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POC, the Swedish helmet and apparel brand, has launched a new aero optimised time trial helmet, the Procen
As part of POC’s Aero initiative, the Procen is the latest product focused on aerodynamics and the specific needs of performance cyclists.
Developed with EF Pro Cycling teams, the Procen is designed to optimise aerodynamics and cooling to enhance speed, protection and performance.
Magnus Gustavsson, director of hard goods at POC, said: “We already knew that with the Tempor and Cerebel we have some of the fastest time-trial helmets in cycling. With the team, we brought our combined experience together and dug into our wealth of CFD data and evidence to analyse 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 optimised aerodynamically, use their speed for cooling, and be able to hold peak efforts for longer.”
The Procen has been designed to drain the high-pressure zone at the front of the helmet, which leads to stagnant air and additional air resistance riders need to push through, and instead guides it through the helmet.
In addition, by creating the Venturi effect inside the helmet, as used in POC’s Ventral helmet, the airflow creates increased ventilation and cooling, enhancing the performance of the helmet and rider.
Magnus Gustavsson, director of hard goods at POC, added: “Our Aero initiative is driven by science, our innovations and our open-minded Swedish attitude, to optimise a rider’s safety and performance.
“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.”
The Procen has been developed with the same Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) testing and analysis that has gone into making POC’s Tempor and Cerebel time-trial helmets.
To gain more insight into each rider and their specific time trial position, EF Pro Cycling’s performance teams 3D body scanned numerous riders to create an additional CFD database to fine-tune the rider position and Procen.
In addition to the ventilation and aerodynamic performance, the Procen also utilises a new two-position lens system. The Clarity lens can sit around 10mm from the helmet to ensure air can move naturally before being pressed into place before the time starts.
Thanks to an innovative temple design, the visor lens is fully detachable and will also break away from the helmet in a crash.
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Andreas Klier, sports and technical director at EF Education-EasyPost, said: “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.
“Together we wanted to take another leap forward as we know optimised 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 product is available immediately and has an RRP of £350
