Mountain biking is an extreme sport with its high accident rates and even with proper safety gear, sometimes we can’t avoid getting injured. However, wearing a proper helmet for the application like Bell Sixer Vs POC Tectal will prominently reduce the chance of serious head and brain injury from the impact. For those who also love adventuring and challenging the terrains, go check what these popular helmets can offer and pick one that seems to fit your preference the most.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
- What are the Difference Between Road and Mountain Bike Helmet
- What are Bell Sixer and POC Tectal
- What Bell Sixer and POC Tectal Look Like
- How are the Construction of Bell Sixer and POC Tectal
- How are the Fitting System of Bell Sixer and POC Tectal
- Are Bell Sixer and POC Tectal Comfortable
- Bell Sixer Vs POC Tectal
Road and Mountain Bike Helmet
Bike helmets are available across disciplines and there are lots of them coming from different brands as well as with different models and designs; sometimes they are very unique and unusual but for most of the time, the goal stays the same which is to protect our head or brain to be exact in case there is a hard impact. In general bike helmets are differentiated only to two types between the road and mountain bike application. They are of course, made ideally for each riding discipline.
In general it is easy to tell them apart because usually there is a visor in a mountain bike helmet while road helmets avoid this feature especially with the fact that we prefer to wear sunglasses when doing the activity. A road helmet with visor is also often seen as an obstruction of rider’s vision if your riding has aggressive geometry yet, many models like Giro Indicator vs Revel will let you detach this feature easily to let the helmet be more convenient across disciplines.
In a road helmet, you can find lots of vents or windows which are designed to let the air go from the front and cool your head then take away the temperature through the exhaust windows on the back. Those made with higher performance are often very expensive and while it is weird for the more vents also mean the less “helmet”, the cost mostly goes to designing the product, to make it more effective and attractive in potential user’s eyes.
Mountain bike helmet on the other hand, is rarely seen with a huge amount of vents on the unit because it is not the main idea here. Mountain application is all about safety and hence, comfort is something we don’t pay much attention to. In general however, they do look alike with few differences mainly on the head coverage, especially between the regular and full-face one. Even on trail models, there will be more coverage on the back of the head as well as above the ears.
In addition, mountain bike helmets have a visor because it makes the ride easier for many of use don’t wear sunglasses in this application because not only it darken our sight but also because they may fall off easily hence, we prefer to wear goggles. The lack of vents prevent small particles such as tarmac from coming through them in case you fall on such a surface. If you have a varying ride choices, a helmet like Bell Super 3R with removable chin protector can be a great choice for both climbing and downhill racing.
| Bell Sixer | POC Tectal | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
|
| Product Dimensions | 14 x 10 x 8 inches | 17 x 10 x 8 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 12.8 ounces | 2 pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
About Bell Sixer and POC Tectal
The best bike helmet is the one that fits your application the most and which feels great when being used while riding but choosing one that comes with these benefits are impossible without actually trying and used them in real-life for a period of time hence we can only guess which seems to match our taste the most. Shopping based on the discipline will help a lot for these types are ideally designed for certain applications, making them have a higher chance to match yours.
If you are here then we are sure mountain biking is the type of application you will be doing frequently and to match the activity, we also should pick the helmet made for this discipline. There are so many good brands out there offering reliable helmets and while different companies have their own marketing words, in general helmets are safe and it is dangerous to market one as the safer option because the company may get sued if proven wrong and giving false information.
Among those many reliable brands in the market, Bell and POC are two of the most popular manufacturers when it comes to bike helmets especially if you are in for a middle or higher-range on the price spectrum. They are not as affordable as many Giro helmets but, quality wise they tend to carry various features as well as pretty design and thoughtful comfort for each application which is why lots of cyclists are getting their helmets from these brands.
For those who have been wearing Super from Bell, the Sixer is actually launched to replace this model and meant to take over its place by giving you what’s available from the older brother but also with better quality thanks to the advances in helmet technology especially with the extended rear coverage. Tectal has similar stories but with the older brother Trabec which was either loved or hated by cyclists due to its unusual design. This helmet is redesigned to be the hybrid of Trabec and Octal or the favorite road model from POC.
Bell Sixer and POC Tectal Design
We agree that spending quite a budget for these helmets also meant we want to get something that doesn’t only work great on terrain but also looks amazing. For those who hate Trabec, POC Tectal is no longer sporting those designs but now has this sporty look native to trail helmet with better vents to address its comfort issues and of course, not forgetting a huge visor at the front. What’s impressive is it stays fairly lightweight at 340 grams despite having bulked up a bit.
Similar to many other trail helmets, the Sixer is also made to be bulky but compared to those in its range for example the brother Super 3, this version will look pleasingly smaller. It has this streamlined appearance from the front to the back while side by side with Tectal, it also looks a bit slimmer. They equally have enough coverage on the back but if you check closely Tectal does extend a bit higher at the top, making it look taller where Sixer directly round it down.
Bell Sixer and POC Tectal Construction
Bike helmets are meant for protection and this is why they need to be sturdy but also working properly to absorb and prevent a concentrated impact on our skull. In this side Sixer, just like most sport helmets is made using polycarbonate shell as the outer layer and then combined with EPS foam liner inside which is using Bell’s Progressive Layering technologies that deploy different densities of foam layered in order to better absorb a wider range of impacts including softer foam to reduce slower speed impacts.
This model also has a MIPS liner that you can find even on road helmet which looks like a thin layer of liner inside the bike helmet sitting between the pads and foam meant to allow enough movement to reduce the amount of rotational acceleration during the impact and this feature is not yet coming in Tectal. What’s new in the POC option is how they put aramid bridges system inside to ensure this helmet will stay together when you fall and hit the ground.
There are actually two versions of POC Tectal and the one we are talking about here is the regular one while the Tectal Race version gets the aramid reinforcement spread throughout the entire EPS liner instead only on the key areas of the EPS.
Bell Sixer and POC Tectal Fitting System
The next is their fitting system because it is equally important to give you the snug fit and actually helpful in real-life experience. What we love from Bell Sixer and POC Tectal is they are also enhanced in this side. Starting with Sixer, this model has a good clearance of ear to shell while the strap is also adjustable on its fore and aft yet, the clip is just standard snap lock. Tectal strap is not adjustable but it has these amazing splitters that make the light strap stay on their place.
Similarly, the tightness of these helmets are adjustable via the rear dial that you can access and try with one hand while wearing the helmet. Overall you can adjust the height and tightness of these helmets.
Bell Sixer and POC Tectal Comfort
The last part is their comfort and on this side Bell Sixer and POC Tectal are very comfortable despite being a trail helmet which tends to get a bit hotter in summer. In our opinion the amount of vents work pretty well in giving some fresh air into the head because there is no sweat build up or any unnecessary itch. They may not be built for glasses but goggles sit well with the rubber strap on the rear area to keep the item still.
In addition, if you are the type who often finds visor can be a bit annoying, worry not because these helmets will let you adjust the position of their visor to be straight and covering your sight or a bit higher to get away from your field of view.
Bell Sixer vs POC Tectal
These helmets are highly rated and very popular because of their performance and how they deliver a great user experience. Side by side the Sixer is more streamlined while Tectal sit a bit taller at the back and about construction, POC doesn’t use MIPS in this model but the helmet is featured with aramid bridges to add into its robustness. They are equally comfortable and have a good fitting system with a total of 17 and 26 vents respectively yet, weight wise Tectal is lighter than Sixer.
Conclusion
These models will fit your adventures both giving safety and style without being annoyingly warming. We love both of them but POC Tectal is lighter in comparison to reduce fatigue over prolonged wear and we do love its styling.
