From race-inspired to race-ready: Specialized's Propero helmet receives a glow-up

Making an early bid for this season's best all-round road helmet, the Specialized Propero has received a total makeover, emerging sleeker and faster than its three previous editions.

Rather than redesigning the Propero update from the ground up, the Propero 4 is, in fact, a mash-up of two all-time favorites. Specialized says it took the aerodynamic qualities of the S-Works Evade 3 and the ventilation characteristics of the latest S-Works Prevail 3 and blended them together to create this all-new Propero. 

The result? A $200/£165 short-tail helmet, suitable for everyday riding, that's faster than the Prevail and airier than the Evade. 

"The Propero 4 is a well-balanced helmet that gives riders the best of both worlds—speed and ventilation," says Specialized. "Then, to top it off, we made this helmet lightweight."

… And it may have you wondering why you ever spent more on a helmet. 

From race-inspired to race-ready

While less often featured on these digital pages than its higher-end siblings, the Propero is nonetheless a staff favorite, praised for its value. A beneficiary of Specialized's extensive trickle-down technology, the Propero was long positioned as a wallet-friendly helmet with a 'race-inspired design'. As Luke Friend penned, "the Propero 3 [is] a favorite helmet of mine that delivers the look, feel, and performance of the best bike helmets at a lower price tag." 

With this update, however, the Propero 4 has now been upgraded from merely being race-inspired to race-ready, out-performing some of the very siblings it was modeled after. 

Leveraging insights from the S-Works line of helmets and the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the Propero 4 takes its shape after the S-Works Evade 3 in the font with ventilation and rear-end vents from the Prevail 3.  

The resulting Propero 4 boasts a significant improvement in aerodynamic performance not only over its predecessors, in Win(d) Tunnel testing, the Propero 4 proved to be four watts faster than the S-Works Prevail 3. These four watts translate to 15 seconds saved over a 40km ride at an average speed of 45 kph.

In  a quest to create a fast yet balanced helmet, Specialized engineers developed a new way to add airflow to a helmet. Making its debut in the Propero 4 is a design element that Specialized is calling Micro Channeling. This is a series of small, two-millimeter offset micro-channels meant to create turbulence in the airflow throughout the helmet and create a cooling flow of air. 

"Micro Channeling takes inspiration from a tumble dryer—just as your clothes spin around, ensuring every fiber gets fully dry, MicroChanneling ensures that all the air within your helmet is working to constantly pull in cool air and expel hot air, creating a cooler ride," Specialized says. 

Must-haves

In addition to next-level aerodynamics and ventilation, the Propero 4 comes packed with must-have features such as a MIPS C-Solution insert, FS3 Fit System with adjustable Tri-Fix webbing, and sunglass storage. The helmet also sports a full-wrap polycarbonate shell for increased durability and a nice-looking finish. And lastly, riders can get peace of mind knowing the helmet is backed by a 5-Star Virginia Tech® helmet rating from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

The whole package weighs at a respectable  290 grams for a small size, 310 grams for a medium, and 340g for a large,

Available from Specialized.com and its retailers, the Propero 4 comes in a variety of colorways and retails for $200 / £ 165 / €190 / 310 AUD.

Propero 4: First Ride Impressions

The Propero 4 is an exciting helmet. The Evade has been a firm favorite as one of the best helmets reviewed by Cycling Weekly for a while now and we're no strangers to the Prevail either. I've reviewed both models favorably, and this mash-up now promises us the best of both worlds –with a lower price tag to boot! Is it too good to be true? Only time will tell. 

At $200/£165, this helmet is by no means cheap but it does come with a lot of bang for the buck.

Now, most of us will never see the insides of a wind tunnel, so we'll just have to take Specialized's words on those four watts savings, but you can rest easy knowing the helmet is MIPS-equipped and backed by a five-star safety rating from a third-party trusted institution. That is, of course, the primary job of a helmet – to keep you safe. From here, it's just wants and nice-to-haves. 

For many, the wants start with aesthetics. While looks are objective, I do find the Propero 4 to be a very attractive helmet, as far as these things go. I prefer the short tail design over the longer tail on the Evade, and also, compared to the Prevail, the Propero's shape appears to be more square and less elongated. It certainly looks sleeker than any of its predecessors and has a distinct aero-quality to it. It'll at least make you feel fast, and that's gotta count for something!

I've only had one ride in the helmet but the experience was similar to that of the Prevail 3: it's pleasantly unobtrusive. The fit system is straightforward – a simple dial on the back of the head and a buckle below the chin. And for those readers with long hair, I'm pleased to tell you that a ponytail routes through the fit system just fine.

In a market that now boasts helmets that weigh a mere 205 grams (Lazer Genesis) the 290-gram Propero 4 can no longer be called a featherweight but it's light enough to aid in its unobtrusiveness. 

I cannot speak to the marketing ventilation claims just yet as it's still very much winter in the northern hemisphere but the vents look promising. I've ridden both the S-Works Evade and Prevail in scorching summer weather without complaint and I'm therefore confident that the Propero 4 will deliver, if not out-perform them. 

The only downside to this helmet thus far is purely an aesthetic one. And it's the same issue I have with most Specialized helmets: it sits rather shallow on the head. And since I have a taller forehead, this makes the helmet stand out rather tall. 

All in all, the Propero 4 appears to be a feature-packed, performance-ready helmet that begs the question: why would I spend more on a helmet?