The Keo 2 Max Carbon are supplied with Look’s gripper cleats, the difference being a rubber pad at the front and rear of the cleat. These provided a bit more grip than the standard cleat supplied with the Keo Blade Carbon Ceramic but the grip section was again very short-lived compared to the Shimano cleat. And after a single slip on a smooth surface, one of the grippers was cleanly removed from the cleat. The cleats supplied with the more expensive pedals have a harder wearing section on the retaining sections of the cleat so these fared better - wearwise - but were the worst on test for grip when walking. It seems Look customers must choose between cleat wear or grip, unfortunately, you can’t have both. The carbon blade can be removed and replaced with a stronger version that offers increased tension (Image credit: Peter Haworth) The closest competitor to the Keo 2 Max Carbon is the Shimano R8100 pedal, both in terms of where it sits in the range and the price point. Both options can be sourced online for similar prices if you find the right deal.

If you’ve got the luxury of spare cash, you could buy a pair of the base model of each system, see which you prefer the feel of and sell the others on. While there isn’t anything functionally wrong with the Look Keo Blade Carbon Ceramic pedals they do come up against some stiff competition. The Look Keo Max 2 offer the same wide pedalling platform, adjustable retention without swapping springs and the cleat with the grip sections all with only a 16g penalty to the Keo Blade. The Keo Blade Carbon ceramic is a perfectly competent pedal, but when faced with such stiff competition from in-brand rivals, let alone other brands, it doesn’t shine. Also consider Burt agrees, adding: “I’d say if you can ride one or the other you can ride either bio mechanically speaking — it will just be personal preference.” The Look Keo Blade Carbon pedals come with a 20mm long pedal axle thread which means that even if you fit a washer/spacer next to the crank to give yourself a little more foot clearance, the axle will be supported fully. If you don't fit a washer, the end of the axle is likely to protrude very slightly from the inner face of the crank. Clipping inEngagement and disengagement are pretty trouble-free and will be familiar to those who've used other Keo pedals; the shape of the jaws are pretty similar through the range. Unlike the coil-sprung models, the weight of this pedal isn't so concentrated at the rear, but they hang at a similar angle so it's relatively straightforward to clip in without looking, something that can be an issue with Time Xpresso pedals, for example. One thing that I really liked about the blade design is that the underside of the pedal is flatter and less treacherous than most road pedals if you put your weight on it having missed the clip-in. For me, ceramic bearings still have a tough job beating the Shimano system that has served me well for years. My XT cyclo-cross pedals go through awful conditions every winter and my Ultegra 6800 pedals have done four long years of road riding. Look's claim that its ceramic bearings will last '4 to 6 times longer than standard steel bearings' will take quite a few years to test. The two months that I've been riding and racing with these pedals have caused zero issues, so all good so far.

Designed to win, the new KEO BLADE CARBON improves the experience associated with the use of blade technology in a clipless pedal. This new version is the result of experience gained during years of development in the heart of our manufacturing facility and to continual improvements made thanks to daily input from the greatest of champions. The 12Nm spring fitted to the test pedals kept a vice-like grip on my cleats, even when climbing or sprinting. Releasing the pedal sometimes required quite a firm twisting motion but this will likely relax a little as the pedal and cleat wear together. Lighter riders will probably prefer the 8Nm spring option. Also agree with @Sjl wrt Shimano's reliability - I did zero servicing on mine, and they never let me down, whether bottom of-the-range, or flashy carbon jobbiesAs with all of the pedals on test, the installation was straightforward: regular thread on the drive-side, reverse thread on the other and an Allen key to tighten them up. Cleat setup has been the main differentiator with how straightforward or difficult each pedal has been to set up. All the Look pedals feature a three-bolt cleat, similar in setup to Shimano’s SPD SL platform but with a few differences. The material of the Look cleat supplied with the Keo Blade Carbon Ceramic pedals is a hard grey plastic, with harder wearing white sections at the front and rear of the cleat. These offer 4.5 degrees of float (the amount you can twist your foot while remaining clipped in), but 0-degree and 9-degree float options are also available aftermarket.

That’s perhaps why Shimano offers a version of the SPD-SL pedal, the PD-RS500, with “lighter spring tension optimised for beginner riders.”

How does Look's popular road pedal compare to the competition?

Of the above poiints, Look have admitedly closed the gap in recent years, adding pontoons to the cleats so you dont directly walk on the pedal / cleat mating surface as before. When viewed side by side, it’s easy to see the big leaps forward look has made with the second-generation kéo blade: when viewed side by side, it’s easy to see the big leaps forward look has made with the second-generation kéo blade Shimano Dura-Ace pedals: Shimano's top-tier pedal is lighter, easier to adjust, but slightly more expensive There are differences in the range of tension adjustment, float, and entry and exit feel between Look Kéo and SPD-SL pedals, but none of them are killer apps. How to choose?

At the rear of the pedal's upper face, an easy-access hex bolt can be used to adjust the cleat tension, while the axle houses the bearings. Performance The new look kéo blade 2 cr pedals essentially combine the best features of the original kéo blade and the kéo blade aero: the new look kéo blade 2 cr pedals essentially combine the best features of the original kéo blade and the kéo blade aero At the top of the range, Look has gone all-out to save weight on the Kéo Blade Carbon Ceramic Ti model, which as the name suggests has titanium axles, ceramic bearings and a carbon fibre body. A pair with cleats weighs a claimed 260g.

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I moved over from Shimano to Look. Miss the feel of Shimano - the blue cleats, especially. However, I now run Assioma power pedals, so it just makes sense to have one cleat/pedal setup on the turbo, etc. Now- I'm absolutely on board with the Look Pedals; the power transfer is great, the overall "feel" is positive and dependable.