I know it's an aero helmet but I've worn the Specialized Evade for racing, commuting, gravel riding, mountain biking and more - and it's price slashed this Black Friday

Specialized kit is being heavily discounted in the Black Friday deals, and among the reductions is the S-Works Evade 3 helmet.

This lid is now in its third generation; you'll find my colleague Rook's review of the most recent Evade model here. I've had a few over the years, as the selfie collage above demonstrates.

The Specialized Evade Black Friday Deal

Specialized S-Works Evade 3 helmet

USA: was $299.99, now $224.99 at Als

UK: was £250, now £160 at Sigma Sports

The S-Works Evade 3 includes a rear 'diffuser' to offer aero and ventilation benefits, in addition to the cooling offered by the front end channels. MIPS is included, in an 'Air Node' guise, to combine breathability and safety goals.

US: See all Specialized Black Friday deals here

UK: See all Specialized Black Friday deals here

View Deal

What I use the Evade for

The primary use case for the Evade is as an aero race helmet. I would have liked to include more racing images in the collage above, but of course I don't own the rights to any of them. So you'll have to take my word that I've raced this lid on the road and track. As an aero race helmet, the Evade excels.

It's not marketed as a 'breathable, climbing helmet', but, I've worn it on training camps in the mountains in temperatures in excess of 30°C/86°F.

It's not marketed as a 'commuter' lid, but I've worn it to run errands.

It's not marketed as a 'gravel helmet', but I've worn it on chilled evening spins on rough stuff.

It's not a mountain bike helmet. Mountain bike helmets offer greater protection, which is definitely not a feature out of the marketing playbook for the Evade; if you ride hard and fast off-road, the Evade isn't suited. But, I've used it for my own off-roading, because I'm not that talented over roots and rocks and therefore I modulate my speed accordingly.

As Cycling Weekly's digital editor and former tech editor, I've got quite a few helmets to choose from knocking around the house - but I always come back to the Evade.

The newest S-Works Evade 3

I've yet to don the 'generation 3' model, however, in this iteration, the brand opted for thinner straps and integrated the MIPS safety feature to improve comfort and ventilation. 

MIPS, the system designed to reduce rotational forces in the event of a crash, is usually added to a helmet as an additional layer. However, the MIPS 'Air Node' creation used here, it's integrated into the padding. 

On launch, Specialized claimed that the third generation Evade has 10% better airflow, whilst maintaining its position as the "most aero road helmet" in the peloton.

This latest model of the Evade is also compatible with the brand's own ANGi Crash Sensor, which will detect an incident and notify your emergency contact. 

Our North American Editor Rook wrote in her review: "Specialized’s third gen Evade is surprisingly cool for an aero lid and provides all-day comfort, turning this staff-favorite into the fastest choice for even more rides."

The price was her main criticism, so the 30% off deal may go down nicely.

Black Friday deals across Specialized

It's not just the S-Works Evade that's been reduced - other deals at Specialized across Black Friday include:

US

• Torch 3.0 Road Shoes: was $230, now $114.99
• S-Works Recon Lace Gravel Shoes: was $235, now $161.99
• NeoShell Gloves: was $75, now £44.99
• Turbo Cotton Tires: was $80, now $59.99
• Flash 500 Headlight: was $60, now $29.99
• Alpinist SLX Disc Wheelset - was $800, now $599.98
• See all Specialized Black Friday deals here

UK

• Torch 2.0 Road Shoes: was £175, now £105
• Align II Helmet with MIPS: was £45, now £30
• S-Works Recon Lace Shoes: was £300, now £150
• S-Works Prevail 3 helmet: was £250, now £175
• See all Specialized Black Friday deals here

Over the Black Friday weekend we are trawling the web for all the best cycling deals.

Check out our main Black Friday bike deals hub page for all the latest discounts and deals as we find them.