The POC Barocon Carbon brings together new ideas for safety, weight, ventilation, and material fusion. It sets a benchmark for what can be integrated and achieved in a modern full-face helmet.
Commenting on the Barocon Carbon, POC’s Chief Product Officer, Oscar Huss, said, “For over twenty years, we have built up a wealth of experience supporting athletes at the very pinnacle of their sports. Downhill is where the most important questions in protection find their most honest answers. With the Barocon Carbon, we wanted to develop the most protective mountain bike full-face helmet possible—one that meets the needs of today’s DH riders and courses. The Barocon Carbon unites protection, performance, ventilation, and material innovation, defying conventional thinking to meet the precise needs of modern-day DH riders.”
Downhill mountain biking occupies a unique place in the sport. Performance margins are small, and technical demands are high. The consequences of getting things wrong are real. At the same time, it remains one of the most valuable environments for innovation. Advances in protection and materials can be tested in the most demanding settings. Close collaboration between athletes, engineers, and brands can directly influence product development.
Earlier this season, POC announced its partnership with Norco adidas Race Division. It joined the team as a major partner for the UCI Downhill World Series as part of a multi-year agreement covering riding apparel, eyewear, helmets, and body armor. This marks POC’s return to World Cup downhill racing. The team has also been racing in the new Barocon Carbon and Zygon goggles from the beginning of the season.
Commenting on the team’s response to the Barocon Carbon, Greg Minnaar, Team Director at Norco, said, “A lot of DH tracks have been around for many years, which gives us a clear reference point for how much faster riders are going today compared to ten or fifteen years ago. Everything has become more professional, from the riders and bikes to setup and training. Protection has had to progress with that. The team has been using the Barocon Carbon since the start of the season, and it has been great to see how quickly the riders have built trust and confidence in it.”
Product details
Carbon fiber shell in-molded with EPS Liner
The helmet features a lightweight, very strong carbon fiber outer shell, which is a fundamental part of its protection. The interior EPS liner features densities optimized for protection while also helping keep weight low. A carbon fiber shell and optimized EPS liner are essential in their own right. However, what makes the Barocon Carbon unique is the nature of its shell and liner: instead of two separate pieces glued together, the Barocon Carbon is fused into a single piece to create a sandwich construction, which enhances structural integrity and strength while reducing overall weight.
Meets higher testing standards
The helmet is tested and certified to EN 1078 / CPSC 1203 / AS/NZS 2063 / ASTM F1952, / ASTM F2032 / DOT (FMVSS 218). Testing has also been guided by the speed and thresholds of the European ECE motorcycle standard ECE R22.06 to provide even further levels of protection.
Exceptionally Lightweight
At just 1040g for a size Medium, the Barocon Carbon is a very lightweight DH helmet. It is certified to stricter DOT (FMVSS 218) penetration standards and guided by ECE R22.06 for higher-speed protection. Given these standards, the helmet’s weight is exceptionally low for this level of protection.
Highly Ventilated
The use of an in-mold sandwich construction for the shell and liner creates a very robust helmet that can withstand the required penetration forces without affecting the airflow openings or design. Ventilation channels inspired by our existing full-face and road helmets deliver unrestricted airflow for enhanced cooling.
Multi-directional Breakaway Peak
The helmet peak is attached via magnets and designed to break away from the helmet in an impact, whether from the front or the side, helping reduce the forces transmitted to the head and neck in an accident. Once it comes off, it can simply be clicked back into place.
Mips Evolve
The helmet also features Mips Evolve to support enhanced rotational impact protection.
D-ring buckle
A long-term favorite of DH racers and riders. The helmet strap features a D-ring buckle for added security and feel.
Adjustable padding and Ear chambers
The helmet’s fit can be fine-tuned with the extra padding. Extra space around the ears supports better balance and comfort.
Helmet certification
BAROCON CARBON — ADVANCED PROTECTION GUIDED BY ADVANCED CERTIFICATION TESTS AND STANDARDS.
The Barocon Carbon is a DH-specific full-face helmet built for the demands of modern downhill (DH) racing. What we have seen over the years is that as speeds and course technicality increase, some riders have turned to motocross (MX) helmets for greater levels of protection and confidence. The downside is that MX helmets are heavier, less ventilated, and not tuned to the specific needs of DH racing.
The Barocon Carbon has been specifically developed to provide higher levels of protection, whilst maintaining all the specific needs for a DH rider. The Barocon Carbon is not a motorcycle helmet and we have not tried to make one, however due to the higher testing speeds and penetration tests involved in motorcycle helmet certification we have chosen to use them, or be guided by them, in how we have built the Baracon Carbon.
The Barocon Carbon, as you would expect, meets all the basic cycling helmet standards; EN 1078 / CPSC 1203 / AS/NZS 2063 which are used for all cycling helmets.
To meet the specific needs of DH helmet certification the Barocon Carbon has also been certified to ASTM F1952 (DH mountain bike standard) and ASTM F2032 (BMX full face standard).
Due to the higher standards for penetration testing and certification imposed by DOT (FMVSS 218) we have also decided to certify the Barocon Carbon to this standard. The DOT standard would allow the helmet to be used on a motorcycle in the USA, but it is worth remembering it is not designed as a motorcycle helmet, and our use of the DOT certification is to have a higher penetration test certified.
Finally, and due to the higher speeds involved in DH racing, we have been guided by the tests used in certifying a helmet for ECE R22.06, which is known as the European Motorcycle standard. Our aim is not to create a motorcycle helmet, but we do want to be guided by its higher testing speeds and thresholds as we develop a DH helmet to meet the exact needs of modern DH riders.
By using DOT (FMVSS 218) we know the Barocon Carbon is certified for enhanced penetration protection. And by using the ECE R22.06 values to guide our testing we know that we have created a DH helmet that is highly protective and has a very significant safety margin, across all impact points, when compared to the maximum allowed force in DH standard (ASTM F1952).
MSRP – EUR – 800 / NOK – 9,499 / SEK – 8,999 / CHF – 899 / DKK – 6,499 / GBP – 730 / USD – 880 / JPY – 132,000 / AUD – 1,350 / NZD – 1,450 / PLN – 3,500 / CZK – 20,000
POC Zygon goggle
Alongside the Barocon Carbon, a new goggle has also been developed and released. The Zygon is unique. It has wide outriggers to enhance peripheral vision and an angled strap designed for the Barocon. This allows even pressure across the face and positions the goggles perfectly for racing.
Constructed with a cylindrical lens and Clarity by POC technology, the goggle’s ventilation is easily adjusted for airflow and comfort. Triple-layer face foam follows your face’s contours for a close fit. A Coolmax fabric layer next to your skin helps keep you cool, even at race pace.
MSRP – EUR – 130 / NOK – 1,599 / SEK – 1,449 / CHF – 149 / DKK – 1,049 / GBP – 120 / USD – 150 / JPY – 22,000 / AUD – 220 / NZD – 240 / PLN – 560 / CZK – 3,300
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