POC Omne Eternal helmet has an automatic integrated rear light that knows when to turn itself on (and off). Charged by any light source, indoors or outdoors. Sounds like jiggery-pokery, but it actually works…
Things I loved
- Having a light on my head as well as my bike
- Not worrying about charging it
- Great ventilation
Things I would change
- Available in brighter colours
- Close the shell so there’s less EPS on show
- Fidlock buckle? Just because.
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The light activates automatically based on the light level the sensors detect. It knows when you have the helmet on, so no saved up charge is wasted in your cupboard. A great example of this helmet helping me feel safe is every time I go through a tunnel, or am riding in the type of valley that suddenly gets cast into shadow. There’s probably plenty of light for me to be seen, but a rear light on my head is never unwelcome.
Powerfoyle is described as ‘unique light harvesting technology’. All you really need to know is:
- Charges in natural light really well
- Charges with indoor light pretty good
- In my experience, never runs out of charge, as it’s just a flashing light, and only on when needed
- You don’t need to turn anything off or on
If you care about safety features as much as me, you’ll be disappointed to learn that this helmet is only available in black. When the daylight isn’t low enough to turn the rear light on, but you feel less visible (eg. cloudy rush hour), you have a matte black helmet on your head. So make sure you have a brightly coloured top on, and a rear light on your bike. This might seem like I’m being fussy, but I only wear white helmets. Even on the mountain bike! There’s something about recognising the head that makes you more of a human and less of a bike to road users.
For crash protection, the POC Omne Eternal has an EPS liner to absorb impact. MIPs or equivalent technologies seem less common in road/groad helmets, despite the high speeds you can achieve on the road, and all those big four wheeled features to navigate.
The fit of the POC Omne Eternal is great. It’s lightweight, airy, and has a 360° adjustment to get it securely in place. It’s very well ventilated, and the blue padded liner pictured above is easily removed for washing. This is also one of the few helmets I have found that don’t get in the way of my glasses. The front comes high enough on my forehead to not push down on the frames, and the glasses arms have plenty of space to sit comfortably where they belong.
For durability, I have had this helmet for over a year and I have worn it in all weathers, temperatures, and even a sandstorm (we’re very thorough here!). The Powerfoyle hasn’t shown any signs of weathering, wear, or becoming dislodged. There’s no way of calculating charge with this helmet, but it’s always got enough. A good idea of the scale of rides can be found here from issue 142 of Singletrack World.
Overall
The price is yet to be confirmed, but we know it will be in the region of £230. I personally don’t believe the Powerfoyle technology and automatic light are enough of a bonus to justify this costing ~three times more than the regular POC Omne Eternal Spin. It’s only available in black, which is a huge oversight, and for that kind of price I’d hope to have better impact protection, and maybe a Fidlock buckle? Positives – it works brilliantly, I’ve no idea where the sensors are that detect it on my head but I can’t find a way to trick it into turning on unless I have the helmet on, and it’s not very bright out. Innovation comes at a cost.
