The debut of the KéO Blade pedal gets its name from a leaf spring made of carbon fiber instead of the usual wound retention steel. The carbon spring doesn’t reduce weight as much as you might hope but it’s a strong indicator of how carbon epoxy will soon replace other supplies as the space age material of choice.

But Look claims that the KéO Blade weighs a mere 195g a pair, and less than 95 grams per pedal. This weight is helped by a long carbon fiber body and titanium spindle. This 195g is a scant one gram less than the current KéO Carbon Ti.

The carbon material’s unique curve design does offer a distinctly snappier and more responsive feel when clipping in and out compared to a conventional KéO pedal. The experience entering a KéO Blade is not as fuzzy as other conventional pedals. There is no doubt between knowing whether you’re in or out of the pedal.

Look’s representatives working their Interbike booth in Las Vegas were cocky – acting like they were going to take over the world by way of this little innovation. But at nearly $500 a pair I wonder how many attitude points they’ll be able to buy.

Spinning one in my hand felt was as if the Blade’s bearings were riding on glass. It was hard to tell if the seal construction was solid enough to deny dirt and grime from spoiling that showroom feel. Only time will tell.

Instead of typical release tension, riders can interchange sensitivity with two different blade installations. One blade roughly corresponds to the lower range of adjustment found when a conventional KéO is fully open and the other blade provides more of a stiffer feel. Pedals will be shipped with one blade pre-installed and a Look dealer can perform spring changes as needed.

These new KéO Blade pedals offer the same wider body and stainless steel upper plate found on the latest KéO 2 Max bringing more stability to the experience. It is interesting that the latest KéO debuted just months ago under Alberto Contador’s foot at the Tour de France.

Additionally, the cleats will feature “The Memory Clip” as a new bonus to extend ease of use. (See our gallery of pictures below.) The Memory Clip mounted on your shoes will make cleat replacement easier and most effective. This way new cleats will go back to the same exact position on your shoe. Shoe companies who have already signed up with Look to The Memory Clip compatible with their 2010 shoes include Bontrager, Cannondale, Chain, Diadora, DMT, Gaerne, Northwave, and Sidi. That leaves Shimano and Specialized as two notable shoemakers currently absent from this agreement.

KéO Blade pedals will be available in January 2010.

Weight: 195g
Price: $499/€269.

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That was 2003, now as the 2009 Tour de France welcomes Lance Armstrong back into the peloton let’s take a quick look back and remember a past pedal mishap in racing history.
Shoes seldom play a role in mechanical problems so memorable but Lance Armstrong nearly lost the Tour due to his following a scary crash with a spectator.

July 21, 2003 was a day Lance Armstrong needed to attack to put the seal of victory over his rivals in the Pyrenees. The foggy weather shrouded the Col du Tourmalet in Stage 15 of an already stressful Tour for Armstrong. He was clinging to a lead and going head-to-head with Iban Mayo and Jan Ullrich on the penultimate climb of the day when strange things started happening.

As Armstrong gapped Ullrich with Mayo right on his wheel, a spectator’s bag caught the Maillot Jaune’s right handlebar and Armstrong shot over the bars. Mayo went down as well, over the top of Armstrong, while Ullrich swerved left to avoid the dumped duo.

A teammate helped pace Armstrong back into the fold. Ullrich wasn’t attacking, but a few switchbacks later Armstrong was shaken by another surprise when his right shoe slipped off his pedal slamming him into his top tube. He had never fully clipped back into his pedals after remounting from the initial wreck. In the video you can see how he was shocked by the disturbance – but the moment was mostly overlooked by some news reports on the stage.

It’s unclear what shoes Armstrong was wearing that day, but from the video they appear to be Shimano. The point is trivial though because Armstrong replaced his orthopedist the following off-season.

Either way, Armstrong overcame the brief moment of chaos and used his adrenaline to power up the climb and overcome the unlikely series of inconveniences.

Watch the video here, the pedal incident happens just after the 1:20 minute mark.

The you ride normally while the box monitors your foot angle. The results will tell you where your cleat should be and at what shoe position.

When finished, your cleats will be placed in the optimum position and angle.

Cleat position is significant in getting the most out of a ride. The proper positioning can limit the risk of injury and also improve overall performance.

The KéO Fit Cleat Positioning System will be available at participating retailers now.

In 2010, Look introduced The Memory Clip to help replacing cleats easier and without the stress or pain of loosing the cleat’s original position. You can read more details about The Memory Clip and compatible shoes on our page about the Look Blade pedal.

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In the decade that started with a nine and ended with a “-ty” Time dominated the world of clipless pedals. If you weren’t riding these heavy bricks you were stupid and your friends spit on you. In this ad from 1995, Time uses a boatload of awkward words to explain why your friends were right. Nothing says speed like 8.5mm of pure bioposition. Look, they even got a celebrity endorsement from “Feel the Difference!”