First things first, I love POC. I think their brand, ethos and equipment is amazing. My last three helmets have been POC and I’ve broken them all, there’s no replacement scheme and I’m not supported by them in any way but I keep buying them. Why? Because they work well and feel great.
POC’s Tectal Helmet though… it’s something else.
POC Tectal vs Trabec
My last two helmets have been POC Trabec race with the last one living for two years before I had a mishap with the floor and a rock. I thought they were great, super comfortable fit, really breathable and offered great protection. In my opinion, the Tectal is even better.
It literally hugs your head, there’s no better way of saying it. It kind of wraps around your forehead, which initially makes it feel a bit lower, but it’s just touching in a very comfortable way. It feels like it sits closer to your head in a way and just offers that reassuring pressure without being too tight. They also seem to have fixed a lot of the issues that the Trabec had – like the annoying adjuster on the back of the helmet (replaced the sliding bits with a turning knob) and the helmet straps. The new straps are literally genius, they’re made of four parts – two U shapes that connect to the helmet and two straight straps that connect the U bits to each other. That description sounds ridiculous but it just makes for a very comfortable helmet.
Click to view slideshow.POC Tectal Review
Now we’ve done a bit of a comparison, let’s look at the POC Tectal in some more detail. Firstly, it’s a very well-ventilated helmet that POC been specifically designed for aggressive Trail and Enduro. It has a reinforced EPS liner to deliver a high level of protection while the unibody shell construction, makes this helmet super safe while still being light.
The Tectal covers your brain better than Donald Trump’s wig, giving you a huge amount of coverage while still being nice and breezy. Also, unlike the Trump’s wig, the Tectal looks dope as fuck (I think that’s what the kids are saying these days).
Having an adjustable visor is pretty handy too – something that POC hasn’t had in my previous helmets but makes a huge amount of difference – especially when using it with wide lens mtb googles.
Overall review of the Tectal
At £180 it isn’t cheap (although in the sale at £120 it’s a lot better) but safety rarely ever is – especially safety that doesn’t make you look like a total Jackass. It feels way more comfortable than my previous POC helmets, and that’s saying a lot because they are a significant improvement on everything else I’ve tried – they make my Bell Super 2R feel like you’re putting a fish tank full of broken bricks on your head.
It instantly feels comfortable and the pads dry out really quickly, meaning that you don’t get a soggy, sweaty helmet when riding two days in a row. If you’re looking for something that will protect your brain box from all the stupid things that you do on your bike then this is exactly what you need. I know it’s a lot of money, but it’s significantly cheaper than brain damage!
