Swedish company POC has a new helmet/sunglasses combination with a magnetic attachment at the front center of the helmet. The new Octal AVIP MIPS road helmet is, as the name suggests, a MIPS version of the Octal AVIP POC has had in its line for a while, and the new Eye Park sunglasses snap on via a magnet. Both pieces will be available for sale next year, the company says.
Octal AVIP MIPS
The terms MIPS stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System, a safety technology designed to reduce the rotational forces of a crash on the brain. POC first used MIPS on the Receptor Backcountry MIPS helmet in 2010 (Scott and Lazer also use MIPS in their helmets), and for 2015, the new Octal AVIP MIPS will be one of eight helmets from POC with the technology.
The Octal AVIP MIPS weighs a claimed 215 grams in size M for the CE version. The helmet has more coverage and additional protection for the temples and back of the head than some others, POC says, and the EPS liner is thicker in the most exposed areas.
The Octal AVIP MIPS will come in hi-vis colors along with a reflective sticker kit and an ICE tag.
Eye Park sunglasses
Developed with the POC-sponsored Garmin-Sharp pro team, the Eye Park sunglasses can magnetically snap on the brim of the helmet, letting riders effectively push the glasses up on their heads to peer out beneath without moving them far from the face. Garmin-Sharp's Nathan Haas said situations like racing through tunnels on a sunny day is a perfect case for the Eye Park.
“The idea was born at a training camp in Mallorca," said Garmin-Sharp's Nathan Haas . "I shared a thought I had about using magnets on the helmet and eyewear, to avoid having to take your glasses on and off and put them in pockets or the team car. POC listened and here we are."
Weight and price for the Eye Park has not been announced.
Lazer also has a helmet/sunglass magnetic pair, but with a different twist. The Lazer Magneto system does away with the back arms of the sunglasses, instead connecting them by magnets to the helmet straps.
