The Prevail has been my go-to racing helmet for the past five years. It’s super-light, super-comfortable, fits with absolutely no fuss right out of the box, and disappears from my consciousness the moment I buckle it up and dial it into place so I’m 100 per cent free to concentrate on the task at hand – racing.
Sure, I’ve trained and raced in lots of great helmets. But I invariably find myself adjusting, readjusting, and otherwise messing with the straps, which I can never seem to get to stay just where I want them. The Prevail’s Tri-Fix web splitter spreads the front and rear straps perfectly around your ear, so there’s no fussing, period. Set the length, and you’re done. Internally, the Mindset II micro-dial fit system allows you to adjust the height and diameter to hug your head just how you like it. The new women’s version also has a built-in “HairPort” for your ponytail.
The Prevail’s 4th Dimension Cooling System of nearly three dozen aligned vents allowed me to keep my cool while racing in the sweltering heat of South Africa, Brazil, and Central Pennsylvania in the summertime. The brow pads dry quickly, so I’m never forced to put on a nasty, still-damp helmet for the post-race ride home, no matter how much I’ve sweated.
I’ve also had the misfortune of cracking two Prevails in separate crashes – one on pavement and another on the trail – and got up both times without so much as a headache.
For 2017, Specialized has released the Prevail II, which rolls all these longstanding awesome features into a lower-profile, wind-tunnel-tested, more aerodynamic design. I can’t wait to buckle it up for another five years of going fast.
Copyright © 2016 Rodale Inc.