We were at the Specialized offices recently (no not the Morgan Hill ones, the offices in South London) and got a chance to poke around all the 2008 Specialized products. We’ll be bringing you everything we spotted over the following days, but for starters feast your eyes on the 2D.
The 2D is the company’s newest helmet, and boasts several significant developments in the pursuit of a safe, light and highly ventilated lid. Firstly, it’s light, sub-200g (180g quoted for a small), and achieves this in a number of ways.
First is the use of Dual Density foam, the first time we’ve seen this in cycling helmets. It reduces weight as the side sections, usually the area that take most of the load in a crash, are higher density, allowing the designers to spec lower density, and lighter, foam in the remainder of the construction.
The ventilation ports are also bigger than on the outgoing Decibel, helping in the weight drop but also benefiting the ventilation performance of the 2D. Visually, it looks similar to the Decibel, as Specialized has kept features like the amusingly titled Mega Mouthport on the front, and the tall vertical exhaust ports on the, er, rear. These bigger ports are made possible by the hidden Kevlar laid lattice-like across the helmet (the cutaway photo illustrates this) which ensures the helmet meets necessary safety standards (CSPC, SNELL, B90A and CE).
Another lightening addition is the DryLite Webbing used in the straps. Noticeably thinner, they won’t stretch when wet from sweat so the fit of the helmet isn’t compromised. U-Turn adjusters remain from the Decibel.
Pick up a Decibel and you think it’s light, but then pick up the 2D and you suddenly become aware of just how much lighter the 2D feels when you’re just holding it. Pop it on and you hardly notice its there. The straps are considerably more comfortable than other helmets, and you don’t get the annoying strap-on-your-face that can irritate. We’ll let you know how we get on with the 2D after we worn one for some time.
