LOOK Keo Blade Ceramic Vision Pedals
By John Marsh
HOT!
- Added safety feature to already great pedals
- Up to 60-lumen lights with up to 40 hours’ run time
- 4 flash modes; 180-degree beam angle
- Fully integrated and easily removeable
- Quick charging in only 2 hours; includes dual USB-C cable to charge both lights at once
- Claimed visibility up to 1 km
- IPX7 waterproofing rating
- Ceramic bearings for reduced friction, longer life
- 270g for the pair (230g for the pedals, 40g for the lights)
- Includes a pair of Keo Grip cleats
NOT!
- Retention adjustable only by buying extra blades (ships with 12Nm retention, the 2nd easiest); blade kits typically cost around $55)
- Yet more bits of cycling gear to recharge
Cost: $325
How obtained: review sample from company
Available: company website; cycling retail sites
RBR Sponsor: no
Tested: several months
I’m a long-time proponent of daytime running lights, front and rear, and have used helmet rear flashers from time to time. I’m also a long-time user of LOOK pedals. So I was intrigued when I discovered that LOOK was launching a new line of Vision pedals that include an integrated light on the back of each pedal.
The lights easily snap onto the rear face of the pedal and are seamlessly integrated. To remove them, you simply push down on the top of the light and pull it away from the pedal. Each light has a USB-C charging port with a cover, and the system earned an IPX7 waterproofing rating.
The box includes a dual USB-C cord that allows you to charge both lights together, as well as a pair of Keo Grip cleats (with rubber pieces on the bottom to make walking a little less fraught).
Oh, and the pedals themselves are LOOK’s top-of-the-line Keo Blade Ceramic pedals, with a carbon body and ceramic bearings that provide a light, super-smooth system built for speed and durability. You won’t find a smoother pedal with the traditional shape and platform for excellent power transfer.
Origins in Safety
LOOK first added lights to pedals in 2017 with its Geo City Vision urban pedals and decided to roll the safety option into its road line starting last year.
Interestingly, when LOOK first introduced clipless pedals way back in 1985, they were marketed as a “safety pedal” because they were said to be much safer than toe clips. The MSRP for those original LOOKs was $75, or about $232 today! The original LOOKs required drilling holes in your shoes, and pushing in threaded inserts for the cleat bolts. (Thanks to RBR’s tech editor Jim Langley for providing background on the original LOOKs, including the ad, which ran next to an article Jim wrote – the first review of clipless pedals in any publication.)
LOOK’s current Vision tech is based in part on studies showing that drivers react quickly to red lights, even in full sun, and that lights attached to riders’ heels made them more than 5 times more visible than a seatpost light – because light in motion catches a human’s attention faster than stationary light.
On the Road
The power button is on the bottom portion of the light and allows you to toggle through the 4 flash modes: day flash, night flash, power steady, and steady. Day flash emits intense bursts at 60 lumens. Each successive mode, as you toggle through, lowers the lumens and thus extends battery life. The max run time on one charge is up to 40 hours, at 2 lumens. I’ve only used the Day flash mode and get several rides on one charge. But you won’t be caught off-guard: when the battery level reaches 15%, a steady red indicator light comes on. Double-pressing the power button also provides a battery life reading. Charging fully only takes 2 hours with the included USB-A to USB-C dual cord.
Another nice feature is the Start & Go system that automatically detects when you start or stop riding. After 30 seconds of complete stillness, the lights go on standby mode to conserve battery life, then turn back on when you start pedaling again. So there’s no need to turn them off in the middle of a ride that includes stops.
Lit Up Head to Foot
I mentioned earlier that I was an early adopter and advocate for daytime running lights. I’ve used front and rear lights, full time, for close to 20 years. My current setup includes a full-time front light and a rear radar light that changes flashing patterns when a car approaches. I also recently decided to use a piece of Velcro to attach my old rear light to my helmet (it’s a very small form factor “stick” light and works great). And now that I’m running the Vision pedals, I literally am lit up from head to foot, with some rotating light and some variably flashing light.
Anecdotally, I’ve noticed that that vast majority of cars now pass me fully in the opposite lane. Only the rare outlier stays partially in my lane when overtaking. I consider that successful – and I think every piece of safety equipment I use, including the LOOK Vision pedals, is worthwhile in an incremental way.
Couple of Dings
While LOOK’s Keo Blade Ceramic Vision pedals technically have adjustable retention, that’s a bit of a misnomer. The pedals ship with a 12Nm blade (the flat piece that runs across the bottom of the pedal), giving the pedal the 2nd-easiest possible retention value. If you want to change the retention force, you’ll have to buy a kit for the 8-, 16- or 20Nm blades. Each kit typically costs about $55.
I’m fine with the 12Nm retention level, but if I weren’t, I’d be a little cheesed at having to fork over $55 to change it. My long-time pedals are LOOK’s Keo Max 2 model, which allows dialing in your retention with an allen wrench. (If the retention issue is a deal-breaker for you, or if you don’t want or need the top-line Blade Ceramic, the Keo Max 2 Vision costs $175.)
My other quibble is more a general statement about the state of road cycling tech. I sometimes pine for the days when you could pop a coin-cell battery in your light or head unit and ride for a year without a second thought. I now have 7 pieces of tech on my bike that must be removed and recharged on a random schedule (headlight, radar rear light, helmet light, 2 pedal lights, head unit, epump) – not to mention the Di2 battery in the bike. I fully realize this is a first-world problem. But it is mildly annoying to make sure you’ve turned everything on and off on each ride – and then to struggle to keep everything charged and ready to go for the next one.
The Last Word
LOOK’s Keo Blade Ceramic Vision pedals are excellent pedals that have been improved by the addition of lights. Every incremental bit of safety tech makes for an overall safer riding experience, in my opinion. These top-of-the-line pedals are the best possible combination of light-weight, smooth power transmission and a touch of added safety. As part of any rider’s overall safety protocol, they would make an excellent addition.
John Marsh is the former editor and publisher of RBR Newsletter and RoadBikeRider.com. Now retired, he lives and rides in the mountains of western North Carolina.
Have put these in all of my bikes. They are a little fiddly to remove to charge, I use a plastic tire lever to do so. Also, they are also sold as an upgrade kit to existing pedals of which are the majority of my setup. One set had a dud retrofit plate in it and Look has not responded several days after reaching out. TBC but otherwise love these.