Review: Specialized Dissident 2 Helmet - Downhill Safety at an Enduro Weight
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.
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
• 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
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.
Dealer's choice: Loic Bruni prefers to place his goggle strap on the bump.
Finn opts for the above option.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Exhaust ports aplenty.
.
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.
A flat area on the sturdy visor offers purchase to mount a POV camera.
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
 | Specialized 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. |
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Yeah putting that in writing I might be the weird one here
(It's a joke people...)
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.
helmets.org/up1804.htm
My Fox Dropframe is the worst, I never use it. My old Proframe was great though.
www.giant-bicycles.com/us/showcase/rail
So I just upgraded the duct tape mends to a shitty fibreglass job. Helmet looks it has been to war lol.
I unfortunately crash tested a ton of helmets in my life. Lighter is definitely better for reducing other injuries.
Heavy helmets pass the same test as lighter helmets.
PB should do an article on helmet standards and tests. It is scary how small of a crash they are designed to protect you from.
For me there are 2 very important things when looking for a helmet. First and foremost is that the helmet is ASTM and CPSC certified for the sport I am participating in, the second is "Dual Density EPS" foam liner. Higher the density the higher the impact it takes for the EPS foam to do it's magic and dissipate the energy, if "Dual Density" is called out that means to me that the manufacturer is looking out for my squash during all crashes and not just the big ones that are mandatory for certification and bringing a helmet to market. See there is no Low Speed impact standard, no baseline no standardized test enforcing the safety during low speed small crashes that are way more common. If I see "Dual Density' I know a brand is going above and beyond what they need to do to bring a product to market, it adds a bit of confidence for sure.
Funny thing is, their helmets never look like the advertisements. You know how Scott helmets have that hollow plastic shell thing that's supposed to crumple when your head hits the ground? I've seen a severe concussion with one of those helmets and the plastic wasn't even deformed (to the eye), despite a significant dent on the outside of the helmet. And that's usually the case! You examine their helmets, find the damage on the outside, and can't usually find so much as a crack on the foam or whatever - yet the rider's bell is rung. I don't know what any of that means - maybe nothing. There have been other incidents where people fell from great heights, whacked their noggin, and basically cracked the helmet in half, but those usually result in some grizzly accidents that I don't want to post online. Maybe all the damage is under the outer shell and not visible to the eye. /shrug
All Kali, some tld (stage and a2 / a3), some fox (varizorb), giro spherical mips, 6d, some 100% and some leatt. There may be others as well.
youtu.be/3KUdmwmhyxM?si=6PWNrrLwZw0kdYh7
Fidlock on my TLD Stage doesn’t feel nearly as secure as the one on my D3. It’s one of the things that makes me feel great about a full DH helmet.
This explains it beautifully.