any reason to buy look keo max pedals over shimano?

[Villgaxx]

I still have time pedals that work real well for me, so I have no idea if there is any good reason to go for the looks over the ubiquitous shimano look-style road pedals.

the scenario is a newish rider going for the their first real clipless road pedals after using cheapo mountain bike pedals on everything at first. I would say mid-priced shimano. is look a smart choice in any way in 2017/2018?

[BdaGhisallo]

I would say you should go with one of the Shimano spd-sl variants. No squeaking, good bearings and they last for ever. Additionally, the spd-sl cleats have pontoons for walking on that the Look cleats don't have.

Spd-sl every day of the week and twice on Sunday!

[Villgaxx]

one that thing about shimano that annoys me is the absurd number of look-style road pedals they have out there. ultegra AND 105? 540 AND 550? that's dumb. 3 levels would be fine.

[BdaGhisallo]

one that thing about shimano that annoys me is the absurd number of look-style road pedals they have out there. ultegra AND 105? 540 AND 550? that's dumb. 3 levels would be fine.

Greater consumer choice is not a bad thing, I wouldn't think.

[stien]

Yeah, don't buy Looks. I used them for years, got my wife into road biking and she used them too. They don't wear well. I had a lot of bodies crack (carbon ones) and they generally get crappy over time. Cleats don't last long either.

Very happy with the recent switch to Shimano Ultra pedals.

[pjbaz]

I've ridden Look pedals since 03 (currently switching over to the Blade 2s) and they've always been great. NO complaints, no issues whatsoever

[oldpotatoe]

I still have time pedals that work real well for me, so I have no idea if there is any good reason to go for the looks over the ubiquitous shimano look-style road pedals.

the scenario is a newish rider going for the their first real clipless road pedals after using cheapo mountain bike pedals on everything at first. I would say mid-priced shimano. is look a smart choice in any way in 2017/2018?

No, get shimano.

[texbike]

I've been a Look user for well over 20 years. However, I had a chance to borrow a friend's bike on a trip recently that had Shimano Ultegra pedals on it (fortunately, he also had a pair of shoes that were close enough for me to use). I was impressed and really liked the positive feel of engagement and how smooth the pedals felt. To me, they felt much more solid than the Looks. I'd make a move to Shimano pedals if I wasn't up to my eyeballs in KEOs.

Texbike

[tbike4]

I honestly think my Shimano SPD-SL pedals will last forever. 105, Ultegra & Ultegra carbon, 7810, 7900, 9000. Indestructible.

[Seramount]

used Shimano clipless pedals for a long time (both DA and Ultegra), never had any issues.

a few years ago, tried a set of Looks (Keo Carbon II)...only complaint is the squeaking which seems to be manageable with some cleaning/waxing when new and eventually goes away once everything gets worn in.

whereas the Shimano unclipping action requires a distinct movement of the foot, the Looks release with almost no input. but they've never disengaged on their own.

going to keep using the Looks on my primary ride, but if I was going to recommend pedals, I'd say go Shimano.

[benb]

I have several pairs of SPD-SL pedals I need to move if you're interested. :D

Gotta put up an ad.

I used them for 5-6 years but increasingly get numbness problems with road shoes but not MTB shoes. I don't think SPD-SL is any part of the problem, more the stiffer road soles + the curve in the sole that forces your toes up.

I think I have 2 pairs of the Ultegras.. one metal body, one carbon body. The carbon ones have super minimal wear. I got them last September and gave up on them in a couple hundred miles. (Fitter tried to tell me the updated design on the carbon ones was going to solve my numbness issue... nope nope nope.)

If I could find a road shoe with a flatter last it'd probably do the trick.. not easy to find though. I ride flat/heels down and the shoes all look like they are built for toe-pointers.

[Tickdoc]

No.

[Ralph]

I have Look Keo 11's on 3 bikes. They work fine. last a long time for me. Cleats wear out about every 6 months. I switch them around for longer life. One side lasts longer than another....maybe the foot I put down.

If starting over....would do Shimano.

[Gummee]

Bearings stay in adjustment longer on the Shimano pedals

Been thru Speedplays when they were new to SPD-Rs (ugh) to Looks and now back to SPD-Sl

Sticking with SPD-Sl for the foreseeable future

M

[Bostic]

I used Look Keo's for about 7 years then switched to Shimano Ultegra pedals. Big difference in the stability feel especially when riding the Tandem. My left knee is much happier now plus that horrible squeaking is gone. I was also never a fan of the Keo Grip cleat. It was a bit of a $$ commitment since I had several bikes to swap over.

[R3awak3n]

I never tried looks but the shimanos are so good that I see no reason what so ever to try anything else (well, tried speedplay and they weren't for me)

[ultraman6970]

Keywin, thoes arent going to creak or skweak ever.

[ntb1001]

I've been using Looks since Lemond and Hinault started the clipless trend.

I actually still have the pair I bought in I think 85'....white look pedals.

Never had any problems over the years, and currently have Blades and Keo carbons.

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

[krw6184]

Shimano pedals are definitely set it and forget it pedals. They aren't the lightest but they are durable and seldom fail. Shimano still uses the "Delta" which is the original cleat design pioneered LOOK. It's a solid cleat design, it works well, but old. Shimano has never paid too close attention to the design aesthetics's of the pedal. Only recently have they taken design que's from LOOK so the current Shimano line looks much better than before. They still use the Delta style cleat which I believe has a higher stack height than LOOK's current KEO cleat. Overall, you can go wrong with Shimano.

LOOK has the heritage and being the creator of the "automatic" pedal, they definitely continue to study the interface between the foot and the pedal, the power transmission, the design, etc...it's in their DNA. LOOK is a company of firsts and very innovative. From a quality perspective, I would say that they do tend to have a few more issues but it depends on the model that you are using. The carbon blade and carbon blade II are phenomenal pedals. Almost disappear under your foot. They feel great, super light and super efficient. But they are racing pedals and not designed to have the ultimate durability as say the Keo 2 Max or the Keo Classic.

Having ridden both brands, I think the best way to view is Shimano will be high quality, dead reliable, but not particularly sexy. Like a LEXUS. LOOK will have pretty high quality, designs that push the envelope, reliable but may have it's quirks, and I think I mentioned it's heritage...like a BMW.

German cars feel different on the road that Japanese cars. They just do. I believe you will find the same for pedals.

WIGGLE has a sale going on now for Shimano pedals and the prices are really good. For LOOK pedals, Planet Cyclery always seems to have low pricing as I believe they import direct from Europe.

Good luck with your search.

[krw6184]

I used Look Keo's for about 7 years then switched to Shimano Ultegra pedals. Big difference in the stability feel especially when riding the Tandem. My left knee is much happier now plus that horrible squeaking is gone. I was also never a fan of the Keo Grip cleat. It was a bit of a $$ commitment since I had several bikes to swap over.

The KEO Grip cleat is known to squeak, squeal, and make noise. The standard, non-grip is much better. For heavier loads, I think Shimano is a much better choice.

[BdaGhisallo]

Shimano pedals are definitely set it and forget it pedals. They aren't the lightest but they are durable and seldom fail. Shimano still uses the "Delta" which is the original cleat design pioneered LOOK. It's a solid cleat design, it works well, but old. Shimano has never paid too close attention to the design aesthetics's of the pedal.


Shimano's spd-sl cleat and Look's original 'delta' cleat are two distinct designs. Shimano's cleat is a 'delta' only in the sense that it uses the same triangular 3 bolt pattern that Look pioneered with their original design. The cleats are not interchangeable.

I haven't measured it, but I am pretty sure that the spd-sl design has a slightly lower stack height than the Look keo cleat.

[pdmtong]

Off the bike the shimano cleat is much more walkable than the look cleat. Unless you plan to go hiking in cycling shoes they last a ridiculously long time. Some folks won't put shimano pedals on an otherwise campagnolo or Italian fitted bike. I don't have that issue.

[R3awak3n]

Off the bike the shimano cleat is much more walkable than the look cleat. Unless you plan to go hiking in cycling shoes they last a ridiculously long time. Some folks won't put shimano pedals on an otherwise campagnolo or Italian fitted bike. I don't have that issue.

All my bikes are full campy with shimano pedals, they are just great pedals and look right st home with the campy stuff.

I have new DA 9100 pedals and 6800 pedals, I got a deal on the DA but they were still almost $100 more than I paid for my Ultegras. Appart from weight difference (like 50 grams) and different bearings they are bery similar. On the bike, to me, they feel identical. I would not spend the extra money for the DA pedals next timr

[rzthomas]

I had a bike with Record and so I tried LOOK keo pedals, because I guess that's what you're supposed to do. The pedals didn't hold up and the cleats sucked. Went back to Shimano and have been happy ever since. The whole SPD-SL system is much more durable and works much better.

[benb]

I just wanted to elaborate on what I mentioned, I think both the Look and Shimano 3-bolt setups are vulnerable to the problem that gives me numb toes.

Nothing wrong with the cleats or 3-bolt pattern, but most road shoes have a shape built into the last that essentially goes back to the old nail-in cleats. Those had a thick shape built into the forefoot to hold the nails, that caused the cleats to have a certain shape, and the 3-bolt pattern today has the same shape to the bottom of the sole.

Then to lighten the shoes, they've removed material from the inside of the shoe since there are no longer any nails. It ends up curving the toes up as they removed material from above the cleats.

The other aspect to this is AFAICT most road shoes do not correctly scale up the bolt holes as the shoe size changes... I wear 46-48 shoes depending on brand, the holes are too far forward so I'm pedaling with the cleat too close to my toes contributing to pressure on the nerve/blood vessels. Apparently shimano has some shoes with rearward holes but I haven't managed to try them. (shoes obviously cost plenty, that could be a multi-hundred dollar experiment that could fail.)

But if you don't have any hot-foot/numbness issues none of this matters as far as Shimano vs. Look. Only speedplay has apparently tried to solve these issues on the current shoes.