# SQUEAKY Look KEO Blade Pedals.....!!!



## Brendon Soo

I have a new pair of 12Nm Blade KEO pedals and whenever they get sightly wet they irritatingly continue to squeak under power with every pedal stroke. On closer inspection it appears that when the "adjustment memory pad" in the center of the cleat gets slightly wet i.e. walking on damp grass or riding in the frosty morning, they will both start to squeaking. The Look instruction manual specifically advises against removing this small oval rubber pad in the center but I don't need them and cannot tolerate the incessant squeaking. Has anyone else encountered this or resolved the squeak? TIA Brendon :mad2:


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## George M

Take them back, or trade them in for the Shimano Ultegra. I've read that a lot of people have trouble with the Look cleats. I know when mine start squeaking, I'll have the Shimano, on my bike. Look knows that this problem has been going on for a long time and they do nothing about it.They should have a recall or something.


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## Tmonatr

I have some Look Keo Classics on my bike, and I started getting a little noise on every pedal stroke the last 5-7 miles of my ride yesterday. I have read about Looks squeaking, but hadn't seen it mentioned regarding the Classics. I really do like the float these pedals provide, and hate the locked in feeling of Shimanos, but REALLY dont want to hear something on every stroke!! From what I have read, it is dirt between the cleat base and contact patch of the pedal, and a small amount of grease can stop it. Seems like alot of effort to stop an issue other manufacturers dont have.


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## Andrew L

I put a little bit of White Lightening on the springs of my Looks and it took care of squeak. I put a few drops on every few months.


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## Martyk22

I had the exact same issue as you and there's a very simple solution. Sprinkle a small amount of talcum powder on and under the front lip and bottom of cleat. Squeak gone. Works every time.


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## Brendon Soo

I would really prefer not to apply any wax/lubricant or talcum powder as they'll either attract dirt or turn into a thin paste > both of which will lead to the accelerated wearing of surfaces. I'm just going to remove the "adjustment memory pad" and see if that solves the squeaky issue....


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## Andrew L

The wax has not attracted any dirt on the pedals and contributed to any additional wear. Just put it on the springs...I've been doing it over a year and it's perfect.


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## George M

I just remembered a trick that people use. Spray some Pledge furniture polish on the pedals. Pledge doesn't collect dirt, or not suppose to anyhow. Good luck.


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## Brendon Soo

These new blade pedals no longer have metal springs and I really feel that the squeaking is from the cleat. Look should adress this as apparently other pedals don't exhibit noise when it gets damp.


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## justin.

Brendon, 

This is an odd sort of issue. If you'd like to try a different set of cleats to see if that resolves the issue, PM me your shipping address and which cleats (0, 4.5, 9 degree, bi mat, or grip) your on. Thanks.


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## Martyk22

Justin and Brendon,

I've had this issue with multiple sets of cleats and the same pedals, so I don't think another set of cleats is likely to solve the issue. I'm not sure what's causing the problem but the talcum powder solution was an easy fix and did not lead to any build up or premature wear. A tiny amount every month or so does the trick.


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## Brendon Soo

It's starting to get cold here and riding into the morning dew in Australia is akin to riding into a very fine mist of water. Everything gets damp and the talcum powder will more than likely dissolve or create a messy paste. The only silver lining to this is that others will be able to hear me albeit not being able to see me through the dew!


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## Andrew L

Brendon Soo said:


> These new blade pedals no longer have metal springs and I really feel that the squeaking is from the cleat. Look should adress this as apparently other pedals don't exhibit noise when it gets damp.


My bad...I must have overlooked where you said you had the blade pedals. My solution probably won't do any good.


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## jhamlin38

i've used nothing but look pedals since 87 and the key to keeping 'em quiet is to keep 'em clean, and make sure the cleat and shoe interface is also clean and tight. a loose fastener on the shoe can also cause squeeking.
I used pledge for a while too. however you might find (like i did) if you just keep 'em clean, its the same difference.
it is amazing that Look gets away with this. 
i may be going to speedplay or beebop, but look will now UPGRADE and be my frameset of choice after wanting one for many years.


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## jasjas

Weird, i dont get this issue (keo Max or older keo Carbon) but i do know people who do, perhaps its the curve of the shoe sole effecting how the cleat interfaces with the pedal?
Never tried it, but the older bi material cleat is supposed to be better?


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## S2k552m

Brendon ... me too ... Same problem here with a pair of new blade chromo pedals, but right pedal only squeeks. Don't get me wrong they could be amazing pedals. About 800 squeek free wonderful miles, then 50 miles later they are driving me nuts. Bike is brand new, so are the pedals, so everything is spotless clean. I mean I won't even walk through wet grass or ride in the mist I am so paranoid about the new ride!

I have been riding Looks since 1988. Have this issue on and off with my old 296s (3 pairs on 3 bikes) and I just grease them - these bikes have over 100k miles so I don't care about wear and such, but I don't want to introduce materials (grease, talc, etc) onto the new ones already - although I too am open to peoples suggestions. 

Currently using grey cleats on the blades and red cleats on the 296s ... funny thing is no squeeks when I ran black cleats for the years before the reds.
Squeek happens when I push down on the pedal and kick or swing my heal, if I pull on the pedal no squeek. The squeek happens even with minimum power, like if I am at a stop and just swing it from side to side. Seems to me to be the rubber pad but ...

Justin, what interface causes the squeek typically? 

Also guys, what's the real purpose of that rubber pad?


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## S2k552m

To update my squeeky pedal issue ... it's not the pad and the pedal platform. It's at the leading edge of the lever and the flat, back face of the cleat. I can easily repeat it and wear marks show the location. I illustrated it in the attached. I saw the same wear with my 296 pedals - red cleats, I guess those old cleats are so worn at this location there is no longer squeeking. 
Like I said before this is my right foot, this is the one that moves around alot. 

Justin, I wouldn't call this odd. I know lots of people that have this issue. What are Looks thoughts on this? Other than the bi-material cleat ...


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## justin.

S2k552m said:


> Justin, I wouldn't call this odd. I know lots of people that have this issue. What are Looks thoughts on this? Other than the bi-material cleat ...


I just haven't heard of a squeaking issue, but if there is, we'd like to figure out the root of the problem. I can try to duplicate the issue. Could you post images of the wear on your cleat and where you think the noise is coming from? What shoes are you using?


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## S2k552m

If you look at my previous post, I marked in blue the location I believe is wearing and the squeeking is occuring. I'll take actual cleat pics asap and post.

Shoes are northwaves aerlite 3s with the keo blades (and northwave aerator with the 296s).

One quick note ... I switched from the grip cleats that squeeked to brand new bimaterial. Immediately the squeeking stopped, my concern is when I am back up to 500-1000 miles on these, if the squeek statrs again ... I have been down this path before. Btw, the grip cleats are a nice product when not squeeking and I would much rather use those.

I have a hard time believing you haven't heard of this (not calling you a liar, it's just hard to believe). I can randomly pick a site like the link below and half the comments are around squeek ---> LOOK Cleats Keo Grip on Excel Sports Boulder website. And although some of the comments are just idiotic, like the dumb quality control comment, it does make a point that there is something.

http://www.excelsports.com/main.asp...eats+Keo+Grip&vendorCode=LOOK&major=5&minor=6

Additionally, I have known quite a few people with the issue, probably 20, half deal with it or find a way to eliminate it, but the other half ride speedplays now. Just like the Excel site, seems hit and miss, not sure if it's specific to certain pedaling styles or types of heel movement, since it happens only with my right and not my left, some guys have a squeek and some never. Also makes me think I should go back to black cleats since I never had a squeek with those.

One other squeek comment ... One of the most comical things I ever saw on a bike was one of my friends losing his mind at the end of 103 miles of pedal squeeking, he slammed on his brakes as we finished and threw his bike in the woods, cursing and grumbling the through the process - and he was a mellow guy, this is back in 1999 so it's been a while, but that's another story for another time.

Thanks for the response Justin.


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## justin.

S2k552 (you have an S2000?!), 

Well, I am the FNG around here, and I am a cyclocrosser, so I break down and clean my bike several times a year and it still makes all sorts of noises. Anyway...

Its would be difficult to nail down the exact factor, but I do think several things could be contributing to creaks and squeaks. Obviously the more float you have, the more chance you have to develop some noise...but that would ultimately depend on your pedaling style. If your knee's are smooth and do not track out during a pedal stroke, then your cleat would move very little, resulting in little, if any, friction during normal use. If your knee's track out with each stroke, then, yeah, I say you run the risk of more wear and tear on the cleat and possibly getting something in the interface causing some noise. We could also explore the curve of the sole of each shoe, but that would get out of hand since there are so many variations and it would be difficult to say how the distortion may part of the equation. I try to work with all the teams we sponsor (domestically) to make sure the fit is spot on with their shoes and that there are no issues. So far this year Optum Health (Kelly Benefits), Cal Giant, Tibco, Primal/Map My Ride have not had anything like this come up (they all pretty much run the black cleat though). 

I love the "just switch to XXX pedal" answer...because no matter what pedal you choose, its going to require some sort of lube every now and then (they have some sort of moving parts). Some more than others. I'll keep digging and see if we can't nail down more common causes though, perhaps it is a certain cleat to shoe combo. I have a feeling its more to do with knee movement though, and that's tough to quantify.


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## S2k552m

Thanks Justin.

S2000 ... had one for 5 years, loved it

My pedal stroke is very smooth and I am a spinner and a real light weight (140lbs). I take very good care of my equipment and don't abuse it. There is something with the way my right knee moves that forces my heel to kick out very slightly. I figured this dynamic is contributing to the squeek but also thought if a cleat has float it's meant to move. I need some movement that's why I went with the grey cleats ... but think I may try out a set of blacks again.

I have Looks on 4 road bikes, and 8 bikes total since the late 80's. I like Looks so I am sticking with them (plus it would be too expense to replace them at this point), but I honestly know quite a few people with the squeek that are frustrated, Look should check this out. thanks


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## justin.

S2k552m, 

Right on. I'd prefer you'd want to stay on LOOK because you wanted to, not because it was a cheaper option, so if you want to try a set of black cleats again, PM me your details and I'll dig around for a set for you.


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## S2k552m

Justin, thanks for the response. I already have a set, just picked them up, and will be trying them out soon. But thanks for the offer. I will update this thread if anything new happens.


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## bernithebiker

I have Look Keo Blade Ti and they squeak like crazy, left and right. It is the interface between the cleat and the metal pad in the middle of the pedal. It is not float related, as when i float my pedal deliberatly to its extremes, there is no noise. Just pushing on the pedal when stationary even creates the noise. Vaseline made it worse. 
I cleaned it all up good, cleats and pedals, perfectly clean, still makes noise. Squirt water on the pedal noise goes away for 5 minutes. Sometimes goes away by itself, sometimes its ok on the right, squeaks left or vice versa.
Driving me nuts, these are only 3 weeks old.
Have scoured forums, seems wax may be answer, will try that.


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## mntvon2

Let me preface my comments w/ the people at LOOK have always been great to me and issues that I have had in the past. That having been stated, I have the same pedal issues too. I have been reluctant to write anything but I've had 2 new sets of these pedals and they both squeek. It is really aggrivating but I just put up w/ it. It is kinda sad though as I have a LOOK 695 attached to the pedals. $10,000 squeak machine - woo hoo! I would like to know if there is a fix????


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## George M

mntvon2 said:


> Let me preface my comments w/ the people at LOOK have always been great to me and issues that I have had in the past. That having been stated, I have the same pedal issues too. I have been reluctant to write anything but I've had 2 new sets of these pedals and they both squeek. It is really aggrivating but I just put up w/ it. It is kinda sad though as I have a LOOK 695 attached to the pedals. $10,000 squeak machine - woo hoo! I would like to know if there is a fix????


I sure you must have tried maintaining them like myself, but sometimes that doesn't work.
I just put a set of Shimano's on the bike and I'll have to give you guys some updates on them. It may not be the answer, but you have to try something different, sometimes.


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## justin.

There have been improvements made to the cleats. If your having any sort of issues, please feel free to PM me or email me (email is probably best) and I will try to take care of you. 

jlubecki at lookcycle-usa dot com


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## mntvon2

George M said:


> I sure you must have tried maintaining them like myself, but sometimes that doesn't work.
> I just put a set of Shimano's on the bike and I'll have to give you guys some updates on them. It may not be the answer, but you have to try something different, sometimes.


So George, do you have a 695 too?


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## George M

mntvon2 said:


> So George, do you have a 695 too?


No I don't, I have the 566, that's all my wife would leave me buy. If I had the money I probably would. I think it one of the best bikes out there.
I had this clicking in my pedals that would drive you nuts, I packed them with grease and it did help some, but not all together. I asked someone on this forum about them and he didn't reply. So I just bought the Shimano's and I'll have to wait and see what happens. Looking at the reviews, the Shimano's got a better rating than the Look, so I thought I would give them a try.


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## stahlman

*LOOK Keo 2 Max (Carbon) noise...*

Hey, 

This IS interesting; my LOOKS have been also quite noisy (in DRY conditions usually). After a few miles, the noise gets worse - a persistent and regular click-clack. I did lube the (cleat) springs = no improvement at all. 

Any ideas which really also work for dry conditions?

PJH


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## George M

Try taking the pedal spindles out and grease them.


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## cyclostf

I love my Blades, but I recently noticed some noise coming from them. Upon inspection, I discovered that the body of the pedal is loose on the spindle. It is not screwed tight and I can unscrew it by hand. I tried to screw them but since the body is composite, I don't want to over screw them and break the body. So, they came loose again after only a couple of rides. Anyone else got the same problem? Would using an adhesive, such as Loctite correct the problem?

Many thanks!


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## rfj1862

So after reading this (and registering for the forum) I removed my Keo Carbon Blades, cleaned the pedals and the grip cleats with a toothbrush, sprayed all pedal surfaces with furniture polish, and regreased the threads on the pedals. Creak gone.


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## bernithebiker

rfj1862 said:


> So after reading this (and registering for the forum) I removed my Keo Carbon Blades, cleaned the pedals and the grip cleats with a toothbrush, sprayed all pedal surfaces with furniture polish, and regreased the threads on the pedals. Creak gone.


Lucky you. I phoned Look France (I live in France and speak fluent French) and they told me to try the 'normal' cleats (I have the ones you can walk in easier - basically the same but with extra rubber knobs on). 

So I cut off the softer rubber knobs and basically ended up with normal cleats. I removed the oval 'memory' pad in the middle too. Still got the squeak.

These pedals are only 3 weeks old, so I know it's not the bearings or the axle, and the noise is so loud, it's clearly coming from the cleat/pedal interface.

So now I tried electrical tape on both the pedal platform and the cleat. If that fails I'll try the furniture polish......and if that fails I'm getting Dura Ace.....and stuff the 50g extra,,,,,


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## bernithebiker

OK so tried the furniture polish, and yes, it helped alot, the noise almost went away for a whole ride.

Then switched cleats for a new grey pair, with no walk pads, and teflon sections.

No noise. Yipeee! 2 hours so far, lets see how long this lasts.....!


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## Oxtox

I just bought some Look Keo Carbon 2 pedals, came with gray cleats.

on only the 3rd ride, I'm getting some annoying creaks, not loud...but still very annoying for brand new equipment.

going to try the furniture polish trick...

but, even if that works, this is really bs to be dealing with a fairly pervasive problem that the mfg should be able to identify and fix.

my old Shimano Ultegras were bulletproof...never heard a peep out of them in over 10K miles.


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## bernithebiker

Oxtox said:


> I just bought some Look Keo Carbon 2 pedals, came with gray cleats.
> 
> on only the 3rd ride, I'm getting some annoying creaks, not loud...but still very annoying for brand new equipment.
> 
> going to try the furniture polish trick...
> 
> but, even if that works, this is really bs to be dealing with a fairly pervasive problem that the mfg should be able to identify and fix.
> 
> my old Shimano Ultegras were bulletproof...never heard a peep out of them in over 10K miles.


Yep, this is a Look problem alright. Check that your gray cleats a) have no walking pads on them, and b) are two tone - the plastic should be 'Teflonised' and white at the top and bottom. Those work for me.


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## lactician

Hi folks, 
I ride the 695 (2011), this model comes with the Keo Blades. And I've got the issues with the squeaky pedals as well, it just sounds awful! Like a pair of rats tied to your chain stays! At first I thought it might be a really dry chain or my BB! 
Went back and googled it, and realized a whole bunch of people had problems. Apparently, its a 'system' problem, its not the cleat alone, nor the metal plate on the pedal. Its both of them working on each other. Squeaking occurs because of vibration caused by friction of the cleat moving on the metal plate. And apparently, the squeaking is more pronounced on the newer 'walkabout' cleats. (its has a rubber surface to increase walkability). What I did was just get some chain lube and lube the metal surface, as well as the corresponding surfaces of the cleat.. and the 'rats' were free! The 695 came with 2 sets of cleats, I was told that the harder (older model) pair of cleats do not squeak. Hope this helps!


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## CheapSkate

I gave up on Look pedals (Delta and Keo) after many, many thousands of miles of squeaking. I switched to Time RXS, best thing I ever did.

IMHO the Look system is fundamentally flawed. First, you walk on the cleat/pedal surface. Second, the wear compensation is ill thought out (the rubber nub) and is in the wrong place, at the centre of the pedal.

Basically as soon as you walk on the pedal, you start to round out the corners. You also pick up grit on the cleat/pedal surface which grinds away more as you ride. Then the wear compensation can only press harder at the centre of the cleat, not the edges where the wear takes place. Soon the cleat rocks as you pedal. Squeak.

The Time RXS system is brilliant. First, you walk on rubberised stilts, not the cleat/pedal surface, so it's above the crud and doesn't wear. Second, the wear compensation is a clever spring acting on the corners of the cleat, not the centre. Third, the cleat/pedal clip is metal on metal, not plastic on plastic.

The upshot is, they don't squeak, they last ages (3-4 times as long as Looks in my experience), and you can WALK like a normal human being. You don't even scratch wooden floors. I could dance the tango in Times, if I could dance of course.

Time pedals are probably the single biggest improvement to my cycling life in the last 10 years. Particularly since the biggest injuries I've sustained cycling have been slipping over trying to walk in Look cleats!

Give 'em a try. I've not played with i-Clics yet, they look a step too far to me. But try a cheapo pair of RXSs, see what you think. I bet you love them.


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## gixxer_kidd

justin. said:


> There have been improvements made to the cleats. If your having any sort of issues, please feel free to PM me or email me (email is probably best) and I will try to take care of you.
> 
> jlubecki at lookcycle-usa dot com


Add me to the list with issue. Sent you an email Justin.


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## Lucky Carl

I have had Look Keo carbons on my bike for 8 years now. Sometimes they start to squeak after wet, dirty rides. 

I find a quick clean with a damp cloth and then rub an old candle around the rear of the cleat and front of the cleat does the trick everytime. 

I dont see it as a big issue, just part of my bike maintenance regime to be done a couple of times a year.


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## bikeman68

*squeak cleats*



Brendon Soo said:


> I have a new pair of 12Nm Blade KEO pedals and whenever they get sightly wet they irritatingly continue to squeak under power with every pedal stroke. On closer inspection it appears that when the "adjustment memory pad" in the center of the cleat gets slightly wet i.e. walking on damp grass or riding in the frosty morning, they will both start to squeaking. The Look instruction manual specifically advises against removing this small oval rubber pad in the center but I don't need them and cannot tolerate the incessant squeaking. Has anyone else encountered this or resolved the squeak? TIA Brendon :mad2:


 Id clean out the mechanical pivot of the blade and lube it with a long lasting wax like what finish line offers. keep soft pad in place if you want a more stable float otherwise you float too easy, just wipe cleat clean as much as you can to keep dirt from wearing mating surfaces. its probably elements that create mechanical squeak, otherwise LOOK keo pedals seem to keep my knees running better so i stick with them.
Also, check tension too and try a more moderate tension, dont leave at min tension as it was out of package, last thing is, the teflon insert cleats work smoother and reduce wear on Binding. try all that and see if that helps.It seems most road pedals need tlc to work smooth, not like with the old fixed cleats with caged pedals!


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## nonamed

Same squeaking problem with Look Keo Blade. 2 weeks old. Grey cleats with rubber pads.
Some mention to try 'Furniture polish' , You mean this ?

View attachment 294893


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## bikeman68

*keo blade pedals*



nonamed said:


> Same squeaking problem with Look Keo Blade. 2 weeks old. Grey cleats with rubber pads.
> Some mention to try 'Furniture polish' , You mean this ?
> 
> View attachment 294893


 Hi
one way to allevate this squeak bs is the clean cleat good every other week, you can wet a toothbrush with simple green and scrub all around cleat and rinse out with a spray bottle of rinse water, then shake shoes to dry. For quick follow up having clean rags with rubbing alchohol will make cleat cleaning quick. I would leave soft grip pad in place to so that float isnt to easy or "slick".
YOu can clean pedals quickly with a hose flushing dirt off cleat binding surfaces and out of the pivot (flex?) mech of the cleat interface as well and wipe of inox platform too (The platform embeds cleat with the metal btw and contributes to that "squeak") just flush out the pedals as you do the rest of the bike after dirty bad weather rides but be careful not to blast water into the pedal bearing seal.
So keeping the red or grey cleats clean of the metal on a reg basis should help alot.Maybe LOOK should see this and listen, even with all the big wins by pro Triathletes and road racers despite this pesky issue


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## nonamed

bikeman68 said:


> Hi
> one way to allevate this squeak bs is the clean cleat good every other week, you can wet a toothbrush with simple green and scrub all around cleat and rinse out with a spray bottle of rinse water, then shake shoes to dry. For quick follow up having clean rags with rubbing alchohol will make cleat cleaning quick. I would leave soft grip pad in place to so that float isnt to easy or "slick".
> YOu can clean pedals quickly with a hose flushing dirt off cleat binding surfaces and out of the pivot (flex?) mech of the cleat interface as well and wipe of inox platform too (The platform embeds cleat with the metal btw and contributes to that "squeak") just flush out the pedals as you do the rest of the bike after dirty bad weather rides but be careful not to blast water into the pedal bearing seal.
> So keeping the red or grey cleats clean of the metal on a reg basis should help alot.Maybe LOOK should see this and listen, even with all the big wins by pro Triathletes and road racers despite this pesky issue


Hi, thank You for advice . Unfortunaty I have already tried cleaning the cleats and metal pad surfave with tootbrush and then cloth with alcohol, however the squeaking still occur. maybe a little less but still..
annoying a lot 

maybe i should try some lithium grease or sth on the rubber pads on cleats and metal pad surface :/ but then it would attract dirt easily... some advice trying 'furniture polish' but i am not sure if they mean that spray ?

furthermore i would like to dissesemble the pedals, clean and grease spindle and other parts but I can not find any manual on this.


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## bernithebiker

nonamed said:


> Hi, thank You for advice . Unfortunaty I have already tried cleaning the cleats and metal pad surfave with tootbrush and then cloth with alcohol, however the squeaking still occur. maybe a little less but still..
> annoying a lot
> 
> maybe i should try some lithium grease or sth on the rubber pads on cleats and metal pad surface :/ but then it would attract dirt easily... some advice trying 'furniture polish' but i am not sure if they mean that spray ?
> 
> furthermore i would like to dissesemble the pedals, clean and grease spindle and other parts but I can not find any manual on this.


Same thing here; coming from Keo Blades to Keo Blade 2's. 

Same old issue.

Firstly; DON"T USE THE 'Cafe Cleat's the walking ones; these squeak like crazy and you will never get rid of it.

Even with the normal cleats, these can squeak a bit, seems to depend on length of ride, temp, humidity, etc. Keep them clean, and use silicone spray, wax, vaseline, etc. to keep at bay.

There is NOTHING out there on how to service these pedals. But I did it as I had a noise that was not cleat related. You need to prise off the little cap at the outer end with a very fine screwdriver. This reveals a small allen bolt. Holding the main allen bolt, unscrew the small one. You can then pop the whole axle out. My main bearing was dry, so I greased it up, reassembled and no more noise.


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## motoricker

I tried KEO blade 2's last spring. I bought 2 pairs, one Ti and one cromo. I really wanted to like them because they were so light and sexy looking. (I was a speedplay user for literally decades, and have also used Shimano for a couple years)

But the noise and poor build quality just soured me completely. I have never been so disappointed in any cycling product. I just don't understand how Look could be the inventor of this pedal system yet continue to release a product with so many flaws:

1. The carbon bodies are very fragile and chip with the slightest impact. By contrast my Dura-Ace carbons wear as if they were metal. 
2, The Spindle dust-covers are just friction-pressed into place and pop out eventually. So I lost two within the first month. 
3. The sealed bearing cartridges are a loose fit into the pedal body, so they eventually loosen up even more and start "clicking" on every pedal rotation. 
4. The dreaded cleat-squeek is well known, and there seems to be no permanent fix. I think it is associated with that ridiculous and useless rubber button on the bottom of the cleat. 

I sold them both on ebay and went back to Shimano. I have DA, Ultegra, and 105 on various bikes and none of them has ever emitted the slightest noise or had a reliability problem at all. I guess sometimes it is worth a slight weight penalty to get a quality product.


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## Cni2i

motoricker said:


> I tried KEO blade 2's last spring. I bought 2 pairs, one Ti and one cromo. I really wanted to like them because they were so light and sexy looking. (I was a speedplay user for literally decades, and have also used Shimano for a couple years)
> 
> But the noise and poor build quality just soured me completely. I have never been so disappointed in any cycling product. I just don't understand how Look could be the inventor of this pedal system yet continue to release a product with so many flaws:
> 
> 1. The carbon bodies are very fragile and chip with the slightest impact. By contrast my Dura-Ace carbons wear as if they were metal.
> 2, The Spindle dust-covers are just friction-pressed into place and pop out eventually. So I lost two within the first month.
> 3. The sealed bearing cartridges are a loose fit into the pedal body, so they eventually loosen up even more and start "clicking" on every pedal rotation.
> 4. The dreaded cleat-squeek is well known, and there seems to be no permanent fix. I think it is associated with that ridiculous and useless rubber button on the bottom of the cleat.
> 
> I sold them both on ebay and went back to Shimano. I have DA, Ultegra, and 105 on various bikes and none of them has ever emitted the slightest noise or had a reliability problem at all. I guess sometimes it is worth a slight weight penalty to get a quality product.


Reviving old thread...same 'ol issue! 

As with many of you, I chose Look CarbonBlade pedals for lightness and aesthetics. I have them on three road bikes. All have annoying squeak issues. I have read through this informative thread many times over and have honestly tried many of the suggested "fixes". Some actually worked...BUT only temporarily. If I had only one bike, probably would've changed to different pedals sooner. 

But enough is enough. I recently did a ride loaded with climbs with a few friends. It was so freaking embarrassing and annoying to hear that creaking noise up ever climb with each pedal stroke. 

Needless to say, I switched to DA pedals and what a joy to ride without the noise. Just switched out on one of my bikes to test out first, but likely will switch to shimano on the other two bikes as well. Weight penalty...maybe on the scale, but definitely not noticeable while riding. 

Never going back to Look unless the design is changed. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bikeman68

*Look Keo pedal creak*



Oxtox said:


> I just bought some Look Keo Carbon 2 pedals, came with gray cleats.
> 
> on only the 3rd ride, I'm getting some annoying creaks, not loud...but still very annoying for brand new equipment.
> 
> going to try the furniture polish trick...
> 
> but, even if that works, this is really bs to be dealing with a fairly pervasive problem that the mfg should be able to identify and fix.
> 
> my old Shimano Ultegras were bulletproof...never heard a peep out of them in over 10K miles.


 '
I thought you Look keo users might want to try using carefully aligned black cleats? Or if you insist on having float, the teflon bi material NON grip cleats really do eliminate that creak. Have you guys tried this ? This thread goes back some years, yet the Keo cleat and bindings are all about the same material. I agree that grey Keo grip road cleat is the problem here, and I found that it wears pedal binding faster.


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## calrider61

Use Finish Line Pedal & Cleat Dry Film Lubricant


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