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To make the lightest version of your lightest helmet, you have to fully leverage your engineering and design experience. This was POC's mission in developing the Ventral Lite Helmet, and one of the most innovative equipment companies in the outdoors/cycling world succeeded. This is the helmet for every weight-obsessed cyclist who does all that is humanly possible to shave as many grams from their bike and kit as is possible. It’s the helmet for people who think a helmet weighs too much. And, of course, the helmets available in the EU and US, respectively, meet the necessary safety standards , otherwise the Ventral Lite wouldn't be available. For reference, the US model is listed as 220 grams in the Small Size, while the EU version is listed at 180 grams. The difference is the weight of the EPS liner foam used to achieve the specific safety standards.

POC has never been shy about the airflow and safety features of their helmets. The bold shapes and designs have been fully functional, comfortable to wear, and have been built with major airflow as a dominant feature. The Ventral Lite maintains that philosophy. Scaled back, pared down yet never compromising on safety, the Ventral Lite is the result of taking a minimalist approach at every stage of design and production. Every aspect of the helmet, from the adjustment system and straps to the liner and shell, are optimized for protection at the lowest weight possible. The entire helmet structure has been altered so that a different density of EPS liner can be used. The outer PC (polycarbonate) shell is scaled back to the absolute essentials, keeping the weight down.

The retention and adjustment system is definitely stripped down from the Ventral Air, and POC turned to some proven technology from their ski helmet experience, and adapted their nylon string and PET Perspex headband system while retaining the existing cycling dial and backing plate to ensure even pressure distribution. The minimalist size adjustment is very lightweight and gives a secure fit. The straps for the retention set-up have been narrowed, and the buckle system made less complicated by removing the divider buckles that people do love about most POC helmets. By changing the strap routing, angles and overall system design, the result is very effective and easy to use while providing the safety and security you need.

There are many helmets on the market that have advanced safety features like MIPS. POC has developed their SPIN system, and also licenses MIPS now for several helmets. Two points must be made. First is that so-called slip-plane layers are very effective at limiting the shearing forces that the brain can be exposed to in an impact situation. Point number two is that neither the US or EU safety standards require these features. Well made and equipped helmets all pass and even exceed various impact and drop tests used by safety testing used by certification agencies. And, there are many helmets on the market that meet those standards and don't feature MIPS or SPIN. Many of these are substantially heavier than the Ventral Lite. So if you feel like light weight and excellent are your primary helmet requirements, there may be no better helmet than the Ventral Lite for you.