Bike helmets will protect your head while riding the vehicle in case there is an accident. The level of protection varies depending on the type of helmet such as Oakley DRT5 Vs POC Tectal that are designed for those who prefer their activity to be more challenging. These bike helmets are ideally made for the application and while the two are quite similar, they are also different. To know which of them will fit your preference the most, do check what they can offer below.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
- How Bike Helmet Work
- What are Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal
- How Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal Look Like
- How are the Built of Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal
- How are the Fitting of Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal
- How are the Vents on Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal
- Oakley DRT5 Vs POC Tectal
Bike Helmet
There are various activities that require you to wear safety gear because of the chances or risk in accidents. Even fairly safe exercise or activities like bicycling is not free from casualties that may harm your body or even cause permanent injuries which make it necessary to wear safety gear, at least a helmet to protect your head. Especially in the more extreme terrain, bike helmets can save not only injuries but also our lives when sustaining a serious impact.
There are still many people who are not wearing the helmet however because it is not going to remove the risk of head injury itself and this is true as there will be no gear with such capabilities. But, a bike helmet is a very important part of your safety system on the road and on gravel or mountain because of its ability to reduce the severity of an impact. Once a helmet sustains an impact, it is also important to change them.
As we all may already know, helmets in general are a hard plastic shell with a smooth surface on the outside while the inside part is softer or made of foam. When there is an accident for example we slip off the road and our head hits the hard surface, the materials in the helmet will help in dissipating the force of energy from the impact thus, reducing it before arriving at our skull. While the hard lid is covering the head from the solid surface, the foam inside will cushion the head.
Helmet outer surface is also made to be smooth to allow the head to skid safely across the solid surface without jerking the neck. In short, when we fall and hit the head, this helmet will take the burnt of the impact while reducing the energy before arriving at our head. This is what a helmet will mainly help in case there is an accident that results in impact to our head. There is a question about whether helmets prevent concussions and the answer is no.
This is because a concussion is a result of internal jostling of the brain which a helmet cannot prevent. It is also what makes many people say that a helmet is not effective but as it has been mentioned above, what a helmet do is reducing the amount of force happens to the brain and since it is solid, your helmet will also cover from severe cuts, skull fractures, or even damage to facial bones that often happens on the more extreme cyclists.
| Oakley DRT5 | POC Tectal | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 15 x 10 x 7 inches | 16.25 x 9.75 x 8 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 14.4 Ounces | 1.78 Pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
About Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal
If you are here then we assume that you also agree that bike helmets are a necessary protective gear we have to wear during the activity. Depending on the brand and model, they are not expensive either so we do think most people who are taking this hobby or exercise will be able to afford one that matches with their discipline. However, the abundant amount of options can make the shopping a bit more confusing so it is more convenient to see what others are choosing.
Popular options gain their name for reasons and one of them is quality which makes well-known brands a great start to see what the market can offer. It is convenient as well to stick with your own favorite brand and talking about bike helmet popular options, Oakley and POC are two familiar names in the market with their good products and attractive price point. If you are here then mountain biking is what you will be doing and these two have a lot to offer.
For mountain biking, we want the best coverage but still doesn’t bother us when riding up and down the trail so you will need something like Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal to achieve such quality. The two are made for enthusiasts and probably among the most expensive bike helmets for the discipline but for the level of quality, we understand why they put the price tag. The two are very similar in safety as well as highly rated for comfort and convenient.
Oakley may be more well-known for their eyewear but over the years they also made a wide range of products including bike helmets and one of them is DRT5 which is a full-featured trail riding helmet. Its features such as fitting systems and even integrated eyewear landing zones can be such attractive features for enthusiasts. On the other hand the Tectal is a new variant from POC which seems to combine the previous Trebec and Octal, making a new model which is much better than its predecessors.
Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal Design
As you can see from the sample picture above, Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal are not exactly the same even from the design alone. The DRT5 is actually looking less curved compared to Tectal which is almost taking a 90 degree shape, making the latter not only thicker but also seems to fit on the head better, especially the top and rear area. In comparison, the shape of DRT5 is similar to road models but when fitted, it covers the necessary areas too.
We also want to mention that the Tectal model today is the regular variant since you can find the one with SPIN feature in order to add the protection. Another prominent difference is the shape of design of vents because the Tectal still adopts and elongated channels at the front and top of the head while the “block” channels are located on the rear area. In DRT5 the vents are also prominent at the side of the head or directly above your ears which seems very promising in terms of cooling. Read also: KASK Rex Vs POC Tectal.
Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal Built
Now moving to the most important part, let’s see how well built Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal are. The best thing about MTB bike helmets beside the additional coverage especially on the side and back of the head is the fuller foam cover as well. Both of these helmets are not only using the hard shell on the outer top of the unit but also on the lower rim which makes the helmet even more long lasting and sustains some stress being transferred a lot.
Similar to most helmets, the two are also made of polycarbonate on the shell part while below is EPS foam and of course, coming with the MIPS safety feature which sadly only available on the DRT5. We are not sure as to why POC doesn’t use this in one of their expensive helmets but to aid the protection, this helmet’s EPS foam is reinforced with aramid fibers hence it can sustain quite a heavy stress.
Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal Fitting
Next we want to talk about the fitting system of Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal because this is what affects the comfort and how well the helmet will stay on the head. Starting with DRT5, this helmet is coming with the BOA 360 fit system which is working really well as it cinches the helmet down to the exact fitment of the head. It has cables, the very thin variant that won’t interfere with your eyewear and also adjustable vertically on the back for three different positions.
Similarly, the Tectal is also very well-made on the fitting system through a large dial on the back of the head. Its function is to tighten and loosens the cradle on the occipital lobe by pulling tension evenly from both sides to give you a snug and secure fit. The comfort is due to strap, size adjustment, and the shape of the helmet itself.
Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal Vents
The last is for ventilation in which the Tectal is better than DRT5 and this is due to both the amount of ventilation as well as the design itself. Oakley only put 13 vents in this helmet and they are quite shallow as well as narrow that makes the air flow not as good. On the other hand Tectal has 16 vents and they are large too, similar to those in Octal road helmets. This system with 3 top vents and 5 on the back allows for one of the best air flow when you are riding the bike.
Oakley DRT5 vs POC Tectal
Both Oakley DRT5 and POC Tectal are good options for those who are riding their bike on the trail. The prominent difference is probably in comfort because overall the Tectal is more comfortable with the better air vents. It is also very well designed and has a good shape on the head while fitting conveniently across various head shapes. We also want to mention that Tectal is lighter than DRT5 by more than 100 grams (476 vs 340 grams).
Conclusion
It is easy to choose one because we do think Tectal is a better option between the two. We recommend this helmet because it is more comfortable with better ventilation and lighter weight as well as better helmet design.
