Look Keo Blade 2 2014

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sawyer
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Location: Natovi Landing

by sawyer

Rick wrote:I am skeptical that the pedals will ever "hang freely" when unclipped simply because the body mass is so low and the weight distribution is very evenly distributed. Normal springs create a steel mass concentrated towrd the back of the pedal, while these blades are light and run the full length of the pedal. But it is too early for me to really make that a definite statement.

There has been nothing "sticky" about them. the bearings are extremely smooth. Even the bearing seal, though very "viscous" feeling is smooth and not at all sticky.


Question is whether when you spin them they rotate freely many revs or not.
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Rick
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Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:30 pm

by Rick

Right now, after ~85 total miles, if I wack the rear end of the pedal it rotates 0.75 rev (that's right, less than one revolution)

But that doesn't bother me because the pedal has infinitesmal rotational inertia. There is a "glassy smooth" feeling to the bearings both when rotated by hand and when pedalining under load.

by Weenie


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Svetty
Posts: 539
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:06 pm
Location: Yorkshire - God's Own Country

by Svetty

Better bearing seals that work than 'zero' friction seals that let crap into your bearings. :D

Only done a couple of hundred miles on my Gen 2s. Like them once clipped in very much - platform does feel larger. Agree having to rotate with your foot to clip in is a slight inconvenience but then I bought them to ride on not clip in and out of :lol:

spdntrxi
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by spdntrxi

I tend to think I clip out at the same angle I clip in.. so if they don't rotate when I clip out... seems they would be where I want them.. am I missing something?
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gitsome
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by gitsome

Hoping to read some reviews over the coming months here... Ive read elsewhere people already experiencing cracked carbon leaf-springs... hope thats not going to happen too much...has anyone tried a 20 nm yet? Im looking into those if all else is copasetic..
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mm1
Posts: 67
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 6:44 pm

by mm1

Just got mine £95 from Ribble (cro-mo with 10% discount offer). Early days to ask as I haven't event fitted them, but are the bearings serviceable, is it possible to grease?

snowcatsmiling
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by snowcatsmiling

maquisard wrote:I always thought it was bizarre that the GRIP version of the cleat lacked the bi-material teflon inserts that the non-GRIP version offers!


##Marquisard, I'd like to DM you about item FS, please get in touch! Thanks.
First time triathlete working hard to raise charity for the Jenson Button Trust. www.simontriestri.wordpress.com

snowcatsmiling
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by snowcatsmiling

snowcatsmiling wrote:
maquisard wrote:I always thought it was bizarre that the GRIP version of the cleat lacked the bi-material teflon inserts that the non-GRIP version offers!


Sorry Marquisard, I can't send messages. Maybe because new account. If your 7800 crankset is still available please DM me your email or contact me via my site. Thanks, and sorry everyone else for hijack.
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mnmasotto
Posts: 581
Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2011 7:16 pm
Location: Irvine, CA

by mnmasotto

Just ordered a pair. I am hoping this new design is a little more durable than the previous Look Keo blade.

blee
Posts: 37
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2005 7:48 pm

by blee

For those of you that upgraded from the previous Blade, was the reduced stack height noticeable enough where you ended up lowering your saddle to compensate?

JayAy
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 12:34 am

by JayAy

I have about 150 miles on my CrMo Keo 2 16Nm Carbon Blades. They run very smoothly, but not freely i.e. they do not spin. I clip in/out with my left foot when stopping and am finding the pedal remains pretty much where it was after clipping out, which is usually OK. Just occasionally the pedal is out of position so can be a bit of a pain to clip back in requiring some degree of looking down and tapping the pedal to find the right orientation again - certainly can't do it without looking as yet. There is no sign of the left pedal wanting to hang down under its own weight, though as someone else also mentioned, the right pedal is showing signs that it will just start to move under it's own weight if already down about 30 degrees from horizontal at the back, so maybe there is hope yet that both will finally hang correctly. Lets see what another few hundred miles brings.

Pedal platform feels very solid underfoot with plenty of very light and free float movement with the grey cleats.

No problem with unintentional cleat release. I certainly can't generate enough power to cause any problem when giving it my all, but do feel very connected to the pedals in these situations which feels much more positive than with my older Keos.

Squeaking and creaking is definitely still there as with other Keos I've had, A little candle wax on the engagement points of the cleats seems to sort it as before. I haven't tried silicon spray, but may give this a try next time they start complaining.

mca56
Posts: 76
Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2006 1:16 pm

by mca56

Used my 16nm Titaniums for a few rides. On the negative side, no tendency to sit back down. Just stay wherever I clipped out. Getting in because of this takes a little more effort, but no big deal. On the positive side, they feel wider than my 2 generations ago Keo TIs. I don't understand why since the cleats are the same width? Very puzzling. The float is very free and the release tension is adequate. Feels like my old pedals with the tension dialed all the way up. No where near the tension available on my Dura Ace 7810s. Go for the 20nm if you want to feel bolted in. I bought these because after many years of service my old Keo bearings were getting a bit rough, but also because of the advertised lower stack height. The difference in stack height seems to be significant and it feels great! I've had to lower my saddle about 5mm. With this lower stack height I feel that the KEO 2 Blades have now surpassed the Shimanos in functionality.

bdb
Posts: 65
Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 8:35 pm

by bdb

yes the reduced stack was noticeable, I 'raced' the 2nd grasshopper and almost gave up after 90 minutes. I had tremendous lower back pain
and overall weakness in my pedaling.

Couple of team mates caught up to me and reminded me of the stack difference, and after lowering the saddle I was so much more comfortable..

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Kayrehn
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Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 6:06 pm

by Kayrehn

I think the difference in cleat-pedal interface area is due to more parts of the pedal platform being in touch with the cleat. Actually, it's about time they try to redesign the cleat to make the contact area even larger, and I don't think that's too difficult a thing to do.

Really frustrated that four months into 2014 the 20nm version is still nowhere in sight...

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Rick
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Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:30 pm

by Rick

600 miles on mine now. I like them, they feel very stable and smooth. Cleat float is very free-feeling; no more squeaks or creaks, and the seals have loosened up a bit. But they still do not rotate into a heel-down position.
Ironically, this doesn't seem any more difficult to clip into. They just stay at whatever angle they were at when I clipped out (most of the time).

The clip-in motion is not like Dura Ace. On DA you slide your foot forward, catching the toe and rotating the whole pedal until you step down on the rear, clipping in.
On these Looks, you just accurately step down with a very slight forward motion of the toe, and the clip-in is very "snappy". In fact, the grip-cleat makes it difficult to slide the cleat across the top surface of the pedal. That is why you need to step down accurately. I am getting used to it. Maybe the non-grip cleat is easy, but I haven't tried them yet.
Even though the pedal does not rotate to a heel-down position, its friction is very light. So if you do happen to touch it or hit a bump before you clip in, it rotates to some random angle, making it necessary to push it into a "steppable" angle with your toe. A minor inconvenience.

by Weenie


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