Look’s new G85 Cezal RS gravel race bike looks almost exactly the same as the G85 Cezal all-rounder they debuted last spring. That’s for a very intentional reason. The G85 Cezal was already built to be a fast gravel bike, perfectly capable of the occasional gravel race. And now, the new RS simply ratchets up the speed with a lighter frame, including the removal of internal storage that their racers felt was superfluous, and a revised carbon layup that increased frame responsiveness while maintaining all-day race-ready comfort. The result is a 200g lighter frame that
2026 Look G85 Cezal RS carbon gravel race bike
It’s nice to be able to keep a bike launch story short and sweet, so I can stick to how it feels to ride.
The new Look G85 Cezal RS carbon gravel race bike is effectively the same as the standard G85 Cezal carbon gravel bike, just retuned for gravel racing. The outer shaping is identical, so you get the same look, with only subtle nods to aerodynamics through integration. The geometry is also the same, so both bikes are going to handle very similarly.
What is different then?
The only visible difference from the outside is the lack of a glovebox hidden under the downtube cage mount. Look’s sponsored gravel racers didn’t see any real tangible benefit to it. And Look engineers were happy to be able to refine the bike’s structure, without an unnecessary hole in the middle of the downtube that invariably requires a lot of extra reinforcement.
The result then, is a frame that is more than 15% lighter, more responsive, while also becoming more comfortable, too.
Reengineering the hi-mod carbon layup without a hole in the downtube allowed Look to increase headtube stiffness by 20% and bottom bracket stiffness by 19% (compared to the standard G85 Cezal), while maintaining rider comfort. In fact, they say their ‘3D Wave Flex System’ with full-length, slightly curved seatstays and classic 27.2mm seatpost delivers “15% vibration filtering with no loss of lateral power transfer”.
But what about more aero, bigger tires, or even bigger wheels?
Look describes the new G85 Cezal RS as optimized for “99% of race scenarios”. They firmly believe that a comfortable bike is much more important for long-distance gravel racing, than simply a couple of watts here of there of incremental aerodynamic gains. Ultimately, the bulk of aero drag is created by the rider, and Look feel this more comfortable race bike will help gravel racers maintain a lower, more aero position on the bike longer, while stiff aero bikes often make racers sit up more as fatigue sets in several hours into a rough race.
Look ran the numbers on the 146km, 33km/hr 2025 French Gravel Championship in the RS’s development. In their simulation, a theoretical aero rear triangle and seatpost could have saved 137 seconds on aerodynamics alone. But by improving flex, the G85 Cezal RS would save 84 seconds through enhanced handling & control in the downhills, and a further 60 seconds by eliminating pedaling stops on rougher sections and cornering. So ultimately, by optimizing fatigue management, they say the new G85 Cezal RS is faster the longer the gravel race goes on!
And yes, sometimes even bigger tires, like the 57-58mm tires we’ve seen in the latest crop of aero gravel race bikes, can also make sense – either for more comfort or more control on rough tracks. And there’s no denying that 32″ wheels are coming for the gravel racing scene. Look made clear that this wasn’t the last gravel race bike they will ever make. It’s just the one they think will best suit the majority of gravel racers today.
Review: So how does it actually ride?
The G85 Cezal RS starts off with proven agile road-race-inspired handling and a short 425mm rear end. And now it does that with a layup that feels both responsive from a power input & steering perspective, but also genuinely forgiving in the rider comfort department. Taking the bike out onto Girona’s relatively smooth gravel tracks, I was first impressed by how comfortable the cockpit was, without feeling flexy.
Little gravel bumps tend to add up after a long day on the bike. And I was even starting with a minor recent wrist sprain that made riding most gravel bikes rather uncomfortable. The integrated Look RS3 cockpit (which is actually a proprietary 2-piece) did a nice job of filtering out those (for me at the time, painful) vibrations, while also providing a nice flat top that was comfortable to lean across on my forearms. It was an immediate first impression to me that Look had really worked hard to make sure riders could stay low on the bike, to stay fast over long gravel race distances.
Beyond hitting the right blend of comfort and control in the cockpit, the new Look G85 Cezal RS seems to be well-rounded front to back. The bike simply feels quick and responsive at speed, both on smooth tracks and rougher gravel. I didn’t have the chance to do a 100+km gravel race on the bike (maybe next spring?).
But on two fast-paced gravel test rides, it was clear that this new G85 Cezal RS was more than capable of carrying me at high speeds over varied terrain. And after both rides, I walked away with my body feeling fresh, even when my legs were spent.
Tech details
- hi-mod race-focused carbon frameset
- 1000g claimed frame weight (size M), a 200g savings over the standard G85 Cezal
- no internal frame storage
- fully-integrated internal cable routing through the 1.5″ headset
- only 2 bottle cage mounts inside the front triangle (2-position on seattube), plus toptube bag mounts
- 1x (up to 50T) or 2x compatible with removable front derailleur hanger
- mechanical or electronic
- UDH, 12mm thru-axles & flat mount 160mm disc brakes
- T47 threaded bottom bracket
- 50mm max rear tire clearance (1x) or 45mm with a front derailleur; 57mm max front tire clearance
- 27.2mm round seatpost, with integrated wedge-style clamp
- 5 sizes available (XS-XL)
- lifetime frame warranty
2026 Look G85 Cezal RS – Pricing, options & availability
Look’s new race-focused G85 Cezal RS carbon gravel bike is available either as a frameset or in one of two complete builds.
The G85 Cezal RS frameset in raw carbon finish with a Chrome orange fork sells for 3290€, including the frame, fork, Token bottom bracket, and the round Look LS1 seatpost. (The standard Look G85 Cezal frameset retails for 900€ less, but without the BB or seatpost.)
Complete bikes start at 6990€ with a SRAM Force AXS Xplr 1x build in Hypershift blue with a black fork, which includes a fully integrated conventional Deda Superbox stem & Superzero Carbon handlebar, 40T chainring, plus 25mm internal Fulcrum Sharq wavy aero carbon wheels wrapped in 45mm Hutchinson Touareg Race tires – 8.3kg claimed.
Or you can pick up the raw+orange frame built up with SRAM Red AXS Xplr 1x as I test rode. For 8990€, Look specs a bigger 44T aero chainring, surprisingly comfortable 2-piece but integrated Look Aero Carbon RS3 cockpit, and the same Fulcrum Sharq wheels with 45mm Touareg Race tires – 7.9kg claimed.
All three options are available starting today from Look retailer bike shops.
