Who it's for
Good fit
- Road riders already on Look Keo cleats who want a light carbon-blade pedal
- Owners of this pedal looking for the right blade, cleats or successor
Look elsewhere if
- Anyone who needs to walk in their shoes (3-bolt road cleats only)
- Gravel, commuting or MTB riders who want double-sided entry
- Riders who want to dial tension with a screw instead of swapping blades
Compatibility
- Cleats
- Look Keo Cleat: black 0°, grey 4.5°, red 9° float
- Shoes
- 3-bolt road shoes
- Cranks
- 9/16" threaded cranks; left pedal is reverse threaded
- Blades
- Keo Blade Carbon blade kits (12, 16 and 20 Nm were sold); the 2024 Keo Blade has its own kits, so match the generation
- Not compatible
- Shimano SPD-SL, SPD and Speedplay cleats
Pros and cons
Pros
- Carbon leaf spring instead of a coil spring, with tension changed by swapping blades
- Ceramic bearings with a durable Chromoly+ steel axle
- Uses the common Keo cleat, so you can choose 0°, 4.5° or 9° float
Cons
- Discontinued; new pairs are leftover stock only
- Tension is fixed per blade, so changing it means buying a blade kit
- Road cleats make walking awkward
Keo Blade Carbon Ceramic replaced: what to buy now
The current version of this pedal is the Look Keo Blade Ceramic. Look relaunched the Keo Blade family in 2024 as three models: the base Keo Blade, the Keo Blade Ceramic and the Keo Blade Ceramic Ti. The Ceramic is the like-for-like swap. Look dropped “Carbon” from the name, but the body is still carbon.
What Look lists for the replacement:
- Carbon body and blade, Chromoly+ axle, ceramic bearings
- 12 Nm blade on the standard version (an 8 Nm version is also sold)
- 705 mm² contact area, 64 mm wide platform
- 14.8 mm stack height (8.5 mm pedal + 6.3 mm cleat)
- 53 mm or 56 mm Q-factor; a claimed 115 g per pedal
Your Keo cleats and shoes carry over; the replacement blades do not (see below). Choosing between road systems from scratch? Our clipless pedals guide compares Keo with SPD-SL and Speedplay.
What the Keo Look Blade is
The Keo Blade is Look’s race pedal, named after its spring. Most road pedals hold the cleat with a coil spring and a tension screw. The Keo Blade uses a flat carbon leaf spring (the “blade”) that flexes as you twist your heel out, and each blade is rated in newton-metres (Nm).
The Carbon Ceramic sat mid-range. It had the top model’s carbon body and blade, but a Chromoly+ steel axle instead of titanium, plus ceramic bearings. It is single-sided: flip the pedal with your toe and engage the front of the cleat.
Blade tension: 12, 16 or 20 Nm?
Pick the blade by how firmly you want to be held:
| Blade | Feel | Typical rider |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Nm | Easiest release of the three | Most road riders |
| 16 Nm | Noticeably firmer | Strong riders, out-of-the-saddle efforts |
| 20 Nm | Very firm | Sprinters |
Most pairs shipped with the 12 Nm blade fitted, and many boxes included a 16 Nm spare. Look’s blade kits come with new fixing hardware; use it every time. Kits are generation-specific, so make sure the listing names the Keo Blade Carbon, not the 2024 Keo Blade.
Keo cleats and setup
Keo Blade pedals take standard Look Keo cleats on any 3-bolt road shoe:
- Black, 0° float: fixed, for a dialled fit
- Grey, 4.5° float: the all-round choice
- Red, 9° float: most free movement, kind to knees
Set the ball of your foot over the axle or slightly behind it, then angle the cleat to match your natural heel position. The cleats guide walks through it. A worn cleat releases early and lets the shoe rock, so replace cleats when the front lip or rear edge is visibly rounded, before you blame the blade.
Carbon Look pedals compared
| Model | Axle | Bearings | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keo Blade Carbon Ceramic | Chromoly+ | Ceramic | Discontinued |
| Keo Blade (2024) | — | Non-ceramic | Current |
| Keo Blade Ceramic (2024) | Chromoly+ | Ceramic | Current, the replacement |
| Keo Blade Ceramic Ti (2024) | Titanium | Ceramic | Current |
Switching systems instead? Shimano’s Ultegra PD-R8000 is the usual SPD-SL equivalent and fits the same 3-bolt shoes with new cleats. See the Look brand page for the full range.
Care and wear
- Threads: 9/16” x 20 TPI. Grease them; the left pedal is reverse threaded (see which pedal is reverse threaded).
- Blade: if release suddenly feels soft, check for a cracked blade or loose blade bolt.
- Bearings: if a pedal feels gritty or develops play, get it serviced before it fails.
Alternatives to consider
Look Keo Blade Ceramic Ti
Same 2024 design with a titanium axle and a 16 Nm blade; Look claims 95 g per pedal.
Look Keo Blade (2024)
The base model of the new Blade range: same carbon blade and Keo cleats, without ceramic bearings.
Shimano Ultegra PD-R8000
Switching systems? A wide SPD-SL platform with adjustable spring tension and yellow 6° SM-SH11 cleats.
Look Keo Blade Carbon Ceramic (Chromoly axle, black): FAQ
Is the Look Keo Blade Carbon Ceramic discontinued?
Yes. Look replaced it in 2024 with the Keo Blade Ceramic, which keeps the carbon blade, ceramic bearings, Chromoly+ axle and Keo cleats. Retailers now list the Carbon Ceramic as discontinued.
What tension blades are available for the Keo Blade Carbon?
Look sold replacement blades in 12, 16 and 20 Nm for the Keo Blade Carbon range, and most pairs shipped with the 12 Nm blade fitted. A higher number means more force to clip in and out. Check the kit says it fits your generation, because the 2024 Keo Blade uses its own kits.
Which cleats fit Look Keo Blade pedals?
Look Keo cleats only: black for 0° float, grey for 4.5° and red for 9°. They bolt to any 3-bolt road shoe. See our cleats guide for setup.