TallRider

I have five road bikes (three with me, two with family members in different parts of the country) and I have the original Look-style pedals on all each bike.
I'm not talking about the Look KEO pedal system (which debuted in 2004). Rather, my bikes all have pedals built on the original Look "Delta" style, initially copied by Shimano (late 80's through early 90's), produced by Look through the early 2000's, and still used by Nashbar-branded road pedals.
Since the old Look-style pedals have been very common, it's easy to get them for cheap and have that style of pedals on all my bikes.

I'm wondering if it's worth replacing these with a more modern pedal system. I could easily just purchase two sets of the 105-level Shimano SPD-SL pedals (my most likely replacement system) and just take a pair with me when I travel.

As I understand it, the main improvement of modern pedal systems over the original Look-style pedals is decreased "stack height" (the distance from pedal axle to your shoe). But how much of a difference does this make?
(weight is basically a wash; my Nashbar-branded Look-style pedals are actually slightly lighter than Shimano 105 or Ultegra-level SPD-SL pedals).

urbanknight

The only difference I liked was that the newer versions don't have a tendency to center. Other than that, I think weight was reduced. The biggest reason I see to start updating is that those cleats might become obsolete.

JohnJ80

I had some of the first look pedals out and I have the keos now. I don't notice much of a difference. The keos are somewhat lighter but that's about it.

J.

datlas 

I still use these because I have several bikes. They work fine. I suspect the newer systems might be only slightly better. I have a pair of Looks, a pair of Mavics, 2 pairs of Performance/Forte and one pair of Dura-Ace 7400's. All are look delta based.

My main gripe about these older systems is the "look squeak" but a little crayon or wax candle applied to the pedal surface works wonders. Another benefit is you can get new or gently used pedals on ebay for peanuts.

I actually have a set of look keo 2 max pedals (bought on sale from PBK) in the drawer but am too lazy to put them on my main road bike....

TallRider

sure the original Look pedals (and the late-80's Shimano pedals built on that system) were heavy, but newer pedals built on the Look system aren't particularly heavier. As I noted above, my Nashbar-branded Look Delta-style pedals are actually slightly lighter than Shimano 105 and Ultegra-level SPD-SL pedals, although mid-level Look KEO pedals are slightly lighter. They're all in the same general range though.

It's still very easy to get original Look-style cleats so I'm not worried about running out.

No one talks about the old Look-style pedals anymore even though they're cheaply available and work well, so I'm trying to figure out how much payoff there would be to upgrading to a modern pedal system. As far as I can tell, the main improvement is lowered stack height. (I understand that there are a lot of viable road pedal systems now and am not here to debate Time vs. Look KEO vs. Shimano SPD-SL vs. Speedplay, etc., just why the old Look system is relatively worse than all the modern systems people would advocate)

ericm979

I used Shimano 7401 pedals until SPD-SL came out. It's like the old Shimano/LOOK pedals, but with a lot of improvements. Lighter, cleaner clipping in and out, wears out slower, and you can walk on the cleats more easily and without damaging them.

They're not a radical improvement and won't raise your average speed 1 mph but they're definitely better.

TallRider

Thanks eric. I have the 7401 pedals on my bad-weather road bike, and it's worth noting that newer versions of the Look Delta system are a lot better. SPD-SL is still better (as a system), but the improvement isn't as much as if you're using 7401 pedals as your representative of the Look Delta system.
I use cleat covers when walking off-the-bike so I'm not worried about slipping or wearing out my cleats (although having to carry the cleat covers around in my jersey pocket is a bit of a cost)