Rapha + POC Ventral Lite US helmet review

POC’s Ventral Lite is a well-established helmet in the brand's range, offering road riders a seriously lightweight helmet with impressive venting, though it does lack some of the safety tech we now regularly expect, especially for this sort of money.

This particular model is a collaborative effort between POC and clothing brand, Rapha, which has added its own styling to help provide an alternative look for the Ventral Lite.

Combine those distinct graphics with the huge vents and deep channelling that help to make this one of the breeziest, coolest helmets on the market, and then surely, Rapha should be onto a winner.

Well, that all depends on what you’re after. For some, the headline weight may be enough to sway your decision, but the lack of MIPS (a safety feature designed to help protect your brain during an angular impact) or anything similar, could have you thinking about other options, even if they’re a good few grams heavier.

Rapha + POC Ventral Lite US helmet details and specifications

The Rapha + POC Ventral Lite helmet is available through Rapha and is offered in three sizes (small, medium and large). It comes in either an EU version (which is certified to EN 1078) or the US version (which complies with the CPSC 12.03 standard, said to be more demanding compared to EN1078) as seen here.

Rapha states on its site that these offerings don’t comply with the Australian and New Zealand safety standards and any orders from those countries will be cancelled (though POC does offer a Ventral Lite that does, it just won’t have the Rapha graphics).

The medium helmet seen here tips the scale at just 244g, which is just 4g heavier than POC’s claimed weight of 240g.

That’s partly down to the lack of any form of rotational impact protection (such as MIPS), but also down to several other details.

For starters, glance at the outside of the Ventral Lite and you’ll see quite large sections towards the rear of the helmet, and you’ll see exposed sections of EPS foam, where POC have limited outer polycarbonate shell coverage to save as many grams as possible.

POC did – wisely in my opinion – wrap the rim of the lid with a polycarbonate coating to add a little more protection to the foam, though.

Even the strap splitters are sewn and fixed in place. This is instead of using plastic splitters which can be adjusted.

Alongside the straps, POC’s retention cradle uses an indexed dial at the rear to fine-tune fit. This tightens around the entire circumference of the head in a bid to provide a nice, even tension. The cradle offers three different vertical positions to choose from, too.

Aside from the weight, the big talking point here is ventilation. The Ventral Lite includes 20 large air vents along with deep channelling to help draw air in across the top of your head.

Two adhesive ‘gripper stickers’ are provided, designed to grip the arms of your sunnies should you want to store them on the front of the Ventral Lite. These aren’t applied by POC/Rapha, instead leaving you, the rider, to stick them in place. Potentially another weight saver compared to integrated rubber equivalents designed to do the same thing.

Rapha + POC Ventral Lite US helmet performance

Unlike some lightweight offerings, the Ventral Lite doesn’t feel like it sits perched on top of your head. Instead, it offers a relatively deep fit and a decent amount of coverage, thanks in part to how far the rear of the lid extends down the back of the head.

Perfecting the fit is simple thanks to the index dial on the retention cradle. The dial itself isn’t massive but I still managed to operate it easily enough, even with winter gloves on.

Overall, the fit is really comfy, too, with a nice even tension around the head and at no point did I suffer from any pinch points or hot spots while riding.

Of course, helmet fit is very subjective, so to add some context here, my head shape tends to fit well with Bell and Giro helmets.

The padding lines around two-thirds of the inside and is soft and plush enough to soak up sweat when working hard, though not so thick that it feels overly hot or uncomfortable.

On the road, that low weight is certainly noticeable. Or should I say that it’s light enough that you don’t notice the helmet quite so much? Either way, the Ventral Lite certainly lives up to its name.

While I really appreciated this in terms of comfort on long rides, it doesn’t feel as substantial as others. While a weightier lid might not add more in terms of protection (though you could argue if that weight were down to additional safety features, it could), I maybe lacked that peace of mind I’d have wearing a helmet that was more noticeable.

This could well be a purely psychological thing, but it was certainly something that played on my mind, especially considering how little extra (in terms of weight) something like the MIPS system would add here.

The Giro Aether Spherical, for example, includes the Spherical MIPS system and weighs just 55g more.

Airflow over the top of the head is seriously impressive, even at slower speeds, and certainly makes a difference on warmer days in the saddle (but even more so on chilly days where you’ll be wishing you opted to stick a cap under your lid before leaving the house).

The adhesive gripper stickers I added to stock my glasses on the front of the helmet worked OK but weren’t as secure as the fully integrated rubber equivalents found elsewhere. That meant sudden head movements could dislodge glasses and I needed to shove them back into position.

Finally, while I can understand the benefit of leaving some of the EPS foam exposed to help save weight, it’s easy to dent the foam in those sections over time, unless you’re incredibly careful.

I’m grateful POC decided to cover the foam around the rim, though, as in my experience, this is the section of the helmet that tends to suffer the most knocks and bumps when not on the head.

How does the Rapha + POC Ventral Lite US helmet compare?

I’m going to do the bulk of my comparison of the Ventral Lite to my go-to road lid, the Giro Aether Spherical – a helmet I’ve worn a lot.

Despite the Giro packing more in terms of safety technology, the weight difference isn’t as big as you might expect. While my medium Ventral Lite weighs 244g, my medium Aether is only 299g.

At £289.99, the Aether Spherical is a touch more expensive than the Ventral Lite, but then it does offer more in terms of safety tech, so it’s no big surprise.

Depth of fit is similar, though I’d say the Aether sits marginally lower on the head, with a smaller gap from the rim of the helmet down to the top of the ear.

In contrast, the Lazer Genesis Superlight (an EN1078-rated helmet that weighs just 208g) feels shallower and more perched on top of the head compared to the Ventral Lite (Lazer’s MIPS-equipped version of the Genesis costs £209.99 and is claimed to weigh 195g in size small).

Comfort is a close fight, too, though in my case, I’d say the Giro hugs my head a little more tightly, which potentially helps to contribute to a more substantial feel once on.

The all-important venting is an easy win for the Ventral Lite, though, which just manages to direct more air over the top of your head compared to the Giro. It’s noticeably cooler at slower speeds which some will really appreciate.

In terms of durability, my Aether has lasted well considering the amount of use it gets. There’s little marking and no other obvious superficial damage to be seen.

The Ventral Lite hasn’t had nearly as many miles put into it and is a far fresher addition to my collection, but the marks slowly starting to gather on the exposed EPS foam aren’t great to see on an otherwise slick-looking lid.

Rapha + POC Ventral Lite US helmet bottom line

The Rapha + POC Ventral Lite helmet offers a lightweight, comfortable lid with seriously impressive venting, even at slow speeds.

It doesn’t feel as substantial as some, which can play on your mind a little when trucking along busy roads, and I’d happily add some extra safety features even if that means increasing the weight slightly.

If you’re looking for a helmet that’s easy to forget you’re wearing and manages to draw impressive amounts of air across the top of your head, then the Ventral Lite is certainly worth a look. Just be careful to take care of that exposed EPS foam.