Opinions on LOOK Bicycles?

[TC1972]

I'm interested in getting one & I'm curious as to their standing in the court of public opinions.

Thoughts?

I've dealt with Veltec Sports, their US distibutor for a few customer service issues before & had great service & that's partially why I'm drawn to Look (other than their great ride).

[Jeff N.]

No personal experience, but the few riders I know that ride them...3 in all....swear by them. Jeff N.

[jeffg]

I realize the board has branched out to discuss all sorts of bikes, but I am not sure that is a good thing. There is a Look board on their website. One thing I am interested in is the introduction of a fork with all carbon dropouts for 2005! I suspect I won't be an early adopter here, though. :beer:

[bostondrunk]

I realize the board has branched out to discuss all sorts of bikes, but I am not sure that is a good thing. There is a Look board on their website. One thing I am interested in is the introduction of a fork with all carbon dropouts for 2005! I suspect I won't be an early adopter here, though. :beer:

The problem with limiting the discussion to Serotta only is that there won't be a whole hell of a lot to talk about. As well, bringing up discussions about different brands allows people to give some comparisons to their Serotta's, etc.
I'm thinking way too sensiballybly....need a beer... :beer: :banana:

[jeffg]

The problem with limiting the discussion to Serotta only is that there won't be a whole hell of a lot to talk about. As well, bringing up discussions about different brands allows people to give some comparisons to their Serotta's, etc.
I'm thinking way too sensiballybly....need a beer... :beer: :banana:

Ok, so get your beer and opine on the new fork, which one can purchase and add to a multitude of frames, I would guess.

Also, there is more to cycling discussions than just frames. I guess my thought was that if someone asks for a relevant comparison that is somewhat different than simply solicitng opinions on random Cf frames. Serotta does not even make one, so the connection seems harder to maintain. Just a thought, and I definitely need a beer (2 hours sleep since Monday).

[kestrel]

Bring up stuff on a Serotta board, get pro-Serotta replies.
Bring up stuff on a Look board, get pro-Look replies.
Bring up stuff on a Chevrolet board, get pro-Chevrolet replies.

The reason I belong to several boards is to exchange information and ideas about different pieces of equipment I own or would like to own. After I'm on the board for awhile, I get to trust the opinions of several people on the board. Therefore I see a question about a Look frameset being appropriately placed on a Serotta website if I've been a member here for awhile and I trust the comparative judgement of the users on this board. You may get a more realistic opinion of Look framesets from here than from the Look board. IMHO!

[zap]

I own a Look KG196 Monoblade thats 10 years old and still in great shape. Veltec has been great when it comes to customer service. They have a number of different models that suits a number of riding styles, so go for it if the geometry works for you.

[theoldman]

One of my bikes is a 2003 Look 381i. Very similar to this years 481i. The bike is equiped with Record triple and tubs. For reference, I am about 190#

Personally, I love this bike. It is comfortable to ride and descends like it is on rails. The bike does not have the dead feel that so many carbon bikes have. It feels more lively and responds like a true race bike. You get the feeling that it gives you back everything you put in.

The BB of the bike feels stiff. There is no rubbing when pushing hard. Only once, on a monster climb, could I feel any movement in the bottom bracket. This was when i was out of the saddle and really giving it everything (25%+ hill).

The finishing of the bike is very good. The paint is well applied and there are no obvious defects in the finishing. The bike looks almost as good today as when I first purchased it. The clear coat and paint are durable.

The bike is used for long rides through the mountains. For this purpose it works very well. On high speed descents in feels solid and secure. I have never been spooked going around corners fast.

The bike feels naturally stable. The angles of the tubes are more relaxed than some other bikes. It is easy to ride without hands without getting spooked.

The bike weighs more than many other Carbon bikes. All together, it weighs about 17.5 #. However, it feels stronger and more durable than some of the more lightweight frames on the market. It is probably not the ideal frame for a true lightweight rider.

The only negative of the frame, in my opinion, are the adjustable dropouts. For a large rider like myself, with the right/wrong gearing, I can over power the screws that hold the dropouts straight. It only happened once when using the 30x29 gear combination and standing. The overall force was too much for the screws to hold. Now I just avoid standing in this gear combination and have had no additional problems.

The bike has met and exceeded my expectations. It may not be for everybody, but Look does build a quality racing frame. I would not say the Look is better or worse than a Serotta, just a little different.

[jeffg]

Ok, now that we're discussing it: Wait and get the new 585 with the new carbon fork and report on it for us. Look has several slightly different geos on their various models so I am interested to see what the 585 will have. This will be Look's first foray into real lightweight frames (sub 1kg), and full carbon (carbon BB shell, fork dropouts, etc.). I have found that their frames are quality in terms of ride/handling. So far, buying carbon that weighed as much as my Legend and was neither as lively nor appreciably stiffer or more comfortable has not appealed to me. To the extent I have a stock CF frame jones, I think it would be for the Scott CR1 or perhaps the new Look. :banana: :banana:

[Rich_W]

I've got the 05 Veltec book here, and the 585, with the full carbon fork looks very sweet.

[csb]

thank god its a picture book...for a sec' i
thought yuz was reading

[vaxn8r]

I realize the board has branched out to discuss all sorts of bikes, but I am not sure that is a good thing. There is a Look board on their website. One thing I am interested in is the introduction of a fork with all carbon dropouts for 2005! I suspect I won't be an early adopter here, though. :beer:
Cannondale already has a fork with all CF dropouts on all their high end models. I've ridden a few of them and they seem fine. The fork does have an even more hollow tone to it when you tap it than other CF forks. Maybe that's the drop outs or maybe it's just.....more....hollow??

[Climb01742]

i have an older look kg281. tough as nails and has held up well from years of unloving abuse. for me, the 281 suffers from the affliction of much older carbon--the dead wooden feeling. perhaps the newer looks are better. i had heard that looks carbon technology wasn't as up to date as some other manufacturers. just what i heard. IMO, a parlee rides much better. as does a cervelo r2.5. but i have not ridden in looks in years, so take my 2 cents for what its worth. scott frames look interesting, if you're shopping.

[Andreu]

I realize the board has branched out to discuss all sorts of bikes, but I am not sure that is a good thing. There is a Look board on their website.. :beer:
If this was the case I would, personally, never log on here.
:beer:

[bostondrunk]

Scott seems to have a shorter effective top tube on their bikes (similar to 'Dales I think), which is nice since a lot of the other carbon choices, trek, Giant, Look, etc. seem to go with quite longish top tubes.
The price on the Scott looks rather high though. :butt:

[Benjamin]

can anyone offer up a quick explanation of look 386/486 geo numbers?

i understand that their low BB and tall, lax ST makes for large numbers, when going by seattube alone, but the smaller size frames have much longer TTs than STs, and these numbers gradually even as you size the frames up, until they are square.

for instance, the 49 has a 42.5 ST and a 52 TT

the 59, however, is "square" at 59/59