POC Ventral Air Mips Review

Comfort, style, and ventilation are some of our favorite attributes of the POC Ventral Air Mips. It provides many of the same advantages and features as other helmets we tested, although it does come at a slightly higher price. This is a great helmet for riders who pedal hard in the heat for high double or triple-digit miles and who appreciate the unique design — and an absolute plethora of color options.

Impact Test

The Poc proudly lists the Ventral Air Mips as complying with a litany of standards: EN 1078, CPSC 1203, AS/NZS 2063, JCF. To go even a step further, we decided to put the helmet through our own independent impact test, partnering with an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited impact testing lab named ACT Lab.

We sent ACT Lab a new helmet, which they then placed on their sophisticated, sensor-filled crash test dummy head and dropped it from their test sled at two different heights. Their “slow” test, dropped from 1 meter, was meant to emulate a less forceful crash that one may experience at low speeds. While their “fast” test, dropped at 2.3 meters, was meant to emulate a more forceful crash one could experience when involved in a fast group ride, when things go awry.

Slow Impact Test Results

Fast Impact Test Results

Likewise, the Poc Ventral gave back test results in the middle of the pack of our helmets.

When we calculated the total impact test scores for the Poc Ventral Air, they were above average. This is actually impressive, given the tough competition from other helmet brands and designs in our lineup. Its weight is about the mean average of similar scoring helmets, making us speculate that this high score is from clever engineering rather than relying on an overbuilt design.

The Ventral Air also includes Mips technology, which integrates closely with the thin foam padding you'll find in the interior of the helmet. The padding itself feels slightly squishy, marketed as creating a more tubular shape to it, which is supposed to roll during impact, rather than flatten. Mips itself is designed to allow the helmet to slip and twist slightly, lessening the forces to your head that can cause head trauma. “Mips Integra” — used in the Ventral Air — is marketed as being one of the lightest and slimmest flavors of Mips, perhaps second only to Mips Air.

Comfort

The Ventral Air provides a high range of fit variability with an adjustable head cradle and our preferred dial tensioning system at the occiput. The cradle isn't as intuitive as other models and takes some force to adjust. That said, the cradle has a light, airy feeling that is not noticeable after hours of riding.

The liner pads provide excellent contact points with the helmet's body, and our testers found these pads to be extremely comfortable and not hold heat or moisture. We did read some reviews that stated this helmet is not well suited to round head shapes, but our various testers did not find this to be true. The helmet does have a longer and narrower shape than other models tested. As with any equipment you plan to wear for extended periods, it is worth trying on before you buy, as comfort can be quite subjective.

The chin strap webbing is not as supple as other models we tested, but once customized to the wearer's head, it sits comfortably against the mandible. We prefer a helmet with minimal contact points as this promotes cooling and reduces pressure points. After riding all day, the Ventral Air felt lighter than its 308 grams in a size Medium would believe. Overall, this is an extremely comfortable helmet if it fits your head.

Ventilation

The Ventral Air uses the venturi effect of air pulling air (our quick summary) to cause some of the best yet quietest airflow that we tested. Though it has a lower vent count than other helmets, the large forehead shafts dry the interior padding and optimize airflow from the front of the helmet all the way to the trailing edge.

The recessed air channel technology utilized in the Ventral Air and a couple of other models in our lineup proves far superior to traditional venting. Riders who brave summer sun or desert heat should strongly consider this model. The excellent ventilation also reduces perspiration and saturation of the padding. The wonderful ventilation on this helmet earns it the word 'Air' in its name; it makes you feel like you are flying.

The Ventral Air does have fewer open vents on the top of the helmet than other helmets we've gotten our hands on, which you may feel on endless, hard climbs, like we have out here in the summertime across the Rocky Mountains.

Although it has a hefty price tag, other helmets on the market fail to offer that same level of ventilation and drag reduction (as proven through reduced wind roar). If you have the cash to spend and the style appeals to you, this helmet provides cooling comfort on a hot day.

Usability

POC has routed the classic helmet design in the Ventral Air and offers a helmet that provides a bold design to reduce turbulence. All riders may not prefer the unique trailing edge, but we did find that it reduced noise, and the large open vents offer excellent airflow.

The Poc Ventral Air has a fore/aft adjustable head cradle that takes a second or two of finagling to get into place, but once adjusted it stays secure throughout your ride. The large micro adjustment dial in the back is easy to use and find one-handed while riding, even with gloves.

The precision straps are comfortable, and the webbing can be fed through to adjust the placement of the Y-buckle, although we usually have to do this with the helmet off as this system is not as friendly or intuitive as other models.

The sunglass garage works exceedingly well: the grippy vinyl tape in the fore vents holds sunglasses at speeds clocked up to 35 mph without budging, though the ends of the sunglass temples may poke into your own.

Weight

At 308 grams for a size medium, the Ventral Air is in the middle of its class. It proved to be a pleasure on long rides, regardless, causing little to no neck strain on all-day rides.

The integrated pads and rotational protection of the Mips Integra technology shed some grams, as does the variable-density EPS foam. Those counting grams for gram's sake can look elsewhere. We found the extra grams unnoticeable and reached for the Ventral on our longest rides despite its heavier weight because of its excellent scores in the metrics that follow.

Should You Buy the Poc Ventral Air Mips?

The Ventral Air is a high-quality, durable helmet that has excellent ventilation. We're impressed by its impact test scores. The unique design may not fit every head or call to every sensibility, but all our testers agreed that it felt light as air and kept our heads cool in the grueling summer heat. The price tag justifies the services for those willing to throw down for a new interpretation of a necessary tool in our sport.

What Other Road Bike Helmets Should You Consider?

If you're searching for helmets with the highest impact test scores, look at the Trek Velocis Mips, Giro Synthe Mips II, and Bell Stratus Mips. For better ventilation at a small markup, you can't go wrong with the Giro Aries Spherical.