Specialized Search helmet review

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Specialized’s Search helmet is a new model in the brand’s catalogue, designed as a keenly priced and airy option for gravel and adventure riding.

The brand boldly proclaims the Search helmet as “like having an air conditioner over your head”, with its gaping vents on show particularly at the helmet’s rear.

While the Search doesn’t quite meet those heady claims in terms of ventilation, it impresses in most other respects. It'll set you back £125 / $160 / €150.

Specialized Search helmet specification

The Search takes heavy inspiration from the S-Works Prevail 3, Specialized’s flagship lightweight road helmet, and that’s particularly evident when viewing both helmets from behind.

It’s festooned in vents, with 13 in total (10 at the front, sides and top, and three at the rear). The vents that run along the front, mid-point and rear are particularly sizable, designed to increase airflow.

The ‘4D Brow Cooling Solution’, an engineered gap between the helmet shell and your forehead, is also carried over from the S-Works Prevail 3 and Evade 3 helmets.

Because of the focus on ventilation and price, Specialized makes no aero claims about the Search.

The Search incorporates a MIPS Evolve Core Solution liner to bolster protection, a downgrade from the MIPS Air Node system found on the S-Works Prevail 3. The liner is said to allow for a 10 to 15mm sliding motion in all directions to reduce the severity of rotational brain injuries, in the event of a crash.

Fortunately, like its S-Works brethren, the Search has earned a five-star rating from independent tests carried out by Virginia Tech.

There’s in-built storage for cycling glasses and Specialized uses its tried-and-tested Adjustable Tri-Fix web strap system for claims of added comfort.

There are four colour options – Black, White, Clay and Taupe / Gunmetal – and three size options, from small to large.

On the scales, my size-large black Search CE helmet weighs 330g, 10g heavier than claimed.

That’s competitive for its price point, undercutting more expensive lightweight gravel options such as the Fox Crossframe Pro helmet at 371g for a size medium and costing £190 / $220 / €200 / AU$400.

It’s not quite as light as the Limar Air Stratos MIPS though, which is designed for both road and gravel and costs £121 / $170 / €168. We weighed our medium test helmet at 231g. 

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Specialized Search helmet performance

I’ve been testing the Search since the helmet’s launch in April, both on the road and on gravel. Conditions have encompassed mid single-digit temperatures to 28°C heat.

The majority of my testing took place when I rode The Seven Serpents, an 850km gravel ultra-endurance race with an upsetting 16,000m of elevation gain.

Starting with the helmet’s appearance, Specialized has done a good job of engineering a helmet that looks appealing for gravel.

It’s a little more bulbous in profile than many dedicated road bike helmets, but functionally it’s perfectly capable here too.

The black helmet I tested is a mixture of matt and gloss, and, as the saying goes, black goes with everything. Over the three months I’ve tested it, there are some marks on a couple of the matt sections, but this is to be expected.

Moving onto fit, like the Propero 4, the Search is well-suited to fairly wide, oval-shaped heads (like mine). It also sits a little higher on my head and closer to my ears than the brand’s pricier S-Works helmets.

As always, the Adjustable TriFix webbing system was easy to adjust, to tailor the fit of the helmet to my head.

It’s a common complaint I have with Specialized helmets, but I wish the cranial support had more vertical adjustment range for greater coverage. My benchmark in this regard continues to be Kask’s Octofit system found on its Mojito and Valegro helmets, for example, which provides better overall coverage. 

Out on the road and trails, the helmet felt reasonably airy in temperatures below 20°C. But in warmer conditions, particularly above 25°C, the padding started to get significantly more saturated than I’m used to, especially at the front of the helmet.

I’ve also experienced this on the Propero 4 and the Giro Cielo MIPS helmets, both of which use the MIPS Evolve Core Solution liner, which leads me to believe this could be a limiting factor on a helmet’s ventilation.

The padding is also quite thick, especially compared to the more costly MIPS Air Node padding found on Specialized’s S-Works helmets.

It’s worth pointing out that I tend to feel the heat more than most, so you may have a higher temperature threshold. In any case though, I was disappointed in the mismatch between Specialized’s lofty claims about this helmet’s ventilation and its performance on hot days.  

The Search performs well when storing cycling sunglasses, with the two front side vents securely holding my POC Crave Clarity, Koo Alibi and Oakley EV Zero Blade glasses.

However, just like the Propero 4, the Oakleys moved slightly whenever I looked down and were held more loosely. I also struggled to fit my glasses into the slot when riding, because the holes are relatively small.

As with any helmet, it’s worth checking if your sunglasses are held firmly before purchasing.

Finally, considering the Search inherits lots of the S-Works Prevail 3’s technology, I think the £125 pricing is justified at half its sibling’s price.

Specialized Search helmet bottom line

The Search is a good addition to Specialized’s helmet line-up, balancing ventilation and comfort with reassuring safety claims.

Its ventilation is above-average for a helmet at this price point, but the MIPS Evolve Core Solution liner is a limiting factor in warmer temperatures. 

If you’re regularly riding in hot conditions above 26°C, I’d recommend spending the money on a helmet with a more premium MIPS liner because you get what you pay for. 

I’d also prefer it if the retention dial sat lower down on my head. 

Otherwise, the Search is an easy helmet to recommend and it’ll perform double-duty on both road and gravel. 

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