POC Cytal Helmet: Cool Kids Wear Lids

As a kid growing up in England, I hardly ever wore a helmet when cycling. It just wasn't a big deal to me. Helmets weren't, and still aren't, compulsory outside of competitions. When I moved to London as an adult, seeing someone cycling in a helmet was still a rarity, especially among commuters. But when I moved to Australia twelve years ago, it came as quite a shock to discover everyone was wearing a helmet; in fact, it's against the law to ride a bike without one, and I reckon that makes damn good sense.

While I can still see the appeal of cycling with the wind in your hair, especially on a chilled gravel ride, the safety benefits of wearing a helmet really can't be argued against. I've been wearing a helmet on (nearly) every ride for over ten years; it actually feels like something's missing when I nip down the shops, or the slow roll along the pavement to the school if I don't have my helmet on.

I've had some pretty average helmets, along with my fair share of crashes in the past, and I've concluded that investing in a decent lid is an absolute no-brainer, especially for gravel cycling. If you're thinking about joining the cool lid kids club by donning a helmet for your future rides, I reckon POC's new Cytal helmet ticks all the boxes.

About POC & Volvo

If you haven't come across POC before, they are a Swedish cycle and snow sports gear maker. Much like fellow Swedish company Volvo, they are renowned for the safety performance of their products, but unlike Volvo, they also look good while doing it. Sorry, Volvo. In fact, the two companies are so close that they even collaborate on safety measures.

I know we don't often talk about road cycling on Bike Gear Database, but if you watched this year's Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes, you may well have noticed the EF Pro Cycling team wearing POC helmets. Rolling back to the ultracycling, bikepacking and gravel scene, Lachlan Morton also sports a POC helmet. Yeah, the guy who completed the Tour Divide in 12 and a half days. However, he is one of the more recognizable EF Pro Cycling team members we see, but I'm sure there are more high-profile POC wearers out there. Drop us a message if you know of others.

One of POC's taglines is Protected By Science, and I would think that if you're planning to protect your melon, you want something that's been tested by scientists.

Safety First & First in Safety

One of the Cytal Helmet's major selling points is its 5-star safety rating in Virginia Tech's most recent evaluations. Out of 282 big-brand helmets tested, the Cytal came 5th overall, and #1 for road helmets. Virginia Tech's testing system is hyper-specific to cycling and includes 24 impact tests on six areas of the helmet. This testing is designed to assess potential concussion risk, with lower scores correlating to better helmet performance. Interestingly, another POC helmet came in 3rd, the Cularis MTB helmet. Personally, I favour a road helmet over a mountain bike helmet when on the gravel, but the Cularis is worth considering if you prefer it the other way around.

How does the Cytal helmet achieve such an impressive result under testing? Unsurprisingly POC aren't giving away all their secrets; however, they do tell us that the helmet features MIPS Air Node rotational impact protection, multi-density EPS foam (Expanded Polystyrene) and a Poly-Carbonate shell that improves structural stability and enhances helmet integrity. Diving a little deeper, it's interesting to note that the multi-density foam is thicker over the forehead (to minimize deformation on impact) and less dense in lower sections (to save weight).

Another aspect of Cytal's safety measures is the 360-degree fit system, ensuring a proper fit to achieve the greatest safety possible. This system includes adjustable strap dividers and a rear-adjustable 360-degree fit system. I found it super easy to adjust the fit for optimal comfort for my head. The fit system can be moved higher or lower to fit snugly around the back of your head, a feature I haven't often seen.

Tested on the Groads

Fresh out of the box, I appreciated the aesthetics of the Cytal and its light 280g. While this is similar to other road helmets from Specialized and Giro, it's plenty light enough for all-day comfort. It sounds a bit silly, but I commented to a friend that it felt heavier than my usual helmet, which happens to be a POC Ventral Lite that weighs 70g less. If weight is a big concern, there is the Cytal Lite version, but remember that, like any other ultra-ultralight helmet, this weight savings comes as the cost of a little safety.

The front profile of the Cytal is a little steeper than the Ventral, appearing a bit more angular, and this is perhaps a direct result of the integrated wing that improves structural integrity, allowing for huge front vents for added ventilation. I'm yet to reach a verdict on which helmet's side profile silhouette I prefer, but these vents have been doing a great job as the Australian spring kicks into gear with temps in the high 20s (Celsius). As most of my testing was done over winter, however, I quickly found that I definitely needed to wear a cycling cap under while out on early mornings to keep my head warm from the bountiful quantities of cold air hitting my skull. This gives a new meaning to the cool lid-kids group. Brrr.

A feature found on POC road helmets, including the Cytal, is the cleverly coined eye-garage. A grippy fabric inside the front vents snuggly holds glasses when not needed, a nice feature I continue to appreciate. On similar lines, I like that the Cytal has been designed with POC's sunnies in mind, or perhaps it's the other way around, with the Propel sunglasses fitting the eye-garage perfectly. However, other sunglasses work just fine too.

As a cyclist and writer, how do I fully test such a product? Sadly but not so sadly, I have to report that I haven't had a single crash while testing and therefore can't directly assess the effectiveness of such a highly rated helmet. Instead, I'll have to rely on the science and trust the results of both Virginia Tech and POC's R&D Team and reiterate how highly this helmet scored during simulated crash testing. I hope I never have to test those limits first-hand.

Stack Hats & Other Thoughts

On a side note, whenever the topic of wearing helmets my wife says, “Cool kids wear lids,” and for as long as I've known her, she always wears a helmet. She says it with such confidence that I always thought it was an Australian slogan, perhaps used in the 90s when they first introduced the compulsory helmet laws. However, after spending far too long Googling for evidence of the origins of this saying, the results are inconclusive.

Fun fact: Australian kids in the 80s wore a helmet called the StackHat, and I think that this is a much better name than just a “bicycle helmet”. We should bring it back into popular culture. :)
A No Brainer

I have totally converted to helmet life, and I have been impressed by the Cytal. It ticks all the boxes: comfort, weight, adjustability, safety and style. Clocking in at $350 USD ($500 AUD), it's definitely on the expensive side, especially for something you hope to never fully use; but just like carrying a decent bicycle pump, you want your helmet to work when you need it, so I reckon it's a cost I could live with.

Get the Cytal

POC.com