Look KeO Grip Road Cleats

Comments about Look KeO Grip Road Cleats:

Save the rubber---stop completely before you put the unclipped foot down on the pavement. They last a long time if you don't grind it off.
If you position your foot correctly in the pedal circle they click in very easily --usually in the down side of the circle not at the top.
I buy spare set and only replace the unclipped foot side infrequently, about every 6 months.

Sourround the cleat with masking tape before unscrewing it to mark the replacement position--makes it easy and reliable.

I give the Look KEO *****

Comments about Look KeO Grip Road Cleats:

Have always loved Looks and have had them on my bikes for 20 years. Downside is that the cleats can be slippery on hard smooth surfaces. So, Look address with by adding a polymer softer material on the walking surfaces of the cleats - good idea and it works well..... until it wears out.

In very short order, the rubber pieces start to tear and migrate. Soon they interfere with engaging the cleat into the pedal. Switched to my shoes with the old style cleats - no problem, fast confident entry.

Bear in mind that I understand that cleats wear and I'm all but obsessive about protecting them. I use cleat covers when off the bike and I'm religious about putting them on even for a short walk off the bike. Even with that, it doesn't help with these.

Get the regular LOOK cleats not these. You'll be much happier.

Comments about Look KeO Grip Road Cleats:

I thought I'd try these for easier walking. They are nicer to walk with on hard or slippery surfaces, but I've only had these for 2 months and they are falling apart. Today I cramped and was walking up the hill and the rubber strips started to come off. I realize these aren't made for miles of walking but I expected a little more durability than this.

I also found it more difficult to clip into the pedal because of the sticky nature of the rubber.

I really like the performance of Look Keo pedals while I'm clipped in, but I've spent a fortune on cleats because I do a lot of touring and ultimately walk in them and wear them down. I tried the covers, but who wants to carry plastic covers when riding in the mountains when things like leg and arm warmers are much more essential.

Comments about Look KeO Grip Road Cleats:

I'm not really a competitive cyclist, I just started doing triathlons and chose this pedal/cleat system for the "rubber" on the cleats. I'm not coordinated enough to leave my shoes clipped in & try & get in them while on the bike. My thinking was this would be much safer for running my bike through the transition area. During my second tri with these cleats, I had significant difficulty clipping in. After the race I discovered that the "rubber" on the cleat that was causing trouble was torn. No wonder I couldn't clip in. After the third tri, that had a long transition area on a dirt/gravel roadway, the cleat itself is so mashed that I can't clip in & the rubber is gone on the second cleat. I was looking at the covers, but then I'd still have to remove them, store them & put them back on for transition - definitely not time efficient & I still need replacements. At [$] for about 50 cents worth of material it is disheartening - I'm now considering switching pedals.

Comments about Look KeO Grip Road Cleats:

I just wanted to chime in with my two cents about the durability and usability of these cleats: Yes, they do deteriorate very quickly, especially if you need to hoof it for any appreciable distance (for some people, depending on their gait, this may be as little as 100m).

The covers mitigate this to a certain extent, and are worth the $10 for the additional traction, cleanliness, and additional service life they afford. I agree with a previous reviewer that LOOK should include the covers gratis when you buy the pedals.

I've found that I have to trim the rubber (especially behind the rear pads) every couple of rides with a razor blade so that it's back behind the plastic of the cleat. If I don't keep up on this, entry becomes a real pain and the feeling of a good entry becomes much less distinct. The compound is so soft that it deforms under the slightest twist - which is great for traction of smooth surfaces, but really diminishes the life of the pad when walking on asphalt. A harder more durable pad (maybe like what they make the covers out of) would be something they should really look into.

Be aware that the colors are significant in terms of the float of the cleat. LOOK pedals tend to be pretty squishy anyway, so the "4-5 degrees" the gray ones offer is, for me, more than enough to keep my knees happy (a little too much). There is another option out there that REI doesn't carry which is the "0 degree" black color cleat - I'm seriously considering getting these next time instead and getting by on pedal wiggle (I use the Classics).

All considered, they are a decent enough product for someone who's not making money off of competing. They take a bit of getting used to, but they function as intended, which is to say you don't skate around the parking lot while you try and mount your bike, and their price is low enough that the yearly replacement is not a big hit on the wallet (honestly, if you're not having to replace your cleats at least every year anyway, you're probably not riding enough to make a $200-300 investment in shoes and pedals worthwhile).

Comments about Look KeO Grip Road Cleats:

Over the past weekend, I rode the LiveStrong Challenge charity bike ride in San Jose, CA and as part of my preparation, I replaced the night before the set of Keo grip cleats (4.5 degree float) that had been well worn down and used. As part of my 65 mile ride, there was one portion where the climb was just too difficult for me and was forced to unfortunately walk my bike up a one mile portion of hillly road. Over the course of this one mile, my brand new cleats were completely chewed up. I knew over time, this would happen as this occured with my previous set. But this was over a year of use. This new set was so chewed up after one ride and one walk that the rubber portion had become completely removed off of the cleat and the plastic underneat also became so worn down that after making it to the top of the hill, i struggled to reclip back into my pedals. With 30 miles to go I was devastated in thinking that I would have SAG out of the race because i couldnt clip in. Thankfully, with the help of a bike mechanic at the rest stop, we were able to file down the clip in area of the pedal where all the plastic from the clip had deformed into. After finishing the ride, I asked a friend who was also forced to walk up the hill to show my his cleats (made from Shimano) and while some of the rubber on the bottom had become scrapped off, the overall cleat was in great shape for what we went through.

I know other complaints have been made about this design and I think its a shame that they would sell the cleat covers as a separate accessory knowing how soft and fragile these cleats are out of the package. I would have thought that they could have held up with at least one ride. ONE RIDE!

I should note that I had a previous set that saved me from a nasty spill when i was able to clip out in time and get my foot down in time. During that process as well the rubber on the bottom got torn up also. I thought that was a fluke but apparently not :(

Comments about Look KeO Grip Road Cleats:

I have been riding the Keo platform for a few years using the original non-grip cleats and purchased a pair of the grip cleats for the winter and have been riding on them for a couple of months. I'm sold on the Look pedal in terms of power transfer and design but the cleats are lagging behind a bit.

There are pros and cons to BOTH the grip and original non-grip cleats. In a nutshell:

The original cleats are quick on entry and exit, snap in with a reassuring click and are very quiet in use BUT they are slick as walking on Teflon off the bike and even with consistent use of cleat covers wear down fast. I've lost track of how many I've gone through.

The grip cleats still lock into the pedals well but due to the rubber bits the entry is much less distinct and I fumble with the pedal more, the rubber squeaks from time to time against the pedal body BUT I expect them to last a lot longer as even after a couple months riding everyday to work there is almost no wear on the locking surfaces. The rubber also allows you to use the backside of the pedal if you miss the entry (like at a stop light) compared to the original where your foot slides off at 90 mph due to the Teflon effect.

I expect I will stock up on original cleats for the dry months but even though the rubber can be annoying I plan to switch back to them next winter too. I can put up with the Teflon effect when it's dry and warm but I appreciate the sure footedness of the rubber bits when it's wet and cold, even if I have to put up with a squeak now and then.

Comments about Look KeO Grip Road Cleats:

Wear as cleats
Great to have the protective cover
Protective cover wears out so quickly not worth the xtra price
Go with the basic Keo products

Comments about Look KeO Grip Road Cleats:

I see a couple of reviews that said these cleats were bad but I had to do something or replace my KeO pedals with another brand. I had terrible luck with the default cleats that are supplied with the KeO classic pedals. In certain cases I sometimes get stopped at a traffic light and it is uphill. I felt really stupid in traffic because I could not get sufficient traction to get my bike going again. I had to walk my bike up to a more level surface to get going again. Not only are the default cleats slippery but my right cleat was showing extreme wear after only a couple of weeks due to all of the slipping that was occurring at stop signs and stop lights.

I am happy to say that since I put KeO Grip Road Cleats on I am very happy with the amount of traction I get and do not have issues at the uphill stop light now. I can also say that my grip cleats do not have issues going into the pedals either as they go in with the same amount of effort as the default ones.

Comments about Look KeO Grip Road Cleats:

Saw there was only one review for these cleats and had to jump in with the previous reviewer and agree that these cleats are a PAIN to get in and out of.

The rubber on the toe of the cleat gives a very squishy indistinct feeling when starting out. You think you've got it, but you don't. Then you put your weight down on the pedal to engage only to realize the toe isn't in. The old cleats I'd just wiggle my foot back a bit to slide the toe in. Not gonna happen with these guys -- if you're anywhere close to the right position the back of the pedal grabs the cleat and doesn't let go. Only way to get in is to lift your foot off and try it again.

I was really looking forward to not having to carry around cleat covers and the paranoia walking on tile (nearly wiped out bike and all a number of times in front of my building). It's a great idea, but this design just doesn't work.