POC unveils brand-new Cytal road and Cularis mountain bike helmets

New POC helmets ranked #1 for mountain and road helmets in VA Tech’s independent testing process.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (March 20, 2025) — POC, the Swedish protection brand known for its reputation for safety, innovation, and design, is releasing two brand-new helmets: Cytal, a new road helmet with an integrated wing and unique performance balance, and Cularis, an MTB trail helmet that brings a new meaning to cooling and safety.

The Cytal and Cularis, both entirely new developments, will complement POC’s range of award-winning road and mountain bike helmets and lead out POC’s new 2025 Cycling season collection.

Commenting on the new Cytal and Cularis, POC’s Chief Product Officer, Oscar Huss, said – “Our safety mission is crystal clear, and it inspires us to improve and constantly question the status quo. We know how to develop highly ventilated, comfortable, aerodynamic and highly protective helmets; with the Cytal and Cularis, we wanted to challenge ourselves to take another step forward. In particular, we wanted to integrate more of our real-world testing and research knowledge to refine details and enhance helmet performance. And the Cytal and Cularis are a true embodiment of this approach.”

At the OMA 2025 Winter show, we got a first glimpse of some early prototypes of the Cytal and Cularis.

CULARIS

Cularis is a trail-focused mountain bike helmet. It is built on a rich heritage of POC mountain bike helmets, especially Tectal and Kortal. Cularis maintains the well-known POC silhouette and head coverage, which ensures riders are suitably protected during trail riding. In addition, it is a helmet that encourages significant airflow and cooling, a process inspired by CFD analysis and many of POC’s highly ventilated road helmets.

Cularis is designed for trail riders looking for incredible ventilation and lightweight. Combined with seamlessly integrated details, such as a Mips Air node, Fidlock buckle, precise adjustment system, eye garage, and a break-away peak, a mountain bike helmet will enhance your protection and help you go the distance.

Product details:

• Ventilation — Inspired by the ventilation performance of POC’s World Tour road helmets, Cularis has been created with the same focus on capturing air at the front of the helmet and channeling it to make a highly ventilated and cool helmet. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) has been used in the development process to fine-tune and optimize air flow and cooling.
• Protection — The essence and foundation of any trail helmet is safety. Cularis has an optimized shape, a precise EPS liner, and a polycarbonate shell, creating a lightweight, balanced feeling optimized for angled and linear impact protection. Virginia Tech has tested it and achieved a five-star rating and (as of March 2025) is ranked as the number one helmet in all helmets tested.
• Mips Air Node — A seamlessly integrated Mips Air Node system enhances protection from angled (non-linear) impacts.
• Break-Away peak — POC introduced the ‘Break-Away’ peak, which is designed to fly off the helmet in the case of a fall, being caught by a branch, etc. The principle is that the peak avoids any transfer of forces or risk to the neck and allows the peak to be reattached and reused.
• Eye garage — Common for road cycling and gravel, the Cularis features an integrated eye garage for storing eyewear when not needed. As Cularis is designed for trail use, a perfect example of using the eye garage is during a long climb or when the weather gets darker.
• Fidlock — To enhance simplicity and facilitate one-handed use, the Cularis features a Fidlock buckle, which is practical and convenient
• Adjustment system — Comfort will always be one of the most important aspects of any helmet. Being able to fine-tune a fit to meet individual preferences is essential and enhances use and protection. The Cularis has a 360-degree adjustment system, adjustable straps (up, down, side to side), and a vertical adjustment on the rear cradle.
• Weight — Small: 360g / Medium: 350g / Large: 430g
• Certification — CPSC/CE/EN/AS/NZS
• Sizes — Small (51-54), Medium (55-58), Large (59-62).
• Price — $240

CYTAL

Influenced by Cytal Carbon, which is currently used by many EF Pro Cycling riders, the Cytal uses all the pioneering aerodynamic and ventilation knowledge developed from Cytal Carbon and adds a refined balance and enhanced protection.

 

Developed to establish a new benchmark in performance, the Cytal uses an integrated wing to enhance ventilation and aerodynamics. Designed for road and gravel riders, it’s a helmet constructed for a precise and unique balance in performance and protection.

Product details:

• Ventilation — The Cytal continues to use the Venturi effect, POC’s well-known and respected approach to airflow and ventilation in its helmets. The integrated wing creates superior ventilation and cooling across the whole head. To encourage airflow and create precise pressure zones inside the helmet, the wing has a precise shape that increases air velocity and enhances cooling—combined with the linear interior channels to guide airflow, vast amounts of air pass through and out of the helmet, all cooling the rider in the process.
• Aerodynamics — Ventilation and cooling are essential for modern performance, as is aerodynamics, and the Cytal has benefitted from POC’s extensive CFD simulation, wind tunnel, and real-world testing. The integrated wing supports larger frontal ports of precise size and angles. It allows the Cytal frontal air intakes to capture and lead air through the helmet instead of around it, significantly reducing the high-pressure zone at the front of the helmet and improving a rider’s aerodynamic profile.
• Protection — Safety is the primary role of a helmet, and the Cytal has been developed with this as its priority. The EPS liner has variable density across the helmet, which was created by heat map evidence analyzed by POC’s in-house tech and research team. It’s an approach that leads to a lightweight and naturally balanced helmet. It also supports enhanced protection, and Virginia Tech has tested the Cytal and has achieved a five-star rating. (As of March 2025, it is ranked as the number one road helmet and number three in all helmets tested.)
• Mips — A seamlessly integrated Mips Air Node system enhances protection from angled (non-linear) impacts.
• Fit system — It is essential to fine-tune a fit to meet individual preferences. The Cytal has a variable adjustment system, including removable front brow pads for enhanced ventilation, adjustable straps (up, down, side to side), and a vertical adjustment on the rear cradle.
• Eye garage—When placed on the helmet, the eye garage keeps your sunglasses securely in position, including at speed.
• Sizes: Small (50-56), Medium (54-59), and large (56-61).
• Weight and certification: CE/EN: Small: 250g / Medium: 270g / Large: 300g; CPSC: Small: 300g / Medium: 320g / Large: 340g; AS/NZS: Small: 260g / Medium: 280g / Large: 300g
• Price — $330

Availability

• The Cytal will be available to buy at www.poc.com and in selected stores and online starting March 25, 2025.
• The Cularis will be available to buy at www.poc.com and in selected stores and online starting at the end of March 2025

 

Safety Technology and Research – The POC Process

POC continuously pushes beyond conventional testing to refine helmet performance using real-world data. POC’s Tech and Research team employs advanced tools such as:

• Finite Element Method (FEM) modeling to simulate real-world crash forces.
• The Cube, an internal database containing nearly a million real-world data points.
• Collaborative studies with safety experts, including Volvo, Autoliv and Folksam, to assess various scenarios, i.e. helmet-to-car impacts.
• In-house video analysis, a technique pioneered in World Cup level ski racing, to study actual crash dynamics.

Our studies directly shape product design — CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) optimizes airflow in the Cularis, while FEM (Finite Element Method) modelling enhances safety and comfort in the Cytal.

By designing helmets that can manage greater forces, typically seen in elite sports, we can better protect elite athletes. The positive benefit of this research and approach is that everyday riders will typically benefit from the safety margin typically built into POC helmets.

In commenting on POC’s approach to tech and research, Oscar Huss said, “By using the evidence and data from our tech and research projects, we can better understand real-world scenarios and forces. Developing products designed to better manage real-world impacts is critical, but equally important is that helmets, like Cularis and Cytal, are highly ventilated, aerodynamic, lightweight, and comfortable. And that’s the optimal balance our process and experience bring.”

 

About POC

Born and based in Stockholm, Sweden, POC is a safety and performance pioneer on a global mission: protect lives and reduce the consequences of accidents for athletes and anyone inspired to be one. Creating all types of protection for cycling and snow sports, POC uses research, scientific methods and rigorous testing in its pursuit of innovation.