The Specialized Tactic 4 MIPS trail helmet is a solid, well-made and good-looking helmet for the price, certified for electric mountain bike use, and while it’s not perfect for the price it is one of the best mountain bike helmets.

Specialized can be a bit of an odd company sometimes, seeing as it seems to offer simultaneously both some of the best and worst value in mountain biking. Thankfully this Tactic 4 MIPS helmet is exceptionally well priced.

It’s a beautifully finished lid with smooth lines, curvy edges and comes fully wrapped to protect the looks. It just feels really solid and well made for the price. As a fourth generation product, the Tactic has been continually refined and now passes the more rigorous e-bike safety standard, and if that wasn’t enough, it also tops the Virginia Tech’s prestigious helmet lab tests (funded by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) beating all the other open face MTB lids on the market.

Helping this rating is the integration of the latest MIPS Evolve system with its refined, lower-friction liner to further improve resistance to rotational blows. For an extra £45 you can also add one of Specialized’s ANGi crash sensors, which tracks your ride and sends out a safety beacon to help location in the event of a stack.

Sitting higher on the head than most, the Tactic’s integrated peak also looks slick and stylish. It’s non-adjustable, so you can’t stash goggles underneath, but it is designed to break away in the event of a crash to save your neck. 

Uniquely on the rear rim, Specialized’s retention dial system is incorporated into the actual outer shell. Inside, this wheel tightens a tensioning ratchet with audible indents on a plastic band or cradle that goes right round the head. We can’t be the only ones feeling that the dial tensions in the opposite direction to every other lid on the market though, and while it looks integrated, it’s not possible to adjust the internal cradle height for different shaped heads, which is not ideal.

When riding, the MIPS Evolve liner creaks a little bit, which we can live with, but the lack of height adjustment in the fit system will be a deal breaker for some. It means the helmet sits a bit perched on top of the head than others here, and some riders found it hard to get the Tactic fully stabilised, with the internal cradle not extending deep enough to reach underneath the occipital bone. Normally we’re fans of lightweight fixed chinstrap webbing, but Spesh’s openings sit in a position that caught the back of some rider’s ears. 

These few niggles were frustrating as we really wanted to love this solid, top-quality helmet. Try one on for size yourself though, as if the fit is good, this is definitely a helmet that punches above its price ticket in terms of features and finish.

• Best full face and convertible mountain bike helmets
• Best budget electric mountain bikes
• Britain’s best flow trails