Specialized S-Works Evade 4 review: No more aero, but cooler and comfier

The Specialized Evade 3, like those that came before it, is a very popular helmet among amateur riders and racers. It’s a common sight in amateur scenes around the world. I would bet my house on seeing at least one at my local club ride or race, and it's the first helmet you'll see in our guides to both the best road bike helmets and the best aero helmets.

The Evade 4 then has a lot to live up to, especially at $350 — $50 more than its predecessor.

Despite most aero helmet manufacturers persistently seeking aerodynamic improvements, Specialized has, for the second time in a row, updated the Evade with no claims of being ‘faster’ in this sense.

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I say that, but the brand’s wind tunnel operator tells me it is actually a smidge more aerodynamic, but the improvement is less than half a watt, so not something they’ll be shouting about.

Instead, the main goal of the Evade 4 for Specialized was to retain the same aero performance while increasing ventilation and adding comfort. To this end, it claims a 2.4% improvement in cooling performance.

Design and aesthetics

The S-Works Evade 4 bears more of a resemblance to the original Evade. The opening ‘MouthPort’ at the base of the brow has been brought back, the curvature of the vents as they follow the helmet from the front to the rear is more pronounced, with the return of the diagonal vent on either flank.

The exhaust vent from the Evade 3 at the rear remains, though, and this has been widened quite significantly to create a much more squared-off, more open rear, which I'm told is inspired by the TT5.

As a result, the helmet is actually now shorter in front-to-back length than before.

It’s a millimetre wider too, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but this means the internal shape is wider, and will ease the pressure complaints that some wearers experienced on either side of their head.

At face value, it’s impressive that the brand has made it shorter, wider and more ventilated without ruining its aero performance (assuming you believe its claims, of course).

To be completely honest, I prefer the look of the older helmet, but A, who really cares what I think? I’m not exactly the authority when it comes to fashion. And B, I don’t have to look at it when I’m wearing it. I also expect I’m just being averse to change, and when it becomes ubiquitous in the WorldTour, I’ll probably change my tune.

Inside, the retention has switched to a new, lighter-weight cable that is easier to tighten, similar to the one found on Trek's Ballista and Velocis.

It continues to use MIPS Air Node, but in a slightly new ‘Air Node Pro’ version that is claimed to better manage sweat. In reality, these are simply bigger than before, no doubt helping to absorb a little bit more of the moisture.

Performance

The first thing I noticed when putting the Evade 4 on is that it fits the shape of my head better. This is entirely personal, of course, and the Evade 3 was by no means uncomfortable, but there was a small pressure point at my crown — same on the Prevail — which has now gone.

I’m also pleased it has switched to Boa for its retention dial and straps, using the new FS2 system. I like the Boa system on the Ballista and Velocis, and that rings true here too. I feel you can cinch up the helmet a few clicks tighter, comfortably, with the pressure spread more evenly around my head rather than feeling like I’m just squeezing my head from the back.

Again, none of this was particularly bad in the Evade 3, but these are small, iterative improvements between two flagship helmets. You won’t find wholesale change here.

Specialized says the reintroduction of the ‘mouth’ at the bottom of the brow was for cooling purposes, especially for riders with lots of hair, which could stifle the performance of the other vents. Interestingly, I’m told it was also a request from the brand’s upper management, who wanted to bring back the visual DNA of the previous Evades. Albeit only if it could be done “for performance reasons.”

The cooling performance has been pretty good, so clearly they made it work. I really rated this in the Evade 3, and despite a small amount of overheating on a long, slow gravel climb in a humid Girona — which I think is beyond the limit of any helmet — I remained comfortable and unbothered throughout.

Speaking of climbing, it has gained a little weight over the previous helmet. Claimed weights sit at 290g for CE (Europe) and 330g for CPSC (USA), both in size medium. That’s around 20g heavier than before, which isn’t going to trouble anyone in the grand scheme of things.

From a safety standpoint, there hasn’t been any independent testing as yet, so it’s unclear exactly where it will sit in comparison to competitors. It will have passed the relevant standard in each territory, but that is generally a low bar pass-fail result. Once independent testers at the likes of Virginia Tech have published their results, we will be sure to add them here.

The other definition of performance in an aero helmet has to be its aero drag, and while I’ve no reason to doubt Specialized’s statement that it’s on par with the older helmet, I haven’t yet verified it in our own wind tunnel tests.

The Evade 3 was among the most aerodynamic helmets we’ve tested, though, so if Specialized is right in saying this is similar, then it’ll be no slouch.

It’ll be a couple of months before we’re back in the wind tunnel, though, so for the time being, let’s just go with the completely arbitrary and utterly useless statement of “it felt fast.”

Value

I’m regularly tempted to just write ‘laugh out loud’ in this section and move on, because evaluating the value of a helmet that retails at $350 seems a little ridiculous, and it’s about as personal as the way it looks or the way it fits.

But since the POC Procen Air and Kask Elemento are $400, it’s not the most expensive helmet around. And given the popularity of the Evade 3, it’s fair to say enough people think a helmet in this ballpark is worth their hard-earned cash, and the Evade 4 is a marginally better helmet at a marginally higher price. So… same same from a pure value perspective, but having covered the launches of both of the aforementioned, I do feel $300 is a threshold that many cyclists don’t want to go beyond when buying a helmet.

Of course, you can get helmets for half the price that offer similar crash protection, or better ventilation, or similar aerodynamic performance. Where the Evade comes good, though, is its balance of all three. It’s why the Evade 3 was crowned the best overall in each of our road, gravel and aero helmets buying guides. Based on my time with the helmet and this review, I doubt it’ll be long before this takes its place there, too.

Verdict

Do I think the Evade 4 is the best road bike helmet on the market? Maybe. It’s not cheap, and I prefer how the older one looks, but there’s no denying it’s a contender.

There’s little doubt it’s aerodynamic, the ventilation is great, the comfort is top-notch, the few extra grams gained aren’t problematic, and the overall performance is excellent.

It’s a lot of cash to spend on a helmet, but if you want the best product, that’s usually how it works.