Over the past holiday season I was the benefactor of a beautiful Specialized S-Works helmet. I have to admit, the style on the S-Works is top notch. When you have a large head often you find all helmets end up pretty thick. This, however was not and issue with the S-Works. The fit was great, although comparable to my Bell Sweep, and the Giro Atmos The final big plus (as claimed by manufacturer) with the S-Works is the multiple vents and weight.
So how does the Specialized S-Works stack up at the retail price of $230 vs. a something like the Bell R Sweep at $90.... well. I gave the S-Works a thorough testing and I admit that I really enjoyed it and you can definitely feel the additional venting, but com'on. Overall I think the helmet looks pretty good, but style wise it's right up there with the Bell R. I mean the performance was about the same as the my Sweep and the weight at size large really doesn't make a very big difference.
So, the only reason to buy the Specialized S-Works is if you want to show every one at the group ride you got mad flow... or if you get one for free, or deep discount. I mean DEEP DISCOUNT. The performance is no different than that of what you would get with the Sweep, Atmos, Pneumo... or dare I say it... the regular Specialized Decibel. In fact the Decibel offers the same performance, and if you looking for the style, the helmets look almost identical.
After a few tries I finally decided that I would return the helmet. It was just to hard to justify wearing something that will eventually be destroyed in a crash. With the crash return policies today, it's just not worth wearing that much coin on your head.
Ultimately, the helmet is made to protect your head... all of which do the same at this level. So, if you want to drop the coin for a few more vents and marginal style points than by all means grab yourself the Specialized S-Works. There is a lot of competition out there and many better suitors... be wise in your decision.
Final thought... IF YOU RACE, BUY THE CHEAPEST... IT WILL BE DESTROYED, YOU WILL CRASH
hope this revew helped...
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3 comments:
good review, THANKS!
hope you get your medical insurance/get out there racing soon!
if you think you'll crash a fair bit, why shouldn't you get a better helmet to protect your head? Seems stupid to me to go for a cheaper INFERIOR protection..........
Not too logical to get a worse helmet if the rationale is that you'll crash lots.
clown!!
Andrew, you are an idiot. Bicycle helmets all have to comply to the same standards. That is, they all protect your head at the same level. In terms of safety, all helmets are at the same level. The thing that separates higher priced helmets from lower priced ones would be the style and how well they ventilate.
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