Look's Keo Blade pedals are well regarded for the light weight and easy entry and exit that comes from the clever use of a carbon leaf spring instead of a regular steel spring. At 185g the titanium-axle pedals are among the lightest around, but at a pricey £274.99.
With a chromoly axle, this new version drops to a slightly less scary £179.99 – and with a bit of shopping around you can find them for £20 or so less than that. They’re still impressively light at 227g (plus 74g for cleats) and retain the other virtues of the Keo Blade, including a pleasingly snappy and distinct action because of the carbon leaf spring.
Compared with previous Keo pedals, the Blades have a larger contact surface for the cleat and support your shoes firmly with no rock or wiggle. It’s a really solid attachment and we had no problem with hot spots or flex. Look offer two versions with different spring weights. The 12Nm spring makes them especially easy to release, and there’s a 16Nm model for riders who want to be more securely attached.
Neither is adjustable so you need to pick one and stick with it, although Look dealers can swap the blades if they have the necessary tool. Look include a set of Keo cleat covers so you can walk to the coffee counter in them, and throw in both standard and Keo Grip cleats in grey 4.5° float.
Red 9° float and black 0° are also available. We’d prefer two sets (preferably Grips) in red and grey for a choice of float angles. That aside, the chromoly axled versions are the best Keos yet. While they’re still not cheap, they offer all the advantages of the Blade design without requiring you to sell either of your kidneys.