Review : Look Keo Blade 2 Ti vs Dura Ace 9000 pedals
bernithebiker
Posts: 4,148
Look Keo Blade Ti, 2012 - 2014
Look Keo Blade 2 Ti, Feb 2014 - Sep 2014
Dura Ace 9000 - Sep 2014 -
Keo Blade Ti
New carbon spring concept in 2 strengths. Light, wide platform, had issues with cleat and bearing noise. Pedal housing cracked near main bearing, was replaced by Look.
3/5
Keo Blade 2 Ti
180 Euros
New design with larger, centralised carbon spring. Light, 189g, even wider platform. Now come in 3 strengths, the lowest one (12Nm) was fine for me.
Seals quite tight, so pedal will never spin freely. When setting off, you're never quite sure where the pedal will be, which can make clipping in tricky. Possibly an attempt to improve bearing issues noticed in Blade 1.
Cleats can be noisy, especially the 'walking' ones - avoid at all costs. Cleat noise comes and goes; depends on temps, humidity, any dust on pedal, etc. Can be temporarily relieved by squirting with water bottle!
Bearing noise. The big problem for me. After 3 months, noise from pedals gets worse and worse. Not cleats. Remove axle and find main bearing dry and rubbing on carbon/resin surround. Regrease and noise gone. Fine until next wet ride, then next day, noise comes back. Regrease again. But this routine became more and more frequent and pedals had to go. Currently with Look awaiting decision.
3/5
Dura Ace 9000
£111
248g, and cleat package (screws, plates, etc.) 3 g more than Look, so 60g penalty.
Spin freely in your hand, you can see the extra bulk in the bearing housing / axle. All metal (not ti), including the housing. Feels bulletproof.
Hang vertically every time, so you know where they are. Adjustable tension, but I've left them on minimum. Clip in very easy, clip out a bit trickier but fine, will no doubt loosen slightly.
Big, wide platform. Available in 4mm longer axles, but not sure why you would need that, the axles are already longer than the Looks.
4.5 / 5
CONCLUSION
Even as something of a confirmed weight weenie, 60g is worth it to not have to listen to horrible graunching noises from the pedals.
Also, given that you can buy ceramic derailleur pulleys to save friction losses, how much are you losing with pedals that won't spin in your hand? Not much maybe, but something.
Hoping to get years of trouble free use from the DA's.
Look Keo Blade 2 Ti, Feb 2014 - Sep 2014
Dura Ace 9000 - Sep 2014 -
Keo Blade Ti
New carbon spring concept in 2 strengths. Light, wide platform, had issues with cleat and bearing noise. Pedal housing cracked near main bearing, was replaced by Look.
3/5
Keo Blade 2 Ti
180 Euros
New design with larger, centralised carbon spring. Light, 189g, even wider platform. Now come in 3 strengths, the lowest one (12Nm) was fine for me.
Seals quite tight, so pedal will never spin freely. When setting off, you're never quite sure where the pedal will be, which can make clipping in tricky. Possibly an attempt to improve bearing issues noticed in Blade 1.
Cleats can be noisy, especially the 'walking' ones - avoid at all costs. Cleat noise comes and goes; depends on temps, humidity, any dust on pedal, etc. Can be temporarily relieved by squirting with water bottle!
Bearing noise. The big problem for me. After 3 months, noise from pedals gets worse and worse. Not cleats. Remove axle and find main bearing dry and rubbing on carbon/resin surround. Regrease and noise gone. Fine until next wet ride, then next day, noise comes back. Regrease again. But this routine became more and more frequent and pedals had to go. Currently with Look awaiting decision.
3/5
Dura Ace 9000
£111
248g, and cleat package (screws, plates, etc.) 3 g more than Look, so 60g penalty.
Spin freely in your hand, you can see the extra bulk in the bearing housing / axle. All metal (not ti), including the housing. Feels bulletproof.
Hang vertically every time, so you know where they are. Adjustable tension, but I've left them on minimum. Clip in very easy, clip out a bit trickier but fine, will no doubt loosen slightly.
Big, wide platform. Available in 4mm longer axles, but not sure why you would need that, the axles are already longer than the Looks.
4.5 / 5
CONCLUSION
Even as something of a confirmed weight weenie, 60g is worth it to not have to listen to horrible graunching noises from the pedals.
Also, given that you can buy ceramic derailleur pulleys to save friction losses, how much are you losing with pedals that won't spin in your hand? Not much maybe, but something.
Hoping to get years of trouble free use from the DA's.
0
Comments
-
I have the standard Keo Blade 1s. Hang vertically, spin freely, don't make a noise, great 'click'!
5/5.Faster than a tent.......0 -
Rolf F wrote:I have the standard Keo Blade 1s. Hang vertically, spin freely, don't make a noise, great 'click'!
5/5.
Yep, mine span fairly freely too. Seems like a step back with the 2's. (I'm not the only one to have mentioned this).
It may also be that the Ti axle is not as stiff as the Cromo one and creates bearing issues. It's interesting that Shimano do not use Ti.0 -
I had all my Blade 1’s replaced with Blade 2’s by Look a few months ago after one of them snapped in half causing me to have a wee off. I emailed Look with pics of the pedal and their UK rep at Fisher Outdoors ended up calling me. They actually sent 4 pairs of Blade 2 Ti’s as a sweetener. Yes they don’t rotate as freely as the first gen Blades but I haven’t had any issues with clipping in. It just become second nature. No creaks either – but I use gripper free cleats so that’s never been a problem.
NB – My LBS has now had to deal with 5 snapped Blade 1’s since release. In one case a Blade snapped on the bike of one of the up and coming local youth riders before the Scottish Junior Road Champs resulting in a broken shoulder blade and him missing the race. His folks quite rightly took it up with Look who ended up sending him a new bike!0 -
TDG - were your Blade 1s Ti axle ones?
Incidentally, I've not had any creaking from the gripper cleats yet! Anyone know if it is the gripper bit itself causing the creak or some other aspect of them that is different to the standard ones?Faster than a tent.......0 -
Rolf F wrote:TDG - were your Blade 1s Ti axle ones?
Incidentally, I've not had any creaking from the gripper cleats yet! Anyone know if it is the gripper bit itself causing the creak or some other aspect of them that is different to the standard ones?
The one that snapped was indeed a Ti. The rear section snapped off completely - an almost clean break. Will post a pic when I get home.
Every single gripper cleat I tried creaked and on a range of Look Keo pedals. Had to give them a spray of GT85 to get rid of it. I've now got a small stockpile of non gripper ones in the house.0 -
thegreatdivide wrote:
Every single gripper cleat I tried creaked and on a range of Look Keo pedals. Had to give them a spray of GT85 to get rid of it. I've now got a small stockpile of non gripper ones in the house.
Me too. Even Look themselves say don't use them. (email exchange)
Even with the non-grip ones I sometimes get cleat creaking, but not often, and it usually disappears of it's own accord.0 -
I'm probably about to look at a new set of pedals and have been using Shimano for as long as I can remember. They seem fine but not compared.
I'm thinking of some Look's and wondered what people who have used both think about differences? or what would I notice coming from Shimano?
Cheers0 -
I have always found Shimano pedals to be bulletproof, so have never bothered to try another manufacturer's. Maybe I don't know what I'm missing.0
-
Kingstonian wrote:I have always found Shimano pedals to be bulletproof, so have never bothered to try another manufacturer's. Maybe I don't know what I'm missing.
You're missing out on 60g. That's it.0
