Jagzsr

I am looking to add a new to me road bike to my collection.
I have been riding more roads and less gravel.
A 2012 Look 695 has caught my eye. Full Dura Ace, Easton EC90 SL rims.
Does anyone here ride one or have experience with them?

joelcool

I put 20,000+ miles on a Look 595. Awesome bikes, you won't go wrong.

Haruhiism

I don't have any experience with the 695 in particular, but I own a 795 and while I consider a hell of a bike--it is kind of quirky. Their stems are difficult to work with in my opinion, and the seat masts that go into the integrated seat post can be a hit or miss. So, if you can see the bike in person, check that the seat post doesn't wiggle when fully tight.

Truly nice bikes, just a tad high maintenance sometimes.

Jagzsr

Thanks for the reply guys.
I decided to go with a Giant Defy Advanced 1.
I think it will suit the type of riding I do a little better.

mpath

I like mine a little bit. The fit is dialed in, and <14lbs with pedals.

Jagzsr

That’s a beautiful bike. What year is it?

mpath

2011

alcjphil

Look's Epost is designed to provide a micro suspension. The post, when properly tightened is supposed to allow the saddle to move a bit. The first version of the Epost introduced on the Look 595 did not have as much give and as a result the ride was much less forgiving. I have ridden my Look 595 with both early versions of the Epost, and the version that allows "play" is far superior. There are 3 different elastomers available for the post, grey offers the most cushion, black, the least. I use the red elastomer which splits the difference. I have seen many people who have overtightened their Eposts to eliminate that play who then complain of the harsh ride.

alcjphil

The Giant is a much more mainstream offering and a fine choice. I have never ridden a 695, but I have owned 4 other Look bikes, a KG381, a 481SL, a 595, and a 496 TT/TRI bike. The 695 was a step forward for framesets. Look offered both a new crankset and an innovative new stem setup very much in line with their philosophy of offering a lot of adjustability for a perfect fit. The ZED one piece carbon fibre crank is an example of this: one crank can accommodate both 110 mm and 130 mm bolt circles as well as 170, 172.5, and 175mm crank arm lengths in a single lightweight, stiff crankset. Brilliant

Jagzsr

I really like the idea of the 695. I did see some complaints about water in the BB. Lots of loose this and that’s.
I plan on doing some longer distance in the future and hope the Defy will give me lots of enjoyable trouble free miles.

Haruhiism

I get that, but when you can just lift the saddle + epost together clean out of the seatpost with your hand without using much force after tightening the epost to Look's specifications--is that the level of "play" it was designed to have?

denvertrout

I have been riding mine for 5 years now. Not a single problem. No reason to ever upgrade as far as I am concerned. Light and fast. I have only seen 1 other in that time, unlike all the other brands that are so often seen.

Jagzsr

Great for you!! That is the kind of info I was looking for. I was worried you didn't see them because they were a quirky problem child.

alcjphil

The main reason you see very few Looks on the road is that they are and probably will always be a niche player in the bike market, especially in North America. It is hard for smaller companies like Look to find dealers for their bikes. If it were not for their pedals, the company would probably not be able to stay in business. They make great bikes, but they sell very few of them in the US and Canada