Add Speed (and Safety) To Your Head With the Specialized Evade II – Project OneBike

I was devastated when we heard that the ICEdot crash sensor was coming to an end. Specialized had purchased the brand and after working on developing an upgraded unit, replaced it with their ANGi sensor and Ride platform. To show us how great ANGi is, Specialized sent us an Evade II equipped with the ANGi sensor. Since it has arrived, it is the only helmet that has made it off the shelf and onto my head for training and events as part of Project OneBike. What I’ve found is it’s a comfortable helmet, with enough of a balance between ventilation and aerodynamics to be used all year round. With the inclusion of MIPS and ANGi, it should make for a rather safe helmet as well.

Though I never had a chance to use the original Evade, I’ve always been a fan. I’ve tried other aero helmets and found there was always a trade-off. While I could never really test aerodynamics, the Lazer Bullet and the Giro Air Attack seemed fast, but were heavy and especially with the Air Attack, ventilation was minimal. The Bullet’s Air Slide vent definitely helped, but ventilation is still a bit limited. The POC Ventral Spin has the ventilation and a light weight, but I’m not sure it is as aerodynamic as others on the market. The Bolle The One Premium wasn’t too heavy and has plastic covers that could be added or removed to customize the aerodynamic/ventilation ratio, but the covers can be a pain to deal with mid-ride if you wanted to take them off. The Rudy Project Boost 01 seemed to be the middle ground for everything, aero, but still somewhat ventilated and not too heavy, but the fit was never right for me.

So when the Evade II arrived, I was hopeful that it was going to be the helmet I was looking for.

The original Evade was the first aero road helmet to come out of Specialized’s on-site “Win” Tunnel in Morgan Hill, California. It was aimed at triathletes that didn’t want to go full aero with a TT helmet and roadies looking for an edge. At the time, it was part of a package that was tested that included the 2016 Venge ViAS, Roval CLX64 wheels and Turbo Cotton clinchers, Evade helmet, Sub 6 BG shoe, and Evade GC skinsuit. The package was claimed to save you over 5 minutes over 40km versus the competition. Never having a chance to try it all out, I was a bit skeptical, but I do subscribe to the thought of aero gains at any level and any speed will help you ride faster, farther, and/or be fresher at the end of an event.

Fast forward a few years and many, many wins later, and we have the Evade II. The new helmet is claimed to be lighter, more ventilated, and safer than the previous. Starting on the outside, Specialized took the helmet back to the Win Tunnel and began testing new shapes, trying to find the best combination of aerodynamics and ventilation. After that, they took it to the road to test it in the real world to make sure what they were seeing in the testing was proving true. That was about the time we were starting to see it make it’s debut with pro riders, testing and winning races with it.

What’s Inside (and outside)

The new shape tames some of the bumps and bulges of the Evade, and trims the tail just a little bit. The Evade II’s shape is more of a smooth curve all the way around to the truncated tail in the back. The vents are in a similar configuration as the original but have been optimized. Along the top, the upper air vent has been reshaped and redesigned to be smoother. The helmet itself is a little narrower for less bulk, which also means the exhaust ports of the rear of the helmet are a little more streamlined. All of this seems like it should help aerodynamics, without reducing ventilation.

Inside the aerodynamically sculpted shell, Specialized uses Energy Optimized Multi-Density EPS (a fancy way of saying the density of the EPS is higher and lower in different areas to better protect your head in an impact) and an Aramid-Reinforced Skeleton to support the EPS and support the structure of the helmet. To guide air through, Specialized has reworked the channels in the EPS to help guide the air from front to back and push the hot air from your head out the exhaust ports. They created a dummy head with 12 heaters and a range of sensors to mimic heat from your head and see how it moves through the various channel shapes they were testing. A new MIPS SL liner is available on MIPS equipped helmets to help manage rotational forces while keeping ventilation ports open for airflow around your head. A non-MIPS version is available, though it looks like it is being phased out.

To keep the Evade II on your head, they use their ultra-light Mindset HairPort II micro-dial fit system with height adjustability. Outback, the ANGi sensor came mounted on our helmet, but other ANGi-ready helmets will have a spot on the left of the retention system for the sensor. It also features the brand’s 4x DryLite webbing, adjustable Tri-Fix web splitter, and a magnetic buckle.

On The Road

The Evade II was with me all season and into 2020, including a cold and rainy Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo and 90+ degree centuries in June. What I have found is that it is a versatile helmet that can cover a wide range of rides and conditions.

For aerodynamics, I can’t provide any solid evidence that it is any faster or slower than another helmet, but I will say that I feel faster with it. Maybe it is a placebo, but even if there are only a few watts gained, it’s a few watts gained. It looks good, it feels good, so it makes me a happy rider.

The helmet has more of an oval shape, which seems to fit well with my head. The Mindset HairPort II micro-dial fit system adjusts easily and disappears. I can’t say I even remember thinking about it during rides, which is a good thing. I never had a chance to try the hair port as I tie my hair up higher than the opening, but there is plenty of room to pull it through between the helmet and the dial, or you just leave it down like I do.

Specialized claims it is just as cool as not wearing a helmet when air is moving at 20 mph (remember, this can include wind speed and your forward momentum so pretty reasonable). Compared to helmets like the POC Octal or the Kask Valegro, the Evade II isn’t nearly as ventilated, but they are also completely different helmet styles. I’d say it’s not quite to the same level as the POC Ventral SPIN, but it has a solid edge over the Lazer Bullet. Even on the hot and humid summer centuries, I was happy with the ventilation it has to offer. The only area I am maybe a little disappointed in is the amount of sweat that can drip down from the brow. The brow pads do a good job for the most part, but can be overwhelmed. Looking straight down and pushing the helmet against my forehead seemed to help drain the sweat from the pads, but it is something to consider on the hottest of rides.

 

As for ANGi and the Ride app, I’m not going to go into it much, as we have updated our original post to include updates and a review, but it works just as well as the old ICEdot, just without the portability of moving it from one helmet to the next, as long as you had the cradle on it. Personally, I still miss that, but I understand the reasoning behind the design.

Overall

Specialized did a great job with the Evade II helmet. It’s comfortable, has enough ventilation for use on all but the hottest of rides, and looks good. We have to take their word for it on the aerodynamics, but it seems reasonable that it would be a fast helmet. Other than the drips down the brow on the hottest rides, I can’t really say anything bad about it. The addition of MIPS and ANGi give added piece of mind, which hopefully you’ll never need to use.

At $275, it is pretty competitive with other aero road helmets in the market. The ANGi equipped version is available with MIPS only and comes in all black, all white, hi-viz yellow, and team red/black. Specialized also did a special edition for the Tour Down Under in a special fade colorway way. They also did a collaboration with Ten Speed Hero in either all black or white with a confetti print, without MIPS or the ANGi sensor. Both limited editions also sell for $275.

To get yours, stop by your local Specialized dealer, or order at Specialized.com.