LOOK Cycle – Bicycle Pedals KEO 2 MAX XXX – Large Contact Surface 500 mm² – Total Power Transfer – Ultra-Light Pedals, XXXX Body – Adjustable Tension

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This isn’t something you notice when you’re just riding along, unless you concentrate hard on how your feet are moving or ride with a Kéo pedal on one side and an SPD-SL with yellow cleat on the other. THE NEW KEO 2 MAX IS THE PRODUCT THAT WILL GIVE YOU THE CONFIDENCE YOU NEED TO GO BEYOND YOUR PERSONAL LIMITS. I made the switch for the exact same reason this year. The Faveros are fantastic pedals, but they are a pain to clip in to, just because they spin soooooo freely.

Engagement 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. On initial set-up, the Look Keo 2 Max Carbon is every bit as secure as the Shimano pedals with clipping in and release feeling very similar. Over the duration of the test though the Look cleats did wear noticeably faster than the Shimano, this resulted in some play between the cleat and the pedal with no amount of adjustment removing it. Some brands, such as Shimano, use smaller cleats that fasten with two bolts. There are various reasons you might choose a smaller two-bolt cleat over a three-point fastening cleat. You can find out which would be best for you in our Shimano SPD and SPD-SL explainer. One of these benefits is the wide body with stainless steel inserts. Together, these deliver a very secure and solid base for pedalling and excellent power transfer. The release tension can be adjusted with an Allen key and the pedals hang at a nice angle for easy clipping in.The price of the Ultegra R8000 pedals is high and if performance is what you’re after, as opposed to weight savings, it might be worth considering the well-performing, but slightly heavier Shimano 105 R7000 pedals. I’ve grouped these factors together because between them they describe and determine the interface between your feet and the two pedal systems.

One up from Shimano’s entry-level pedals, the Tiagra R550s offer very good performance and reliability for the price with a design that echoes the company’s top-end pedals. I found a fairly new set of KEO 2 MAX on craigslist so tonight, I will take a look at them. After this Craiglist set wears out, it will be time to switch to Shimano. The new Wahoo-branded Zero still offers double-sided entry and comes with walkable cleats as standard, eliminating awkward pedal entry and minimising cleat wear and tear. Wahoo’s acquisition of Speedplay saw a complete revamp of Speedplay’s pedal range, but these Wahoo Speedplay Zero pedals retain many of the features that made the original Zero an incredibly popular choice.

The KEO 2 MAX carbon pedals are in the 2 nd tier of Look’s road pedal lineup, the KEO BLADES being their top tier. Compared to Shimano, I would guess they are between the Ultegra and 105 pedals. See the table below. You can readjust the table to sort by price if you wish. MODEL LINEUP BY WEIGHT The spindle and bearing assembly is not serviceable, setting it at odds with a lot of the competition. Look say that it's been tested to withstand two million cycles at 100 rpm with a 90 kg load on the centre of the pedal, or the equivalent of a 1,700 watt sprint for 333 hours, so it should be okay for a while with the sort of loads that you or I are likely to put on it. Certainly the sealing shrugged off the wet conditions we've had lately without any issues and the pedals are still spinning smoothly. 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. Float is measured in degrees and refers to the amount your foot can move before it’s released from the pedal.

Like Shimano’s more premium pedals, these are wide, with stainless steel metal inserts offering plenty of support while aiding power transfer. 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. Favero ( https://cycling.favero.com/) and ( https://cycling.favero.com/blog/tech-tests/assioma-resistance-laboratory-and-road-tested) specifically state waterproof & dustproof.

Best power meter pedals

The battery in the Favero Assioma pedals is rechargeable, which is appealing when compared to other power meter pedals that use a coin cell battery. It is said to last 50 hours between charges.

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? Speedplay is the notable exception, with its four-bolt pattern (but then the US company effectively reverses the entire system by mounting the clip mechanism onto your shoes, leaving the pedals to act as the cleats).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. He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history. A new component has been added between these two bearings. A serrated washer, previously used to hold the needle roller bearing in place, has been replaced with a conical spacer. This technical solution reduces friction, increases fluidity, and by consequence, decreases the geometrical tolerances of the pedal body and play. A good fit-and-forget pedal that’s a happy balance between Dura-Ace and 105. David Caudery / Immediate Media