POC Myelin cycle helmet review: cool Scandinavian design and recyclable

The POC Myelin cycle helmet is a new arrival and, if you’ve always tutted about having to don protective head gear when on two wheels, it might make you think again. 

What we’ve got here is pure Scandinavian cool-ness, which will see it make our best cycling helmet guide in due course. It’s a real looker, and more importantly, will also help protect your bonce in the event of an accident.

Of course, you can also call on the POC Myelin cycle helmet to protect your head if you’re going skateboarding or, perhaps, jumping on an electric scooter. What you’re riding doesn’t really matter, but the right choice of protective head gear is vital. 

The great thing about the Myelin is the styling means it’ll look just fine no matter if you’re riding the best road bikes, or one of the latest and best e-bike models.

If you want to know more about T3's product reviews, take a read of our how we test page. Otherwise, read on for my thoughts about the Myelin.

POC Myelin cycle helmet: price and availability

The POC Myelin cycle helmet is available now and costs $100 / £100 / or €100, which keeps things nice and simple, no matter where you’re buying it online. It can also be found at selected stores for anyone keen to try it on first. As a guide, my medium helmet example weighs in at 340 grams.

POC Myelin cycle helmet: design, build and safety

The POC Myelin cycle helmet is designed and engineered in Stockholm, Sweden (though manufactured in China) and comes with EN 1078, CPSC 12.03, AS/NZS 2063 certification. As you’d expect, the look is very Scandinavian in that it’s sensible, stylish and designed with practicality in mind. 

The bods at POC reckon it’s mostly focused on the needs of commuters, but there’s nothing about it that stops you using it in other scenarios.

POC has produced the Myelin using 50% recycled materials, which means it’s off to a good start. You wouldn’t know though, as the overall look and feel of this cycling helmet is very impressive.

The cap itself is fashioned from recycled polyester, the bottom ring is recycled nylon while the straps and pads are constructed from recycled polyester too. Meanwhile, an embossed logo means there’s no need for any self-adhesive stickers either, thereby reducing the need for more glue. 

There are, however, certification stickers inside the lid, which is presumably to get the protective headgear passed in the first place.

Perhaps more importantly, especially if you fret about the sheer number of cycle helmets that must end up in landfill dumps around the world, the POC Myelin cycle helmet is designed to be fully recycled when you're done with it. 

The fabric weave shell helps when it comes time to deconstruct the Myelin in readiness for a trip to the recyclers. All you’ll need to have is a hand tool like clippers or pliers to cut the fasteners and the helmet should then fall into its various component parts.

POC Myelin cycle helmet: in use

Lifting it out of the box for the first time the POC Myelin cycle helmet feels like a quality bit of kit. My model, a medium example covering the 54-59 size range weighs 340 grams. It’s therefore chunky but without being annoyingly bulky. 

Slipping it on is easy and there’s a no fuss snap adjuster for tweaking the fit if needed. This is complimented by elasticated sections, all of which makes putting the Myelin on, and taking it off again, simple as.

Some cycle helmets, especially those with the bulkier design style that is made more for the commuter type than road racing fans, can occasionally feel hefty and hot. Not so with the Myelin. I’ve been using it on a mix of trips to the shops, on a standard commuter bike, and also on forays into the woods on an e-mountain bike. 

Either way, the Myelin feels snug, comfy and reasonably airy thanks in the main to the decent collection of ventilation holes built it.

POC Myelin cycle helmet: verdict

I’m very pleased with the POC Myelin cycle helmet so far. Having used it in a variety of cycling scenarios on a few different bikes it seems to be a great all-rounder. There’s a little more bulk that comes with a commuter-style design, but it’s not a drag to wear at all. 

The careful use of materials has resulted in a cycle helmet that feels about right in terms of weight and, the black model I’ve got looks quite cool too. POC does the Myelin cycle helmet in a range of other colours, with the likes of purple and green amongst the subdued Scandinavian hues you may prefer instead. 

My only slight reservation is the way the soft helmet covering feels like it could snag on rough objects, such as a zipper maybe.

Most impressive of all though is the ability to pull it all apart and get the Myelin recycled as and when it is needed. There are far too many products that don’t come with any consideration for this. 

We all need to start using less stuff, and being able to do my bit with this nugget of cycling headgear leaves me with positive vibes towards the Myelin. It’s might comfy too, which helps.