Despite inventing the whole clipless pedal concept for roadies more than 20 years ago, Look have never managed to crack the off-road clipless market. Quartz is their latest attempt, but we still reckon it needs polishing.
With a Time-style two-bar system in a carbon reinforced body, their 248g weight is immediately impressive – 100g lighter than Shimano M959 SPDs and 50g lighter than a standard Crank Bros Candy.
They’re the light for the price but not as sorted as established alternatives.
Set-up is far from smooth – you have to choose exactly the right cleat shims to stop the pedal clunking open and shut with every power stroke.
Once you’ve got that right, they support your foot and shed mud pretty well. But the non-adjustable entry and release feel soft but stiff, with none of the clarity of Shimano or easy float of Time/Crank brothers.
There’s also a big arc of uncertainty between semi to fully released which meant we bailed several times on climbs we would have cleaned otherwise.
We’ve not had them long, but the mix of ball, needle and twin micro bearings are spinning fine so far.
For an extra £100, titanium axles lose another 48g, while the £44.99 polymide bodied Quartz is 20g heavier.
