Specialized launched the Prevail 3 bike helmet on June 30th of this year. The creatively named successor to the Prevail 2 it builds on the lightweight, well ventilated emphasis of its predecessor. Like road bikes that are broken out as aero vs climbing vs allrounders, the Prevail is designed to be for cyclists interested in a well ventilated, lightweight helmet and who have little concern for aerodynamics or the latest claims of "the fastest road helmet" or "saving 4.2 seconds over a century riding at an olympian speed of 50 km/hr."
This is our first bike helmet review and I'm sure the format will evolve over time and I will come back and update the reviews as new information or my extended ride feedback requires. My goal in this post is to provide information unavailable in other reviews, particularly around fit as so much of a cyclist's experience is impacted by the fit. Perceptions of overall comfort and helmet sizing will naturally vary. However, ventilation and wind noise will also vary based on the air gap between a cyclist's head and the helmet. If a cyclist fits in on the smaller side of the range in a helmet's circumference range, there is more room for air flow around the head, for example.
The safety and protection of a cyclist is also impacted, no pun intended. The industry emphasizes oblique impacts and angular accelerations during those impacts. And while it's difficult to quantify, it's straightforward to imagine how a looser fitting helmet allows the helmet to pivot on your head easier than a tightly coupled one. In fact MIPS depends on a tight fitting helmet to produce its results as the impact tests are done on a rubberized head form.
Aerodynamics is the final area impacted by fit. If a cyclist is in-between sizes and has to upsize, than the larger frontal surface area creates more drag. Since drag is defined as the drag coefficient multiple by the frontal surface area, the additional effect is predictable and linear. In any circumstance other than a custom fit helmet, there is some additional drag associated with using an off the shelf, injection molded helmet.
What's new in this helmet?
TBD
How's the helmet on the bike?
TBD
How's the helmet fit and sizing?
Coming soon
What are the helmet specifications?
Coming soon.
What other reviewers have to say?
The following reviews are what other publications that have tested the Giro Vanquish have to say. To avoid bias, I evaluate, summarize, and include the best three Google results for the "Giro vanquish review," excluding any reviews in which the helmet wasn't tested and rather a restatement of the product press release from the manufacturer. I don't differentiate between mainstream and cycling media, as anyone can ride a bike and provide a good review.
Road. cc gave the Giro Vanquish helmet a 4 out of 5 stars and stated: “Giro’s Vanquish MIPS is a well-designed aero road helmet with a great fit system, and it comes with innovative new technology designed to reduce drag.” They claimed it is a high-quality aero road helmet with an excellent eye shield and a top fit system. They cited that the Roc Loc Air fit system from Giro integrated with the MIPS design surrounds the head and is comfortable and adjustable. The focus of their review is on the eye shield. They were impressed by its good eye coverage, excellent vision, and resistance to sweat compared to a pair of glasses. It is also replaceable with other helmet sunglasses. However, they noted that Giro claims that using the eye shield while cycling improves cooling effectiveness compared to not using one, but in some instinct, using the eye shield made it feel a little warmer on the climbs. Moreover, the bike helmet does seem a little heavier on the head. Aside from those minor concerns, the only downside they mentioned was its high price.
CyclingWeekly gave a 4 out of 5 stars to the Giro Vanquish bike helmet and commented: “The Vanquish MIPS is comfortable and certainly very aero but the looks are very divisive.” They said it is a superb helmet with great fit, airflow, comfort, aerodynamics, and visor optics. Regarding ventilation, they stated: "The Giro Vanquish MIPS certainly is nowhere near as airy as a pure road helmet but you can feel the vents doing their job and the internal channeling works very well to release warm air and sweat." They added that the removable visor further increases aerodynamic benefits. They cited how the Vanquish is faster than an open-style road helmet when cycling with it, setting several Strava records on the first ride. The only issue they identified was the aesthetic of the helmet, claiming that there are other, better-looking helmets in the same price range. They also mentioned that the color they tested (citron/white) looked very cheap safety helmet.
Aerogeeks tested the Giro Vanquish and commented: “In our testing, we found the Vanquish to be exactly what Giro promised us – a much cooler helmet.” They claimed the Vanquish feels surprisingly cool even with the eye shield on. At first, they used the bike helmet without the shield but eventually preferred it. They noted that the airflow was excellent and that the unhindered view of the shield was superior to some of the sunglasses they typically use while cycling. The Roc Loc Air MIPS keeps the helmet comfortably on the head. They also mentioned that Vanquish's magnetic retention technology is far better than the Giro Air Attack's. The Vanquish system felt much more secure. The downsides they mentioned were related to the eye shield. First, it sometimes takes some finesse to get it exactly into the up position. The magnets are concealed inside the helmet, making placement more difficult (especially while cycling). Second, the bottom left of the lens is printed with "Vivid Optics by Zeiss" - a disturbing distraction that kept coming into their line of sight.
All and all, the press's comments are positive, with the helmet's aesthetic receiving the most critique. Despite the helmet's excellent comfort and aerodynamics, there is a variety of unsatisfactory feedback about its looks. That demonstrates how style and design matter and can turn a considered best helmet into the worst.
How's it feel after extended ride testing?
This is a placeholder for future helmet testing of this model.
Is the Vanquish the best bike helmet for you?
As I always say, the best bike helmet is the one that fits you. The Best Bike Helmet Finder is a good place to start. Helmets are a very personal decision both for reasons of sizing and fit but also style and performance preferences. You aren't going to ride with it if it's uncomfortable. Assuming the Prevail fits your head shape and you're on the upper end of a given size range (e.g. the medium fits 55-59cm circumference heads so you want to be in the 58-59cm range) , than its a solid choice and one of the better non-aero road helmets available. If you're looking for an aero helmet or one with a guaranteed fit, look elsewhere.
As always, if you've got questions about bike fit, safety or the best bike helmet finder itself you can find me here: contact me.
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