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?
I usually don't spend much time on discussing helmet features as cycling helmets come from a handful of factories overseas, using expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam and are largely incremental variations of each other. Nonetheless, the industry does an admirable job of eking out incremental gains with each model release. The packaging, fit and finish have come a long way since the original Giro Prolight in 1986 even if the fundamental impact management system continues to be EPS foam.
What's unique with the Specialized Prevail 3 is the use 'Air Cage’, a set of woven aramid cables that traverse the helmet that are anchored to carbon fibre side panels. Many manufacturers use a cage to help maintain the integrity of the foam in a crash, particularly given the movement to more and larger vents which compromise the structural integrity of a foam chassis. Specialized has implemented the cage in a way that opens up the vents though which is, well, quite cool, having almost uninterrupted air flow channels across the top of the head. The Prevail 2 had a bit of this as well, but Specialized really leaned into it in the latest incarnation of the Prevail.
How's the helmet on the bike?
There are plenty of sites that can go into the helmet specs, for us we'll go into the actual ride. The Prevail III does what it sets out to do - provide a lightweight, well ventilated experience. I can't say I can tell the difference between the Prevail 2 and 3 in the cooling department, but both are good. I run hot, so on long climbs (>15 minutes, 8% plus grades) in the California summer, I can saturate the sweat management system and get beads of sweat into my face. But there aren't many helmets that do better.
The helmet fits my head shape as well as an off the shelf helmet can. It's a little bigger all around then necessary which requires using the retention system to stabilize the helmet. But the retention system works well, is thin and non-evasive. Straps lie flat due to a well executed yoke but isn't adjustable so your mileage will vary.
How's the helmet fit and sizing?
The helmet fit is for an intermediate shaped head, neither round or narrow and is pretty typical for cycling helmets made for the North American and European markets. There are no obvious pain points, but again, I'm in the middle of the medium size so there's ample space all around the helmet. And the helmet does have some massive offsets and is between 5-10 mm taller than my other helmets and at least few millimeters wider so there's an elongated mushroom effect at play. Most people probably don't mind the trade-off of having a taller helmet (i.e. it's better than a wider one).
One important note is that the Prevail sizing and interior shape has changed from 2 to 3 in order for the Prevail to more closely align with the fit and sizing in the rest of Specialize's bike helmet lineup. The Ambush 2, Evade 3, Gambit, Mode, Prevail 3, Tactic 4, Tone and TT5 all share the same sizes and head shapes. Note that the Prevail is also available in a Round Fit, though I haven't seen it offered in North America. This is unfortunate as the helmet runs a tad narrow so some riders are out of luck.
What are the helmet specifications?
Coming soon.
What other reviewers have to say?
The following are what other publications who have ridden the helmet have to say about the Prevail 3. To avoid bias, I review, summarize and include the top three results that show up on Google for "Prevail 3 review" and exclude any reviews where the helmet wasn't ridden in and was simply a regurgitation of the manufacturer's product press release. I don't discriminate between the cycling media and the mainstream press since anyone can ride their bike and provide a good review.
Bike Radar gave the Prevail 3 four out of five stars. "The Specialized S-Works Prevail 3 helmet is very impressive in hot, humid weather, and the mountainous conditions it was designed for. It’s not flawless, but if you can afford it, it’s a top-performing airy helmet." They also commented that the helmet was nicely proportioned on their head and that the helmet sizing has changed for consistency with the rest of the Specialized bike helmets so don't migrate blindly to this helmet if you had a Prevail 2. The cons were the price, prominent brow area that's visible on the top portion of a cyclist's field of view and the open air vents potentially causing sunburn or UV exposure while riding.
Road.cc gave the Prevail an eight out of 10. "The S-Works Prevail 3 gives a great balance of aerodynamics and venting, combined with an excellent fit and plenty of adjustability. The MIPS technology is a decent addition to the amount of protection the Prevail gives too, although the overall price is high." Interestingly they cite the white finish collecting dirt with difficulty in cleaning. I haven't experienced this but because of my line of work, I pamper many of my helmets. They also cite the implementation of MIPS is less obtrusive than past designs which is definitely true.
Outdoor Gear Lab gave the Prevail 3 4.6 out of a possible 5 stars. "The best ventilation of any helmet we tested with exceptional padding, but with fit concerns for those with tall heads, and a very high price tag." The focus on their review is how the aramid safety cage opens up the vents. However, there's a strong caveat that "With a low crown and narrow temples, the helmet's shape isn't for everyone." So again, the best bike helmet becomes the worse if your head shape and size isn't accounted for.
All and all the press is positive with the biggest dings around the price and like any helmet, the limitations of having three sizes to accommodate every head size and shape. There's some inconsistent and varied feedback around the helmet silhouette for good or bad and the ability to keep the helmet clean. More general feedback in the forums are positive with anecdotal evidence that the helmet runs narrower in the temples than the Prevail 2 helmet.
How's it feel after extended ride testing?
This is a placeholder for future helmet testing of this model.
Is the Prevail 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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