Look have launched a new version of their Kéo Blade pedal that’s lighter than before, with a lower stack height and a larger cleat contact area. Look also say that the Kéo Blade 2 has better aerodynamics.
The defining characteristic of the Kéo Blade design is the use of a carbon blade rather than a metal spring in the cleat retention mechanism. With the new design, the carbon blade is much wider than before, and it runs down the centre of the pedal rather than being positioned on the outer edge. And whereas the blade was straight when at rest in the original design, it now bends at the centre.
We can’t say that we’ve heard of any problems with the previous design, but the new version does look neater – a bit like the existing Kéo Blade Aéro pedal.
Previously, you could choose between pedals with two different carbon blades depending on the force you wanted – 12Nm (the yellow one) and 16Nm (the red one). Now there are three, with the addition of a 20Nm (blue) option. All of the pro riders went for the 16Nm version before.
The pedal platform is 64mm wide (it was 62mm before, according to our vernier calipers) and the cleat contact surface area is 700mm2. It was 402mm2 previously, an increase of 74%. We’ve not used these pedals yet but that should provide plenty of stability. With a new lighter and finer axle, Look have reduced the stack height a touch too, down from 15.7mm to 13mm.
The Kéo Blade 2 will be available with either a titanium or a cromo steel axle. Look claim that the titanium version weighs in at 90g per pedal (124g including the cleat) whereas the cromo version is 110g per pedal (144g including the cleat). There are lighter pedals out there, but these weights put the Kéo Blades among the lightest on the market.
Look’s UK distributor, Fisher Outdoor Leisure, are expecting a first delivery in November. The price will be £139.99 for the cromo version and £224.99 for the titanium version.
Look are also releasing an updated Classic pedal, the Classic 2. It has a new bi-injected composite body and a new dimpled surface across the axle section of the pedal. Each pedal weighs 139g and you can adjust the release force from 8Nm to 12Nm, depending on your preference.
Mat has worked for loads of bike magazines over 20+ years, and been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. He's been road.cc technical editor for eight years, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a past winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer.