The double torsion bar spring design of the new Look S-Track is derived from their previous Quartz pedal, and has a lot in common with Time and crankbrothers pedals. It’s proved particularly good at clearing mud and snow, and has survived several rock smacks without damage.
Look use a cutaway cleat to increase mud-shedding ability. Rubber inserts soften engagement with the pedal body and there are small flat sections on the outer edges of the pedal to engage with the shoe tread and increase lateral support. You can also get a bolt-on plastic platform (£16.99/US$49.99) to create an enduro-style pedal.
The new S-shaped body makes the bars hard to locate and step into though, and the increased contact area only works if you use exactly the right depth of supplementary shims.
The more supportive the fit, the more we struggled to get in and out, leading to repeated clipped-in crash incidents. We eventually added extra spacers to create enough gap for cleaner engagement and release, but that then accelerated wear on the cleat.
The composite bodied, basic pedal here is definitely the way to go, though, because it’s actually fractionally lighter (298g a pair) than the £129.99/US$369.95 Race model.
This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.
