Mavic Race Pedal vs. Look Keo Carbon Pedal

Speedplay, Look, Time, Campy and Shimano pedals - I have owned every brand and every model of every brand. Nothing to brag about I know. My excuse is not that I just love buying cycling stuff it's really because I raced on the track all through the 80's with cleats and toe straps and I am still wounded by the fear of my foot coming out in a sprint.

When the new Mavic Race Road Pedals showed up I had to try them but had no real reason to because they are so close to the current Look Keo it would seem they are the same. The pedal and cleat is very close and you can tell Mavic looked toward Look for design basics but have made a few small changes that translate to a few very interesting differences in the way the ride.

Blow for Blow (Mavic Race vs. Look Keo Carbon)

• Mavic holds the foot a little more snug.
• Look clips in and out easier.
• Mavic float feels smoother.
• Look Grip cleats walk better.
• Mavic gets you more bang for your cash at the $ 150 price
• Look allows you to get your foot closer to the crank and obtain a lower q factor.
• Mavic monster spring can adjust supertight if you want
• Look has better corner clearance. Just a little.
  

The Mavics weigh in at 260 grams for the pair and the Looks at 230 grams. Not a big deal but pedals are not a good place to get heavy. If I was doing some serious racing I might want the look just because of this but if I was a bigger guy I would over look the weight difference because the Mavics do hold the cleat a little snugger even on the lowest tension I never felt I might unclip.

Tension adjustment on the mavic pedal is the same as on the look, a simple allen screw on the pedal but looking at the Mavic spring it seemed tightening it right down would make it impossible to clip out from. Look achieves the same end with two smaller springs which might prove to be more reliable with the tension spread over the pair.

Pedal stack height is the same so switching over is no problem.

Mavic provides short and long fastening bolts, no big deal for most shoes but a huge conviniance if you have some of the newer super low profile carbon soles that need the short ones.

I am sure after a few months the black paint will be all chipped off the alloy body and my Looks Keo carbons will still look great but hey that will give me the excuse I am looking for - justification shoud I say.

Clive de Sousa
clive@glorycycles.com