Look Trail Roc+ Flat pedal review

The Look Trail Roc+ Flat has forged aluminum body, two cartridge bearings, a needle bearing, 10 pins per side and is made in France.

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By ben_haworth

Get the full story here:

https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/look-trail-roc-flat-pedal-review/

So even once discounted to 50% of their rather optimistic price they still wont be worth buying. Good to know

Funny how people are different. Due to injury I recently started riding on flats again and couldn’t work out why the DMR V11s I picked up felt so bad when everyone else seems to rave about them (as far as plastic pedals go). After reading an NSMB article I tried some oneup composites and they feel great despite being roundly panned in the media. The difference? The oneups lack concavity and the way I place my feet, with the ball of my foot well in front of the axle, planar pedals work better than concave.

So from my perspective I think that using concavity as a judging criteria for pedals is a bit like complaining that clothes don’t fit! They aren’t wrong, they just aren’t designed for you, let someone who can use them evaluate them. (Sorry, spent ages looking at pedal reviews and every flat pedal seems to have “concavity” being the overriding criteria for judgement……….)

That would be because the optimal foot position for efficient pedalling is generally with the ball of the foot over the axle. That’s why SPD cleats are positioned where they are. There’s obvs some variability around that but it’s a general principal. Concavity helps not only with the comfort of having a lumpy part of your foot fit into a bit more space but the concavity of the pedal helps you locate your foot on the right part of the pedal.

So, Id argue that concavity is a valid point of judgement of a pedal.

I think that we will have to disagree. It may be more efficient (roadie influence?) but my cleats haven’t sat under the ball of my foot for years and it appears that a flat pedal that tries to make me do that doesn’t work. Locating the correct foot position on my flat pedals also works using the front or back of the pedal body so concavity isn’t required for that.

Although we may be in the minority, there do seem to be quite a number of people that I’ve met, or who grumble on forums, who don’t suit very concave pedals, and this user group is rarely covered in reviews. Using concavity to identify who it may suit seems a fairer mode of assessment than marking it down due to lack of concavity.

the optimal foot position for efficient pedalling is generally with the ball of the foot over the axle

That was accepted wisdom years ago but these days many argue for a more forward foot position. This isn’t only on flat pedals, cleat slots have got longer to allow more adjustment too.

I’ve never been a roady or an XC rider and I pedal with my arch.

Does anyone make convex pedals?

Even roadies are moving the cleats back from the ball.

I wonder if it was originally governed by the practical length / fit of a cage in the days of cages and straps.

OneUp are convex, I’ve seen some very good reviews for them due to that reason but some people prefer concave.

The body of the composite oneups are convex but the pins make it flat (I’ve checked). I guess they become convex if you can push your shoes onto 3-5mm of pin! Still, whatever shape they are, they work well for a more arch centric foot placement.

Apparently kona a wahwah2, marin oso and squidworx pedals are similarly “flat” (not concave) if you want other options.

Age 5 I learnt to peddle in wellies, using the ball of my foot over the pedal axle and the heel of the boot snugly pushed up against the side of the pedal so as to prevent my foot sliding forward. Having mastered the technique by age 6, I have never looked back although I have upgraded from frog eye wellies to something more appropriate.

it’s good to see photos of the dimensions in the review 👍

a dimension that i’m interested in for flat pedals is crank arm to the outside edge of the pedal.

oh, and that is a very high price!

Really interesting point about foot position. I always used to be a ball of foot on pedal rider. But over the years I’ve moved to an arch of the foot over the pedal as I find it offers better grip when clattering over rocks and such like. This is on a hardtail in the peaks.

A convex pedal sounds interesting.

@kormoran

although I have upgraded from frog eye wellies to something more appropriate.

I’m struggling to imagine anything better tbh!