Look Keo Power Meter Type: Strain gauge. Pedal mounted.
Point of Origin: France
Years in Business: Look has been around for decades, the power pedal was introduced to the market for the ’13 season.
U.S. Service Center: Yes. California.
Web Site: www.lookcycle.com
Overview: The Look Keo power pedal concept has at least been in the thoughts of Look since 1986 when Look engineers first started exploring measuring power on a bike. In fact, in the late ’80’s there were power measurement pedals being used in university research, so the concept was proven to be functional, albeit mechanically bulky at the time. Based upon their initial research and thoughts on power, Look even introduced a hub based power meter called the Max One in 1989. However, size and economic limitations were present in the ’80’s and ’90’s for a power pedal and committed development of the concept for consumer by Look did not start until 2010. Release of the Look Keo Power Pedal system for sale started at the very end of 2012.
The Look KEO Power Pedal uses an 8 strain gauge sensor system built into each body of a modified Look KEO pedal system. The syst
em measures power by taking the force measurement off the strain gauges and combining it with cadence, which is transmitted through a reed relay (electromagnet and relay sensor) located in the pedal. Even though the clipless cleat release and retention mechanism is based on the KEO Max concept, the Power Pedal offers the wider stainless steel platform of the KEO Blade pedal. The pedal uses a standard KEO cleat.
The Look Keo Power Pedal introduced at the end of ’12 was dedicated to working only with Polar computer heads using BLE instead of the more common ANT+ supported by Garmin and most other computer heads. This was a significant consideration factor with the system. However, in ’16, Look took this deficiency and turned it into an advantage when they made the system BLE and ANT+ compatible. The current Look Keo Power Pedals now work with any ANT+ (Garmin, et al.) head unit while still being one of the only system that will work on a Polar head as well. Owners of older Look Keo Power Pedals can upgrade their hardware to work with ANT+ if wanted.
Look is one of the more established manufacturers in the cycling world, so there is a stable company supporting the product.
Pros:
- Relatively easy design to switch between multiple bikes.
- User replaceable batteries.
- Works with virtually any frameset. If the bike uses a standard crankset, a Look KEO Power Pedal will likely work.
- Version available that displays left to right power output.
- The dual sided “Regular” version of the Look Power Pedal offers the suite of power feedback, like pedal smoothness, when used with a Garmin head.
- Self-calibrating.
- 2 Year Warranty.
Considerations:
- While bodies and bearings can be replaced, pedal wear is variable rider to rider.
- Exposed, but replaceable, pods.
- Must use Look KEO pedals.
Accuracy: +/-2%
Reliability/Maintenance: Battery life is claimed at 150 hours. Changing the battery is straight-forward. We don’t have enough long-term maintenance data to share on the current Look Keo Power Pedal. The system has a two year warranty.
Compatibility/Limitations: Compatible with most any crank made by Shimano, SRAM, FSA, Campagnolo and many others.
Display Quality/Features: As of ’16, the Look KEO Power Pedal is compatible with Polar and other BLE computer heads as well as ANT+ units from Garmin and others. A hardware upgrade may be purchased for earlier units that provides BLE/ANT+ dual channel compatibility.
Weight: The Look KEO Power Pedal adds 150 grams to the weight of a pair of KEO Blade Chromoly axle pedals. The pair of Look KEO Power Pedals weighs 388 grams a pair in the dual sided “Regular” version and 369 grams in the single sided “Essential” version.
L/R Power Balance: Yes. The “Regular” version of the Look Keo Power Pedal includes a dual sided power meter that shows L/R power balance and metrics. The “Essentials” version is priced lower, but does not provide independent left/right feedback.
Ease of Installation & Transfer Between Bikes: Very good. The Look KEO Power Pedals require that you thread the pedals into the crank, align the axle and tighten the locknut and select the crank length. Calibration is designed to be automatic and cover a range of temperatures +/- 5 degrees C.
Software/Hardware: The software you would use depends on which computer head you select. With both BLE and ANT+ compatibility, you truly can use most any training software.
Conclusions: If you value ease of being able to switch between bikes quickly and unlimited compatibility with all wheel and most crank options, the Look Power Pedal has you covered. While the PowerTap P1 eliminates the pod, it does so with some weight. The Look Keo Power Pedal is a valid competitor to other pedal based systems like PowerTap and Garmin. Look is a French company and they do have a U.S. based service center, but they have historically not had the same stability of distribution/service as offered by Garmin and PowerTap, both of which are headquartered in the U.S.
Call or email for more information on Look Power Pedals or to order!
