POCOctal AVIP Road Helmet(Return to Product Page)

Strapped it on, adjusted the fitness dial, and almost forgot it was there. Very light weight. Rode with it in the Death Ride (9 hours of saddle time for me), and never gave it a thought. It instantly became a part of me.

I noticed in lower speed descents, around 25mph, that it was a little noisier than my Giro Atmos, but it also seemed to stick to my head better and had no vibration or movement in descents over 45mph. The noise may have been from the beefed up protection in the temple area and around the ears. It's a little wider than usual, so maybe with that extra material, there's a little more turbulence right outside your ears.

I went with the orange color for a bit of extra safety while riding with traffic, and it does stand out.

Overall, a very impressive helmet. Fit and light weight are outstanding. It's stable, and there's plenty of ventilation to keep comfortable, even in 90 degree weather.

I bought the new POC Octal without even having seeing it on the road. But in fairness, I already knew POC from alpine skiing, where they have been producing some of the best new designs from the perspective of safety, durabilty and aesthetices. So when they announced that they had come up with a road cycling helmet, I had to take a look and do my research. Eveything I read said great things and although I own another helmet that's still in great shape, I feel much safer wearing the POC. But that's only when I remember I have it on. Since it's the most comfortable and light helmet I've ever tried, I often forget I have it on.

But that's exactly what I want a helmet to do....make me forget it's on.

For added safety I also bought the new ICE tracking device...great concept!

As I was researching helmets, time after time reviewers said I put it on my head and I forgot it was there. Totally true. It's super light and super comfortable. I barely feel it. I'm bald and my head sweats a lot, but the big vents kept my head very well ventilated. It's gimmicky, but I love the little eye garage pads, too.

I don't understand all the fuss about the look of the helmet. I think it's the best looking helmet out there. The clean, squarish shape is a breath of fresh air from the overly curvy and sinewy style of most helmets. It's kind of sci-fi looking, especially from the back.

BikeTiresDirect.com's price was unbeatable. Even with the discounts the helmet was $200. So it's not a steal, per se, but I think $200 is worth it for the helmet that looks awesome, feels terrific, and is supposedly a step up in safety and crash protection.

Most comfortable helmet ever worn. Shipped super fast

It's probably most fair for me to compare this to the helmet I just replaced, a Uvex Boss Race I had worn for over a year and returned for a recall. I would have gotten a replacement Uvex but there were none available. The craftsmanship of the Uvex was the best I have seen of any brand, and it was not expensive, and it was not made in China. The POC is expensive, and is made in China. Still, it's a nice helmet. It has more wind noise than the Uvex. Venting is venting. The number of vents, IMO, does not make that much of a difference. Everyone asked me if my Giro Air Attack (which I wore before Uvex) was hot, and the answer is no. As long as you're moving I think the design of the vents is more important than the quantity. And if you're not moving, more coverage might actually be cooler vs. the sun shining through on your head, especially if the helmet is white as mine usually are. The brow strap which holds the pad in place with Velcro broke early on, but POC warranty replaced it. The adjust-ability is good. I prefer more substantial straps, but people seem to like the very light straps as used on the POC. It came with a spare pad which is a nice touch. My white helmet came with reflective stickers, a plus, but they were an incredibly ugly orange color. I would have preferred white. It fits well with my Tifosi Tyrant 2.0 (under the straps) but doesn't fit well with Oakley Racing Jackets. To summarize, my only complaints are that this is pretty expensive for something made in China and the stickers are ugly. All in all a good review.

The POC is so light weight that I barely notice it while riding. I love that aspect of it. Will it work well in a crash? I hope I never find out, but it gets super high ratings which is comforting. It's very open and breezy - great for hot days, but I throw on a helmet liner on cool days. I purchased the neon orange, as I like to be visible to cars.

I must say that I had my doubts about this helmet . . . it does give you the hydrocephalus look, that is, a much larger profile, however, the occipital protection and the retaining systemfitventilation make up for the minor misgiving. I found the helmet comfortable, so much so that I actually forgot that I was wearing it! I didn't have an issue with ventilation (it was a 20F ride on one of the snowless Midwestern winter days so ventilation isn't applicable) and the helmet suspension system felt comfortable for the length of the ride.

I'm really impressed with the design of the POC Octal AVIP road helmet. The occipital protection is something you don't normally see on bicycle helmets but should be mandatory. I definitely see value in this design since I work in the public safetyemergency services profession.

Finally, I would encourage you to try this helmet. With BikeTiresDirect great low prices and competitive price-matching, what's to lose???

Overall this is a top helmet. Is very cool and comfortable on long rides in our hot , sticky Sydney summer. It does however have one design defect which is quite annoying , the band restraining the chin strap is so flimsy that it snapped on the first use.. Very annoying as I have no way of stopping the excess strap from flapping around but to tuck it under itself. Not very comfortable. Hopefully the next model will rectify this problem.

Overall this is a top helmet. Is very cool and comfortable on long rides in our hot, sticky Sydney summer. It does however have one design defect which is quite annoying: the band restraining the chin strap is so flimsy that it snapped on the first use. Very annoying as I have no way of stopping the excess strap from flapping around but to tuck it under itself. Not very comfortable. Hopefully the next model will rectify this problem.

This helmet is for road riding, very light weight and i almost forget it is on my head. The price is up there, even on sale, but what is your head worth? The straps are lighter and thinner than on my other helmets - not a bad thing, just feels strange when trying to adjust them. The wheel in the back that adjusts the fit on your head is a little harder to get to with the helmet on, but doable and works like all the others. I have great faith this lid will do the job, but hope to never find out first hand.

I was able to get a great deal on this with the discounts offered by Bike Tires Direct . The helmet fits great ,looks good and has many vents to keep you cool . I was switching from a Giro Pro light helmet but find this almost as light . I ride double centuries and wearing this helmet for 17 hours was no problem very comfortable and cool all daynight long .I think the bright colors help drivers see you better , I ordered the Garmin Blue .

The POC helmet seems to be about the safest thing on the road, so I got one for the brains in the family... my wife!

These aren't the most attractive helmets out there, but my girl pulls it off pretty well. She's the only person I've seen wearing one that looks good in it (sorry Garmin-Sharp). In the end that doesn't matter, because taking care of your noggin is what's most important!

I really like this helmet a lot. It has a bit more crash protection than your average helmet (every little bit helps). It is highly visible (again, every little bit helps). It's also extremely light and better ventilated than any other helmet I've ever owned. I like the sunglasses garage and the built in space for the ICEdot sensor as well, though I'm not sure that either of these features is worth buying the helmet for alone. All in all, I'm pleased with this helmet and, if you're in the market for a helmet close to this price-range, would recommend it.

This helmet seems to have more airflow than my previous helmets, it is very light and it fits the shape of MY head better than most, I'm sure with all the different shapes of heads, this is a personal thing. The grippers for sunglasses are quite impressive, it holds them there and they will not shake loose.

Helmet is very light in weight. I have not yet used it in hot weather but I can already tell it is well-ventilated. The bright orange color is striking and should make it easier for vehicle drivers to see it on the road.

Thinking about buying a second in a different color.

Road cycling year round. Comfort is great and the quality appears superb.

I'm an avid road bike cyclist. I'm very impressed with this POC helmet. It's certainly lighter than the previous helmet I was using. It also stays put once you secure the fit adjustment system. I can hit a bump while in the drops and I don't need to worry about the helmet moving around. It's the most comfortable road bike helmet I've used and I almost forget I'm wearing it.

Wonderful product. Very light on the head. Great ventilation. I ride tons of hills and get great air flow through the helmet during climbs. Adjustable dial allows for perfect fit. Excellent coverage of your skull. Been riding with this for about two months and I love it. Highly recommend this awesome helmet!

This helmet is super light and fits great with the dial in size adjustment. The venting works better than I had anticipated. I get real hot and sweaty with any helmet. the Octal keeps me cooler than my Giro Atmos.