POC

Cortex DH Helmet

While speed can be intoxicating, it's never a good idea to lose your head. POC doesn't want you losing your head, so they designed their helmets to be exceptionally safe, and stylish too. The POC Cortex DH helmet is the crown jewel of their work.

POC designers started with the helmets they made for ski racing. Realizing that the demands of protection in that realm aren't the same as the demands of bike riding, they knew they had to do something different. To them, one of the biggest issues is ventilation; cyclists desperately need a cool head, while skiers do not. If the vents are too small, summertime riding can be oppressive. Still, ventilation cannot come at the cost of protection. Vents that are too large will expose the riders head to more risk than is appropriate, especially for freeriders and downhillers who face potential injury from branches and jagged rocks. POC also realized that single layer hard shells were sometimes culpable in whiplash injuries because they tend to bounce, and micro shells, while great at absorbing impacts, were not durable and offered little in the way of penetration protection. So they went in a new-direction that combined the best of both worlds -- double-overlapping shells.

They use the acronym VDSAP for their system (Ventilated Double Shell Anti Penetration). From the outside in, POC's double layer Cortex DH Helmet has a lightweight carbon fiber outer shell. Then there's the Aramid ballistic Penetration Barrier, or APB in POC speak. It's a layer of penetration-resistant Aramid (basically Kevlar, the same as found in bullet proof vests) between the outer shell and the liner shell. Further in, a thin polycarbonate shell covers the EPP liner material. As a result of this trifecta of protection, the outer shell can be thinner than usual, which makes it both lighter and better at absorbing blunt impact energy.

With the double-shell design, POC positions the vents so that the ones on the outside of the Cortex DH helmet draw air into channels that flow to the inside vents. This way, the vents next to the skull are not exposed to the outside. There are also ear vents that allow for decent hearing while keeping your ears protected. The chinguard is designed to keep your face and teeth ready for family photos, yet it's far enough away from your mouth and well ventilated so you can breathe easily, even when you have to ride up short climbs.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Cortex DH Helmet is its use of MIPS (multi-directional impact protection system) technology. Basically, safety engineers know that most bike crashes deliver your head to the ground, not straight down, but at an angle. These oblique impacts create problems as your helmet hits the ground, sticks, and your brain continues on its original trajectory to a degree. While we have a natural cushioning layer of cerebrospinal fluid that allows some shear between the brain and the skull, POC helmets with MIPS imitate our own fail-safe elements and add another engineered shear zone between the helmet liner and shell to further soften and absorb these rotational energies as they develop during our high-speed crashes. This adds up to the best possible protection for your brain.

The POC Cortex DH helmet comes in White and is available in Medium/Large (55-57cm) and Large/X-Large (58-60cm).