Mark Adams POC’s Cortex Flow is a generously ventilated full face helmet with a durable fibreglass outer shell. The liner is made of multi-impact EPP, which means that the helmet can withstand numerous impacts. The open vents allow more air to flow through the helmet, increasing user comfort and functionality.
The Cortex Flow Helmet features ear chambers that have been designed for less effect on balance and hearing while the chin bar has been constructed for optimised protection and easy breathing.
Features:
- Multi-impact EPP liner
- Fibreglass outer shell
- PC inner shell
- Ear chambers designed for balance and hearing
- Chin bar constructed for optimised protection and easy breathing
- Certifications: EN 1078, CPSC 12.03, AS/NZ 2063:2008
- Weight: 1kg
Poc Cortex Flow Review:
The POC Cortex Flow helmet comes in a glossy white/grey and a gloss white/red colour scheme. There is also an all black/brown variant with a matte finish. However, we chose the white/grey variant as it looks the nicest and would go with any colour of riding apparel. The glossy finish also helps reflect light, making the helmet look lightweight and more aerodynamic.
The first thing we noticed was the stylish outer shell design. Like the rest of POC’s range, the Cortex Flow helmet is particularly well-designed. The helmet has an interesting twirl pattern going around the base of the helmet. This design is an aesthetic touch that immediately makes the helmet stand out as being exceptionally well designed. The round vents also have the same design, further emphasising this principle.
This is further emphasised by the minimalistic and attractive graphics on the shell and the chin area. The graphics aren’t particularly noticeable, but they are noticable enough to look cool. The shell of the helmet is a glossy, smooth finish. Despite this, it didn’t make us as reflective as we had initially anticipated. We were very impressed by how lightweight the helmet feels and how rigid the outer shell is. In fact, the helmet is so rigid that it feels like you could smack someone in the face with it and it would do some damage.
Despite the outer shell design being very attractive, it is relatively easy to scratch. The chin area developed several scratches over a relatively short period of time. In fact, we were somewhat disappointed that even with the chin guard down, the chin area became scratched. We do acknowledge that this may be due to our additional storage of the helmet in a bag rather than a helmet cloth. Regardless, it is still a little disappointing that the outer shell scratches so easily.
The helmet is very light as it only weighs around 960g. This weight is contributed to by the construction of the helmet as well as the EPP foam padding inside. One aspect of the helmet that we really appreciated was the generous padding in the helmet. We particularly liked the rectangular-shaped front padding of the helmet as it improved the fit of the helmet and made the helmet feel a lot more comfortable.
The chin area is another aspect of the helmet that we really appreciated. There’s a lot of padding in the chin guard, and the rectangular-shaped front padding fits perfectly around the mouth. This design prevents the chin guard from flapping around in the wind and provides further rigidity and comfort.
The POC Cortex Flow helmet features adjustable straps in font and rear. In addition, there is a chin strap – all of which makes the helmet incredibly comfortable and easy to wear even with a neck/shoulder injuries (e.g. whiplash). The front strap is also exceptionally well designed. It is cushioned which is really helpful for ensuring that the helmet doesn’t shift while riding. The chin strap is also covered with plenty of padding, and the chin guard can easily be lifted up to uncover an additional plastic strap underneath.
There are 14 large vents in the helmet. In fact, POC claim that there is 21 vents in the helmet, but there are in fact 14 large external vents and 7 internal vents which can be found in the inner lining. These are different to the unorthodox design of vents on the Turtle Shell and the Aeon.
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It is worth noting, though, that there seems to be a lack of vents in the lower part of the helmet. We didn’t really notice this during our time riding with the helmet, however, and the helmet didn’t seem less breathable than other helmets. In fact, the helmet felt really cool and comfortable during our rides. This is largely believed to be due to the helmet being so well designed, and due to the fact that there are open vents in the chin area and ear chambers to allow additional air flow.
There is a medium-sized visor in the front of the helmet. This gives the helmet a very sophisticated and modern design. The visor also has a similar pattern to the design that can be found on the outside of the helmet. The visor compatibility means that the helmet can work with a wide range of sunglasses, while still displaying the exceptional outer shell design.
The visor also has customizable venting, meaning that there are 4 openings for air flow. The visor is able to be locked in a standard or open position, meaning that the helmet users don’t have to worry about the visor flapping up in the wind if they wish to wear goggles. It also makes it more compatible with sunglasses that have a pivoting design.
We also like that the helmet comes with a removable visor. This adds to the flexibility and customisability of the helmet, and makes it suitable for those that ride both on-road and off-road.
