Attracted to the modern, clean styling, I chose the Trabec to protect my head for the entire past riding season. POC, a Swedish company, has shown that a helmet does not have to look like an alien space craft to be attractive. They have taken that even further by making this example of great industrial design safe and comfortable as well.
Designed for enduro and single track riding, this helmet has a greater coverage around the sides and back of the head. Add in an Aramid filament to reinforce the entire helmet, and specific strength engineering for areas that will more commonly take impacts, and this helmet will give you additional courage to charge ahead. See how it all adds up after the break…
Sixteen inmolded vents are designed in to give the skate-like helmet the required ventilation of an XC lid. The size adjustment system is designed to wrap around the head, making for a better fit, and the adjustable visor is great for protection. At $150, these features add up to a standard list of expectations for a helmet in this price point. It is available in three sizes, and weighs 340 grams, which is in the middle of other similar competitor’s helmets.
The Trabec and I got along pretty well. The fit is excellent, with a very comfortable placement on the head, no strange pressure points, and no movement of the helmet during riding. The visor is sizable, and does a great job keeping the sun out of the eyes. It is adjustable, but I found that it was only held in place by two joints, meaning that friction was expected to keep it in place once adjusted. Unfortunately, the visor rarely ever stayed in the place I requested it, almost always creeping down lower in a few miles of riding. A little double sided tape under the middle tabs fixed that, but made future adjustments more difficult.
Sixteen vents is generous, but the upper Midwest can get extremely humid in the middle of summer. The Trabec did a decent job of keeping cool, especially given the size and coverage of the helmet, however I found on the hottest and most humid days I was forced to resort to another brand’s sci-fi fighter jet looking helmet in order to keep riding. With all this sweating, I also found the light gray straps to soil and look grungy after only a few rides, detracting from the otherwise great looks.
Overall the Trabec is a worthy helmet, with great coverage, looks and fit for a decent price. Its not perfect, and not for every ride, but most of us have a few different helmets already, and this one is a great option to have around.
