Pic Spocket

I have posted a few pictures already of my race bike, my Kuota K-FACTOR. Here it is again after the ‘Autumn Colors Triathlon’.

I recently got some time to take a picture of my ‘new’ road bike. I actually got it last spring, just never had the time to shoot it

Last year, I went quite often to group rides with the group ESR (East Side Riders) and while it worked OK with the time trial bike, it was not optimal since the shifters are at  the end of the extension bars. Also, the handle bar position is quite aggressive, which is not really comfortable for long group rides where I have to hold the base bar.

So last spring I decided to shop for a new road bike. I wanted something decent, with a carbon frame and Shimano Ultegra group or better but without breaking the bank. It’s hard to get such a bike for less than $3000, which was outside my budget for a bike not for race use.

That’s why I was happy when I ran into a deal online at RealCyclist.com on a brand new 2009 Look 566 road bike. There was almost no difference with the 2010 model just coming out: the new ultegra group has internal cables for the shifters, and the color scheme was a bit different. Nothing to justify the $700-$800 price difference for the 2010.

The Look 566 is an entry bike for LOOK, but it’s got a full carbon frame, fork, seat post and handlebar. The bike is also built with a full Shimano Ultegra group, actually better than the mixed group I have on my race bike. Bike companies often use cheaper cranks or brakes with higher end derailleurs to appeal to buyers. The Ultegra group is just below Shimano’s top of the line ‘DURA-ACE’ group.

Wheels are just basic, in the shape of Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels, but it’s usually the case. I also did not care because I have my ZIPP 606 with power meter available if I ever need better shoes.

I swapped the saddle for a Specialized Toupe and the tires for Michelin Pro Race 3 tires, reducing the weight by 1 lbs. The bike now tip the scale at ~17.5 lbs (with bottle cages but no pedals). Not feather light, but pretty good for ~$2200. I also added Look 566 full carbon cages.

Here is the overall bike:

It’s looks even sharper with the ZIPP wheels on. I just wish the color scheme was a bit more layed off. You wonder why they feel the need to put the company name 12 times on the bike?!

I never noticed before now, but now that I look at both bikes, I notice that they are both compatible with the LPC colors!

I like the bike, but I have to say I did not get to use it much. The summer is almost gone, and I only put a few hundreds kilometers on it. My training was really focused for triathlons, and I did not do many group rides. Also, I did not have much luck on it: fell in the gravel with it (my only fall so far), and broke a chain playing in the hills around Guelph with my coach one night.

Now that I have only one triathlon race left for the year, I may get to ride it a bit more

Here are more pictures and larger versions:

LOOK 566 BIKE

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 at 12:04 pm and is filed under Sport and Races, Our news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.