Specialized S-Works 2D helmet

Specialized S-Works 2D helmet
Price: £109.99
From: Specialized UK 020 8391 3500 www.specialized.com
Tested: Three months

Reviewed: Singletrack Magazine – Issue 39

This is an astonishingly light helmet. Modern helmets don’t weigh a great deal, so to have a helmet that passes the same safety standards as other lids be noticeably lighter is pretty impressive.

The 2D is Specialized’s no-compromise, top of the shop racing helmet. It’s intended for road or mountain bikes (hence the natty clip-on peak) and it’s been designed with the input of Spesh’s team riders, many of whom are notoriously fussy about the weight of everything. The 2D saves most of its weight by doing away with the traditional plastic ‘skeleton’ that most helmets are based around and instead uses super-light Kevlar for its core strength, along with carbon fibre that spans the huge vents. Another way of losing weight has been to use two different densities of polystyrene. It’s more dense at the side and softer in the middle, where there’s more protection from the shape of the shell.

The medium 2D weighs in at 228g with the clip-on peak. (Giro’s top end road helmet, the Ionos weighs 260g).

There are a couple of other clever touches to the S-Works 2D too; the straps are much thinner and lighter than other helmet straps – this means they not only weigh less, but they absorb less sweat. The buckles and adjusters are similarly slimmed down. There’s still a fully adjustable head-gripping system within the helmet – and rather than gripping your head from the sides and back, it surrounds your whole head. The feel is very secure.

So are there any downsides to this amazing helmet? Not really. The ProFit 360 fit system does mean that the front of your forehead doesn’t get much of a flow of air over it and the super thin pads are already starting to wear noticeably. They are replaceable though. It’s very comfortable to wear, very well vented and the thin straps are great. It even fitted my Giro-shaped head. And as a big fan of Giro’s helmets, even I have to admit, I’m converted.

Overall: If you reckon your head’s worth £110, and you don’t normally chuck your helmet in the back of the car underneath your bike, then you deserve to try the S-Works 2D.
Chipps