Why all the love for Look 585 bikes?

[saab2000]

They're extremely well designed and well constructed. They have a lineage going back to the mid-1980s with Bernard Hinault and Greg Lemond and they have a ride quality that's very pleasing and lively.

And they're generally quite affordable. They're no longer state of the art but for 99% of my rides they're more than adequate. I have several and enjoy them very much.

They're totally drama free, with English threaded bottom brackets and headsets that require zero attention. Also, they don't have any proprietary, unique parts. They take a standard 27.2 seatpost and the clamp is normal. So many bikes have more and more proprietary and gimmicky components that they become less and less desirable, especially on the aftermarket if a part is missing.

If they had another, boutique name like Serotta or Parlee people would gush and they would cost many times more than they do.

When they were new they were pricey but now they can be gotten for a few hundred dollars, often in excellent condition.

I'm a fan of Looks and have been since I first rode one in the late 1980s.

[Keith A]

saab2000 -- Did you ever find the one you were searching for?

[ultraman6970]

Anybody what the KG means in the kg series, before the 585 you have the kg 485 then the kg disapeared.... anybody has an idea?

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by Keith A

saab2000 -- Did you ever find the one you were searching for?

I have more than I know what to do with......

[Cloozoe]

Not complicated; they've gone viral, that's all.

Here's how it works:

Eliminate the heavy gas pipe Walmart bikes.

Eliminate the (very few) more expensive bikes that are so flawed in one way or another that there is broad agreement they suck.

What's left is a whole bunch of competently designed and built machines with relatively subtle differences, one from the other.

The average rider couldn't tell the difference between them if there were no visual clues.

But for reasons of marketing, reviews, influential bloggers/posters, aesthetics, blind dumb luck, etc., a few gain a reputation as something special.

It then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: people buy them expecting them to be great and -- what do you know! -- they decide they are. (lots of studies have been done exploring this phenomenon)

So they add their voices to the amen chorus. And even people who've never seen the thing, much less ridden one, chime in too.

And it compounds; or, to put it in current terms, goes viral.

Sometimes, it works the other way, too. I've read countless comments on one particular, perfectly good, expensive bike, that echo each other almost word for word regarding a riding characteristic that is so specific, and so incredibly unlikely to be perceived in precisely the same way by everyone who's ridden one --regardless of size, wheels, tires, set-up, individual skill/strength/preferences-- that it's obvious that something other than objective analysis is at play. In this case, I traced it all back to one review.

None of this is to say that there is a thing in the world wrong with a Look 585, but I ain't buying that its reputation is based on its intrinsic, actual, objectively determined superiority.

[colker]

Originally Posted by rustychisel

Just add pedals. It'll go much faster then.

I duct tape shoes to crankset and save a lot of weight.

PS: just make sure it´s italian duct tape when using campagnolo.

[PaMtbRider]

Originally Posted by akelman

I've got one that I should sell. They're great bikes for all the reasons people say. And it was a fun experiment. But they're not especially kind to my old-man back.

I had a 585 that I enjoyed. The one negative is the shorter head tube as compared to today's more common upright geometry. The 585 was designed as a race bike and handles exceptionally well, if it fits you.

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by Cloozoe

Not complicated; they've gone viral, that's all.

Here's how it works:

Eliminate the heavy gas pipe Walmart bikes.

Eliminate the (very few) more expensive bikes that are so flawed in one way or another that there is broad agreement they suck.

What's left is a whole bunch of competently designed and built machines with relatively subtle differences, one from the other.

The average rider couldn't tell the difference between them if there were no visual clues.

But for reasons of marketing, reviews, influential bloggers/posters, aesthetics, blind dumb luck, etc., a few gain a reputation as something special.

It then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: people buy them expecting them to be great and -- what do you know! -- they decide they are. (lot's of studies have been done exploring this phenomenon)

So they add their voices to the amen chorus. And even people who've never seen the thing, much less ridden one, chime in too.

And it compounds; or, to put it in current terms, goes viral.

Sometimes, it works the other way, too. I've read countless comments on one particular, perfectly good, expensive bike, that echo each other almost word for word regarding a riding characteristic that is so specific, and so incredibly unlikely to be perceived in precisely the same way by everyone who's ridden one --regardless of size, wheels, tires, set-up, individual skill/strength/preferences-- that it's obvious that something other than objective analysis is at play. In this case, I traced it all back to one review.

None of this is to say that there is a thing in the world wrong with a Look 585, but I ain't buying that its reputation is based on its intrinsic, actual, objectively determined superiority.

This is very true, and frankly applies to so many consumer products, especially automobiles. Still, I've found a happy place with the 585. It's kind of a Goldilocks bike for me.

[Cloozoe]

Originally Posted by saab2000

This is very true, and frankly applies to so many consumer products, especially automobiles. Still, I've found a happy place with the 585. It's kind of a Goldilocks bike for me.

Yeah, I hesitated writing my thing if only because I'm sure that it's a fine bike that will ring bells, for whatever reasons, for lots of people. I myself find it really appealing. Guess I just wanted to throw my 2 cents toward the OP and suggest that he should beware of magic bicycles.

[rePhil]

They are not magic? Well that settles it then, I'm selling both of mine.Kidding of course.Very good observation, you nailed it.
I wonder how much the size plays into the ride. Mine are size small and I am fortunate the geometry is spot on ....for me.

Originally Posted by Cloozoe

Yeah, I hesitated writing my thing if only because I'm sure that it's a fine bike that will ring bells, for whatever reasons, for lots of people. I myself find it really appealing. Guess I just wanted to throw my 2 cents toward the OP and suggest that he should beware of magic bicycles.

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by Cloozoe

Yeah, I hesitated writing my thing if only because I'm sure that it's a fine bike that will ring bells, for whatever reasons, for lots of people. I myself find it really appealing. Guess I just wanted to throw my 2 cents toward the OP and suggest that he should beware of magic bicycles.

There are no magic bicycles. We all feel faster with new equipment but after a period of time they all get stale.

I've got a garage full of expensive bikes to prove it!

[makoti]

Originally Posted by saab2000

There are no magic bicycles. We all feel faster with new equipment but after a period of time they all get stale.

I've got a garage full of expensive bikes to prove it!

Years ago, I read somewhere that a new bike was worth a 15% speed boost, but only for a week or two.

[akelman]

I have no idea what you people are talking about. This 585 is a magic bicycle.

[travis bickle]

Thanks for the feedback. Maybe the lack of the wow factor of the Look 585 has to do with the fact that all my other bikes are steel which in my mind can't be beat. Here is my list:
92 Colnago Master PIU, 85 Fuso, 92 Bridgestone RB-1, 87 Centurion Ironman, 83 Pinarello Record, 92 Tommaso TSX, 92 Merckx MX Leader, 90 Serotta Colorado II, 99 Tommasini Sintesi, 90 Pinarello Montello, 89 Tommasini Super Prestige, 02 LeMond Maillot Jaune, Simoncini Special Professional, Unknown builder

[rustychisel]

Originally Posted by travis bickle

Thanks for the feedback. Maybe the lack of the wow factor of the Look 585 has to do with the fact that all my other bikes are steel which in my mind can't be beat. Here is my list:
92 Colnago Master PIU, 85 Fuso, 92 Bridgestone RB-1, 87 Centurion Ironman, 83 Pinarello Record, 92 Tommaso TSX, 92 Merckx MX Leader, 90 Serotta Colorado II, 99 Tommasini Sintesi, 90 Pinarello Montello, 89 Tommasini Super Prestige, 02 LeMond Maillot Jaune, Simoncini Special Professional, Unknown builder

Interesting point, you may well have something there.
What you have is an excellent collection of bikes to ride, so one more bike may not make the grade, regardless of it's construction.
Interestingly, you're limited to steel bikes constructed within a span of 15 years, which indicates a pretty clear preference on your part, but perhaps not breadth in terms of what is available.

Done much riding on aluminium bikes? Other carbon? Old steel (I mean real old steel, one of my favourite rides was welded in 1964)? It's waaaay different from a 2005 steel bike (in terms of tube diameter, construction methods etc).