Review: POC Coron Full Face Helmet

POC is well known for its bold logos, colours and its technical advances in protection – be it knee pads, compression suits or as one of the first companies to offer trail lids with more coverage. And the Coron is the Swedish company’s completely new full face helmet, designed in collaboration with team rider Martin Soderstrom. And while this one is Phenol Grey, UK importer 2Pure are also stocking the Coron in Uranium Black, Hydrogen White and two limited edition options: Intense Red and Soderstrom – which look hot.

The Coron isn’t an updated Cortex; it’s a brand new lid with a fresh new look. The Coron introduces a new shell material called M-Forge, which is claimed to flex more than traditional shells without adding a weight penalty (our M/L weighs 1,162g). Sat beneath the M-Forge shell is an Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) liner. According to POC, the difference between EPP and EPS (Expanded Polystyrene – what most manufacturers use) is that EPS absorbs energy by plastic deformation and EPP does not deform permanently. This sounds great for clumsy riders like me, who spend a good amount of time crashing into things. EPP can basically absorb more repetitive impacts. At the time of writing this I can’t comment on how effective this is as, surprisingly I haven’t crashed in it. YET.

POC has thought long and hard about the visor too, making it break away in stages. Firstly it unclips from the front bolt, freeing it to flip upwards, rather than snapping straight away. If you’re going for a Double Roll Special, with several head to ground impacts, the peak is still designed to break free at the two side bolts. It does feel fairly sturdy and I don’t think it is going to crack or break on every small impact, or if you drop it off you bars (like I have had with some other helmets. Erm).

In addition to the new shell and liner POC has paid close attention to the ventilation of the Coron. With more Enduro races adopting a mandatory full face helmet policy – which in some cases isn’t a bad idea – ventilation is key if a brand is going to pick up some sales in that sector of the market. The Coron has a large front vent in the chin guard, as well as two smaller slots on either side. When you get up close you start to notice vents and channels all over, including four large rear exhaust vents to ensure any air coming in can flow through the helmet with ease, which naturally keeps you head cooler. There are a number of forehead and top vents that let ample air in too, and when you look under the internal liner the airflow channels are obvious.

I was once given a tip for increasing airflow in full face helmets whilst pedaling long transitions; it’s really simple when you think about it – simply remove the jaw/cheek padding and crack on. The Coron’s cheek pads aren’t as easy to remove or replace as other helmets but, once I’d done it a couple of times I got used to lining them back up. Each side is held in place by three small plastic press clips. In these areas plastic is a good idea, as they’re obviously not going to rust over time.

I’m with a average size bonce and usually wear a medium helmet. Our M/L fitted me perfectly. When I first put it on I did feel a bit of pressure on the very top of my crown, but after a couple seconds I didn’t notice it again.

In use, the cheek pads helped hold the Coron nice and firmly without being too thick. The ear pockets are large and didn’t impair my hearing or balance and I managed to put the Coron on without ripping my larger than average wing nuts off. The peak is a nice size but doesn’t get in the way of my vision. The Coron’s increased airflow kept my head at at a reasonable temperature and during testing I have had no issues with goggles excessively steaming up whilst stopped on the side of a trail. Both my Smith Squad and POC Cornea goggles fit under the peak nice and easily. The chin strap is well padded and comfortable, is easily fastened and stays secure.

Not only has POC gone all out with the safety and comfort of the Coron, they have added some more shape. I much prefer the look of the Coron over POC’s other full face helmet offerings – particularly the nice sleek lines that continue on from the peak, running around the top of the helmet. The breakaway peak also has some more shape added to the top bolt area, making the Coron look less like a 90s motorbike lid.

There is no getting away from the fact that POC means business with this helmet; it sits at the same high end performance and price point as the likes of TLD D3 and Bell’s Full 9. It’s not a budget helmet, true, but it does have a whole load of new materials and fancy construction techniques built in.

Overall: The Coron brings to the market a new M-Forge shell that doesn’t have weight penalties, is supposed to be better at absorbing impacts, has more ventilation and is, lets face it, a bloody nice looking helmet. I’m looking forward to more uplift days and reasons to wear it.