ILUVUK

good lord! that thing is HOT!

ReLLiK75

Thanks for all the feedback. Not that I'd want to, but you can't remove the look logos. They're in the paint job, underneath the clear coat. Reynolds logos may definitely go, though. So I just got back from a short 17 miler with 900 ft of vertical. I've got some fit issues I need to get resolved with the bike shop. Additionally I've got some rear shifting issues now that I didn't have on my Roubaix. So first ride had a few glitches. Things I definitely notice on the Look vs the Roubaix: 1) Road noise. Parts of the road that I never really felt on the Roubaix are now noticeable. Not a bad thing, just a new feeling. 2) Stiffness. Out of the saddle I can definitely feel the bike moving forward. It doesn't make climbing easier, but the fact that more of my efforts are being channeled by the frame into forward momentum will certainly make it seem like climbing is easier. 3) Descending. Fast and stable. Not anywhere near as twitchy as my Roubaix. This bike definitely feels more stable when cruising downhill at fast speeds.

I'm going to call my LBS today to see about getting the bike adjusted tomorrow for my ride on Saturday. I'll report back some more after I've had a chance to do a nice 50 miler on it.

cvall91

Great looking bike. I agree with the wheel logos though, the Boyd stealth logos would look killer on these

mpath

Let's see your bike - did you remove some of your logos? Admittedly, in this day and age of overcrowding and vying for camera/tv attention, most bikes are rolling billboards (mine included unfortunately), but I think this Look is as subtle as it gets and a far cry from the Mondrian scheme from last year's bike.

ReLLiK75

Yesterday I had the fit issues corrected by getting hooked up to a Retul system. This morning I took the bike out for a nice 68 mile ride with about 2500ft of vertical. All I can say is it's a great riding bike! It's stiff as a board, but comfortable. At the end of 68 miles, I had some discomfort in my lower back and shoulders, but I also hit those areas in the gym yesterday pretty good, so I'm not going to blame it on the bike. If anything, I'd say that after a few more long rides on this bike, i'll have no discomfort, as I'll have gotten used to the slightly new fit. Speaking of fit. I don't think I've ever ridden a bike that fits me as well as this one. All my measurements from the Retul were spot on. On my Roubaix, they were able to tweak a few things, but the measurements were never going to be as perfect as they are with this Look. I really, really like the way this bike rides!

smoke

i just got a test ride on this bike. my impressions:

I finally just put an hour into this bike. I like it a lot. I see one in my future. I'm going to compare it to my Denver Time and my Houston Time.

Fit is pretty good. The geometry isn't too far off from my Times, so getting it set wasn't too tough. I don't care for that elbow bend at the front of the top tube, but that's just me.

Good feel to the bike. Handling was solid, although the front end isn't quite as stiff as my 6 year old Houston Time. It’s close enough, though, so that's not a deal killer. And don't get me wrong; I'm not saying it's noodly. The front end is quite solid. The only other bike I've ridden that was better in the front end is my Time. I really like headtubes that flare down to 1.5 inches at the bottom; i think it makes a bike way more stable. Slightly shorter wheelbase than the Denver Time, but that is a gran fondo bike, made for all day comfort rides, so you would expect that. Wheelbase seemed pretty close to the Houston Time, a racing frame, and after about 2 turns, i didn't even notice it. Nothing excessive, nothing twitchy, just what you'd expect from a responsive road racing frame that's not a crit bike.

I was seeing speeds i hit on my Houston Time. i haven't seen those since i moved to Denver and got the gran fondo bike. That was the biggest deal of all. Man, higher speeds make me happy.

Doesn't "laterally stiff but vertically compliant" just drive ya nuts? Me, too. But let's talk about that. I'm not a big strong guy, or a sprinter, so 'stiff' in the bottom bracket has never really meant too much to me. Everything is 'stiff' enough for me. To be honest, i've never really felt anything i thought was 'stiffer' than another bike. I've felt play in a BB before, but when everything was tightened down, nothing ever felt 'stiffer' than something else. But, for the first time, I've sensed that in a bike. I don't know if it's those proprietary Look cranks, or the oversized BB, or a combination of the two, but for the first time i felt 'stiff' in a pedal push, more so than on any other bike. I can't really describe it, but it was there. It just felt different. Not a big, massive change; a subtle difference, but enough to be noticeable. I kinda liked it. I think it's one of those things that, after you've ridden it 3 times, it just feels like the normal way of doing things. But it was a significant change from my gran fondo bike. So the 'laterally stiff' bit is, in fact, correct.

Some road buzz. The Denver Time is really comfy; the Houston Time is a full-on race machine (as this Look is), and while the buzz on the Look doesn't bother me, it's significantly more than the Denver bike. It doesn't bother me because the Look came in somewhere between the two Times. So i guess in six years, since i bought the Houston Time, technology has improved enough that you can build a bike lighter, stiff, and still make it a bit more comfortable. Ain't technology grand? Funny thing - while i was thinking about this, i looked down at the down tube and noticed the SR label on it. That stands for Super Rigid, BTW. Look says their SR bike is 15% stiffer than the regular 695. Maybe that accounts for how the cranks/BB felt. I just assumed this was a regular bike. And then i realized two things; first, i was on a Fizik, which i don't like, and i find harsh. And second, this was a test bike that had the seat mast cut off and a regular seat post inserted. Look makes elastomer inserts for their seatmast in varying degrees to provide some cushion from the road, but I didn't have that. All of which means i found the road feel of the Super Rigid bike to be perfectly fine with none of the cushioning effects yet to come. I've read a review of this bike somewhere else, and I remember it saying that the regular bike is so good, why bother with the SR unless you're a sprinter, or super big, or super strong. But I have to disagree with that; actually, I feel just the opposite. If a small, old, fat-as-the-Stay-Pufft-Marshmallow-Man kinda guy like me can find the SR comfy enough to ride for hours, why not get the stiffer frame and get the benefits of a stiffer bottom bracket? So, for the life of me, i can't figure why anyone would order the regular bike. The SR was comfy enough that, unless you're riding Roubaix, I can't imagine it would be too harsh a ride.

Look admits it's not the lightest frame out there (although it's still sub-900 grams, I believe), but with all the proprietary stuff, they claim that the entire package is the lightest bike. Maybe, maybe not, but it sure is light. And it climbs well, 1-1.3 mph faster than the Denver Time, and felt good doing it. This is what I liked best about it; the bike is faster on the flats, but it's significantly quicker going uphill. And I don't believe it's just because of the weight; the Denver Time is only maybe 80-100 grams heavier. I think it climbs better because it's stiffer. Whatever the reason, I liked going uphill on it. A lot.

Nice handling. Fast. Comfy. I'm thinking a new bike right after Christmas. Now, US or Belgian paint? hmmm...

nivekdodge

I know this is an old post but I was wondering how you feel after owning the bike for a year. I am currently riding a 566 and I'm debating between a 695 or a BMC GF01. I'm wondering if the 695 will be too stiff
for me for long rides. Thoughts?

P.S. I rented from LV cyclery and did the Red Rock Loop- excellent!

KantoBoy

Well, after riding both Look (1) and BMC (3) bikes and since you're going to be using the bikes for endurance purposes, I'd take the GF01.

I have a Look 675 which looked marketed for endurance rides but it is stiff -well, not as stiff as a top of the line race bike of course. I can't imagine on how the 695 would fare on 4+ hour rides. This is the same reason why I'm now selling my BMC SLR01. It's just too stiff (personally) for 4+ hour rides. BMC does put accurate description on how the bikes are made, stiffness, etc. I've been through 3 models and the descriptions have been accurate.

...and if it'll make you feel better, Thor did use the GF01 @ Paris-Roubaix.

ReLLiK75

I've done quite a few centuries on my Look 695. No problems with comfort.

SirHustlerEsq

Pretty cool, I prefer the crazy colors on Look bikes though.

Axiom

Very nice

https://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-conte...-pants-off.gif

denvertrout

Just got a new 695. Find it quite comfortable, but do not have thousands of mile on it yet like my old bike.