If you want a lightweight pedal on a budget then it’s hard to better the Look Quartz. There is a trade off – if we’re being really picky it isn’t as silky smooth about the axle as the best Shimano pedals and after a few weeks of early winter grit we reckon we’d need to be more fastidious with our maintenance.
If you’re used to riding with SPDs you'll find the entry and release less positive but once you’re over that it rides well and has excellent mud clearance, which was a huge benefit on heavy clay trails. An added advantage is that, unlike many pedals at this price, the Quartz comes with shims as standard. This means that if your shoes have a deep recess you can adjust the height of the cleat to get the perfect setup, rather than wait for the soles of your shoes to bed in to the right level.
It’s a tiny amount of hassle at the outset that saves wear on your shoes and exacts maximum efficiency from your pedals – but in our eagerness to get out the door, how many of us actually bother? Overall this pedal offers an excellent price, weight and performance combination and is ideal for folks with bad knees.
This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine.
