Road Cycling - Look Pedals ? Do they still squeak ?

Looking at Look Keo Sprints @ PBK...I had read some stuff earlier that they used to squeak ? Is this still true of the newer design along with the new Delta cleats with the teflon tabs ?
Any significant different between these and the Shimano Ultegras ? Other than I can get a 9 degree red cleat with the Looks ?

Keo Sprint:
http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=A6015

Any better/worse with the Keo Carbons ??
http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=A1468

New Keo Delta Cleats:
http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=A0034

I have keo carbons, and 1 of my teammates has keo sprints, and 1 has keo elles. I also have a teammate that has a set of the squeeky cleats.

None of ours squeek anymore (or ever did) except for toasters... his were the ones that squeeked initially and still do sometimes, I think he may have done some work on them but i dunno what.

The verdict, 3 out of NEW sets have no squeeking. And 1 out of 1 set that did squeek have all but eliminated it.

fwiw, I got mine through probike as it was a better price than through any of our sponsors.

I have keo carbons, and 1 of my teammates has keo sprints, and 1 has keo elles. I also have a teammate that has a set of the squeeky cleats.

None of ours squeek anymore (or ever did) except for toasters... his were the ones that squeeked initially and still do sometimes, I think he may have done some work on them but i dunno what.

The verdict, 3 out of NEW sets have no squeeking. And 1 out of 1 set that did squeek have all but eliminated it.

fwiw, I got mine through probike as it was a better price than through any of our sponsors.

Since you have exposure to multiple models of Looks, any significant observations between the 3 different models ? What are you & your teammates running for cleats ? the grey 4.5 degree ? I'm mulling the Looks because of the ability to run the red 9 degree cleats if necessary. I have Ultegras but I can't seem to get my right foot (heel broken & surgically repaired) dialed in comfortably no matter what combination of cleat alignment & canting wedges I try. I went to the Ultegras from Eggbeater SLs on old nylon soled Nike mtb shoes which worked pretty darn well. I'd like to go to a road shoe/road pedal setup. I had also tried Frogs in the past but their float is too loose for me....I want float but I don't want the pedaling on icecubes effect either...I may try the Looks but if all else fails I will probably look for new carbon mtb shoes and go back to my Eggbeaters...

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Since you have exposure to multiple models of Looks, any significant observations between the 3 different models ? What are you & your teammates running for cleats ? the grey 4.5 degree ? I'm mulling the Looks because of the ability to run the red 9 degree cleats if necessary. I have Ultegras but I can't seem to get my right foot (heel broken & surgically repaired) dialed in comfortably no matter what combination of cleat alignment & canting wedges I try. I went to the Ultegras from Eggbeater SLs on old nylon soled Nike mtb shoes which worked pretty darn well. I'd like to go to a road shoe/road pedal setup. I had also tried Frogs in the past but their float is too loose for me....I want float but I don't want the pedaling on icecubes effect either...I may try the Looks but if all else fails I will probably look for new carbon mtb shoes and go back to my Eggbeaters...

This is my 1st set of looks personally. I was using an older pair of ritchey SPD cleats (note NOT SPD-r type, regular spd) I originally purchased a set of eggbeater twin ti's and elected not to use them because of their lack of spring adjustment and their abundance of float. The reason I had originally been riding with SPD's is because I did tons of MTB racing before I had a road bike and wanted to use the same shoes...

With the looks, its taken me quite awhile to get them dialed in. I'm using the grey cleats as are all of my teammates sans one who's using the reds. (coincidentally... that's the chap that was getting squeaks.) I feel that the float is similar to that of an SPD about +- 6 degrees... seems a little firmer in general though.

The cleats wear down fast, I have the carbons and one of the benefits is that they come standard with the coffee shop covers which I just throw in my jersey pockets. The wear on my cleats vs. any of my teammates cleats is a HUGE difference. Mine look practically new and their's are nearly at the end of their lifespan.

Its definitely a different feel and will take some tuning. I basically found the longitudinal and lateral axis of my SPDs and expanded it with silver sharpie, and then used that as a starting point for putting on the delta cleat (or whatever its called). Then, fine tune from there.

But everyone likes them. I think everyone was coming out of spds as well.

I've only noticed some occasional squeaks when I have my PI calientoes on - I assume that it was probably a fabric/pedal thing rather than the cleat/pedal interface.

Edit: I ride Keo Sprints w/red cleats

The 'new' look cleats are designed to specifically solve the squeaking problem.Teflon in the cleat edges.

My Keo Classics only squeak when damp/wet.

No problem with the keos squeaking. On my old deltas I would rub the contact area with white lighting lube ( any wax lube will work) using a Qtip, got rid of the squeak until the next wet ride.

The 'new' look cleats are designed to specifically solve the squeaking problem.Teflon in the cleat edges.

I think he was asking whether or not it actually worked initially.

I originally purchased a set of eggbeater twin ti's and elected not to use them because of their lack of spring adjustment and their abundance of float.

What did you do with your Twin Ti's ???

I just got back from a ride with my Ultegras....I can get them tuned just right for when I'm seated. But then when I stand my right foot feels a little funny.....not horrible but just not right. I think the difference between the Ultegras and my Eggbeater SLs on mtb shoes is that I get a little flex where the pedal rides on the sole of the shoe, in the same axis that canting wedges work....and for me, this is a good thing. My surgically repaired heel (strap & screws) has left me with less flexibility along that axis so I think even the red cleats aren't going to help me any......I think I may just spring for new mtb shoes and stick with my eggbeaters.......it's nice to be able to walk in cycling shoes as well....

What did you do with your Twin Ti's ???

I ended up just returning them. I considered different pedals for months because I was building a completely new bicycle and weight was important to me. The Ritcheys that I had were extremely light (240g/pair) and I decided that I wasn't going to spend money on something that was heavier than those when those pedals worked perfectly fine. They were annoying though because they weren't weighted.

When I was doing my research, I decided that I liked the speedplays, but then I tried my buddies and the float was insane! On top of that, (I know they now have some with much less float) the cleats are heavy and expensive. Plus, they're 100% useless for MTB. So I moved them down on the list.

Then I gave a heavy look to eggbeaters because it would be a feasable pedal to use for MTB, Road, and Commuting. These pedals were great, light weight, etc. etc. But, I ran into concerns with the titanium components on them as many people talked about excessive wear on those pieces, this combined with the fact that after they become well used, the spring tension essentially goes to hell made me realize that there was no way I would get a lightweight system for road and still have shoe compatability for MTB. So I scrapped the whole concept.

Reason I went with Looks is simply because they have a large share in the market, so they're available. The pedal is light (228g/pair) (even though they ended up being 303g w/cleats and my ritcheys were 291g w/cleats) and they use a chromo spindle. Cleats are relatively cheap, and the carbons come with the coffee shoppers.



AAAAAAAAAAnyways... Joe, I feel your pain man, coming out of an spd type cleat going into an spdr type cleat is definitely a little weird (and painful to get setup). For me... I think these pedals are great and the price through PBK is unbelieveable! You could research where your pain is and see what may cause this specifically? That'd be the only rec I'd have I suppose... I dunno if you'd like the looks any more than the ultegras (shimano's weren't on the list at all for me so I'm not up on their specifics).

I think for now I'm going to get a better pair of mtb shoes right now and stick with the Eggs......I've been pretty happy with my SL's especially after trying a few other pedal systems.....and while the road nazis may snicker at my running mtb shoes on my roadie, I'll enjoy being able to walk comfortably during those coffee shop runs... ;)

Real roadies drink beer on rides, not coffee. Coffee is for weaklings.

Since you have exposure to multiple models of Looks, any significant observations between the 3 different models ?

I have keo sprints on one bike, keo carbon CrMO on another. I think it's slightly easier to clip in on the carbons, especially if your cleats are worn. Once you're pedaling you can't tell the difference, and no difference clipping out. Neither have ever squeaked, and I've had the sprints for about 3 years now.

I have a pair of the KeO Sprints with the Grey/Teflon cleats and they occasionally squeak. It's very annoying.

I have a squeak problem right now. with the delta cleats i used before i got the keos i used the white lighting trick. I am in the process of trying that again with my keos. its been two years with them and no squeaking so all of a sudden.. i bought new cleats and that did not solve the problem, my cleats lasted almost 2 years by the way. does this help any?

My Keo Classics started to squeak after a year of use. To fix the squeak I took it apart,wiped down the needle bearings and regreased them. I over greased them the first time and had to wipe off some of it so it would spin smooth like they did when new.

So if they ever squeak just take them apart and regrease the bearings.

i experienced the squeak on a certain long solo ride some weeks back. It was on the left side and I could tell that it was not coming from the spindle. I identified that it was the contact between cleat and pedal or even cleat to the shoe....well I tightened down really hard the cleats to the shoes and so far so good!