include fit pads to dial in your fit. And while you’ll see the pros using the helmet this month, it won’t be available until September for the general public. When it is, it won’t be cheap, with a retal price of $400. The Procen will be available in Hydrogen White and Uranium Black Matt, though EF Education riders will have custom colors and graphics.
www.pocsports.com