LOOK 795 Blade RS Review: Dead Sexy

There are some bikes that just have “the look.” No pun intended, but the LOOK 795 Blade RS Proteam White is one of those bikes. It draws admiring stares and elicits “oohs” and “aahs” — even from non-cyclists at coffee stops. As bikes go, it’s a head turner. The term that comes to mind is: dead sexy.

Retail price – $7,800

My friend, Mike Byrd, made this cool video clip when my crew did Blue Mountain Road (a totally legit climb — Strava rates it Cat 2 at 3.7 miles, over 1,300 feet elevation gain, and 7% average grade with a few double-digit sections) over Labor Day weekend (here’s his complete ride video)

Specs

Here are the tech specs from LOOK.

Sizing

Bike sizing is different from manufacturer to manufacturer (and even within the model lineup of a manufacturer) so don’t assume that you’re going to ride the same size frame when you get a new bike. You need to know your bike fit measurements to know how well any particular frame is going to fit. In particular, stack and reach.

The LOOK 795 Blade RS Disc comes in five sizes: XS, S, M, L, and XL.

Just going by the LOOK size guide, for my height (5’8″) I’m at the low range of size M (49.4cm per LOOK) or high range of size S (46.9cm). But assuming I could fit on a size M, that would run contrary to modern “pro” bike philosophy of riding the smallest size frame possible (for weight, stiffness, and to some degree, aero). More importantly, even though the reach measurement would work for me, the stack on a size M would be too tall.

So how well would a size S fit me? By way of comparison, here are the stack and reach measurements of my other bikes:

• Felt FC (54cm)*: stack – 526mm, reach – 389mm
• Colnago V3 (48cm): stack – 525mm, reach – 380mm
  

  * The Felt measures large because the seat tube extends above the down tube (and why just going by frame size isn’t enough)

My Felt FC is pretty close to “perfect” in that it’s nearly identical to my #steelisreal custom Hollands that was my race bike in the 90s (yes, I’m still riding the same position as an “old man” 30+ years later!) I could get the Colnago into nearly the same position via a slammed -10 degree 13cm stem to make up for the shorter reach.

Stack and reach on a size Small LOOK 795 Blade RS Disc are 529mm and 377mm, respectively. So slightly taller and slightly shorter than my Colnago V3. While not spot-on exactly the same, I surmised that I could get the LOOK to fit well enough within a few millemeters. But doing so would require swapping out the 10cm stock stem for a 13cm stem (the longest LOOK makes for the ADS stem used on the 795 Blade RS). I didn’t know if this would be possible with a test/review bike (and the worst case scenario was that I would ride the bike with ~3cm shorter reach), but if LOOK was able to get a 13cm stem (with the supply chain being what it is, I know it isn’t always easy to source parts at the moment), I would’ve been happy to do the swap myself. This story has a happy ending:  LOOK was able to find a stem. Plus they were kind enough to do the swap prior to shipping. THANK YOU!

NOTE:  I could also theoretically ride a size XS (44.5cm) frame, which would actually be totally pro. Stack wouldn’t be a problem (I’d need 20-25mm worth of spacers under the stem) but I would need an even longer stem (14cm, which LOOK doesn’t make) to get the reach right. Or I could ride it with a 13cm stem and 10cm shorter reach, which would put me ever so slightly more upright (that I could compensate for by lowering the stem a few mm’s). Just to show that with modern bike geometry/design it’s sometimes possible to get it right enough on two different size frames.

Some assembly required

If you were buying from a LOOK dealer, the bike would be built up and you’d be able to roll it out the door. However, my test/review bike was delivered to me (THANK YOU! to my LBS Conte’s Bike Shop in Alexandria, VA for taking delivery for me) so some assembly was required on my part.

Like a kid at Christmas

I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.

Voila!

You would expect an aero bike to weigh more than a climbing or all-around bike

If you want to know more about building up a Blade 795 RS, here’s the manual (PDF).

LOOK ADS stem

The trend with aero bikes in particular is towards proprietary one-piece integrated stem/handlebars and totally internal routing for maximum aero benefits. LOOK chose to stay with a more conventional separate stem and bar arrangement, but using their proprietary ADS (Aero Design Stem) stem that allows for semi-internal routing of the brake hoses.

What’s different about the ADS stem (and the 795 Blade RS) is how it attaches to the steerer tube. Rather than the steerer tube being round for its entire length, i.e., above the head tube, it’s a unique rectangular shape with rounded ends. LOOK calls this the “fork pivot.” In turn, the clamping part of the ADS stem isn’t round like a conventional stem.

The fork pivot that extends above the head tube. Also, you can see the brake hoses routed into the head tube.

One benefit of LOOK’s proprietary stem and fork pivot is that the stem will always be straight without any fiddling

I mentioned above that LOOK was kind enough to swap the stock 10cm stem for a 13cm stem so the reach would be right. But I had to remove it to lower it to get the stack right. It’s a little more work than a conventional stem because there are two side covers at the back of the stem (used to cover the brake houses routed into the head tube) that have to be removed to get to the stem clamp bolts (NOTE: LOOK uses TORX bolts/screws rather than hex screws throughout). I removed all the stem spacers (these are proprietary too for the brake hoses to be able to be routed into the head tube) and slammed the stem onto what LOOK calls the “junction spacer” (the equivalent of a conventional headset cone spacer).

My stem is Phi Slamma Jamma but I have a 50mm tall chimney on top (because it’s a test/review bike, I couldn’t cut the steerer tube)

For the techno-geeks who want more details about the ADS stem, here’s the manual (PDF).

LOOK Aeropost seat post

As you would expect for an aero bike, the seat post on the LOOK 795 Blade isn’t round. Instead, it’s an aero shaped post that rivals what you might find on a time trial or even triathlon bike.

The Blade 795 shipped to me with seat already mounted on the seat post

But the seat post is more than just a seat post — it’s also where the Di2 battery is housed

And since the seat post isn’t round, there isn’t a traditional seat post clamp. As has become the trend in the industry, LOOK has a proprietary system for “wedging” the seat post into place (what LOOK calls a seat post expander). It’s an external rather than internal wedge.

You definitely don’t want to lose any of the small parts!

NOTE: I had to cut the seat post to be able to get the seat to the right height (the seat post was bottoming out on the water bottle mount screw). Normally not something you would do with a test/review bike (had I opted to try an XS size frame it’s probably not something I would’ve needed to do), but LOOK was kind enough to give me a green light to cut away. However, it’s not a straightforward process like cutting a round seat post both because of the shape and the unique cutouts in the seat post for mounting the Di2 battery. Faites attention!

What makes cutting the Aeropost a little nerve wracking is that you can’t just put it in a jig with a guide like you would with a round seat post (or at home use a hose clamp as a guide). Thankfully, Conte’s let me use their shop to do the cutting. I was able to get the seat post suitably clamped and just had to be careful and take my time cutting since I didn’t have a guide to keep the saw blade perfectly straight.

Don’t try this at home!

PRO TIP: After you’ve made the cut, use very fine grain sandpaper to smooth out any roughness, burrs. ANOTHER PRO TIP: Put clear nail polish over the cut. FINALLY: Don’t forget to put carbon paste on the seat post/inside of seat tube to make sure it doesn’t slip.

LOOK R38 disc brake wheels

Even though the Blade 795 is an aero bike, LOOK chose to outfit it with more “all around” wheels rather than deeper dish more aero-specific wheels. As the R38 moniker implies, the wheels are 38mm deep. They’re LOOK branded but a collaboration between LOOK and Corima.

Here are the full specs per LOOK:

Diameter	700C
Heights	38mm
Weight	Front : 775 g Rear : 885 g Pair : 1660 g
Width	Internal 19.3mm / External 28.5mm
Hub	DT SWISS 370, FRONT 100 x 12 mm, REAR 142 x 12 mm
Structure	Full Carbon Tubeless with Hooks (Clincher Compatible)
Spokes	DT SWISS COMPETITION 2.0 / 1.8 / 2.0 24 SPOKES FRONT & REAR, 2 CROSS LACING PATTERN
Compatibility	SHIMANO 11 & SRAM XDR options

 

I didn’t pull the tires and tubes off, so can’t vouch for the claimed weight. I can say that riding them that they don’t feel that much different weight-wise than other wheels I have that are more or less the same weight. Similarly, I can’t vouch for the internal width measurement.

With the tires on (so maybe not 100% accurate), my calipers measured rim width at 26.2mm (so a couple mm’s less than spec)

What I can vouch for is that the wheels come up to speed quickly and hold their speed. More importantly, they’re very stable. I’ve ridden them in some windy/gusty (15+ mph) conditions and never felt like I was going to go sailing sideways or have the front wheel snatched. And I dragged them up the climbs on the Blue Mountain Road ride (68 miles and over 5,500 feet of climbing) and a fairly epic SkyMass ride (71 miles and almost 7,500 feet of climbing).

Dead sexy wheels

NOTE: The R38 wheels are tubeless compatible but came from LOOK with Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR (tubeless ready) 700×25 tires with tubes.

Mavic Speed Release thru axles

One of the knocks against disc brake wheels with thru axles is that wheel changes are harder/slower than with traditional quick release wheels with rim brakes. The LOOK 795 Blade is designed to take advantage of Mavic Speed Release thru axles that are designed to be faster/easier than traditional thru axles that have to be completely removed to remove/install a wheel.

Mavic Speed Release thru axles aren’t the same diameter throughout their length

What’s different about the LOOK Blade 795 is that the non-threaded side (right side on the fork, left side for the rear wheel) is a “dropout” — but the dropout is narrower than the axle diameter. A section of the Mavic Speed Release thru axle is indented and this indent allows the wheel to drop down and out after it’s unthreaded. But when pushed in to thread (and when threaded), the larger diameter section prevents the wheel from dropping out. Maybe not as fast/easy as a quick release skewer, but still … genius!

Pseudo-dropout on the non-threaded side

Mavic Speed Release thru axle doesn’t have to be fully removed from the wheel

The indent allows the wheel to be lifted into place much like a regular dropout

The larger diameter at the end of the Mavic Speed Release thru-axle keeps it from falling out to thread into place

Riding the LOOK Blade 795

After the initial “oohs” and “aahs” upon first seeing the LOOK Blade 795, the first thing everyone asks is: “How does it ride?”

On Skyline Drive

From the moment I swung my leg over the bike and parked my butt in the saddle, I was perfectly comfortable. My position on the bike didn’t feel any different than on my Colnago or Felt. When I put the LOOK and Colnago side-by-side (with the rear wheels up against a wall), the brake hoods were pretty much in identical positions (2-3mm reach/height differences, at most) — again, thank you to LOOK for the 13cm stem! So fit was essentially spot on.

Even though the brake hoses aren’t fully internally routed, it’s still a pretty tidy cockpit

The other reason I was comfortable was the saddle. It’s a LOOK-branded, Selle San Marco Shortfit Open Dynamic saddle with manganese rails. It’s not a totally top-shelf saddle with a carbon shell and rails, but the shape is virtually identical to the Selle San Marco Shortfit Carbon FX saddle I’ve previously reviewed. That saddle is on my Felt FC and I’ve ridden thousands of miles in it. So for my butt, it was like an old friend. If you like saddles with some curvature (both fore-aft and side-to-side), that’s the Shortfit Open Dynamic. But saddles are a very personal thing, so YMMV.

Not the highest tech saddle, but still very comfortable (for my butt) — which is ultimately what matters

The other thing the LOOK Blade 795 is is fast. OK, I can’t quantify this (sorry, but I don’t have a wind tunnel at my disposal), but it just seems to “slice” through the air and wants to roll. I guess that shouldn’t be a big surprise. After all, it is a purpose-built/designed aero bike. I wasn’t necessarily faster per se, but it was just a little bit easier to go fast. It may just be a #marginalgain but it was a gain that I could feel while riding. Where I could really feel the difference was on fast descents. I was able to go as fast (sometimes faster) than many of my riding pals who have a weight advantage on descents (and if I went into a full-on aero tuck, I could leave many of them in my wake).

Airfoil shaped handlebars and hourglass head tube reduce front end drag

“Boxy” Kaammtail tube shapes are now the norm for road racing bikes, aero or otherwise

Slender profile up front

Slender seat stays in back

As you would expect in a road race bike, the frame is stiff. Again, I don’t have a way to measure/quantify, but every pedal stroke felt like it resulted in forward momentum with no flex (of course, that could be more a function of my measly power output).

Beefy bottom bracket is plenty stiff and sculpted #aero

That stiffness translates into a slightly harsher ride. It’s not a significant, night-and-day difference but enough of a difference that I could feel it compared to either my Colnago V3 or Felt FC (we’re talking at the margins). But I didn’t find it enough to make the ride uncomfortable. I just felt the imperfections on the road a little bit more. However, even on rougher road at speed, e.g., road that has been scraped for re-paving (I’ve even ridden sections of gravel that were several miles long at a good clip), the ride wasn’t bone jarring, the bike felt composed/planted, my hands (sans gloves) could stay on the handlebars without a death grip, and I was in control. NOTE: Some of that harshness could probably be “dialed out” by going tubeless and running lower tire pressures.

Weight-wise, the LOOK Blade 795 isn’t a lightweight climbing bike. But it’s certainly not a total pig when the road tilt ups. The stiffness is actually an asset on shorter, punchier climbs that are more about putting bigger power down for a short spurt. But it’s fared well enough on longer climbs. I was only 5 seconds off my PR on the aforementioned Blue Mountain Road climb and actually set PRs on a few sub-segments of the climb. That said, it wouldn’t be my first choice for a day of multiple long, Alpine-like climbs (the LOOK 785 Huez would probably be better suited for that kind of riding).

NOTE: I was concerned that my climbing would “suffer” with the 52/36 mid-compact chainrings. But with the 11-34 cassette and 12-speeds, I could ride in gears that were fairly comparable to my 50/34 compact with 11-30 11-speed cassette, e.g., 36×30 (the second lowest gear on the 12-speed) is similar (actually lower) than 34×27 (the second lowest bear on the 11-speed).

One thing I haven’t had to worry about is going downhill after climbing up. The geometry and stiffness of the LOOK 795 Blade combine to make it a rock steady descender. The handling is sharp but not twitchy. I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself fearless, but the LOOK 705 Blade is confidence inspiring cornering at speed (I just have to remember I’m not riding a knee dragging sportbike when I lean it into a corner). And if you need to scrub some of that speed off, the hydraulic disc brakes are easy to modulate.

Disc brakes that I love but that my compadre Ed Hood loves to hate

Finally — although not about the bike per se — I have to say that I love the new Shimano Di2 Ultegra 8100 12-speed group set. It’s my first time riding Di2 and now I know what the buzz about electronic shifting is all about. The shifting is fast and sure.  Just requires a light tap of the shift button. I haven’t had any mis-shifts but I’ve had a few occasions where I had to push the shift button more than once to get it to shift — so not 100% perfect (but nothing ever is). I especially love how the rear derailleur can be programmed so that when you shift the front chain ring, it moves up or down two cogs (depending on whether you’re going from small-to-big or big-to-small up front) so that you’re in a similar gear after shifting (I’ve forgotten that more than a few times and double-tapped the rear derailleur out of habit, only to find myself in the totally wrong gear).

The carbon fiber LOOK water bottle cages put a tight squeeze on my Camelbak Podium water bottles

The LOOK out front computer mount attaches to the bottom of the stem faceplate

What I would change if it was my personal bike

You wouldn’t expect a bike to be absolutely “perfect” out of the box (but the LOOK Blade 795 came very close, for me). There’s always something that either needs changing or you want to change for personal reasons. In the case of the LOOK Blade 795, the only thing that absolutely needed changing was the stem. Again, thank you to LOOK for accommodating me on that. But with that done, it was/is 100% completely ride-able and a joy to ride. I could certainly keep riding it as-is without any complaints.

But some of the things I would do if it was “my” bike:

• I’d go tubeless and put 700×28 (or even wider) rubber on the wheels for a #marginalgains more comfortable ride
• I’d switch to oval chainrings — either Absolute Black or Rotor Q Rings (not that I have any issues riding round rings) and downsize to a 50T big ring, which would allow me to do more climbs in the big ring. The jury is still out on whether I’d keep the 36T small ring. With the wider range cassette, I think I could without giving up anything in terms of lower end gearing for climbing — but I’m definitely having to push bigger gears in the middle range of the cassette.
• I’d also switch to a “bling” (either gold or iridescent aurora) KMC X12 chain because … well … style points
• The saddle doesn’t need replacing but if I felt like splurging, I’d go high tech with something like the 3D printed with carbon rails Shortfit 2.0 3D Racing saddle
• Perhaps most importantly, I’d put my trademark #realmenridepink handlebar tape on it (plus fans/riders of a certain vintage will remember that the likes of Laurent Jalabert and Alex Zulle rode pink LOOK KG 171 carbon fiber bikes for the ONCE team in the mid-90s)

#realmentridepink

Yeah … the round chainrings would have to go. And the “blah” chain.

I know black is beautiful, but my preference would be pink handlebar tape

Channeling my inner Badger

As of this writing, I’ve logged over 1,300 miles on the LOOK 795 Blade that I’ve affectionately nicknamed “The Badger” (Bernard Hinault and Greg Lemond rode the carbon fiber KG 86 — LOOK’s first bike — in the 1986 Tour de France). Riding it, the voice in my head is the phrase attributed to Hinault: “As long as I breathe, I attack.” The LOOK 795 Blade is a go-fast bike that just makes you want to go fast.

L’Americain et Le Blaireau riding first generation LOOK carbon fiber

To say that I love riding the LOOK 795 Blade would be an understatement of the first magnitude. From coffee rides to epic rides and everything in between, it’s put a smile on my face and hasn’t disappointed. And there’s something to be said for all the attention it garners. Dead sexy.

One of these is dead sexy and it’s not me

Still life … at rest post-ride (in this case, for tacos)

A final note: After more than a decade absence from the WorldTour ranks, look for LOOK bikes in the pro peloton next year. On October 26th, LOOK and Cofidis announced a multi-year sponsorship deal starting in 2023. The partnership brings together an iconic French cycling brand and a prestigious French cycling team, with Cofidis men’s UCI WorldTour team, women’s Continental Pro Team and UCI Paracycling Team set to use LOOK bikes and pedals plus CORIMA wheels.

Click here to find a LOOK dealer.

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