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Specialized S-Works Prevail 3

£275 | Keep your cool with this airy road helmet

THE FIRST THING you’ll notice about the Prevail 3 is the gaping vents, created by replacing the traditional EPS foam bridges with aramid (a supertough material used in body armour) ’cables’, known as an ‘Air Cage’.

The Air Cage is said to be as strong as an EPS design, while leaving a whopping 24.5% more space for air to penetrate compared to the Prevail II Vent. This system is also said to be better at absorbing impacts, borne out by the helmet’s 5-star Virginia Tech safety rating.

“The extra-large vents enable air to easily flow from the front intakes, over the head and out the rear”

Also helping with that safety rating is the MIPS (multi-directional impact protection system) within the helmet’s padding, which has also been stripped back to save weight and increase airflow. You hone the fit using Specialized’s ‘occipital base adjustment’ and Mindset adjustment systems that are designed to cope with different head shapes. After a bit of fettling with the height, width and positioning of the cranial support (which is adjustable in usefully small increments), I found an ideal fit for me. It also has an ‘adjustable tri-fix web splitter’ strap that uses minimal fabric. If you buy the ANGi addon nodule, it can alert a designated contact in the event of a detected crash.

On the road, the Prevail 3 impresses with performance that largely befits its hefty price tag. The extra-large vents enable air to easily flow from the front intakes, over the head, and out the rear. You don’t need to be travelling quickly before you feel a cooling breeze. At speed, it offers some of the best cooling I’ve experienced in a helmet, and even in the hottest conditions this summer, I could only squeeze a few drops of sweat out of the brow pad at the end of a ride.

My Medium Prevail 3 weighs 258g, which is a touch heavier than a few options out there, including the Prevail II, but I barely noticed. It looks good and is nicely proportioned. My only bugbear was that, even though you can adjust the angle of the helmet, the brow protruded into the top of my field of vision when I was riding in an aggressive position (the glossy black around the lip reflected the white lines from the road and the helmet rattled against my sunnies at times). Oh, and be aware that you may have to apply sunscreen to your head on sunny days as those vents are so large.

Overall, this pricey lid is not flawless but is very impressive in hot, humid weather, and the mountainous conditions it was designed for.

Ashley Quinlan

Also consider…

02 Scott Centric Plus
£165

MIPS SL is integrated into the pads and Scott claims the helmet provides more cooling airflow across your head than not wearing a helmet at all! The flyweight of 271.7g for a Large is impressive and the soft-touch straps are removable for easy washing.

MET Rivale HES
£140

Low profile and low volume, the Rivale weighs just 257g in a Large. Despite its rather closed aero design, the airflow is truly impressive, thanks to large internal channels. This premium aero road lid is comfortable and well made at a good price.

01 Air Cage
This super-tough but minimalist suspension system creates more room for vents

02 MIPS
The safety system is integrated into the helmet’s padding, reducing bulk and weight

03 Colour choice
You can choose from several colours, with something to suit all tastes, and outfits

Abus Gamechanger
£190

The Gamechanger (282g for a Large) is one of the lightest aero road lids. The shape is minimalist, with a much smaller frontal area than most. Venting is decent and even the minimal pads are vented. It fits well but the straps feel a little coarse.