references to primary sources . please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources . august 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . july 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message look cycle international industry cycling components founded 1951 1951 headquarters nevers france products clipless pedals bicycle frames number of employees 450 website http www.lookcycle.com www.lookcycle.com look is a french manufacturer of high end ski bindings bicycle frames equipment and apparel . contents 1 history 2 track bikes 2.1 look 596 track 2.2 look l96 2.3 look al 464 3 road bikes 3.1 look 566 3.2 look 586 sl 3.3 look 675 3.4 look 695 3.5 look 795 4 time trial triathlon bikes 4.1 look 596 4.2 look 576 rsp 5 sponsorship 6 product list 6.1 frames 6.1.1 track frames 6.1.2 road frames 6.1.3 triathlon time trial frames 6.1.4 mtb frames 6.2 pedals 6.2.1 look quartz for mtb 6.2.2 look keo for road triathlon track and urban 7 see also 8 references 9 external links history edit look k o pedals established in nevers france in 1951 look was originally a ski equipment manufacturer . the company produces bindings under its own name and others such as rossignol and dynastar . the partnership with rossignol which later merged with dynastar made look a leading binding manufacturer along with the marker brand . look pioneered a new binding that set it apart from marker in freestyle . this was branded with the pivot system fks for rossignol . following a change in ownership it was replaced in 2008 with the px series . in the 1980s look introduced a clipless pedal for cycling based on equipment for ski bindings . a spring loaded latch on the top of the pedal held a cleat that was bolted to the sole of a shoe a twist of the foot releasing the hold . they are called p dales automatiques automatic pedals in french . they were sold from 1984 and in 1985 bernard hinault used them to win the tour de france . they were said to be safer and more comfortable than toe clips . by 2000 the pedal was in widespread use on road bikes racing bikes track bikes and mountain bikes especially among experienced riders . in 1986 greg lemond won the tour de france on the first look carbon frame the kg 86 . it was completely handmade and combined kevlar with carbon for increased rigidity . in the early nineties look designed the revolutionary kg 196 the company s first monocoque carbon frame made of carbon kevlar ceramic and aluminum . being years ahead of its time the kg186 kg196 featured sculpted aerodynamics exceptional stiffness an integrated fork and steering tube with limited front suspension an adjustable stem and was designed for both road time trial and track racing . the frame was extensively used by the once cycling squad in the mid 1990s . the kg 196 has since evolved to become one of the most widely used and venerable series of track bikes of the past two decades namely the kg 196 kg 296 kg 396 496 and l96 ridden by numerous national squads to world and olympic championships . its key innovative aero features and integrated bayonnet style fork has been widely imitated by other competitors to this day . the national and or domestic track cycling teams of france russia china japan and intermittently canada germany and the usa have used look track bicycles to resounding success . in the 1980s look had been acquired by the tapie group which sponsored the professional la vie claire cycling team that included hinault lemond and rising stars andy hampsten and steve bauer . look pioneered bicycle frames from carbon fiber . in 1994 the ski binding division was sold to skis rossignol and the cycle division became look cycle . in 1998 look was sold by bernard tapie for 260 million francs . dominique bergin bought the company with look s management . the name is now look cycle international . laurent jalabert a french professional in the 1990s is a consultant . since the company s inception and into the 21st century top level pro cycling sponsorship included up to three tour de france teams with frames including once cr dit agricole csc kelme and cofidis . in addition look pedals have consistently been used by the majority of the teams . track bikes edit look 596 track edit originally the look 596 was created for triathlons where aerodynamics play a vital role as such each tube making up the frame is positioned to optimise the air flow between the rider and the bike . look suggest that the 596 is up to 10 % more aerodynamic than the predecessor 496 . the 596 was manufactured in a way where it consists of three monoblocs ; the front triangle integrated seat post and the two halves of the rear triangle . in keeping with the paradigm of aerodynamic efficiency the front forks were designed to act as a fairing for the front of the frame . 1 look l96 edit the l96 design is based upon that of the 496 optimising aerodynamics improving power transmission whilst still reducing weight and maintaining stiffness and efficiency . the front forks are made up of three different types of carbon fibre in order to best obtain a compromise between stiffness flexibility and handling whilst still remaining within the ucis 3 1 aspect ratio . 2 look al 464 edit the look al 464 is track bike constructed from 6061 aluminium with its geometry taking inspiration from the look 496 . the down tube is oversized and shaped like a tear drop in order to improve aerodynamic performance . 3 road bikes edit look 675 . look 566 edit look designed the 566 frameset around responsiveness as well as comfort . it features x design seat stays which have been designed to provide lateral stiffness to aid responsiveness and some vertical flexing to provide the rider with some comfort . this was achieved by suing a flattened tube design creating a virtual point of flexing . the 566 also features a taller than normal head tube as well as a shorter sloping top tube providing yet further comfort . the manufacturer claims that the total weight of the bike 8.2 kg with the frame weighing 1.1 kg . 4 look 586 sl edit the 586 sl was developed from the fine tuning used to create the look 695 . the 586sl utilises a lighter carbon fabric 110g m2 giving it a high comfort to stiffness to ratio . the frame passes under the 950g mark with an uncut seat tube . the rear dropouts are compressed during the manufacturing process which results in a single piece rear triangle helping to give the frame its light weight whilst not compromising its stiffness . the 586 sl comes in versions which can accommodate shimanos electronic di2 groupset as well as campagnolos eps system . 5 look 675 edit the 675 is one of the most striking of all look frames primarily due to the integration of the stem into the top tube . the 675 was designed around the three most highly loaded in terms of force regions of the frame with special technological advancements used in order to have a large gain in both stiffness and strength or previous models . the stem integration allowed look to apply their direct drive concept optimising all cockpit parameters . this was achieved by using a shorter head tube which tapers from 1 inch at the bottom to 1 1 8th inches at the top . the geometry of the frame favours more comfortable riding positions . the claimed weight for the bike varies from approximately 6.91 kg to 7.65 kg dependent on wheel choice . 6 look 695 edit the look 695 was the high end bike that is manufactured by the company . this revolutionary frame offers high degrees of precision and infinite adjustability due to the integration of the stem headset fork and crankset . the shape of the tubes were optimised using computational fluid dynamic cfd technology optimising their mechanical performance . the 695 is available in two versions ; the 695 sr super rigid was designed for racing cyclists whilst the 695 version gives similar performances to the 695 srwhilst giving the rider the ability to be used under less demanding circumstances . the 695 comes in versions which can accommodate shimanos electronic di2 groupset as well as campagnolos eps system . depending on wheels the bike weighs approximately from 6.27 kg to 7.01 kg . 7 on june 26 2013 the 695 aerolight . the launch took place in corsica where the 2013 tour de france will begin . as a publicity stunt the bike was flown in via helicopter towards the waiting media . the aerolight features integrated front and rear brakes internal cabling aerodynamic shaped stem and internal compartments for shimano di2 batteries . look say that the bike weighs in under the uci minimum weight limit of 6.8 kg so ballast would have to be added for the bikes to be legal . the bikes will be debuted by the cofidis team . 8 look 795 edit the look 795 is currently the high end bike . this expensive road bike is one of the most aerodynamic bikes . handcrafted in france it has integrated front and rear brakes internal cabling and aerodynamic components . time trial triathlon bikes edit look 596 edit the look 596 is constructed from high modulus carbon fibre where aerodynamic efficiency was the top priority during the design phase . each tube which makes up the frame is positioned to optimise airflow between the rider and the bike with a claimed improvement in aerodynamic efficiency of 10 % . the aerodynamics and rigidity of the bike were achieved by integration of the bottom bracket into the downtube in one continuous piece . like the track variant the 596 is constricted from three monoblocs . the front fork also acts as a fairing . 9 look 576 rsp edit like the 596 the look 576 is constructed from high modulus carbon fibre and weighs in at a claimed 1.1 kg . the look 576 aero was created for triathletes with a 78 degree seat angle allowing a triathlete to adopt their optimum aerodynamic position . the 576 was created using aerodynamic technology developed during the manufacturing of the 596 . the 576s fork was specially designed to have an aerodynamic profile minimizing drag . 10 sponsorship edit look sponsors a whole host of men s and women s teams typically with components . look supply components to the following teams ; bigmat auber 93 tinkoff ag2r la mondiale vacansoleil dcm movistar team astana etixx quick step lotto soudal sojasun caja rural direct nergie bretagne sech environnement topsport vlaanderen christina watches onfone wiggle high5 optum pro cycling team tibco ekoi devinici team and 5 hour energy racing team . they also supply track cycling equipment to the french chinese and canadian national cycling teams as well as the german domestic track team team erdgas . 11 look has contributed to numerous victories a complete list can be found here product list edit frames edit track frames edit look kg196 track carbon kevlar look kg296 carbon look kg396 carbon look al464p foil carbon fork look 496 carbon look 596 track carbon look l96 carbon look r96 rio edition carbon road frames edit look kg66 look kg76 look kg86 look kg89 look kg96 look kg111 look kg156 look kg171 look kg176 look kg181 look kg196 look kg227 look kg231 look kg233 look kg243 look kg241 look kg261 look kg281