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"The built-in crash detection and alarm system is a real step forward" (Image credit: Jonny Ashelford/Immediate Media)
All Helmets provide some protection for your head by absorbing the impact of a crash, but Specialized’s updated Evade helmet aims to provide a little extra thanks to two new additions: MIPS and ANGi.
MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) will already be familiar to most people. It’s a ‘slip-plane’ — an extra internal layer that sits between the helmet’s body and your head — that is free to move in order to reduce the rotational forces a crash exerts on your head. But on the Evade, MIPS comes in a new, drastically slimmed-down form that’s integrated into the internal padding.
It’s a clever update of the system that enables MIPS to do its job without it interfering with the lid’s ventilation.
Specialized has also been thinking about what happens post-crash, if you’re unconscious or unable to move, and that’s where ANGi (Angular and G-force Indicator) comes in.
ANGi is a helmet-mounted device that contains a gyroscope and an accelerometer. You simply pair it to your phone using Specialized’s Ride app, let the app know who you want to contact in the event of an emergency and then go riding as you normally would.
If the device senses the sort of forces and sudden changes of direction and orientation associated with a crash, it sets off an alarm on your phone.
If you’re okay, you simply get up, dust yourself off and switch off the alarm. If, however, you’re unable to cancel the alarm within the specified time, for whatever reason, the app automatically sends a text alert to your previously selected emergency contacts along with the GPS coordinates of your location.
All well and good, but what if you’re riding somewhere with patchy mobile coverage? In that case, set your estimated ride time before you set off and if you’re not back before the timer runs out, ANGi sends an alert to your emergency contacts with the coordinates of the last location where it was able to detect you.
You don’t get this facility for nothing, though. ANGi-equipped lids come with a free one-year subscription to the service, but you’ll need to cough up a £22.74 / $29.99 annual charge if you wish to continue with it after that.
In a large size, the updated Evade with ANGi weighs 303g (it was 287g before). Its seven forward facing vents and deep exhaust channels at the rear make for an aero lid that’s as airy as most standard helmets.
There’s a quality feel throughout: the pads are well placed; the straps are soft to the touch and light; the magnetic clip is easy to operate even with winter gloves; and there’s 4cm of vertical adjustment available in the retention cradle system.
With the smarter integration of MIPS and the addition of ANGi, this feels like a real step forward, so if you’re looking for a top-level aero-road helmet with cutting-edge safety features, this could be the one for you.
Specialized S-Works Evade with ANGi specifications
Vents: 7
Protection: MIPS
Strap closure: Magnetic buckle
BikeRadar Score: 5 stars
BikeRadar Verdict: "The built-in crash detection and alarm system is a real step forward"
Highs: Cutting-edge safety features to match its fit and performance
Lows: Subscription charge after the first year on top of the initial high price
Buy if: You're after a premium aero-road helmet with added safety features
