POC Otocon Race MIPS helmet review

The Otocon helmet actually comes in two models, the POC Otocon Race MIPS and the POC Otocon. What we have here is the upper of the two models, which for an extra £60 gets you MIPS Integra, twICEme® NFC Medical ID, aramid ‘bridges’ and a bad weather peak. Unusually for a full face helmet, both models have an inner cradle with a dial at the back of the helmet that allows you to adjust the fit – what POC calls its ‘Race Lock system’. 

The Otocon Race MIPs uses two different liner materials: the upper zone with EPS and the lower zone with EPP. The transition between EPP and EPS in the helmet has an injection-moulded cage of aramid bridges moulded to the helmet liner to improve structural stability and penetration protection. The MIPS system used it MIPS Integra, which means everything is built in and tucked away, without any hair grabbing rubbery pieces. The inner ‘Race Lock’ cradle means you’re not just reliant on the two different sizes of cheek pads to get a good fit – though those are also included and easily pull out and clip back in again. I used the thinner cheek pads, finding the thicker ones just a bit too snug against my face.

The visor is designed to break away if you crash – reducing your chances of injury – and there’s also a bad weather extension included (which I’ve not had the need to try out). The bad weather piece is longer, but see-through, so it should save you getting sprayed in the face too much, without reducing your field of vision. It feels a bit cheap – like the aeroshell rain covers you get for some roadie helmets, and fits on by pushing onto the vents of the helmet and clipping over the visor.

Both models of Otocon include Recco technology, which allows you to be tracked and found by someone like mountain rescue, if they’ve got the right scanning device. I’ve not seen the Recco technology in use, but I’m not sure how much of an advantage it is for a helmet like this. How often do you go riding anywhere in a full face that you’re likely to get lost and need locating? Perhaps for trail riding – or skiing, where you might get swept off in an avalanche – this makes more sense, but I’m not sure how much of a selling point it is for the average bike park rider or downhill racer.

When anyone finds you, the ‘twICEme® NFC Medical ID’ allows people to find out any key medical information about you – you use the app to upload whatever information you want people to know about you, and they use their phone to scan the helmet (they don’t need any apps to make this happen). Here in the UK, your name, allergies, and emergency contact details might be enough, but perhaps in the USA you’d include your healthcare provider’s details so that people know where to start sending the bills.

On the trail

Usually, I’m more of a wearer of enduro helmets with removable chin bars, finding them lighter and more comfortable. However, this POC Otocon made me reconsider that. The first time I ever wore it was to race the Steel City DH – where removable chin bar helmets were forbidden. Turning up to race a track in kit you’ve never worn before might not seem like the brightest idea, but honestly, I didn’t notice the helmet once it was one. It has plenty of ventilation – including near the ears, so you can hear the crowd ‘oooh’ as they wonder if you’re going to ride out that mistake. It’s reasonably light, fits (me, anyway) well, is comfortable, and offers an excellent field of vision. Not thinking about your helmet is a good sign that it’s working, in my opinion. Put it on, ride, take it off again. No fiddling or faffing or getting annoyed at the weight or some strap or pressure point. Job done.

While I think the POC Otocon Race MIPS helmet is great to wear, actually getting it on takes a bit of faff. There’s a tab at the back of the helmet that you need to get hold of as you put it on, or it gets folded up inside. Holding that tab while also keeping your hair out of the way is a bit tricky, especially as it’s quite a squeeze to get your head in through the opening. There’s a knack to angling your head and face as you put it on (while holding that rear tab). Once on, it’s snug enough that making adjustments to the position of your hair is a little tricky, and until I got the process figured out I ended up with my hair pressed itchily against my neck a few times. Still, it gave me something to do as I waited nervously in line for race practice. Oh, and taking it off again always removes the backs of my stud earrings – be warned not to drop anything precious if you’re out in the woods!

The helmet is designed to fit perfectly with POC goggles, and indeed they do slot nicely in to the opening, however I just can’t get along with goggles and find they press uncomfortably on my nose. So I’ve been wearing this helmet with a pair of 100% glasses. Glasses and a full face! Yes! No, I don’t care what you think. It’s a measure of how well the helmet fits that it doesn’t have the glasses jiggling annoyingly on my face, as can be the case with the full face and glasses combo.

How much of an annoyance you find the face squeeze/hair arrangement faff to be will likely depend on your head shape and hairstyle. If you’re prepared to look past that, the POC Otocon Race MIPS is a really comfortable full face helmet. If you’re the kind of rider that finds themselves riding down stuff thinking ‘I should probably have worn a full face’, then investing (and sure, it isn’t cheap) in this helmet that’s actually really comfortable to wear is likely a good move. Just as the best camera is one you have with you, the best full face is the one that’s comfortable enough that you’ve chosen to wear it when you suddenly find you need it.

Now, usually, I’d be all for having the most brain protection possible and say that your head is worth the cost of a decent helmet, but £300 is a pretty fabulous amount of money for a helmet that isn’t fabulously light. It weighs 650g in the size Medium (fits 55-58cm heads), which is pretty light, but not lighter than other similar helmets – some with lower price tags. The more basic Otocon is £240 – still a lot, but a fair bit less – and for that you don’t get MIPS Integra, twICEme® NFC Medical ID, aramid ‘bridges’ and a bad weather peak. Of that list, MIPS and the aramid bridges is the only bit I’m really interested in. And, the cheaper helmet is apparently actually lighter, since it doesn’t have all the features. Can I honestly say that I’d spent the extra for those features knowing that the lighter option was cheaper… probably not. Would I buy the cheaper option knowing there are other helmets with MIPS for around that price? I’d probably need to try them all on to see which was the best fit (and see whether the POC Otocon Race MIPs was on offer anywhere).

Overall

If the POC Otocon Race MIPS helmets fits you as well as it fits me, you might just think the price is justified. The ability to adjust the internal fit of the helmet really makes it so much more comfortable than an old style full face, and the cheek pads give that extra bit of security over most removable chin bar options. If you’re in need of a full face helmet for races and bike park days, I think this in functional terms it’s excellent option. Especially if you’re not a regular full face wearer, I think you’ll appreciate not really noticing that you’ve got the extra bulk around your head. Especially when things go wrong…