POC's new Cularis Pure isn't a half-shell that becomes a full-face - the clever bit is a popper-on visor that swaps a vented summer cover for a sealed wet-weather one, all wrapped around the brand's safest-ever helmet platform.
What POC actually changed
The headline word is convertible, and it is doing some heavy lifting. This is not a trail lid that morphs into a full-face. Instead, POC has reworked the visor into a quick-swap part: two breakaway covers attach with poppers, one fully vented for hot days and one sealed to close off the top vents and keep rain out, with a visorless option if you prefer the bare shell.
It is built on the same well-regarded Cularis platform - a polycarbonate shell over in-mould EPS, a Mips Evolve rotational liner, extended temple and back-of-head coverage, and a 360-degree dial-adjust cradle. The twist is that POC has trimmed the price below the standard model while adding the two-season cover trick, per the launch coverage from road.cc and Bikerumor.
Cularis Pure by the numbers
Source: road.cc / Singletracks
How the two-visor swap works
Each cover clips on with four poppers. Reviewers report the swap takes seconds, the cover stays rattle-free on the trail, and - crucially - the snaps are designed to break away in a crash rather than snag and twist your head. The sealed cover doesn't fully suffocate the helmet either: Bikerumor notes it still allows roughly 60% airflow through front-to-rear channels even with the top vents blocked.
There is one consistent gripe. Because the visor is part of the cover, it is fixed - you cannot ratchet it up to park goggles or open your sightline on a steep climb. POC offsets that with an eye garage, a grippy patch designed to hold sunglass arms when you push them up onto the shell.
Pure vs the standard Cularis
The Pure is the cheaper sibling of the standard POC Cularis - the mountain-bike helmet Virginia Tech crowned its safest-ever tested. The trade-offs are deliberate: a different Mips liner, a fixed visor and a little extra weight, in exchange for the two-season covers and a lower price.
Cularis Pure vs Cularis (standard)
| Cularis Pure | Cularis (standard) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (UK) | £170 (~R3 700) | £200 (~R4 400) |
| Price (US) | $210 (~R3 500) | $230 (~R3 800) |
| Claimed weight (size M) | ~400 g | ~360 g |
| Mips system | Evolve Core | Air Node (Integra) |
| Visor | Fixed; 2 swap covers | Adjustable, 3 positions |
| Virginia Tech rating | Not yet listed | 5-star, 7.10 (safest tested) |
| Shell / liner | Polycarbonate + EPS | Polycarbonate + EPS |
View data table
| Grams (Freehub scale) | |
|---|---|
| Shell only | 336 g |
| + vented cover | 394 g |
| + sealed cover | 405 g |
What the reviewers say
Three hands-on takes
Independent verdicts from across the cycling press — follow each link for the full review.
Easy to live with
“It's easy to swap, and it'll break away in a crash. So far I've been impressed by how well it stays on though.”
Read the full reviewTry before you buy
“Thankfully, I didn't have to test the POC Cularis Pure during a true crash, but with industry-leading rotational impact protection technology and ample coverage, I have no doubt the Pure would perform admirably.”
Read the full reviewFits out of the box
“It literally fit my noggin right out of the box. No tweaking needed.”
Read the full review“The visor is not adjustable in any way.”
The case for and against
- Two snap-on covers cover summer airflow and winter/rain in a single helmet
- Mips Evolve rotational protection plus extended temple and rear coverage
- Covers swap in seconds and break away safely in a crash (Freehub)
- Roughly £30 (~R650) / $30 (~R500) cheaper than the standard Cularis
- Praised out-of-box fit, no tweaking needed (The MTB Lab)
- Visor angle is fixed - no tilting it up (Singletracks, Freehub)
- Mips Evolve liner can catch hair and feel a touch creaky vs Mips Air (Freehub)
- Around 40 g heavier than the standard Cularis
- No published Virginia Tech score for the Pure yet - its safety pedigree is inferred from the platform, not certified
A genuinely smart take on one-helmet-for-all-seasons, riding on POC's safest-ever platform, held back only by the fixed visor. A compiled, not independently tested, assessment.
Also in the drop: Wolf Tooth, DMR, Leatt & Rudy Project
POC's helmet headlined road.cc's roundup, but four other bits launched alongside it - all prices and specs per road.cc:
- Wolf Tooth Shift clipless pedals - £239 (~R5 200). The brand's first gravity-focused pedal: an expanded platform with fore/aft support, a stainless-steel SPD binding, three cartridge bearings plus an igus bushing, eight pins per side and an adjustable axle length. Claimed weight ~490 g.
- DMR Sect crankset - £90 (~R2 000). Forged 6061-T6 aluminium arms on a heat-treated 24 mm chromoly spindle, 675 g, in 165 mm and 170 mm, black or silver, with a SRAM three-bolt chainring interface and Boost/Standard spacing.
- Leatt ProClip 4.0 clipless shoes - £159 (~R3 500). A moulded toe guard, neoprene cuff, Control Flex shank, MOZ dial plus lace and a velcro strap, an aggressively lugged sole and an active carbon insole.
- Rudy Project Override goggles - €99.90 (~R1 900). Built for enduro and e-MTB with a 45 mm silicone-grip strap, ventilation on every frame edge, an anti-fog coating and a four-button lens-change system.
Tap to vote — see how readers lean
Quick questions
What is actually convertible about the Cularis Pure? +
Not the helmet category - the visor. Two snap-on covers swap in: one fully vented for summer, one sealed to block the top vents and shed rain, plus a visorless option. It does not turn into a full-face.
How much does it cost? +
£170 (~R3 700) in the UK and $210 (~R3 500) in the US - about £30 (~R650)/$30 (~R500) less than the standard Cularis. South African pricing depends on local distribution; check the price-watch list above for live ZAR matches.
Is the visor adjustable? +
No. Because the visor is part of the swappable cover, its angle is fixed. Multiple reviewers (Singletracks, Freehub) call this the helmet's main limitation.
Is it as safe as the standard Cularis? +
The standard Cularis is Virginia Tech's safest-ever tested helmet (5-star, 7.10 cumulative score, where lower is better). The Pure uses a Mips Evolve liner and extended coverage on the same platform but has not yet been separately listed by Virginia Tech.
What else launched with it? +
Wolf Tooth Shift pedals (£239 (~R5 200)), the DMR Sect crankset (£90 (~R2 000)), Leatt ProClip 4.0 shoes (£159 (~R3 500)) and Rudy Project Override goggles (€99.90 (~R1 900)).
Sources & further reading
- POC's latest helmet is convertible - plus more from Wolf Tooth, DMR, Leatt and Rudy Project — road.cc (Liam Mercer)
- First Look: POC Cularis Pure interchangeable covers — Bikerumor
- New POC Cularis Pure offers an interchangeable helmet cover — Singletracks
- Swappable visors? POC Cularis Pure review — Freehub Magazine
- Review - POC Cularis Pure Helmet — The MTB Lab
- Virginia Tech Bicycle Helmet Ratings — Virginia Tech Helmet Lab
The Cularis Pure's convertible trick is smaller than the headline suggests - it is the visor, not the helmet, that changes - but it is a genuinely useful one. A single lid that vents hard in summer and seals up for rain, built on POC's safest-ever platform and priced below the standard Cularis, is an easy recommendation for variable-climate trail and gravel riders. Just go in knowing the visor angle is locked, and try the Mips Evolve fit before you commit.
