POC brightens up your incremental aerodynamic gains with a limited edition Procen Air EF Pro Cycling helmet in classic team pink. Mark it down as another helmet that you’ll either love or hate – but aren’t all of the best POC lids? It could easily be mistaken for a time trial helmet, but is in fact, much more versatile. And now it will boost your visibility too, in bright EF team colors.
Plus, the EF Pink edition gets one small construction upgrade, possibly to make it more durable in the day-to-day abuse of a helmet in the pro peloton… Anti-Bullet
Debuted last spring, the POC Procen Air is a mashup of an aerodynamic time trial helmet and a more all-rounder aero road racing helmet. It combines a smooth aero shell (that could almost be a TT helmet) with a slickly integrated visor and half-ear covers to decrease aero drag. Then it gets 3 forward-facing vents and generous internal channels to deliver just-enough airflow to keep you from overheating.
In the end, POC tones down the TT inspiration just to the extent that makes it still a viable road riding helmet – or even gravel racing, too.
I’ve ridden in it quite a lot in the past 10 months, and I’m quite happy with the Procen Air. But then again, with it on my head, I don’t have to look at it when I ride. 😉
I’m always hot and sweat year-round, so I was curious how it would handle the heat. Admittedly, the ventilation is only sufficient for me on days under say 18°C. Anything hotter than that and I roast, especially with the visor in place.
A big impact in keeping cool is actually taking that visor off, which I do on almost any ride for any sustained climbing. It’s super easy to do while riding, and snaps quite securely at the back of your head with its 3 embedded magnets.
It really is best for me for autumn to spring riding – and I use it on a mix of road & gravel. The soft ear cowls do a surprising job of quieting wind noise while still letting you fully hear everything that is going on around you. The visor provides great visibility, and interestingly dampens some the feeling of going fast by keeping wind off a large portion of your face. Be aware, you might be going faster than you think.
In the end, it also has become my go-to helmet for cold winter rides and even wet rides. Paired with a thin windproof cap, it’s more comfortable than ever to ride on those coldest winter days. Does that mean, I could even be in better shape for the Spring Classics where those aero gains might come in handy?
The big news here is that it’s pink. That’s important for both fans of the women’s & men’s EF pro teams, but also for anyone looking for extra visibility out on the road. The only thing I would change with my own Procen Air is its matte ‘disappear against a background of asphalt’ black color. POC has always been great with hi-viz AVIP models, but this one never got that treatment.
The pink POC Procen Air EF Pro Cycling edition also looks to add one more piece of in-mold plastic to the back. Where air exists at the rear vents, my original Procen Air has exposed EPS. Almost a year later after I’ve been riding in it, I haven’t seen any foam damage here, but I am pretty careful with road helmets. Likely getting tossed in the back of a World Tour team car is harder on helmets, so a bit of extra protection seems like a perfectly smart update here.
Other than that, this is just like the standard edition, but pinker and a few bucks more expensive.
The limited POC Procen Air EF Pro Cycling edition sells for $430 / 420€ – that’s $30/20€ more than in standard black or white. It is pro team pink with white EF & POC logos, plus a small argyle diamond detail on the temple.
Get yours today in S, M, or L directly from POC or soon from select retailers. And see what your riding buddies think of you looking serious in the weekend group rides.
Cory Benson is the EU Tech Editor of Bikerumor.com.
Cory has been writing about mountain bikes, enduro, cyclocross, all-road, gravel bikes & bikepacking for over 25 years, even before the industry created some of these names. Prior to Bikerumor, Cory was a practicing Architect specializing in environmental sustainability, has designed bike shops & bike components, and worked as a bike shop mechanic.
Based in the Czech Republic for 15+ years, he is a technical mountain biker, adventurous gravel rider, and short & medium-haul bikepacker. Cory travels extensively across Europe riding bikes, meeting with key European product developers, industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new, and what’s coming next.
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