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FEATURES: LOOK 586 ORIGIN
August 11, 2010
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There are many things to appreciate about France: A fairly large race in July, the food, the history and culture, the mountains and the legacy of bicycle racing and manufacturing. There’s another company and bike manufacturer that should be on your French appreciation list: Look Cycles. Started in 1951 as a ski equipment company in Nevers, France (Central France, on the bank of the Loire River, 160 miles from Paris), the company then created cycling’s first clipless pedal (their ski binding background didn’t hurt) in the 1980s and produced their first carbon frame in 1986.
“Emphasizing a multi-cultural attitude,
we built up our 586 Origin with Shimano Di2 and American Classic Carbon
58 wheels. France meets Japan meets the USA.”
Fast-forward to 2010, and Look employs 400 people with their own factory in Nevers and is still producing heralded carbon frames for Francophiles around the world.
BONUS POINTS
• It’s French.
• Minimalist seat tube and graceful lines.
• Great headset and fork design
• It rides like few other frames
we’ve tested.
• It has the potential to handle and
reward your improved riding skills. | THE STATS
Price: $3999 (frame/fork)
Sizes: XS, S, M, L and XL
(49-57-centimeter sloping top tube)
Contact: www.lookcycle-usa.com
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THE FRAME
The minimalist 586 Origin is advertised to weigh only 940 grams (Small, 2.1 pounds-frame only). We weighed the model in an XL (frame/fork/headset/seatpost), which came in at 3.5 pounds. The monocoque carbon frame, which Look calls a “single-shell,” is remarkably thin and delicately shaped compared to other high-end carbon bikes in the RBA stable. There is a slight aerodynamic design to the downtube with both seat stays and chainstays falling into the lightweight category. The goal of the 586 frame is to fit into that sweet zone between being rigid and also being comfortable enough to handle endurance rides or sportives.
In a world of massively oversized bottom brackets, the 586 seems thin.
Constructed with VHM (very high modulus) carbon fiber, the 586 Origin features an innovative headset system (Look Head Fit 2), which allows independent adjustment from the stem and eliminates weight (roughly 40 grams worth of a compression plug). The 586 also features Look’s proprietary E-Post system to work with their integrated seatmast. The E-Post comes with three different elastomers (soft, medium, hard) as well as with spacers for additional adjustment. The E-Post lines up with the aero seat mast, so it is automatically aligned with the top tube and eliminates any rotation.
Shifting was handled by the electric Shimano Di2 group.
THE RIDE
The 586 is not like any bike we have ridden this year. The slight, monocoque frame translates into a lively, quick, comfortable riding bike. We built our test bike up with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 complemented with a Pro carbon bar/stem combo and threw on some American Classic 58 clinchers. France meets Japan and the U.S.A. The 586 does not beat you up, but it is plenty stiff when needed; it climbs well and is purposeful on descents. We’ve only felt similar ride characteristics on Time frames we have tested (it must be something about French design and carbon). There is a distinctly responsive and stable feel to the way the 586 Origin interacts with the road at all speeds. It’s not a stamped-out, made-for-everyone carbon bike. You can feel the history, design and purpose of this bike in the way it corners, sprints and climbs.
The 586 features a 350-gram HCSX carbon fork.
THE VERDICT
It may not be for everyone, as it reacts quickly to your every input, but do your best to at least try one out before you shell out your hard-earned money on a more convenient or standard bike choice. Before you claim we love anything and everything French or Italian (doesn’t everyone?), we aren’t huge fans of the E-Post. On paper and aesthetically, it’s brilliant; but in reality, it is temperamental at best. Once your seat height, saddle position and elastomer choice is set, you will be happy, but this process takes longer than it should.
The E-Post is great to gaze at, but takes some time to get right.
If you are in the market for a higher-end frame, fussy seatpost aside, you should consider the Look 586 Origin and will appreciate its personality and ride characteristics for years to come.
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