Ambush
4.7
86 Reviews
When ripping down the trail, the last thing you need to worry about is if your helmet…
When ripping down the trail, the last thing you need to worry about is if your helmet will protect you in a crash. Then again, you don't want to be stuck wearing a full-face on every trail ride. This is why we created the Ambush, the lightest and most ventilated extended coverage helmet available.
We've teamed up with MIPS researchers to introduce MIPS SL—a new, ultra-light, and supremely comfortable version of MIPS that's available exclusively on Specialized helmets. With MIPS SL, we've essentially integrated MIPS technology within the helmet padding itself. MIPS SL's minimalist "watchband" attachment system provides 10 to 15 millimeters of rotation in every direction and offers the same brain protection benefits as other versions of MIPS, while also ushering in a new level of comfort and weight savings.
Starting with protection, the Ambush boasts a significant amount of extended coverage, Energy Optimized Multi-Density EPS foam that manages the energy from impacts effectively, and a Aramid-Reinforced Skeleton that provides extra structure for the foam. Even with the added protection, though, it fits comfortably with our low profile and fully integrated Mindset 360 fit system. With its five height positions, this system provides unmatched adjustment, while an integrated dial allows for on-the-fly tinkering. The Ambush also keeps you cool with our 4th Dimension Cooling System's massive vents and exhaust ports, so you don't have to worry about overheating—even on the hottest days.
Finally, we included a micro-indexing visor that quickly adjusts positions and has plenty of room for goggle storage. Combined, these features put the Ambush well in front of the competition.
4.7
86 Reviews
I love the fit and comfort of this helmet. I often feel helmets are too wide and loose left and right. This one doesn’t move at all. This is one of the best helmets I’ve had over the past 40 years.
I bought the same helmet because I used the first one as a cover between trail and my head. The helmet was damaged, but I "escaped" without injury. I can only recommend it.
I bought this because it was a great deal on sale but the sizing for the helmet is way off. I currently have a Specialized helmet in a medium and this medium was way too large. It’s sized more like a large.
Just bought a Attack first gen helmet like the look of it better but the new one has probably better protection but don’t like the look of the new visor
On a wonderful single track ride in the fabulous Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, Canada, I found a hole that stooped my bike and threw me. My head hit a very solid exposed root. When I got back to my feet I took off my Ambush mips to discover a very significant dent in the helmet, it would be just above my temple. However, I had no problems related to head injury. Now, I wish I had had the same protection for my 63 year old brusied and batter ribs. Terrific helmet all the way around! I'm going to get another NOW.
Fit isn’t perfect but pretty good Looks good. Protection looks a little light I’d give it an 8
This helmet does a great job of venting. It is comfortable if a little on the roomy side. I found that I was a medium in this helmet for the first time in my years of helmet purchases. The downside of this helmet and why I would not purchase it again is the MIPs liner and pad system. This thing fell apart quickly, and the MIPS system liner could not be purchased separately according to the store I purchased the helmet from. So mine no longer has MIPs. I also could not find the MIPs liner on the specialized site. Once the MIPs liner started to fail I had to buy new pads from specialized. They had a real hard time sticking to the inside of the shell and would fall out and droop. The pads that they do sell as replacements take up less space then the MIPs liner with pads so the helmet tends to fit poorly for me now. I really like a lot of specialized products but this one has been a $200 dud for me. Your milage may vary
Great MIPS helmet. Never leave home without it.
Love how it fits. Good ventilation in DC summer. Good look.
Very comfortable Easy adjustment on the fly Have ordered a 2nd Ambush 👍
Great fit… Attractive… Love this helmet
I live & ride in the Phoenix AZ area where ventilation is critical. This helmet is hands down the best I've ever used for ventilation and weight. I've tried offerings from Smith, Giro, and others and none offer this combination of benefits for me. I also like how it looks. It looks like Specialized has discontinued this model in favor of the Ambush 2, so I bought 2 of these - one white and one black. I think they should think twice about discontinuing this one, the new one doesn't offer good visor coverage nor does it have the ventilation.
I personally like the looks of this helmet as it doesn’t sit too high off of my head. The adjustment knob on the back gives me a nice snug fit but doesn’t feel too tight, quite comfortable. I’m a fan of adjustable visor as well. I thought it looked even better in person because it’s not as two-toned as the picture makes it look, since I wanted something more matte black to begin with. Would definitely recommend this helmet.
Perfect lid for riding. Plenty of ventilation at a great price.
I know there is a new model out but I love this one. Looks good, airy and light !
Very nice and comfortable. Sits very solid but at the same time it does not overwhelm with its presence. Very happy owner
Great brain bucket. Visor is better than on the new version. Breathes okay. Overall,great for the price
The visor connection is flimsy but I like the helmet.
comfortable and it secures well to my head, highly recommend it
Wanted one with a Removable visor . Light n comfy , easy adjustment.
I love the way this helmet fits. Good coverage. The visor is adjustable. Lightweight. Looks good. I have owned three of these helmets. I am sad to see them go.
Excellent fit- great ventilation - light and great aesthetic!
Great fit, and very light!
Very comfortable and comes with an Angi crash sensor that will give my family some comfort when I am out on solo rides. Not planning any crashes to test it, but don't accidentally throw your helmet a few meters into the car - it can trigger a false warning.
I purchased this for my wife and she absolutely loves it. She was just getting into cycling so I bought her a helmet off Amazon and she said the comfort and fit between this helmet and the Amazon one is like night and day
Great fit, comfortable, have the Angi which hooked up nice and easily.....definitely recommend
I wish this came in an extra small since it's the first time I gotten a helmet from Specialized that was a small and it's too big. I have worn it mountain biking twice already and it flops around when riding over rough stuff. It's really annoying!!
Very light and comfortable and the visor is very nice while climbing.
Overall all the qualities of the helmet were mid, but a pretty decent helmet for its price.
Got this during Black Friday sale. Worth every dollar. Very light and comfortable. Beware of using AirPods as the straps on the side will potentially hit the stem causing them to fall.
Glad to have this helmet, as I recently had a accident headfirst into the ground, cracked the helmet, mild concussion I was very lucky
Wish the bottom was wrapped but otherwiise good helmet.
Fit is really adjustable and like the long visor for sunny days
Great value for money, fit is great, thou wouldn’t mind a little more padding.
Nice, confortable and fits great
Like the visor very much but the clip is way too small
Great helmet. Super light and plenty of ventilation.
The liner pads could be attached better but all in all a great helmet.
Very light weight and comfortable, wish it came with extra pads.
The Ambush helmet fits both my extra large and the wife's medium head very well. Plus, it provides better protection for us on our MTBs. Nice that it has a place to accommodate the ANGI Crash Sensor too.
Nice light helmet but didn't fit my round head shape very well. The tightening mechanism is difficult to operate, can only be operated from the bottom and is too thin and sharp to be able to easily crank the tightness up. With a better tightening system I think I would have kept this helmet.
Although the graphics are different than what’s shown, it’s a nice helmet. Fits my head well. The new strap system it has means that the straps don’t need to be adjusted, except for looseness/tightness, but that also means the straps CAN’T be adjusted except for loose/tight.
Excellent fit and light weight.
Saw this on sale and really wanted an upgrade. Very comfortable. Not a fan of the design/look of the latest Specialized MTB helmets but this is great. Wish they kept this model around. Highly recommend if you can still find it.
Quality product… great fit and function…helmet has good protection, air flow and is super light weight…looks good too!!!
Fits really well, extremely light. Would buy again and would recommend.
Got sideswiped by a car a couple of weeks ago. Hit my head, or should I say, helmet, and had a minor brain bleed/concussion, cracked clavicle, rib, bruised shoulder, arm and hip. Fortunately, brain bleed stopped 3 hours later. Helmet was only dented 1/2” or so, not crushed! Helmet looks like I could still use it, but I won’t. Thanks for making a great product!
Fits great and very comfortable. Had to buy a new one as I took a bad fall on my previous one of these. It saved my noggin for sure. Thanks Specialized.
GREAT FIT. VERY COMFORTABLE.
Great all around helmet, fit and quality consistent with the Specialized name
I got the helmet for my daughter, and she loves it.
Great helmet - fits well and is comfy.
Fits like a glove! Extends over the front and back of my head much better than my older generation helmets. My first helmet with MIPS. Love it.
Super light, super comfortable, could use better color choices but all in all a great helmet.
Comfortable and light.
I love my Specialized bike and helmet!!
Awesome helmet
Great customer support in exchanging helmet for a different size.
This helmet with the Angi system its great, i had an accident this weekend i hit the ground with the helmet and did save my life, I end up Bruises and scratches in my face the angi system call my wife in seconds after the crush. Excellent equipment to have.
The only issue is the padding falls out. Great fit, great quality helmet. I have two of these helmets and the padding fell out of both of them.
I’m on my second Ambush, after crash testing the first one. The helmet fits me great, is super light, looks good on, is well ventilated, and worked well on the crash. The visor also works well - good size, easy to adjust, and stays in place. I wish it had a fidlock buckle, but that’s a minor nit.
It's light, well vented, fits great, and SWEAT POURS ONTO MY FACE. There is something different about this helmet's padding. The padding sits lower on my forehead, right at my bushy eyebrows that cause sweat to drip continuously down my face at slow speeds. I live in the Colorado front range, so rides start with steep, slow 45-60 minute climb. If the outside temp is above 60, get ready for the sweat faucet! Sweat in my eyes, sweat on my shades, sweat into my mouth... sweat everywhere. I've happily worn various Specialized helmets for 14 years, promoting them to all my riding buddies as the lightest, most comfy, and best-ventilated helmets. This one has all those positive aspects but has me drowning in sweat.
I've unfortunately used every feature of this helmet including the crash notification system. I was stupid and wore a half shell to the park, crashed, and the low brow that I thought was somewhat annoying took the direct hit of my best impression of being a lawn dart. The crash sensor made an alarm notification on my phone and some spectators on the side of the trail knew I had a bad crash immediately. My emergency contacts received text messages with my GPS coordinates and a message saying I had a crash detected immediately. If I did sustain a concussion, it is extremely minor and preferable to what could have been. As a trail/enduro helmet, this is super lightweight, extremely well ventilated, the visor stays in whatever place you want, and looks great. The Ride app doesn't drain your battery super fast like other GPS apps and if you have a serious crash, your emergency contacts are immediately notified. It's expensive but Spesh and your LBS have your back with a crash replacement program. If you're at the park, please be smart and wear a full face.
I've used this helmet on about a dozen rides so far. Fit is great, visor is adjustable too. Great helmet.
Most of the time I'm riding the trails solo. The ANGI system is easy to set up and works flawlessly. Great peace of mind should you need it
Can't say enough positive things about this helmet, like it so much this is my second purchase. Light weight, great ventilation, comfortable, safe, the list can go on and on. After setting it up I found ANGI very easy to use and it 100% works. I got into a moderate accident, the helmet cracked, and it alerted my ICE. Fortunately was able to walk away and I believe this helmet played a role in that.
The helmet fits fantastic and you quickly forget you have it on its that light, the chin strap is easy to adjust and doesn't move anywhere once done up. Angi seems to work great so far no false alarms etc and I have went down some rough trails great all day helmet ideal for solo rides
I bought this helmet in a LBS and set up the ANGi system...First mild jump and it thought I crashed !! - in fact, every jump was false alarmed as a crash. I had wisely set the cancel time to 90 seconds, but the app should have some sensitivity adjustment to prevent the false alarms. The buckle is cheap - the internal padding is so-so Its very lightweight and has a great visor that will store my goggles fine, which is why I bought it. Its a decent helmet, but I like my two Giro helmets better despite the ANGi thing - My Garmin Edge 1030 has crash detection that works better anyway.
Had one of the worst crashed of my life. I ended up breaking my C3 vertebrae and this helmet helped by doing its job and breaking my impact. My spinal cord was 2mm away from never being the same
I use this helmet mostly on trail/enduro type rides and terrain. The fit is fantastic. I have a relatively small head and my measurement put me in the overlap area between a small and medium. I went medium, and it is perfect. The ventilation is great, and the retention system is very comfortable. It stays in place and does not need to be constantly adjusted. The visor easily adjusts up and down even while riding, and this is a feature I am really enjoying. So far no complaints. The color is great, and I have gotten sever unsolicited compliments so far. I think I found a winner.
Have used the helmet several times now. Very light and comfortable. The visor is a plus in the Florida sun. Angi easy to setup. Not sure will use very often as I mainly ride on paved trails.
I like how the helmet is very light and has lots of vents for hot weather. The ANGI feature is a plus and peace of mind to have. The only thing that is making me not want to wear it on long rides is because it's kind of narrow inside. I measured my head so many times and I fall in the medium size. The front and back fit perfectly fine, but the sides are kind of tight. Yes, I've played with the dial on the back, but there's just no way to make it wider on the side. I still give it a 5 star.
Used mostly for trail MTB. Upsides: Lightweight, comfortable, ratcheting visor adjustment, good adjustment for size, no interference with sunglasses, good venting, very stable while riding over rough terrain and features. Downsides: the ANGi system only operates with a paid premium subscription. Chin strap could be more comfortable...it's thin with an exposed buckle
I waited.... passed up offers for similar products... and waited for this to pop up with availability again. I had one from the early deliveries of 2015 and it was starting to show/feel its age from use. It's comfy. It's light enough for me. It handles my sweat and my lights up top. It handled 5 years of use/ abuse well. It removed any question of a switch to something else. The headliner is more comfy and that could jut be because my old one was hammered. The matte finish on the black one was a great foundation for the sticker my kids out on the back of it. ""SHOUT TO PASS""
Very comfy , nice fit . Very cool and ligh. Feels great. The Angie sync needs improvement.
Really good coverage, lightweight, comfortable, breaths well and looks great!!
The helmet is very comfortable and has adequate ventilation. I have an unusually large head, and L size fits me. I set up ANGI Bluetooth sensor with my phone with no issues. However, I don't know if it is working. When I start riding, I'm not sure if I have to use the app each time I decide to go for a ride. It would be nice if there were clarity on that issue.
This helmet is so light and with the mips and the Angie beacon I feel much safer when I'm in it. I have health issues and having Angie track my ride and be able to notify my emergency contacts in the event of a crash or fall gives me such peace of mind. That makes me happy!
Great helmet - just spent the week riding the trials around Massa Maritima in Tuscany. Comfortable in all temps. The sensor, while a great idea needs to be better attached to the helmet. Helmet gets an A+. The utility of the sensor is great. The integration of the 2 gets a B.
The evolution of the bike helmet has been pretty amazing. My first hardshell--a Brancale--was protective, heavy, and only moderately ventilated. About thirty years later this latest edition of the Ambush--I had one a few years ago--has an articulated visor the last one didn't have and it's highly functional. The ventilation is really good, but it doesn't seem as ventilated on the inside as the outside leads me to believe...could it be the highly effective and comfortable padding? The lack of air flow where the front sweat gutter seals against my forehead? I don't know the answer to that, but I do sweat more in cooler weather than I did the old Ambush or the two other brands I bought when that Ambush was ready to be replaced (I wore one out and the other never fit right). But, the fit of this helmet is excellent, the comfort, then, is also hard to fault. The ANGI feature? Best to connect it to the app before you put it on (you must use the app and start the ride to have the app function, even though you might not find anywhere that actually states this), since you might have to threaten brain damage once it's on to activate/connect it to your phone. I hope to never need it, but this is the reason I bought this specific helmet, and it seems to activate and stay on during my rides. With the articulated visor the Ambush corrects one of it's only faults of the previous edition, and the ANGI is peace of mind. I can see me replacing this helmet in a few years with its update if things go like this.
Great helmet for the trails and well made. I want to thank Emily and Morgan for helping me out. You have a great team.
Fits very comfortably and love the visor application, as I sometimes ride early in the morning, riding into the rising sun. Have not had an accident to test the helmet. Very satisfied.
Never wore a helmet for the all years I've cycled, after 2 close friends involved in terrible accidents, I searched for helmets and seen the angi come out, and thought maybe this is the helmet for me, now I don't go without it, using the helmet for cross country and road cycling, and with angi, give my wife re assurance and ease that I'm safe whilst cycling. Absolute great fitting and comfortable. And also Keeps head very cool
I got this helmet to do gravel rides and use the ANGi technology - this helmet works phenomenal to stay in place, look stylish, and connects with app with ease. Love how well it stayed in place and did not overheat my head. Well done specialized !!
I got this helmet solely for fatbike riding in snow this winter. The helmet fits great and is easily adjustable to accommodate winter insulation. The ANGi works great and allows my wife to track me. Riding through woods in the snow is not always such a smart thing. Having a way for my wife to find me if needed is a great tool to have when I do.
THE HELMET LOOKS GREAT ON THE OUTSIDE, I GOT THE WHITE. THE FIT IS GREAT AND THE HELMET DOES NOT MOVE AROUND A LOT ON YOUR HEAD LIKE A LOT OF THE MIPS HELMETS DO. I'VE TRIED THE POC AND GIRO AND THERE MIPS HELMETS MOVE AROUND A LOT IN ROUGH SECTIONS ON THE TRAIL, THE SPECIALIZED DOES NOT. THE PROBLEM I HAVE WITH THE HELMET IS THAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BLACK PADS ON THE INSIDE AND IT CAME WITH UGLY GREEN ONES. I GAVE 3 STARS FOR THAT REASON. I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH OTHER THINGS I HAVE ORDERED FROM SPECIALIZED. ALSO, WHAT IS PICTURED IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO GET!