Team Cofidis has been riding the new Look 795 Blade RS at the 2023 Tour de France. Though only released officially in June 2023 at Eurobike, the team has been racing it since Look took over as bike sponsor from De Rosa at the start of 2023.
25 per cent of the carbon used in the 795 Blade RS is Look's Ultra High Modulus Carbon, which leads to a claimed frame weight of 890g for a size-small bike.
Weight isn't the only focus of the bike, with Look saying it has aerodynamically optimised the seatpost, seatstays, top tube and fork, with the bottles mounted low down to aid aerodynamics.
A puncheur, Alexis Renard placed seventh at this year's Gent-Wevelgem and seventh overall at the Four Days of Dunkerque.
He was riding as a domestique to team leader Guillaume Martin and in the lead-out for the team’s sprinter Bryan Coquard at the Tour de France before crashing out during the stage 16 time trial.
Two-part cockpit
The new Look 795 Blade RS has what has become the classic aero/lightweight look, with an aero-integrated cockpit that hides the brake hoses. However, there’s more adjustability than on many aero setups, thanks to a separate bar and stem rather than the more typical one-piece design.
Despite this, Look claims a 5-watt saving over its older cockpit designs.
Renard is running a 14cm-long stem with the pro’s favourite 38cm-wide bars. As with many other pros, he has his levers turned inwards for a narrower, potentially more aero stance when riding on the hoods.
The bike is kitted out with Corima WS Black DX 60 wheels. Corima has only just launched its first tubeless wheelset and Cofidis is running Michelin Power Cup tubular tyres. It’s one of the few teams left on tubs.
Astana Qazaqstan swapped from Corima to HED wheels mid-season, in part because the latter could offer a tubeless option.
The Michelin Power Cup tubular tyres are 25mm wide and come up at exactly that width, which is rather narrow by modern standards and significantly less than the 32mm clearance offered by the Look 795 Blade RS frame.
SRM Origin power meter
Cofidis is using the SRM Origin PM9 power meter. The originator of cycle power meters, SRM used to be prevalent in the pro ranks, but has gradually been supplanted by newer options over the years.
The Look-branded cranks are matched with Shimano Dura-Ace chainrings in a typical pro 54/40t combination. They have Look’s three-lobe design to the cranks, which enables one set of cranks to be run at 170, 172.5 or 175mm length, with Renard choosing the middle value.
He’s using the Look Keo 2 Max Carbon pedal with a conventional spring closure rather than the slightly lower-profile Keo Blade pedal with its carbon leaf spring and larger surface contact area.
At the grand départ, Renard was running the smaller-range 11-30t Dura-Ace cassette out back, with Dura-Ace levers and derailleurs, despite the hilly parcours, which saw many riders adopt the 11-34t Dura-Ace cassette.
How much does Alexis Renard's Look 795 Blade RS weigh?
Alexis Renard is a tall rider at 1.86m and weighs 74kg. He's riding a size-XL frame, the largest Look offers. Despite this, we weighed the complete bike at 7.53kg with bottle cages and pedals – not bad.
Alexis Renard's Look 795 Blade RS | Specs
- Frameset: Look 795 Blade RS, size XL
- Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200, Look/SRM Origin chainset w/ Dura-Ace chainrings (54/40t crankset, 11-30t cassette) 172.5mm cranks
- Wheelset: Corima WS Black DX 60 disc brake
- Power meter: SRM Origin PM9
- Cycling computer: Wahoo Elemnt Bolt
- Tyres: Michelin Power Cup tubular, 25c (measured width 25.0mm)
- Handlebar: Look Combo Aero Carbon 38cm handlebar width
- Stem: Look Combo Aero Carbon, 14cm stem length
- Seatpost: Look Aeropost 4 Carbon
- Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Boost Kit Carbonio Pro Team
- Bottle cages: Elite Leggero Carbon
- Pedals: Look Keo 2 Max Carbon
- Weight: 7.53kg
