Look 795 Blade RS in the TOUR test
The last time Look equipped a team with bikes for the Tour de France, the major event started in Germany. Six years later, the French complete wheel and component manufacturer is back on the map. As a sponsor of Cofidis. The French are proud of this. So proud, in fact, that they provided the World Tour team with a new racing car (see below in the article).
However, as the racing machine has so far only been reserved for the pros around Simon Geschke and the first production-ready bikes will not be available until the summer at the earliest, we invited the current aero racer from Look's range instead: the 795 Blade RS. A model that epitomises the independence of the traditional brand from Nevers - and to a certain extent also reveals the problems of the former permanent guest at the Tour de France.
One frame? Two frames!
The Blade RS was already spectacular when it was launched five years ago. The integrated cockpit, the eye-catching seat knot and the voluminous bottom bracket shell still set the bike apart from the competition's aero racing bikes. However, since the 2021 model update, the look has not only impressed with its extravagant design, but also with an original frame manufacturing process.
In contrast to conventional carbon frames, the 795 Blade RS consists of two parts: a load-bearing inner frame and an outer frame. The costly technology enables Look to keep the weight of the aero-optimised frame within limits: The frame weighs almost 200 grams less than its predecessor model, which was made using classic manufacturing methods. A step forward.
Light and stiff full carbon wheels
However, comparable aero frames now crack the one-kilo mark and are up to 300 grams lighter. Speaking of cracking: The manufacturing process creates a hollow space between the inner and outer frame, which gives way slightly when you lean on the top tube.
In terms of aero performance, the racing bike also has to let up. With 217 watts at 45 km/h, the Blade RS is on a par with good all-rounders, but is more than one racing class slower than the fastest professional models currently available.
The good news: thanks to light and stiff full carbon wheels from Corima, the French wheel specialist that has been under the Look umbrella since 2016, you can bolt along at a more than reasonable pace.
Coming out of tight corners, the extremely stable Look needs a little time to get going, but once under way it easily maintains its speed. Only on rough surfaces do you have to take your foot off the gas a little, as the aero support is relatively unyielding and the narrow standard tyres do not provide too much suspension comfort. Swapping to tyres up to 30 millimetres wide would help.
Look 795 Blade RS - A lot of money for a road bike
Look offers the 795, whose framesets for the European market are manufactured in Taiwan, in two versions: In addition to the special manufacturing process, the French company has given the Blade RS tested here a more expensive carbon fibre quality and prices it at between 8490 and 11990 euros. The slightly heavier Blade is available for between 6790 and 7290 euros.
A lot of money for a racing bike that stands out from the crowd thanks to its extravagance, but is not quite on a par with comparable aero models in terms of weight and aerodynamics. All the more reason to be excited about the supposed successor, which, unlike the current model, will be taking part in the Tour de France.
Individual rating and details of the Look 795 Blade RS
- Price11990 Euro
- Weight frame/fork/steering bearing* 1143/422/96 grammes
- Frame sizes** XS, S, M, L, XL
- Seat/top tube/head tube 520/540/172 millimetres
- Stack/Reach/STR*** 579/395 millimetres/1.47
- Wheelbase/caster 1010/62 millimetres
Equipment
- Drive/gear shift Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (2x12; 52/36, 11-34 t.)
- Brakes Shimano Dura-Ace (160/140 mm)
- Wheels/tyres (weights)**** Corima 47 MCC DX/Continental Grand Prix 5000 25 millimetres (f./h.: 1176/1595 g)
Measured values & individual grades*****
- Weight of complete wheel 7.5 kilos Grade 2,7
- Steering head stiffness 91 Nm/° Grade 1,7
- Lateral stiffness fork 54 N/millimetre Grade 1,0
- Bottom bracket stiffness 65 N/millimetre Grade 1,0
- Seatpost spring stiffness 193 N/millimetre Grade 2,3
- Aerodynamics****** 217 watts Grade 2,7
>> The Look 795 Blade RS gets an overall TOUR score of 1.9
Look 795 Blade RS - New model for Geschke
Since the beginning of the year, the Cofidis team led by Simon Geschke has been piloting the supposed successor to the current 795 Blade through the peloton. The prototype, which has already been approved by the UCI but is still without a model name, is more conventional than the aero model.
Look says goodbye to the extravagant rear triangle, among other things. A certain similarity to the S-Works Tarmac SL 7 from Specialized, one of the best race all-rounders in the World Tour, is unmistakable. On request from Grofa, Look's German importer, the new bike should be available from the summer.
*Weighed weights.
**Manufacturer information Test size bold.
***Stack/Reach Projected vertical/horizontal dimension from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube;
STR (Stack to Reach) 1.36 means a very stretched sitting position, 1.60 means an upright sitting position.
****Impeller weights including tyres, cassette, quick release/threaded axles and brake discs if necessary.
*****Single noteswhich are weighted differently in the overall grade, are only partially printed for reasons of space. The grades are calculated with all decimal places up to the final grade; however, for the sake of clarity, all grades are shown with rounded decimal places.
******Aerodynamics Theoretical pedalling power required to overcome air resistance at 45 km/h, measured in a wind tunnel with a pedalling leg dummy.
Julian Schultz
Editor
