Look Power Meter Pedals (Road & Offroad!): Hands on!
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- čas přidán 4. 03. 2024
- Today Look has announced two interchangeable power meter pedals, their Look KEO Blade carbon road pedal power meter, and their X-Track SPD-based power meter pedal. These two pedals share the same internals, allowing you to buy one set, and then an extra set of pedal bodies to swap back and forth between road and off-road. On the road side, Look’s new pedal is by far the lowest-weight power meter pedal on the market, while on the MTB side, it has the highest drop-rating on the market.
I’ve been testing these in various iterations over the last few months, however, despite that, this isn’t an in-depth review like I normally would release. I’ll detail why lower in the ‘Accuracy’ section, but as the famed bike-shop saying starts “I was just riding along…”, when things went…well…very wrong. As you’ll see, Look has taken these issues very seriously, even bringing engineers up to the DCR Cave this past weekend to disassemble and autopsy the unit. But this does mean my full normal review is slightly delayed while they get to the bottom of things. Again, more on that down below
Nonetheless, these pedals mark an interesting point for Look. Many may not realize Look is actually one of the cycling companies with the most power meter pedal experience. In fact, one could argue that no company has made as many power meter pedal variants as Look. They first started in 2011/2012, developing Polar’s power meter pedal system. From there they transformed that slightly to be their own short-lived iteration. Then in 2018, they partnered with SRM for their EXACT road-based power meter pedal. SRM went on to develop their own MTB version solo-cup, the X-Power, albeit that too has now been updated with Look-made pedal bodies.
All of which brings us to these new pedals, which are built entirely from the ground-up. That’s notable, because if you know my thoughts on the previous Look-driven power meter design, which required very specific installation tools or positions, this does away with all of that. Just simply install like any other pedal, and you’re done.
With that, let’s dive into it. Oh, and as usual, this isn’t sponsored in any way. Look has sent a total of four sets of pedals up for evaluation and review, plus another 1-2 sets likely arriving in the next day or two per the details down below. Once I’m done reviewing them, I’ll charter a semi-truck to get all these pedal sets back to them. If you found this not-review useful, you can consider becoming a DCR Supporter, which gets your access to behind the scenes videos and an ad-free dcrainmaker.com - Sport
Props to Look for showing up and owning the issue. Nothing like real world testing!
Go for the Favero Pro MX. Rode it constantly in mud and wet for best part of 12 months and didnt miss a beat
Great response by Look!
And Ray, you know you're the best reviewer out there when a brand takes action that quickly and seriously based on your feedback, but we already knew that 👍🏼😁
I'm actually glad you broke them. It happens. Given their reaction (good on them for being clear it was in-bounds), I'm guessing they will end up with better product in the end. Looking (pun not intended) forward to the update after they figure it out. Of course, how they handle it will matter almost as much as the repair.
I can't wait for the final comparison with the Assiomas.
The Favero's keep getting amazing reviews and in terms of price, every other power meter that comes out from other brands are more expensive.
The competition to Favero really needs to knock it out the park in order for them to be actual real competitors to Favero.
I am really looking forward to it. The look ones, from what I see so far, they don't really look like your average power meter pedal system. They look slick!
Fair play to Look to actually drive to you and troubleshoot
Excellent transparency. wish all reviews were like this. ty for the Q^A vs favero spd.
Thanks for the "hands on" insight, love how you killed the mtb pedal but glad to hear they're looking into it!! As always, you make a great product tester. Not sure I'd pay those high prices even if I could swap pedal bodies.
That Look made the effort to come to you for the autopsy is kind of impressive. Very much doubt you'd get that level of concern from some others. Good stuff. Seems the integrated power spindle technology is the way to go. Are you watching Garmin? Then again, probably only went to meet a legend. 😀
I can't see them doing this for one of us
Imagine Shimano had done this, right?
@@weiwenng8096 I used to wonder why Giant didn't use groupset cranks when they build a 105 or Ultera build. Instead they used cheaper shimano solid cranks (Shimano FC-RS520). Now we know --- Giant saw this coming.
“I broke something bad” that’s gold, keep up the great work as the go to guy for bike tech
I look forward to the future video.
Those looking like a very interesting set of pedals. Hopefully a rebuild kit isn’t $500. Looking forward to the full review
I'm very interested in these. As a long time Favero Assioma user, it's a great power meter. But I set up my cleats a little weird, and they rub a little awkward and sometimes squeak or click. I've changed out the pedal bodies more than once dealing with this. On my trainer bike I use my Look Keo 2 Max pedals, and over time it's become clear that the fit and tolerances on the genuine look pedals are perfect. They're just great pedals. If Look is successful here in matching Favero on functionality and accuracy it could be worth a little more for pedals that I'm happier with.
Power to the pedal
Now the only pedal system left I want a power meter for is time/quarq
Also good job from look responding to the problem in a professional way
With the recent expiry of the original Shimano MTB mud-shedding pedal patent, Look and others are introducing the exact same design (dome shaped) of the MTB pedal, so that it works perfectly with Shimano cleats and sheds mud.
I have the Look X-Track Race Carbon Ti pedals on my bike. Can I swap these new axles?
When are you going to put the full review video up? I am interested in these vs favero assiomas
I actually really like the Look Exakt pedals. Although these look even better!
Glad to see a major player entering the market. But at the moment I'm set on Favero and wouldn't be up for paying $300 more to save 44g for a couple reasons:
1. The quality control issue described is concerning. While it's great they paid so much attention to Ray, I am sure Joe-Shmo-me would see less. Time will tell how they support future claimants.
2. It is a new product and until the masses get their hands on it there's no way to know how limited this or any other yet to be encountered issue is. No amount of testing can replicate a production launch.
All that said I will keep them in mind for my next build coming up in a year or so after the wrinkles have been identified and hopefully resolved.
Thanks Ray. And really impressed with Look (and you) showing up at your place to autopsy the wonky pedals. You didn't say if the mtb cleats were compatible with Shimano did you? Or at least Shimano bolt shoes?
Yup, it’s Shimano SPD.
Thank you!
Will you be testing srm power pedals ?
So do we know if favero is going to update de road ones soon??
Thank you
Probably a no-go with a non adjustable clip out tension. I personally run my pedals one click less than the max, because I have a tendency to accidently unclip when I sprint or grind. The road pedals are lighter because they removed the clip tension, and instead it's stuck at 12 which is their casual rider spec (they also have 16 for sprinters, and 20 for track). I saw the clip tension number on the underside of the pedals of the listing on powermetercity.
Good point, strangely absent from the video.
Nice to see the competition on the powermeter pedal market heating up with lots of new releases! More competition is always good for the consumer. Shame they are taking the same approach as Garmin: rip-off priced replacement part with lots of hype regarding swappable bodies, when in fact I don't believe a lot of consumers would go through that hassle. I have the Garmins, but if I would be looking to replace them I would totally go with the new Faveros, especially if they update their road offering with keo or SPD-SL with the MX feature/design. They are cheaper and functional and replacement parts are inexpensive. I can see no reason to pay extra for the Look for the sake of 30g, since the drop rating argument is pointless to most riders and just a lame excuse to justify the inflated price. The water ingress is a terrible start and that plug thing is great to be lost, being certain Look will charge a lot for a replacement.
Do you have an update video on these pedals yet. I’ve been keeping an eye out and trying to see if the errors have fixed
Thanks
This! Want to buy a pair but not without seeing a full review
I'd love for you to make a rechargeable vs. coin cell video!
Are the batteries replaceable on any of the units you showed?
No, though frankly from a riding standpoint you’re talking insane yearly numbers for a decade before you start to see meaningful degradation. Same as with Favero.
Did you just leak the new Favero road pedals @ 5:16?
Yep, nice catch
Ooooh, didn't notice that. Certainly expecting them within months if not weeks.
Or is it the uno pedal (the pedal without the powermeter part)?
It's simply the Favero Uno pedal. You can find the exact same image on Favero's site. The compilation of power transfer areas is from Look, I just re-titled the names to match the font styles.
YAY TEAM IT WASN’T RAY’S FAULT! 🎉 Just remember that doesn’t always work with the Mrs. 😂😂😂
They look pretty nice, so basically the issue was salt water ingress.. hopefully the manufacturing defects get ironed out before mass production
Too much Rain man :)
Ray, what's the "drops" you're talking about? I don't get it
as in drop-offs on trails and such. bikes are built to standards (ISO 4210 if i'm not mistaken) and they must be strong enough for their respective purpose. in descending order of ruggedness: enduro > XC > CX/gravel > road. so the Favero MX Pro pedals would be ideal for XC and CX/gravel but not enduro.
Yup, correct!
We can assume that the pedals can be recharged *without* removing them from the cranks? 🤔
Correct!
Even with pedal spacer washers installed?
water ingress ? I have a magene base 505 for 289 euro on order,GP lama rates it!
I have a P505 that I've been using in conjunction with the Wahoo Kickr. The Magene power meter is very accurate except it dampens peak efforts, i.e. it will show 50 to 100 watts less when I ride 800-1000 watts for a few seconds. I just received my second P505 today: 272€ for a 50/34t set and 165 mm crank arm length
Will these pedals be compatible with srm pc8?
Sure, just an ANT+ power meter
Thanks
So to recharge the peddle you have to take it off the bike?
No? You simply plug the cable in the back of the spindle.
thanks, that makes sense :)
If you use pedal spacer washers to increase your Q factor. does the charger still work?
Does it connect with wahoo element roam 2?
Yup!
@@Dcrainmakerare the issues fixed yet
Waterboarding!!
Mountain bike power meters gotta handle water!
glad they are looking into fixing it.
Dc Rainmaker speaking Nederlands / Dutch in 7:20 min kapot :p.
Do you really need to take pedals off the bike just to charge them? Bit of a PITA right there vs Favero. It's going to take one hell of a positive review to make me switch from the super reliable Favero's.
No reason to remove the pedals to charge them. I was simply showing how it works on a desk.
Eh waiting for time to do theirs...
GoPro Leak in the background ;-)
Nah, just the GoPro Bones on an FPV drone.
Kaputz!
Please Shimano, just sort yourself out and do something similar with interchangeable SPD / SPD-SL and the same kind of spindle technology as these & the Assioma Pro. It'd go some way to get your reputation back on track.
Are the LOOK pedals produced by SRM?
Nope, all internal Look.
Thanks. Hopefully better than Exakt and X:-Power pedals. I have both and been disappointed about accuracy.
the charging plugs looks very similar to the old SRM System.
Because look collaborated with SRM on their first power meter pedal
@@andresgizmos1271 this is well known, I use a pair. I'm surprised, it almost seems like it's just rebranded. But SRM has 2 products on the market because I think the inner technology will still come from Germany. I would just be interested to know if the calibration process is still so tricky
@@wolfgangzil7064No it’s not tricky anymore
LOOK: "OMG one of our pedals malfunctioned, Engineers assemble!"
SHIMANO: "All our power meters 's are $h!t...........Meh"
Are you sure you just weren't putting out 4kW of power???
Valid point.
Any update on this issue?
New pedals are (finally) coming on Monday. They confirmed they unconvoered a manufacutring issue, which led to teh sequence of events that killed mine. Also, they resolved more software bugs around the split-offsets that was causing my wife's issues (and, something I've actually been able to repro as well sporadically in the last few weeks).
@@Dcrainmaker awesome that's very comforting as a client has just bought a set . Thanks for the feedback
@@Dcrainmakerbut is it safe to buy a pair as the pedals were probably already in stock at the stores unless they did a manufacturers recall everywhere
I’d hate to pay all this money and then find out mine werent updated etc
Are Look going to send engineers to my house when the pedals break?
The problem with these pedals is that the single sided pedals are $659. For another $110, you can get the dual sided Assioma power meter pedals, and they're the most accurate power meter pedals on the market. It's a no brainer.
Is to me. I much prefer the appearance of these. I really don’t like the look of the assioma.
@@Mattyjayw Well then buy away my friend. To each their own.
$300 for a set of pedal bodies is stupid expensive. That's what a set of Time XC12 cost with Ti spendles and carbon bodies. Why do companies price so stupidly?
So they release a single sided PM for the same price as the dual sided Assiomas and have buggy software and have connectivity problems? Big big L.
They need to drop the price or this launch is going to be dead in the water.
It's a bit high compared to Favero, but Favero MX PRo also isn't available now till who knows when, and from a distribution/support perspective, that's quite a bit different here (e.g. global support via established distribution chains/etc...). Sorta depends on what you want from the company, or product features.
Agreed, new Favero road (if it’s coming) with interchangeable to MX will surely be the one to get?
cmon shimano, ditch your trash crank powermeters and make pedals!
French qc issues!
I will never! Buy a Look power meter pedal... I bought their EXACT Look power meter pedal at about 1500 dollars to only last for about 4 months.....the pedals started squeaking, set up process was horrific, and battery life was a joke....I'm sure that pedal wasn't a 1 off
That pedal wasn’t awesome (to say the least), this is a totally different unit. Plus, that unit was produced by SRM, not fully look.
That’s a pretty basic mistake and a real bad start on a product where reliability and consistency is vital.
They said this is the first time it happened after significant use by Pro teams. And seem more concerned than Ray. I would wait until they report back.
@@toadlguy Would that not be what they always say just out of embarrassment? I’ve had issues with Powermeters myself so I always pay attention to any posts about them. If Ray can break/damage them then it’s hard to believe that pro teams have not had any issues. It’s at best a case of real bad luck and it’s embarrassing for sure.
@@daveallenwex1962 As noted, it appears to be a very specific combination of having both a specific manufacturing fault, combined with sea water. It's unlikely regular water would have caused this fault.
@@Dcrainmaker good spot by you Ray.
4000 watts!!! Wow that's a new PR 😂😂😂😂 You will kill the pros now 😂
Price$?
5:35
1000usd 😂😅😂
Massive fail by look for not testing it properly before release. Is that just so French like their cars?
THE SPINDLE IS NOT INTERCHANGEABLE BETWEEN MOUNTAIN AND ROAD PEDALS. At minute 3:28 "you can swap the spindle between road and mountain...just unscrew this and unscrew that and you're done". This is extremely misleading. Yes it is the same spindle but you can't swap them yourself. LOOK DOES NOT SELL THE PEDAL BODIES - you cannot buy them anywhere (LOOKS website appears to sell them but they don't). In order to swap the spindle from your mountain pedal into a road pedal YOU HAVE TO SEND IT TO THEM IN FLORIDA (if you are in the USA). Major major MAJOR bummer. I bought these pedals because I was under the impression that you can buy the bodies and swap the spindles, but you can't. No dealer can get me the part, they put me in touch with LOOK directly and all this information is directly from LOOK whom I am still in conversation with. If anyone thinks this is a 2 for 1 mountain and road power meter pedal you're wrong unless you want to send it to Florida every time you want to swap the spindle.
FOR THESE PRICES.. ILL JUST STICK TO A 200£ CRANK PM.. less likley to get damaged, pedals always take a beating... companies need to bring prices down.. WHO is buying this shit? HONESTLY...