Review: Specialized Dissident 2 Helmet - Downhill Safety at an Enduro Weight

Sep 13, 2023
by Matt Beer  
Specialized Dissident 2

Specialized re-entered the downhill helmet game with the release of their premium full-face, the Dissident 2. Their top downhill and enduro riders and racers have been using the sub-1000g helmet for over a year now.

We've also spent a decent amount of time in the Dissident 2 on all forms of bikes and can appreciate its manageable weight, for riding all day long, audibility, and venting. With only one premium carbon model at $500 USD, we expected the best, but there are a few quibbles that keep the Dissident from earning perfect marks.

Specialized Dissident 2 Details

• MIPS Evolve Solution system
• Scooped top vent
• Fixed visor w/camera surface
• D-ring closure
• Includes two sizes of quick release cheek pads
• Weight: 940 g
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL
• Colors: Black/Carbon, White/Silver
• Price: $500 USD
• Certifications: ASTM F1952-15 DH certified
specialized.com



Specialized Dissident 2
Goggle strap under, over, or on the bump at the back of the helmet shell? Placing the strap above, as seen here, can put an uneven amount of pressure on the goggles. That could vary depending on the brand of goggle and individual fit.

Eyes on the prize Bruni was seeing green cranking towards the finish.
Dealer's choice: Loic Bruni prefers to place his goggle strap on the bump.
A disastrous race for series leader Iles missing a course marker at full tilt.
Finn opts for the above option.

Specialized Dissident 2
Specialized Dissident 2
Two sets of cheek pads and one Ionic head liner are included with each shell size.


FIT

The Specialized Dissident DH helmet offers a personalized fit with two sets of cheek pads included, allowing riders to tailor the comfort level to their liking. However, it's important to note that the helmet has a shallow fit on the crown of the head, which might not suit everyone. Compared to a size medium Ambush 2 half shell from Specialized, the fit is tighter, although it does break in over time.

One potential drawback is that the goggle straps sit at a high angle, which may not put enough pressure on the top half of the goggle frame.

Specialized Dissident 2
The chin bar construction is remarkably thin.

SAFETY SPECIFICATIONS

For top downhill riders, safety is a serious concern and there's no doubt that Specialized went all-in on constructing a helmet that provides confidence, however the criteria isn't as involved as the moto world.

The Dissident 2 meets the ASTM F1952-15 DH certified level and uses a 3-layer construction consisting of a carbon and poly-carbonate shell with an expanded polystyrene (EPS) liner. Five individually tuned pieces of EPS foam are molded into shapes that are said to be optimized for their location inside the helmet.

Tucked away in the liner is the Mips Evolve Solution liner to dissipate rotational energy. That's topped off by a D-ring closure on the strap and quick release cheek pads.

Specialized Dissident 2 Helmet
Shiny carbon, matte black and chrome should appeal to all fashion styles.

WEIGHT

In terms of weight, sub 1000g for a DH-rated helmet is impressive. The overall volume of the helmet might have something to do with the weight objective - it's significantly smaller than the Fox RPC or Leatt Gravity 8.0, which weigh 1285 and 1148 grams, respectively. The size, shape and weight is most similar to 100 Percent's Aircraft 2, another helmet that can be worn for extended rides in hot weather and still meet DH-race criteria.

Specialized Dissident 2 Helmet
There are only two small over-brow vents along the side of the opening. The top of the helmet is flat and doesn't provide the most surrounding, deep-feeling fit.
Specialized Dissident 2 Helmet
Exhaust ports aplenty.
Specialized Dissident 2 Helmet
.
Specialized Dissident 2 Helmet
By unscrewing four T9 bolts, the two halves of the grill are removable.

VENTILATION

Ventilation is a critical factor, especially one of this weight which will encourage riders to wear them on more occasions. The Dissident 2 provides decent venting, similar to the TLD D4, making it suitable for extended rides in hot conditions. When compared to Fox RPC and Leatt Gravity 8.0 helmets, the Dissident draws in more air around your brow and temples. It also sits a touch higher around the back of your head to exhaust the hot air. It doesn't quite match the airflow of enduro full-face helmets like the Smith Mainline or Fox Proframe RS, which prioritize breathability.

Specialized Dissident 2
A flat area on the sturdy visor offers purchase to mount a POV camera.
Specialized Dissident 2
The pull tab on the D-rings is so short that it's rendered useless while wearing gloves.

PRICE

Unlike the previous Dissident model, only a carbon version is available now, and that comes at a premium price of $500. The helmet does arrive in a fleece-lined, premium helmet bag with the extra set of cheek pads, but no spare visor is included.

For this amount of money, I'd expect that the liner would stay silent, especially given the MIPS Evolve Solution name. I didn't experience any issues with creaking, but Mike Kazimer has this to say about his size medium Dissident 2, "The Dissident is light and comfortable, but I found the creak of the Mips liner against the inner foam to be very noticeable, and annoying."




Pros

+ Extremely lightweight
+ Venting outperforms other popular competitors

Cons

- Mixed experiences with creaking Mips liner
- D-ring pull tab is very short
- Expensive, no composite options




Pinkbike's Take
bigquotesSpecialized has constructed an uber-light (and comfortable) DH-rated full face helmet that can be worn for more than just flat-out racing, thanks to its incredibly low weight and ability to exhaust hot air. A couple small quirks, like the short D-ring pull tab and funky goggle strap angle can become more familiar with time, but the noisy Mips liner on some helmets is harder to overlook.  Matt Beer


Author Info:
mattbeer avatar

Member since Mar 16, 2001
360 articles

98 Comments
  • 61 1
 Would love to have one, and I might be a weirdo here, but I feel like it's strange to have a Specialized branded helmet, with a huge specialized logo when riding other brands...?

Yeah putting that in writing I might be the weird one here
  • 9 0
 Agreed! Would prob have my wife do a custom paint job on it instead of leaving the fat logos
  • 57 0
 Use a marker pen. Then it'll be the same brand as the tyres that the pros don't use.
  • 6 1
 yeah. get the 7idp carbon model for the same price and same weight, and not be a big S weirdo...lol
  • 12 4
 I had a specialized helmet years ago, even though I was riding a Gary Fisher. Sort of seemed appropriate, seeing as Sinyard sent a Fisher bike to Taiwan to be copied for the first Stumpjumper.
  • 8 1
 It wouldn't be strange at all for someone to wear a Specialized helmet while riding a different brand bike. The name of the company is Specialized Bicycle Components, and I believe they sold parts long before they offered complete bikes. It seems like lots of folks even use their tires and bottle cages on other brands of bikes.
  • 1 0
 I am exactly the same haha. That is why I strictly wear TLD or 100%.
  • 5 0
 IMO, Specialized weirdly makes better parts and accesoires than actual bikes.
  • 3 0
 @Muscovir: the Spesh Power saddle is the best there is. I have them on every bike I own.
  • 22 0
 well...the price is about the same as my deductible so....


(It's a joke people...)
  • 9 0
 Anyone care to explain to the non Americans?
  • 1 7
flag wolftwenty1 FL (Sep 13, 2023 at 15:53) (Below Threshold)
 @AyJayDoubleyou: deductible is an amount of money you need to pay before insurance in the US will cover you. So if your deductible is 1k and your procedure costs 5k…you need to pay the first 5k. It’s a lot more complicate than that but more or less.
  • 9 0
 First 1k sorry.
  • 6 1
 @wolftwenty1: Unless the fine print of your insurance says they don't cover that procedure, then you pay the full 5k and an additional 1k for the box of tissues you have to purchase while in the hospital and find out your procedure isn't covered. Then there is another 1k on top of that for crying in the hospital because that is not covered either. It can also be a lot more complicated than that...
  • 1 0
 @AyJayDoubleyou: like excess on car insurance.
  • 4 0
 To reassure you - that’s not just in the USA the dutchies do that too Big Grin
  • 7 1
 National health care is the way! Plus 45% income tax
  • 6 0
 @ESKato: we do, although it's usually only around €380 per year. People don't go bankrupt or have to spend their pension funds on healthcare, fortunately.
  • 2 0
 @Mac1987: Yeah absolutely right - and healthcare is overall much cheaper here anyways (but quite frustrating for other reasons more often then I like Big Grin )
  • 16 0
 What MIPS helmets don’t creak? Maybe the Giro MIPS Spherical stuff? I tolerate the creak—it’s not something I think too much about while actually riding. But standing around shooting the shit between laps, it’s super annoying. My D4 creaks, my half shell (Smith Forefront) creaks, I’ve heard the Mainline creaks like crazy. Seems like it gets mentioned in pretty much any review of a MIPS helmet.

On my own, I’d tend to be somewhat skeptical of MIPS. Like, I would think my full head of sweaty hair would work as a slip plane just as well as the MIPS liner. But the University of Virginia helmet testing lab has shown pretty conclusively at this point that MIPS helmets are among the safest out there. I feel committed to using MIPS, but would love to get rid of the creakiness.
  • 14 0
 I've got two Fox Speedframes with MIPS, same size. One is silent, one creaks all the time. Based on this data it's clear you need to buy orange MIPS helmets if you want them to stay quiet.... maybe an opportunity for a Pinkbike poll Smile
  • 2 1
 Snell seems to agree with you about MIPS.

helmets.org/up1804.htm
  • 17 0
 tld stage here. never creaks ever.
  • 1 0
 @mior: Same. Bell Super 2R I had before was atrocious, really distracting on descents..
  • 3 0
 My experience with MIPS is that it creaks like crazy the first few rides and then quiets down.
  • 8 0
 The good thing with my Proframe creaking is that I don't hear all the weird noises from my bikes!
  • 2 1
 There are other kinds of MIPS systems that don't creak. POC uses jelly pads that don't creak. 100% Aircraft 2 uses little rubber elastomers that don't creak. They're out there.
  • 2 0
 You can eliminate creaks by removing the mips frame and lubricating it with whatever you like. I used a stick of body glide.
  • 2 0
 I've had 3 from 2 different brands and none creaked.
  • 7 0
 @louiesquared: Old data. Virginia Tech's testing regime is more thorough than what Snell described performing, and all of their top helmets for the last several years have had some kind of slip-plane system. I think Snell might be behind the curve on this one.
  • 2 0
 @mior: My Stage and A3 are creak free.
My Fox Dropframe is the worst, I never use it. My old Proframe was great though.
  • 1 0
 @mior: 2 speedframe pros and 1 trigger ff mips, no creaking either.
  • 1 0
 I have the Giro Tyrant and Insurgent, never notice any creaking. The spherical system that Giro uses feels like the most legit MIPS I've seen, IMO.
  • 1 0
 @Wing-nut: I have Giro Insurgent and it creeks from time to time. Sometimes I notice it, sometimes I don't.
  • 1 0
 New Giant Rail finally does not creak. It has the new MIPS Air Node which is a slip liner with no plastic shell.

www.giant-bicycles.com/us/showcase/rail
  • 4 0
 MIPS helmets in my garage, worst to best: IXS Trigger FF (squeals like a pig), older Scott ARX (pretty squeaky), older Ambush (got noisier over time), TLD Stage (pretty quiet), Giro Aether Spherical (mostly silent). One I sent back it was so bad: Specialized Tactic: sounded like an air-raid siren just putting it on my head. While we're dissing Spec, WTF is w/ the fixed alien-duckbill visors on all the new designs? No adjustability, no sale.
  • 4 0
 My TLD D4 never creaks whatsoever. Smith Mainline sounds like I've got birds nesting in it unless I add some smooth tape under the liner to hush it.
  • 1 0
 TLD A3s for half shells, I have had several never creaked. Had two Fox Proframe RS full face with no creaks. Giro half shells and Smith Mainline creak like crazy.
  • 11 1
 This helmet is made from a composite material. That word doesn’t mean what you think it does.
  • 2 0
 I was about to mention this.
  • 7 0
 Nice looking helmet. Would have been better with only the small subtle S, and without the big “Specialized” emblazoned on the side. Probably have broader appeal that way.
  • 6 0
 That is the best looking Specialized full face they've ever made, its lighter than the D4, less expensive and appears some of the world cup riders that have smacked their heads this year in that lid have been ok. Impressive job specialized, ya dethroned the King.
  • 7 0
 Most important feature for a DH helmet is when you inevitably crash and break the visor off, is there a cheap and easy replacement available?
  • 18 0
 Yup. Cut out the side of a plastic 2 pint milk bottle and stick it on where the visor was.
  • 6 0
 @bigtim: found laundry detergent containers work great for visors and making knock off muckynutz
  • 4 0
 The breakaway visor really works, I have had a couple slaps to the head with the visor coming off and snapping right back on undamaged. The plastic used is quite pliable as well.
  • 2 0
 @AC-Fabz: my old Fox Flux used to do this. As long as you can find it, it just pops back on. I wish the visors on my kids’ helmets were like this, or at least that Bell sold cheap replacements.
  • 4 0
 Going through this with my DH Helmet right now. IXS Xact. Can't find a visor anywhere in North America even though Whistler Blackcomb has hundreds of them for rental helmets. It seems and paying 39 euros plus probably the same in shipping for a replacement is not worth it for a helmet I spent $100 on.

So I just upgraded the duct tape mends to a shitty fibreglass job. Helmet looks it has been to war lol.
  • 3 0
 @ShawMac: That's an annoying thing with iXS, they have replaceable visors but have no replacements. Apparently they did a limited run of visors for the initial batch and that's it. The helmet color may restock but the visors - once they're gone, they're gone.
  • 3 0
 Am I the only one that wants a full-spec DH that has good ventilation? The 100% Aircraft 2 is the best one I know of but it didn't quite fit me right.
  • 1 0
 I also have an aircraft. I have a fuller face and it runs tight on the cheeks, hopefully, Ill break into it and it'll loosen up a bit. Overall I am happy with my purchase.
  • 3 1
 The spec helmets have always looked awesome, pricing has always kept me from considering one. All in all I think it looks fantastic!
  • 1 1
 I got a Specialized trail helmet and it is very comfy and easy to find new inner pads. Just bought it the day before covid lock down hehehe.
  • 1 0
 showing my ignorance here: someone explain to me why a lighter full face doesnt make compromises with safety. genuinely asking.
  • 7 0
 Is heavier always better? Are heavier cars safer? Is Carbon Fiber both stronger and lighter than Aluminum? What else can you think of?
  • 3 0
 A lighter helmet does compromise safety. For example my motocross helmet, an Alpinestars M10 weighs 270 grams more but has a multi density EPS liner, verses a single, 3layer carbon composite shell, ERS pads for helmet removal without disturbing the head, MIPS, and detachable visor.
  • 2 0
 Pinkertons bike check next
  • 2 0
 A DH helmet for people into S&M.
  • 4 0
 S&M bikes are rad, but the helmet style is a bit different
  • 1 1
 Buy one used and give it a RedBull paint job. Almost any helmet looks sick with the RedBull colors but this one in particular it’s just outstanding.
  • 1 0
 I wish my proframe had a removable grill.
  • 1 0
 MIPS Spherical for the win. Bell
  • 1 0
 So does this make my new Gambit obsolete?
  • 1 0
 I might give up my bell full9 for this one!
  • 1 0
 Use Oakley Goggles,,, the best by far
  • 2 5
 Wild this bicycle helmet costs more than my new motorcycle helmet. That is packed with features and designed to take a fall on pavement on a motorcycle. 500 for a DH helmet is insane.
  • 7 2
 How much does a motorcycle helmet weigh? Go ride in one if you think its a better deal...
  • 3 0
 Motorcycle helmets can be both cheap and secure because they don’t have to be lightweight.
  • 2 3
 I admire the courage to create something so ugly
  • 3 6
 "Screw function and safety. D rings are inConVENinT." Said the failing society.
  • 2 1
 It's completely okay to complain about convenience. Swearing off a helmet using the safest equipment is weird though. People complaining and asking for something just as safe but more convenient is how we will eventually get it.
  • 4 0
 @noodlewitnosteeze: important thing to consider - double D ring fasteners only work if the rings are held in parallel, which requires the chin strap being secured tight. A lot of riders keep some slack in their chin strap which can result in D-ring failure/ helmet ejection. Recently occurred to an acquaintance of mine on track
  • 6 0
 @Jswail: tighten until you can only fit two fingers under the strap
  • 1 3
 yawwwwwwnnnnnnn
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