Pedals, Look classic or Shimano 105?



Volnix

Well-Known Member
Feb 19, 2011
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Hi!
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I am left with only 1 pedal on my bike since the other one broke off from the axle and I think its about time to get some new ones.
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I found a shop in Germany that has some sweet prices, so I think I am gonna try to order from them.

They have a pair of Shimano 105 for 40euros and a pair of Look Classic ones for about the same price.

Btw if somebody wants to buy a pair of Conti's 4000s for less (They had an offer of two tires for 60euros once I think) the website is:

(Or maybe to write this in the correct syntax I should write:

"最好的价格,最好的自行车产品":
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)

http://www.bike-discount.de/

So I went to a shop the other day and I was told that the Shimano 105's are heavier but they will last much longer then the Looks. But the Look ones are lighter. I am not that crazy about 100grams less if they are gonna brake after a month... The Look ones are plastic whilst the Shimanos are all metal.

Any opinions on these two pedals???


Thanks.
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The Look Classic pedals have composite bodies and levers, so technically, yes, they are plastic. Carbon fiber bikes are also plastic. I switched from Look Keos to Shimano Dura Ace (carbon fiber pedal bod......er, plastic pedal bodies and levers), and will never go back. Shimano cleats last much longer in my experience. They also don't seem to suffer the deterioration in stability that Look cleats do. The 105 pedals have a larger surface area and come equipped with a metal plate to prevent the pedal body wearing as a result of motion between the pedal body and cleat. The 105 pedals are arguably the best bang for the buck pedal out there.
 
shimaNO pedals are good quality. So are Look pedals.

Look manufacture Campy pedals. I did manage to kill a Record Ti spindle pedal bearing with only 9,000 miles on it, but they have otherwise lasted many times more miles than that in both Chorus and Record versions. The Campy Looks are very similar to shimaNO pedals.

They are very good in the foot stability department and I don't think Look or shimaNO would disappoint you there. Cleat wear? Yeah...they all do that if you tap dance on gravel or walk the hell out of them like I did in an unplanned stop at the Tall Ships Festival a couple years ago. The cure? Buy the rubber covers or stick a pair of toe jam hippie flip-flops in yer jersey.

I like adjustable release tension. Campy has it. If Look and/or shimaNO offers it, I would weight that adjustment heavily in my purchase decision. YMMV.

As to overall pedal weight...yeah, it matters. But ANY pedal is better than the old boat anchor Campy SGR's. You will notice no difference between the 105's and Look Classics. They are feathers in comparison to SGR's and therefor raceable and acceptable for use by any serious cyclist.

As to material, I prefer aluminum with a stainless steel wear plate. I've got no ***** against glass filled nylon or carbon, but nothing holds a bearing shell like a metal pedal body. They also crash better. Simply get out you file set and Flitz and re-polish the road gashes out of your battle-scarred pedals if you so choose.
 
H!
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Thanks for the reply.
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Hmmm the Shimano ones are these:

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k418/a32628/spd-sl-pedals-pd-5700-105-silver.html?mfid=43




and the Look ones are these:

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k418/a66465/keo-classic-pedals-graphite.html?mfid=30



These are replacing a pair of 20euro Wellgo platform pedals that I got when I got the bike, but with nothing like 1000s of miles on them! They broke on the axle at around 2000km... I never crashed them too!

The Look ones are about half the weight from the Shimanos. But they are this composite body which is glass filled plastic or something?

I dont mind the scratches and I like the Look ones more actually. The spring part is adjustable in both and is also plastic on both. The difference is in the platform body.

I allready found the 105's for 50euro on a shop down the street and ordering them from Germany for 40 and pay another 10 for delivery and for the fitting doesnt make sense... But the Look ones I found only in one shop for 70!

I have no idea how the bearing shell is attached to the composite body...

In the metalic ones is the bearing shell a part of the platform? You think they might be an issue with the bearing shell getting detached from the pedal? (Which is kinda my situation right now riding with one pedal and one axle on the other
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Originally Posted by Volnix .

Hi!
smile.png


I am left with only 1 pedal on my bike since the other one broke off from the axle and I think its about time to get some new ones.
big-smile.png


I found a shop in Germany that has some sweet prices, so I think I am gonna try to order from them.

They have a pair of Shimano 105 for 40euros and a pair of Look Classic ones for about the same price.

Btw if somebody wants to buy a pair of Conti's 4000s for less (They had an offer of two tires for 60euros once I think) the website is:

(Or maybe to write this in the correct syntax I should write:

"最好的价格,最好的自行车产品":
big-smile.png
)


http://www.bike-discount.de/

So I went to a shop the other day and I was told that the Shimano 105's are heavier but they will last much longer then the Looks. But the Look ones are lighter. I am not that crazy about 100grams less if they are gonna brake after a month... The Look ones are plastic whilst the Shimanos are all metal.

Any opinions on these two pedals???


Thanks.
smile.png
FYI. SHIMANO SL cleats can be used with traditional (aka "Delta" ... color intentionally added for clarity because obfuscation is reserved for Lebanese posters & their ilk) LOOK/-compatible pedals ...

  • yes, I bought a pair of "yellow" SL cleats about 10 years ago just to confirm that they are viable substitutes for LOOK cleats ... some of the suggested durability of Shimano cleats may be attributable to the integrated "wings" which flank the actual cleat
[*] BTW. Of course, many of the older LOOK/-compatible pedals had diecast bodies of one metal-or-another & I suspect that Look-compatible pedals which have diecast metal bodies are still available
  • I presume that the extant LOOK-compatible pedals still have diecast bodies

  • I suspect that most of the inexpensive "platform" pedals only have carbon steel spindles ... unfortunately, their durability will consequently probably be less than one would find from a pedal with which has a Cro-Mo spindle, so if cost is a consideration then 'I' wouldn't exclude using a Wellgo-or-other brand LOOK-compatible pedal if you are really keen on THAT type of pedal vs. a MTB pedal of one sort or another FWIW. 'I' am a big fan of being able to walk without worrying about destroying my cleats ... it is often a big transition from going to clipless from being completely unclipped WITH the biggest difference probably being the shoes

I cannot say whether-or-not Shimano cleats last longer than LOOK/-compatible cleats, but if cleat durability becomes an issue then simply replace the LOOK cleats with a pair of SHIMANO SL cleats when the time comes.
 
Hi!
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Thanks for the reply
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Originally Posted by alfeng .


FYI. SHIMANO SL cleats can be used with traditional (aka "Delta" ... color intentionally added for clarity because obfuscation is reserved for Lebanese posters & their ilk) LOOK/-compatible pedals ...

  • yes, I bought a pair of "yellow" SL cleats about 10 years ago just to confirm that they are viable substitutes for LOOK cleats ... some of the suggested durability of Shimano cleats may be attributable to the integrated "wings" which flank the actual cleat
[*] BTW. Of course, many of the older LOOK/-compatible pedals had diecast bodies of one metal-or-another & I suspect that Look-compatible pedals which have diecast metal bodies are still available
  • I presume that the extant LOOK-compatible pedals still have diecast bodies

  • I suspect that most of the inexpensive "platform" pedals only have carbon steel spindles ... unfortunately, their durability will consequently probably be less than one would find from a pedal with which has a Cro-Mo spindle, so if cost is a consideration then 'I' wouldn't exclude using a Wellgo-or-other brand LOOK-compatible pedal if you are really keen on THAT type of pedal vs. a MTB pedal of one sort or another FWIW. 'I' am a big fan of being able to walk without worrying about destroying my cleats ... it is often a big transition from going to clipless from being completely unclipped WITH the biggest difference probably being the shoes

I cannot say whether-or-not Shimano cleats last longer than LOOK/-compatible cleats, but if cleat durability becomes an issue then simply replace the LOOK cleats with a pair of SHIMANO SL cleats when the time comes.
Hmmm so the Look cleats are "identical" in size and material with the Shimano SPD-SL ones? Or will a couple of millimeters difference wear out the pedal eventually?

The wellgo ones were these:

http://en.wellgopedal.com/products_detail_8_219.htm


and apparently they also had Cro-mo axles...
 
Lebanese posters? Who on the board is Lebanese? Note that the Look Keo Classic pedals shown will not work with SPD-SL cleats.
 
"Lebanese posters? Who on the board is Lebanese?"

The ones from Lebanon.

Duh.

 
Originally Posted by Volnix .

Hmmm so the Look cleats are "identical" in size and material with the Shimano SPD-SL ones? Or will a couple of millimeters difference wear out the pedal eventually?
Not so. SPD-SL cleats for SPD-SL pedals, Look KeO cleats for all of Look's current models, and Look "delta" cleats for most Look pedals no longer produced, plus many clip-in road pedals from companies like Wellgo, Forte (Performance), Ritchey, etc.

I've generally recommended Look over Shimano for women and other smaller riders because the narrower look cleat is a little less awkward. I've also heard that disengagement from Looks is a bit easier, but for most of us that shouldn't be a problem.
 
Originally Posted by Volnix .

Hmmm so the Look cleats are "identical" in size and material with the Shimano SPD-SL ones? Or will a couple of millimeters difference wear out the pedal eventually?
LOOK KEO cleats are slightly smaller than either LOOK "Delta" or Shimano SL (i.e., Shimano-Look) cleats ...

  • Shimano SL cleats have the same overhead silhouette (plus "wings") as the Look "Delta" pedal but with a slightly different tip which allows it to engage both a Shimano SL pedal & a traditional LOOK/-compatible pedal ...
  • the tip of a LOOK "Delta" cleat cannot fit under then low profile nose piece of a Shimano SL pedal.