Critics like to complain that at 国产吃瓜黑料 we cover too much expensive gear. It鈥檚 true that we often dwell on the high end, and that鈥檚 because the top-level products are generally where manufacturers make developments.
Once the technologies are established, however, most companies then trickle down the advancements to their less expensive products. So in the end, every consumer has some stake and something to benefit from the priciest equipment.
Case in point, this new road lid from Specialized. We鈥檝e written extensively about Specialized鈥檚 flagship road helmet, the Prevail. It鈥檚 light and airy, the retention system works great鈥攖here鈥檚 really nothing to dislike about it except for the eye-opening $250 price tag.
Now comes , which inherits many of the Prevail’s excellent features but sells for a much more reasonable $110. The shell shape isn鈥檛 exactly the same as the Prevail, but it鈥檚 very close, with the primary difference being a bit smaller of vents. So far, though, the Propero seems to move air over the head just fine.
The Propero also gets the Prevail鈥檚 thin, lightweight strapping system, and though they are anchored into the top of the shell like a typical helmet instead of the bottom of it like the Prevail, they seem equally unobtrusive. The retention system looks a lot like the Prevail鈥檚 Headset SL, including a trim dial for adjustment and a four-step vertical adjustment. The Propero鈥檚 system is named the Headset and is definitely a bit beefier that the SL version, though it feels exactly the same on the head.
The Propero even has some niceties of its own, including a reflective paint scheme that looks silvery in daylight but bounces car lights after dark. Best of all, our size medium weighs just one ounce more than a comparable Prevail, which is a pretty tiny penalty given the huge discrepancy in cost.
It鈥檚 a fine-looking, very comfortable lid at an attractive price. And of course it would never have come to market had it not been for the developments made on the top-line Prevail.