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(Made you) LOOK Flat Pedals hit the trails and city for first time in brand’s history

LOOK TRAIL GRIP FLAT PEDALS OFF ROAD CYCLING VIBRAM
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Inventors of the clipless pedal, LOOK have diversified into flat pedals for the first time in the brand’s almost 70 year history. And they’ve done it with a bang. The LOOK Trail Grip and Geo City pedals are eye-catching, with a feature set to back up the flash.

Developed with Italian rubber experts Vibram, the LOOK flat pedals use a rubber compound paired with composite pins or rubber lugs to offer grip in a variety of two-wheeled scenarios. Less flashy but probably more exciting is the new LOOK Trail ROC, the first ever LOOK flat MTB pedal. We have the details on them all…

biking flats view from manual position

LOOK Flat Pedals for Urban and Off-Road Cycling

The new LOOK flat pedals were developed in partnership with Vibram, utilizing their expertise in rubber to create pedal platforms with varying levels of grip. The Trail Grip pedal is aimed at the off-road curious amongst you, while the three variations on the Geo City pedal are aimed at urban commuter cyclists.

Geo City Range

look flat pedals cycle commuting entry level basic geo city

The LOOK Geo City flat pedals offer a 110mm x 107mm platform and are available at three different price points. The entry-level Geo City is a simple composite body with a composite grip area. It has integrated reflectors at the front and rear.

look geo cirt grip urban cycling pedal commuter all weather grip with reflectors

Next up is the LOOK Geo City Grip and Geo City Vision. This is where it gets bling. The slightly smaller 107mm x 103mm platforms are a base for the Activ Grip rubber compound – the Vibram XS Trek edition. The rubber surface has grooves of different heights and orientations plus water-draining channels.

pedals for commuting with integrated light geo city from look

The LOOK Geo City Vision has an integrated wide-beam light in place of reflectors. The 50 Lumen light can be seen from over 900m away, and at 180° so drivers can see you from the side at cross roads, not just from the front or from behind.

look geo city pedal with light for urban cycle commuting 50 lumens

The light has four modes; Steady at 20 Lumens, Day Flash at 50 Lumens, Night Flash at 10 Lumens and Flash Eco with a motion sensitive automatic stop and start function. The USB rechargeable battery has a 20 hour life and takes 2 hours to reach full charge. It has an IPX7 waterproof rating.

LOOK Trail Grip Pedal

look flat pedals off roac cycling trail grip vibram camo rubber

Heading off-road, the LOOK Trail Grip pedal gets an Activ Grip vulcanized rubber compound from Vibram – the Megagrip edition. It sits on a 107mm x 103mm platform and houses eight molded composite lugs to form a “hybrid rugged traction pad”. The composite body features integrated reflectors at the front and rear.

beginner mountain bikers pedaling gravel road summer

Are they really aimed at actual trail riding? We doubt it, but they do look versatile enough for the adventurous commuter who likes to go a little off piste on their way in to the office.

Perhaps they prefer a rough gravel road over a smooth tarmac commute, or a cheeky piece of riverside singletrack to spice up the day. It’s not a mountain biking pedal, but it looks like it will offer better traction than the Geo City flat options.

look trail grip has vibram rubber surface composite pins for grip

The LOOK Trail Grip pedal doesn’t seek to offer the glue-like traction of pedal pins on traditional mountain bike flats. But, you won’t have to worry about gouging holes in your shins or destroying the underside of your shoes. The Trail Grip could very well be a decent option for the off-road curious.

look trail grip pedal customize rubber colorway 63mm q factor

The LOOK Trail Grip, Geo City Grip and Geo City Vision pedals offer a 63mm Q Factor, while the entry-level Geo City is narrower with a Q Factor of 61.5mm. Don’t know what Q Factor is? LOOK and XPEDO explain it here.

LOOK TRAIL GRIP OFF ROAD CYCLING VIBRAM platforms

Vibram Activ Grip rubber tops are interchangeable. Riders can switch them out for a different style depending on the vibe they are going for.

LOOK Trail ROC Flat Pedal for MTB

 

look trsil roc mtb flats have 12 adjustable length pins 17mm platform profile

Firmly aimed at the mountain biker is the LOOK Trail ROC flat pedal. The pedal to get if you’re after a maximum grip, it’s a full metal pinned pedal for aggressive riding.

Twelve pins occupy a 110mm x 110mm aluminium platform with a 61.5mm Q Factor. Their arrangement is symmetrical front to back but biased toward the outboard edge of the pedal.

new flat pedals for mtb from look have 110mm x 110mm platform area

Their length is adjustable to allow riders to tune the level of grip/shoe destruction according to their need and/or financial situation. Set the pins to different heights – LOOK set the outer ones to 10mm while the inner pins stand at 8mm tall. LOOK say this gives the pedal a concave shape that cradles the foot securely in place.

The LOOK Trail ROC pedals are pretty average in terms of weight, weighing a claimed 430g per pair. They spin on a 17mm chromoly spindle with two sets of bearings and a DU bushing.

Pricing & Availability

The new range of LOOK flat pedals are available now direct from LOOK and their high street retailers.

  • Geo City Grip Vision: Є119.90
  • Geo City Grip: Є59.90
  • Trail Grip: Є59.90
  • Geo City: Є29.90
  • Trail ROC: 69.00Є / $70

LookCycle.com

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Bmx
Bmx
3 years ago

If you wear pins on your the soles of your shoes those pedals could be really good. Paired with tick rubber gloves on your grip free bars and your all set. Also I could be crowd funding for set of pants that can grip a bare seat post so watch this space.

GreenPlease
GreenPlease
3 years ago
Reply to  Bmx

Tbh I actually prefer the idea of spikes on the shoes, rubber on the pedals. Less likely to get a bloody shin.

BMX
BMX
3 years ago
Reply to  GreenPlease

and you could pick up trail litter aswell

Shafty
Shafty
3 years ago
Reply to  GreenPlease

These rubber pedals look interesting. I’ve always found pedals that rely on long pins don’t offer much grip until they dig into your shoes. Since I don’t wear Vans or 510s, it just tears up my shoes while also offering poor grip on the pedal body itself. Very few manufacturers make a pedal with texture so I’d try these. My riding is almost exactly what BR has described as ideal for them though.

IzzyM
IzzyM
3 years ago

Great to see pedal innovations like this. Kudos to Look for trying something new and different.
I’m interested to try out the Trail Grips.

Adrian
Adrian
3 years ago

I think this is a good idea – not for ‘serious riding’ – something my Mum would use on her MTB, or I would use on the bike I ride to the train station or the shops – so I don’t get the soles of shoes destroyed by pins. Be interested to try a set certainly 🙂

Troy
Troy
3 years ago

Anybody else find VIBRAM rubber really slippery when its wet – had them on my cycling shoes and struggled to keep them on my metal pedals

Dominic
Dominic
3 years ago

Definitely find the vibram soles I’ve had on shoes to be very slippery when wet.

Neil
3 years ago

Look made the first commercially successful clipless pedal system, but they did not invent the category as the article says. I was riding Cinelli M71 pedals about 5 years before the Look pedals arrived. The Looks were much safer and more user-friendly.

satanas
satanas
3 years ago

Look did not invent clipless pedals. I don’t know who did, but the Cinelli M-71 pedals were available in the 1970s. Look didn’t AFAIK make *any* pedals or bike parts before the 1980s – before which they were known for ski bindings – so talking about their “70 year history” is misleading as is implying they made clipless pedals 70 years ago, which is how the first paragraph reads. Just because the BR writers weren’t alive then doesn’t mean that history is irrelevant. 🙁

Mark
Mark
2 years ago

It’s an old post, but still pops up as one of the first of google, so I’m gonna resurrect it!! I just fitted the city pedals to my hybrid (Giant Seek), as The nukeproof flat pedals were grippy but never really made sense as this is a quick blast bike, and not one I want to wear my 510s on.

So I can now finally go for a quick blast in my normal sneakers, without ripping them to shreds!!

After a first blast With my Superstars, they’re mega comfortable and more than grippy enough for the road and canals.

I’m tempted to buy the grippier trial pads just to see what they’re like with grippier shows (as the superstars have essentially no grip… that’s not going to help!).

Would I fit them to my trial bike? Probably not no. But for a road/hybrid/gravel bike these would be fine!

I just wish they’d make a thinner metal body that could take the same pads… as the plastic pedals with reflectors looks a bit cheap and tacky, and kinda ruins the look of the bike.

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