There’s a new POC Cytal Lite helmet that’s been developed to keep you cool in the hottest conditions. It’s already been spotted at the Tour with EF looking to keep from overheating on hotter climbing days.
On the outside, it looks like a simple update to POC’s latest aero all-rounder Cytal helmet, just with more vent openings. And yet inside, it holds one simple but effective secret weapon to keeping your head cooler.
But it isn’t entirely foolproof. I’ve been riding and sweating in the new Cytal Lite for only a week now, but it’s already made me rethink helmet cooling…
POC Cytal Lite lightweight, fully vented road helmet
The new POC Cytal Lite is undeniably ultralight at just 200g. That’s almost a third lighter than its recent Cytal helmet. In fact, mine is even lighter. And based on our previous measurement of POC’s Ventral Lite four years ago, this may be their lightest-ever road bike helmet. Weigh weenies could probably stop there, as this feels almost weightless on your head, without any loss of fit adjustability.
But enhanced cooling airflow – especially at more realistic 20-30km/hr speeds – was just as important for POC when they created the Cytal Lite. “The result is a helmet that perfectly meets the demands of climbers, ‘col hunters,’ and anyone riding in hot climates who needs maximum cooling and ventilation,” explains POC’s Magnus Gustafsson.
And that’s why it ditches the conventional horizontal brow pad layout for a couple of more open vertical pads on your forehead.
Tech details
- max-vented lightweight road helmet, without compromising on fit or safety
- 12 forward vents,5 top vents & 6 rear exhaust vents
- open internal padding without a horizontal pad across your forehead for increased airflow (optional)
- lightweight low-density EPS foam liner co-molded with minimalist polycarbonate shell
- lightweight buckle & minimalist straps retain ear position adjustability
- 360° dial fit adjustment with vertical position adjustment
- optional horizontal brow padding
- optional Eye Garage grippers to securely hold sunglasses
- two CE EN1078 or US CPSC certified versions to optimize weight
- ultra-lightweight, as light as 180g (CE, size small)
CE: S 180g, M 200g & L 220g
CPSC: S 240g, M 250g & L 300g - 3 wide range sizes: S(50-56cm), M (54-59cm) & Large (56-61cm)
- 195g actual weight – CE, size Medium
Review: Sweating it out on hot days
The new POC Cytal Lite certainly feels light and well-ventilated out on the road. But it’s really the uncommon pad layout inside that sets it apart from most helmets.
I’m undeniably a heavy sweater, year-round really, so I was hoping this vertical-only padding configuration would mean more air moving across my brow and a cooler head.
Descending into a cooler creek valley after the first longer climb of the day, the extra cooling on my forehead felt refreshing. But before the top of the second climb on a muggy day, I realized that without a horizontal pad, sweat rolled directly off my brow, down my forehead and into my eyes. Curiously, it looks like the vertical pads line up about with the thickest part of my eyebrows where they can help divert sweat. But the remaining open channels just allow sweat to run down onto the bridge of my nose, and into both inside & outside corners of my eyes.
It was not an issue on a shorter, cooler ride I did with the helmet days before. But it’s enough of an issue that I’ve swapped in the more conventional horizontal ‘bridge pad’ that POC includes with the helmet.
Herein lies the beauty of the unique pad layout. Everyone can try the vertical pads, and it’s easy & trouble-free to swap back to a more conventional layout if it doesn’t suit you.
Parting thoughts
The new Cytal Lite is almost exactly the same tall, angular overall shape and profile as the recent Cytal, including its internal ventilation channels.
This new one just has more open area for improved airflow and a uniquely customizable front pad layout. And it is seriously lightweight, at just 195g for my big head’s medium helmet in Europe.
That means making your choice is as easy as asking whether you prioritize keeping cool or incremental aerodynamic improvements. If I had to pick one, I would go with the Cytal Lite, but only because I am always hot. In reality, I now have both and will use both. The standard Cytal still offers plenty of ventilation for most of my rides – more than most aero all-rounder helmets. But anytime I decide to head out and rack up more meters of climbing than usual, or if the mercury is expected to surpass 28-30°C, the Cytal Lite will be my choice for road, gravel, and maybe even some summer XC marathon-style bike riding..
POC Cytal Lite – Pricing, options & availability
The new ultralight, ultra-vented POC Cytal Lite road helmet is available now, directly from POC or in retailer shops around the world for $400 / 350€. POC offers it in 3 sizes (S-L) with wide range overlap, so people on the edge can size up or down to get a larger/smaller shell overall. It comes in matte Hydrogen White with black foam and a black rear panel, or all matte Uranium Black like our test helmet. No publicly available EF Pro Cycling pink edition yet, but maybe that will come down the road?
