Look has unveiled the G85 Cezal, a new carbon gravel bike designed with MTB-inspired geometry, claimed to blur the lines between racing, adventure and technical off-road riding.
Positioned as a versatile, do-it-all option, the G85 Cezal is set to be the first of a new generation of Look gravel bikes, with more specialist race and adventure bikes to follow.
That said, the G85 Cezal can be specced with either Shimano or SRAM, 1x or 2x drivetrains, with a frameset rounding out the range to offer a platform for a custom build.
Race-proven and rider-developed
While versatility is the name of the game here, the G85 Cezal has already been piloted to victory in competition, with sponsored-rider Russell Finsterwald taking victory at the Belgian Waffle Ride in February.
Finsterwald, who was involved in the bike’s development, says the G85 Cezal delivers on the demands of modern gravel riding. “It checks all the boxes of a modern gravel bike: generous tyre clearance, geo-corrected to accommodate a suspension fork and a racy platform," he says.
“Look has managed to keep the bike lively while significantly improving stability [compared to the previous 765 Gravel bikes], thanks in part to the slacker head angle.”
That said, Look's road bike product manager, Romain Simon, says: "The G85 Cezal is the starting point, the cornerstone of more specialist gravel bikes to come."
MTB-inspired geometry
The new gravel-specific geometry is said to be inspired by mountain bikes, to bring greater control over technical terrain.
The 70-degree head angle, paired with a short wheelbase and chainstays, is intended to balance stability with responsive handling.
A steep 74-degree seat tube angle with a small 5mm-offset seatpost pitches the rider over the bottom bracket – an increasingly common stock design, usually employed to aid efficient power transfer – while the frame’s stack and reach are moderate, reflective of its versatile intentions.
Crucially, the geometry is designed to work with gravel suspension forks with up to 60mm travel, without compromising handling, underlining the bike’s intention for more capable, trail-ready riding.
Clearance, compatibility and versatility
The G85 Cezal can sport up to 57mm-wide (2.25in) tyres at the front and 50mm at the rear when fitted with a 1x drivetrain. With a 2x groupset, the clearance out back drops to 45mm.
Look also says the G85 Cezal has been developed to accommodate both 700c and 650b wheel sizes without compromising its core handling characteristics.
The frame can run with electronic and mechanical gravel groupsets, and a front chainring as large as 50T. Given the bike can be bought as a frameset, or as a complete build featuring Shimano Di2, mechanical or SRAM XPLR AXS groupsets, Look says the G85 is an ideal platform for extensive rider customisation.
The frame and fork feature Look’s unidirectional high-modulus carbon construction, which the brand says combines road-derived stiffness and off-road durability.
Key frame details include:
- UDH dropout
- T47 threaded bottom bracket
- 27.2mm-diameter seatpost
- 160mm brake rotor compatibility front and rear
- 12mm thru-axles (1.5 thread pitch)
The frame also integrates a down-tube storage compartment with an internal pouch.
As standard, the bike comes fitted with a Look LS3 stem and Deda SuperZero Gravel handlebar – Look says this two-piece layout preserves tidy integration while offering greater flexibility to swap out either component.
Given the internal routing system at the headset matches the brand’s 795 Blade RS race bike, Look says riders can upgrade to its Aero Carbon one-piece cockpit, which brings a more aggressive -13-degree effective stem angle, reduced weight and increased stiffness for those wanting a racier setup.
Look G85 Cezal specs, pricing and availability
The Look G85 Cezal is available to buy from today, with three complete builds. Prices listed are stock builds with the two-piece cockpit setup:
- Shimano GRX RX820 1x: £3,499 / €3,490
- Shimano GRX Di2 RX825 2x: €5,730
- SRAM Force XPLR AXS 1x: €6,490
- Frameset: £2,300 / €2,390
