Specialized S-Works Evade 3 helmet review

The previous incarnations of Specialized’s S-Works Evade have long been our benchmark aero road helmet, regularly finishing top of the class in 220’s independent wind tunnel tests and producing the performance goods on the tarmac as well.

Specialized says that the latest S-Works Evade 3 has ‘maintained’ the performance of its predecessor in terms of drag-reduction, with the focus here being largely on increasing the levels of ventilation offered.

Ventilation

To deliver this, the Evade 3 has a total of nine vents, with five sizeable channels on the front and four making up the exhaust port or ‘diffuser’ at the rear.

And deliver impressive airflow the Evade 3 does. It finds that sweetspot of a fast, streamlined lid with noticeably good ventilation for an aero road helmet.

The smallest two of the frontal vents also act as storage ports for your eyewear.

Fit and safety

Onto the fit and I’m personally not a huge fan of the Tri-Fix web strap system, particularly under the ears especially, and it took me a long time to get the system remotely close to something I was close to being happy with.

The ratchet dial at the rear gives a reassuring click, however, while the standard buckle secures the straps with minimal fuss.

The Evade 3 boasts a MIPS Air Node liner internally, with fairly lean but effective padding neatly applied to the protection system.

The Evade 3 scored highly in tests by the Virginia Tech institute’s helmet lab. It earned a five-star rating and placed 48th out of 233 helmets tested, considerably higher than the Evade II with MIPS and without.

Weight and price

On our scales, a size medium Evade 3 weighed a decent enough 9.7oz / 275g. This is about standard for aero road helmets, but its extra weight over any of the contenders – bar the 7.6oz / 216g HJC Furion 2.0 – was barely noticeable once out on the roads.

The Evade 3’s price tag of $300 / £250 does place it at the higher end of helmets tested here, however.

It’s all tidily finished, though, with the polycarbonate shell neatly covering the EPS foam underneath it. I can vouch for the durability from my previous Evade models.

Aero performance

The Evade 3’s aerodynamic abilities were tested in 220 Triathlon’s independent wind-tunnel analysis at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub with The Bike Tailor.

Its performance over our baseline Decathlon helmet at a 7.5° yaw angle with the rider on tri-bars were a sizeable 31.8secs faster over 25mi / 40km at 19mph / 30km/h and 10secs swifter when riding at 25mph / 40km/h.

The result places it fourth in the standings at the lower speed and fifth out of 11 at the higher speed.

Not top of the class like last time we visited the tunnel with the Evade 2, but the differences with the other leading contenders were marginal.

The Evade 3 is available in S, M and L sizes, with the most striking of the eight colours being the Vivid Red option.

For more head protection options, pop over to our guide to the best road bike helmets and budget bike helmets.

Specialized S-Works Evade 3 helmet specs

Price:	$300 / £250
Weight:	9.7oz / 275g (size medium)
MIPS?	Yes
Vents:	9