Look Kéo 2 Max Carbon pedals review

Look says that its Kéo 2 Max pedal is aimed at the Granfondo rider, whereas it pitches its Kéo Blade at the racer. The blade design makes the pedal a bit lighter and more aero than the Kéo 2 Max, but also less adjustable.

Within the Kéo 2 Max family, there’s the standard model, with a composite body and the Kéo 2 Max Carbon, which has a carbon fibre body. There’s not much difference in weight between the two, with the Carbon version losing around 10g a pair.

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At 252g, the Kéo 2 Max Carbon is comparable in weight to a pair of the considerably more expensive Shimano Dura-Ace pedals at 249g.

Look has redesigned the Kéo 2 Max pedals for this year. The changes are subtle, yet significant. First, there’s a wider stainless steel mid-foot plate with a changed shape. It’s only added another 3mm, putting the width up to 60mm, but the length has increased too. This increases the cleat contact area by 25% from 400mm² to 500mm².

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Look says that this increases foot stability. If so, the results are subtle: riding the old and new pedals back-to-back, I didn’t notice any difference. But the new Kéo 2 Max pedal is still easy to clip into and comfortable to use.

Whereas the Kéo Blade pedal’s carbon blade spring comes with fixed release tension levels, the Kéo 2 Max is adjustable using an allen key to change the resistance of the rear spring.

Look has also subtly changed the shape of the body of the Kéo 2 Max pedal, with a more angular front and side profile. The graphics look smarter too. Other changes are internal: there’s a redesigned bearing with a conical spacer, which Look says reduces friction and should improve bearing longevity.

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The Kéo 2 Max pedal still fits the standard Look cleat. This is significantly narrower than Shimano’s SPD-SL equivalent, leading to a less awkward-looking profile on the bottom of the shoe. It’s also more prone to wear than Shimano cleats and so you’ll need to replace it more often.

I’ve been using the older version of the Kéo 2 Max pedals for years and not had any issues with them – they just work. The updated version looks to have only improved on the design.