By Rick Schultz
Updated Review
Outdoor/road riding: 
(1 out of 5 for indoor)
Back in early January of this year, RBR published my long term test article on these pedals (see https://www.roadbikerider.com/look-keo-2-max-carbon-pedals-review/). Two years in and they were already starting to fail from the basic pedal design. To be clear, these pedals were used primarily for indoor training.
The KEO 2 MAX carbon pedals are in the 2nd tier of Look’s road pedal lineup, the KEO BLADES being their top tier. Compared to Shimano, I would guess they are between the Ultegra and 105 pedals. See the table below. You can readjust the table to sort by price if you wish.
| MODEL LINEUP BY WEIGHT LOOK vs SHIMANO | WEIGHT (pedals only) | PRICE (USD) |
| KEO BLADE CARBON CERAMIC TI | 190g | $400 |
| KEO BLADE CARBON CERAMIC | 220g | $250 |
| SHIMANO PD-R9100 | 228g | $280 |
| KEO BLADE CARBON | 230g | $165 |
| SHIMANO PD-R8000 | 248g | $200 |
| KEO 2 MAX CARBON | 250g | $135 |
| KEO 2 MAX | 260g | $110 |
| SHIMANO PD-R7000 | 265g | $150 |
| KEO CLASSIC 3 PLUS | 280g | $80 |
| KEO CLASSIC 3 | 280g | $65 |
| SHIMANO PD-R550 | 310g | $100 |
| SHIMANO PD-RS500 | 320g | $65 |
If you look at both the KEO 2 MAX and the PD-R8000 / PD-R7000, you will quickly see that the Shimano pedals are more robust, solid, and better sealed. About a month ago, the right pedal started “dragging” — feeling more resistance. Last week, the pedal would turn, but after a ride, would retain that position. Yesterday, the bearings completely froze meaning the pedal spindle won’t turn anymore.
As I was writing the original article, I made a call to Look asking for a pedal rebuild kit. They said they had none in stock, so I took the spindles apart and repacked the entire inside of the pedal axle body with grease. The thought was that if it was repacked to 100 percent with grease there would be no more room for sweat – which is what originally destroyed the original bearings.
Taking the pedals off and hoping to remove the locking nut one more time proved impossible, since the locking nut just turns, as if the carbon threads are stripped. So the pedals are finished.
Since then, I have called the local Look authorized bike shop to put in a warranty claim.
I sweat a lot when training indoors. In fact, to keep rust from ruining the cleats on my shoes, I need to keep lubing the cleat bolts with WD-40.
Comparison
As mentioned above, Shimano’s pedals are more robust. Yes, a little heavier but let’s call them heavier duty. Look pedals appear to be built for lightweight only, almost like they are expecting you to replace the pedals every year.
I found a fairly new set of KEO 2 MAX on craigslist so tonight, I will take a look at them. After this Craiglist set wears out, it will be time to switch to Shimano.
Updated Conclusion
Based on the LOOK KEO pedal failure, I researched 2 areas more thoroughly.
1) What are other indoor cyclists using (with success)?
A recent poll on ROUVY “WHAT PEDALS DO YOU USE ON YOUR BIKE WHILE TRAINING INDOORS” showed the following results. The results kind of make sense since ROUVY (like all other indoor training applications) uses power as one of the main rider inputs. The riders can also use the same pedal system both indoors and outdoors.
| PEDALS | # users |
| Favero Assioma | 8 |
| SPD | 6 |
| SPD-SL | 3 |
| LOOK Keo 2 | 1 |
| LOOK ARC pp156 | 1 |
| Crank Brothers Candy | 1 |
| Speedplay | 1 |
2) Are other pedal systems more ‘waterproof’?
I went to several manufacturers’ websites and looked for the terms ‘sealed’, and ‘waterproof’.
- Shimano states their pedals do everything, but we know that their MTB (SPD) pedals are sealed due to the harsh environments MTBs ride in.
- Wahoo/Speedplay also states the same.
- LOOK – nothing mentioned
- Favero (https://cycling.favero.com/) and (https://cycling.favero.com/blog/tech-tests/assioma-resistance-laboratory-and-road-tested) specifically state waterproof & dustproof.
3) Conclusion
If you are riding indoors, pick a pedal system that is waterproof and dustproof. I highly recommend you check out both links on FAVERO’s website which show the internal waterproofing of their pedals. If you are doing any serious riding, a power pedal is a right choice for both indoor and outdoor cycling.
Coach Rick Schultz is an avid cyclist who trains, races and coaches in Southern California. Rick is an engineer by trade, and in addition to being a coach, he’s a bike fitter and prolific product reviewer. He’s the author of Stretching & Core Strengthening for the Cyclist in the RBR eBookstore. Check his product reviews website, www.biketestreviews.com, and his coaching site, www.bikefitnesscoaching.com. Click to read Rick’s full bio.
In my several decades’ experience as a road cyclist, I have found that the only pedal that does not release unexpectedly at moments of high stress (standing climbs, sprints) has been Campagnolo. Early versions of LOOK and many Shimano pedals suffer this problem, as well as a few others. I am a strong supporter of all Campagnolo products – they are superbly engineered and almost never make mandatory ‘upgrades’ without true engineering improvements, not just for the sake of commercialism. Their pedals are a marvel of reliability, durability and lightweight, and as with most Campy bits, can be easily rebuilt by the home mechanic.
NK
I agree and I love my ProFit pedals! However, I have a couple of bikes for which they are not the best choice. Those bikes (after disappointing experiences with “Wellgo” pedals) now have Shimano pedals. They have me convinced that Shimano pedals might even be even more bullet-proof than the ProFits! (I have two pair Record and one pair Chorus, so that one bike will likely never see Shimano pedals.)
On the ProFits, I have the retention set to absolute minimum, and when the cleats are properly aligned, I have never(!) pulled out of them. However, when the plastic cleats are worn, it is quite difficult to clip out of them (the opposite of Look/Shimano cleats).
I gave up on Look pedals about 8-10 .years ago after having similar problems as Rick. Now myself and my wife both use Shimano road pedals on all our bikes. In this 8-10 period not one pedal has caused a problem and all 5 pairs are still going fine. Two pairs have had the grease replaced inside and probably I’ll do the other three pairs in the next year or two. The lubricant has not been replaced because of any problems, but because I felt it should be done to increase their longevity.
Agreed! When bike fitting, I take a look at pedals as part of the safety check. 90%+ of my customers have Shimano pedals (Dura-Ace, Ultegra, 105). I’ve seen Shimano pedals that are 10 years old and the customer hasn’t even adjusted the spring tension yet.
Shimano, being a ‘heavier-duty’ pedal is sealed much better than LOOK KEO. But, I can see what LOOK is after, the pro-peloton which goes for light weight vs longevity.
I recently did a poll on Facebook (ROUVY) about what pedals the riders use and all but 1 use pedals with great seals (mainly Shimano SPD-SL, SPD, Assioma Favero). No one has complained of a failure of those pedals.
Just food for thought
I’ve used Keo 2 Max pedals for years without any of these issues, and I ride 12,000 to 16,000 miles per year. Probably every other year, I regrease the bearings, but I’ve never stripped the locking nut. As I recall, the locking nut on one pedal has left hand threads; the other has right hand threads.
Look vs Shimano? Personal preference. Both are fine choices.
Look Keo’s have been my main road pedal for years and I’ve never had any problems, including pedals with over 10k (documented) miles on ’em in all sorts of bad conditions. I’ve bought & used Shimano as well, but I happen to like Keo’s pedaling platform and find them a bit easier to clip in & out of. (Never had an unexpected clip out with a Keo, athough admittedly I am no 1200 Watt sprinter).
He usado Shimano Ultegra en mi bici de carretera durante 35.000 km y recientemente los he cambiado por los Look Carbon Ceramic, van bien aunque sólo les he hecho 3000 km este verano, veremos con el paso del tiempo como se comportan, de momento muy bien.