POC has released its newest performance road helmet, the Cytal Carbon which includes an advanced handmade carbon wing.
Oscar Huss, Chief Product Officer at POC, said “With the Cytal Carbon we asked ourselves how we could take our knowledge of developing high-performance road helmets and take it to another level of safety, aerodynamics and cooling.
“In particular, we wanted to enhance a rider’s performance with even more ventilation and cooling, which is critical to human performance. By challenging conventional thinking, using unique materials and developing new shapes, we found an answer by creating a brand-new helmet and integrating a carbon wing handmade in Italy. And we are extremely positive about the result.”
The handmade carbon wing, inspired by high-performance race car use, is formed in Italy to a precise shape, creating ventilation and cooling across the whole head. To encourage airflow and create precise pressure zones inside the helmet, the carbon has a variable shape and thickness, much like a wing, to increase air velocity and enhance helmet cooling.
Tested in the wind tunnel and fine-tuned with CFD (computational fluid dynamics) testing, the carbon wing design and its material strength also allow for increased frontal air intakes, allowing even more air to flow freely into the helmet. Combined with the linear interior channels to guide airflow and joined exit ports, POC adds that… ‘vast amounts of airflow pass through and out of the helmet, all cooling the rider in the process.’
Priced at €400 / £360 / US$400, the Cytal Carbon will be available immediately in most markets and will be the same version (apart from colour) that is being used by riders from both EF women’s and men’s teams.
The EF Pro Cycling performance team have been an integral part of the development process. Andreas Klier, Performance Head at EF Pro Cycling, said “We know the importance of aerodynamics and the difference it can make in a race.
“And as we know more about human performance that can equally be said for cooling and ventilation, which is why having a helmet that excels at both is such an advantage. We spent a lot of time working with POC’s engineers to fine-tune the details, and we, and the riders, are really positive with the results.”
