Look updates 795 aero bikes and Keo Blade Carbon pedals

Look has unveiled two new versions of its 795 aero road bike, the 795 Light RS and the 795 Aerolight RS, along with new top-of-the-range Keo Blade Carbon race pedals which have been restyled. We got the chance to check them all out at last week's Eurobike.

Let’s take a look at the bikes first.

Look first introduced the 795 Light and Aerolight in 2014, both designed with aerodynamics in mind. The 795 models are distinctive thanks to a stem that integrates into the head tube and a steeply sloping top tube. The difference between them is that the Aerolight has a front brake integrated into the fork and a rear brake positioned underneath the chainstays whereas the Light has conventional brakes.

The new RS models, used by Team Fortuneo-Oscaro during this year’s Tour de France, have several redesigned features.

Check out our review of last year’s Look 795 Aerolight here. 

First, the cables from the handlebar do not enter directly into the frame but instead go via a part that pivots with the headset. The advantage is that they turn with the headset, the idea being to avoid any headset tension caused by cable stiffness. 

The cables pass through the down tube and exit via a wide ’trapdoor’ in front of the bottom bracket. The rear brake cable is guided under the bottom bracket and the rear derailleur goes through the chainstay. It is no longer necessary to remove the bottom bracket during assembly. Look says that the new cable routing means that the time needed for building up a new frame, as well as maintenance, has been reduced dramatically.

You no longer need to disconnect the front brake if you want to swap the stem because the cable doesn’t pass through it any more. 

The new bottom bracket is made entirely from carbon. Look says that this guarantees stiffness and reliability.

The new E-Post 2 Evo seatpost now has a “tightening area” that allows for stronger retention in the frame and an interior cord has been replaced by a screw that allows for more powerful clamping. 

If you run a Shimano Di2 system, the junction box is still hidden away inside the frame but the cover, which sits just behind the stem, has been redesigned to allow the junction box to be clipped directly onto its underside. All the Di2 functions are accessible from the cover’s external face; you don’t need to remove it. 

The new ADH2 handlebar incorporates a brake quick release mechanism that allows you to open and close the callipers for repairs, changing wheels or adjusting the pads. 

Look says that the action of this control knob is easier and faster than traditional quick releases that are placed near the housing ferrules, and that it’s perfectly accessible on the fly.

Another new feature of the handlebar is additional space on either side of the stem to allow the mounting of aerobars (or a computer or camera mount). 

The tops of the handlebar are still shaped for aerodynamics although that shaping now extends forwards rather than backwards from the clamping point, the idea being to provide more space and make it less likely that you’ll hit your knees when riding out of the saddle.

“To calculate the aerodynamic gain of the 795 Aerolight RS and the 795 Light RS, we performed wind tunnel tests,” says Look. “The results: on a 100km ride on flat terrain with equal power output, the 795 Aerolight RS has a 11.7% aerodynamic gain as compared to a traditional racing bike (Look 695). This represents an improvement of 1m 14s.”

These figures relate to a 70kg rider putting out 300 watts. 

Look says that the 795 Aerolight RS (with integrated brakes) puts in an aero performance that’s 3% better than that of the 795 Light RS (with standard brakes).

The claimed weights are:
Frame 990g 
Fork 340g (with integrated brakes)

A Look 795 Light RS frameset, including stem, is priced at £4,350 while a 795 Aerolight RS frameset, also including stem, is £5,000.

Okay, on to the redesigned Keo Blade Carbon pedals… Look first introduced its Blade technology, where a piece of carbon-fibre replaces the traditional metal spring-loaded design, in 2010.   

The axle of the new Blade Carbon has been redesigned, the distance between the roller and needle bearings having been increased by 25%. Look says that this provides more rigidity to the entire length of the axle and, as a consequence, improved power transmission.

It also says that weather resistance has been improved thanks to an updated end plug with an o-ring washer and an internal, double-lipped seal.

Read our review of the Look Keo 2 Max Blade 12 from a couple of years ago. 

The Keo Blade Carbon pedals with a titanium axle have a claimed weight of 190g (per pair), while the version with a chromoly axle has a claimed weight of 220g (per pair).

Check out our video on how to get started with road clipless pedals. 

The version with a composite body and a carbon blade has a claimed weight of 240g.

For more info go to www.lookcycle.com