In The Know Cycling

Do-it-all cycling products are certainly on the rise. Road racing bikes that combine aero tube shapes with great handling and compliance. All-around wheelsets that are nearly as aero as ones you’d use for time trials yet almost as light as ones dedicated to climbing. Tubeless tires that are thin and fast yet still quite puncture-resistant.

Aero road helmets aren’t as breathable as highly ventilated ones, which in turn aren’t as aero as aero road ones. However, in our recent testing, each is getting better at what the others are principally intended for and may be good enough for both purposes, depending on how fast or how hot you ride.

It’s frustrating, though, that the best aero road and highly ventilated helmets both cost about the same, typically around US$300, £230, €300, especially if you decide to buy one of each to get the best aero or cooling performance for specific events.

So when the newly designed Specialized Propero 4 came out, claiming to draw on the ventilation characteristics of the S-Works Prevail 3 and aero performance of the S-Works Evade 3, both of which are helmets we recommend, we wondered whether it signaled the start of a new, do-it-all ventilated aero category of bike helmets.

In a word, no.

In more words, I’ll tell you why in a moment.

But at US$200, £165, €190, and with a 5-star Virginia Tech helmet safety rating, it’s definitely worth considering the Propero 4 if you’re a value- and safety-focused, relatively cool- and round-headed cyclist who likes the modest look and feel of speed.

WHAT IS THE SPECIALIZED PROPERO 4?

Ventilated aero, the term my fellow tester Nate coined for the ambition of this helmet, seems almost oxymoronic when looking at the Propero 4 and its S-Works Prevail 3 and Evade 3 siblings.

True, it would be hard for any helmet to be as ventilated as the Prevail 3, with its wide, front-to-back open-air channels running between its narrower structural ribs. The Prevail feels like a convertible with its top down.

Likewise, the Evade 3 sets a very high bar, as shown by its top rank in Cycling News wind tunnel tests (subscription required) among aero road helmets, those shaped for aero performance while still sporting ventilation cutouts.

The Propero 4 (center) looks and performs more like the aero road Evade 3 (left) than the highly ventilated Prevail 3 (right)

In reality, the Specialized Propero 4 has cutouts more similar to the Evade 3 and substantially fewer than the Prevail 3. However, the shell is rounder than both the latest Evade and Prevail models and perhaps less aero for that reason, though I’ve not seen any independent, comparative aero tests of the Propero 4.

Instead of breaking new ground, consider the Propero 4 more of a value aero road helmet.

DERIVATIVE FIT ADJUSTMENTS

The Propero 4’s fit adjustment parts and methods are similar to what you find in Specialized’s S-Works helmets.

For some, that’s perfectly fine. Others may wish for the ability to do more fine-tuning.

Take the circumference adjustments. The rear dial lets you easily adjust the strap that wraps around your head whenever you put the helmet on or take it off and while on your ride.

That said, Nate found the Propero’s more rounded shell, compared to the Evade and Prevail helmets that he’s tested, makes for an added amount of front/back pressure and less right/left contact.

It wasn’t so much that it was uncomfortable. Rather, it was noticeable and prevented the ideal fit he enjoys in the S-Works models.

The Propero 4 also has the same clips that join the down straps below your ears that can be adjusted forward or back but not up and down, similar to Specialized’s other top helmets. You can still adjust the helmet height and, as a result, where the clips sit below your ears using the fingers extending from the rear cradle.

This design falls between other brands of helmets that use infinitely adjustable down strap joining clips whose position can be hard to maintain and clip-less, sewn junctions that aren’t adjustable at all but fit most people and never need to be repositioned.

Below your chin, the Propero 4 uses a standard buckle you find on most helmets, and that few can argue with. It just works.

COMFORT FOR ROUNDER, COOLER HEADS, AND FEATURES FOR ALL

The fit and adjustments on the Specialized Propero 4 are similar to what you’ll experience with the S-Works models but perhaps more comfortable for those whose more rounded heads may have prevented you from getting optimal comfort with Specialized’s more oval-shaped, higher-end lids.

While Nate didn’t have the opportunity to ride the latest Propero in the warmest weather, a survey of reviewers who did found that it’s no cooler than you can expect from other aero-road helmets.

That’s usually not an issue. The best aero road helmets cool sufficiently on all but the hottest days for those riding at the kind of aero speeds these helmets are intended for.

But, if you’re attracted to Propero’s low price and high speed claims and hope to use it as your primary helmet for on and off-road riding including slower rides or hotter days, you may find it wanting if you’re the kind of rider that sweats easily.

The nicely integrated MIPS safety system is a bonus for a helmet at this price. So are the dedicated docking slots that held the array of sunglasses of various sizes and shapes that Nate tried when he inserted them upside down.

Thanks to the quality of its straps, padding, assembly, and shell, the Propero 4 feels more like a high-end helmet rather than an entry-level one.

And if you’re self-conscious about wearing a helmet like the Evade that calls attention to your inner aero geekiness, the Propero’s rear end isn’t as long or pointy as its sibling. Specialized gave it the rear vent design of the Prevail 3 without creating a Franken-helmet look.

The Propero 4 (center) doesn’t extend as long as the Evade 3 (left) and shares a rear vent design with the Propel 3 (right)

In the end, the Specialized Propero 4, like many human siblings, has its own identity even though it’s clear what family it comes from.

You can order it in black, white, navy, or dove gray with a neon yellow side and rear panel at Competitive Cyclist, Performance Bike, Sigma Sports, and Tredz.

In The Know Cycling is ad-free, subscription-free, and reader-supported. If you want to help keep it rolling without any added cost to you, buy your gear and kit after clicking the store links above and across the site. When you do, we may earn an affiliate commission that will help me cover the expenses to create and publish our independent, comprehensive and comparative reviews. Thank you, Steve. Learn more.