Look 586

Price Paid:  $4000.00 at La Bicicletta, Toron

Favorite Ride:
LOOK 586

Bike Setup:
Campy record 10 speed gruppo, Mavic Ksyrium ES wheelset, FSA K-wing bar and stem (both white carbon...nice!), Dura Ace pedals, Sella Italia Flite Gel Flow (white)

Summary:
I'm 69 years old and have ridden for 60 years...raced in the 50's until '87. Owned numerous top bikes, including Litespeed Ghisallo and Ultimate, Colnago Super, Schwinn Paramount, Kestrel 4000, Mercian, Raleigh Pro are a few.
I like the 586 best of any bike I've owned. It's smooth, comfortable, stable and with the wild paint job (Mondrian model) the prettiest bike also.

Strengths:
Solidity when sprinting and climbing. Comfortable (this is a BIG deal to this old man with spinal problems). Light weight (weighs less than my Litespeed Ghisallo did fully built with the same components and wheels.

Weaknesses:
Cut seat mast makes the resale more difficult for sure, but when I can't ride anymore I'll hang it on the wall.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
looks good from a few yards, looks great close up!

Strengths:
Beautiful proportions, all the parts seem in balance, no really oversized tubes and none too slim. Integrated post solution is well thought out. Close inspection reveals a host of subtle tube shapes, which might be missed from a distance.

Weaknesses:
The only aspect which might have been executed better is the cable guides on the head tube which are functional but plain (and also very small, so don't really detract from the visual appearance).

Price Paid:  $3996.00 at Bay Area Cycles, Web

Favorite Ride:
Look 586

Bike Setup:
Zipp cranks, Zipp 202 wheels, Campy Record drivetrain, FSA 44cm carbon bars, Zues carbon stem 120mm, Speedplay X2 pedals, Tioga Spyder saddle, Tektro carbon brakes, Conti Grand Prix tubulars, Look frame/fork/headset/seatpost.

Summary:
This is the first time I've written a review for a bike, usually not having enough of an impression either way to feel my review could possibly be beneficial to anyone. This review is also more of a comparison to bicycles I've owned vs. the Look 586, but I'll try to keep it simple and honest. I purchased the frameset (Medium...red/carbon) and just swapped over the parts from my 2007 Orbea Orca. No problems were encountered and all parts were in great shape, but I took A LOT of time measuring my Orca and re-measuring the seat tube of the 586 before that hacksaw went to town on my frame...scary feeling...a little sickening...but had to be done. Like many people, I could have went for the small frame or the medium...my Orca was a smaller choice and I really wanted to be stretched out a little more. Good choice I feel.

Strengths:
Well, I've owned and ridden A LOT of nice bikes (being in the "industry" myself...so opp's came along). My last bike was the 2007 Orbea Orca which was a lot noiser (vibrations/sounds) on the road then even the 2006 Orca, but there was an immediate dampening and ride quality improvement when I got on the Look 586 (again, same parts were swapped over from Orca to the Look). I could tell the longer rides would be a joy on this steed. The acceleration was noticably improved on the Look over the Orbea, but that may have had something to do with the larger frame choice on the Look (with the bars being a little higher...better leverage perhaps). The bike with parts still created around a 15.5 lbs bike...very close to the Orca weight. Oh...and I think the Look "looks" faster and anything that makes me look faster...well, I'm all for that. The straighter chain stays also create a more ideal platform for the Polar CS600 power output system...easy install compared to the Orca. The 586 is supposed to equate to a softer bottom bracket area ("flexier"). Not noticable at all.

Weaknesses:
Aside from me, right? I'm not a big fan of a continuous cable housing being routed through the frame...that's a lot of extra material/weight (well, "a lot" might be a severe term, but you know what I mean). Of course the resale is where the true weakness may come. It is pretty much cut to a person with a VERY similar inseam to mine...the person has to be my height or shorter...it'll be a tough sale when that time comes along.

Similar Products Used:
Orbea Orca 2006 (Look is just as smooth and a little lighter).
Orbea Orca 2007 (Looks is way smoother, a little heavier...barely)
Trek Madone (Look blows it away on road quality of ride...so does the Orbeas)

Price Paid:  $3700.00 at Look USA

Favorite Ride:
Left Hand Canyon

Bike Setup:
SRAM Red, Bontrager XXX lite- 13.8 lbs.

Summary:
I finally have had enough time in the saddle of the 586 to give a proper ride report. Having owned a 595 origin and still ride a 585 ultra, I can make a few comparisons between these models.

The frame is very beautiful to look at, although I really prefer the overall aesthetics of the all white team 595 over the all black carbon. Every tube on the 586 is highly shaped but very subtly so. The build up was not tricky at all and well within my intermediate wrenching skills. The headset was pre-installed and pre-adjusted a little tight. Cutting the seatpost was not a bid deal except I did have to sand it down so it was flush on all sides. The metal used for the saw guide was very soft and I cut into the guide on one side. A 32 tooth hacksaw blade did the job well. There were ample spacers for seat height adjustment and I found a huge variance in thickness of an SLR gel flow saddle and a standard SLR saddle. Once set up, I found the overall bike to look very clean for an integrated seatpost model. I also liked that the 586 lacks some of the more radical and gimmicky curves found in other manufacturer’s line ups.
My first real ride on the 586 was 50 miles on the flats. It was a bitter cold and windy day. After the initial excitement wore off and the fatigue started to set in, I realized I was a little uninspired by the difference in the other Look models. Sure I was comfortable over the loose stuff (more so than the 595 and 585 ultra) and I enjoyed the newness of the ride. Being a prior 595 owner, I am accustomed to the awesome efficient connectedness I feel when riding a Look ISP. (Tthe 585 Ultra feels best with the Look Ergopost, but not as “connected” to the drivetrain as the 595.) But, I couldn’t help but think the 586 was just a lighter, less solid 595….that was until I spontaneously decided to take a different way home.

A quick turn up Left Hand Canyon was the prelude for the sting in the tail- a short steep climb up Olde Stage road. From the first time I stood up to accelerate on the steep slope, I could tell I was aboard a nimble beast. The front end was so solid, yet light, it reminded me of the 595 on the South Beach diet. The frame just wanted me to aggressively climb. Unfortunately, my body couldn’t comply so I stayed seated most of the time. The rear end stayed clamped to the ground, even through sand and debris, such that I wondered if the 586 had longer chainstays than the 585/595 (It doesn’t. 40.5cm for all three). Seated, the bike stayed super efficient, much like the 595. Over the top of the climb, I wished I hadn’t spent so much time on the flats so I would have had more in reserve to push the frame over the climb.

On the few corners of the descent, the 586 handled much like the other Look’s I have, which share the same 73 degree steering angle. On the way back down, I can typically spin out a 50x11 but usually just coast since there are some really rough spots in the road. On this ride however, I purposefully sought out those pot holes. The bumps were not as comfortable as I anticipated on the 586, which may have been due to the numbness in my hands from the cold, not the elasticity of the frame. Subsequent rides over the same bumps also confirmed that the front end of the bike doesn’t give much to smooth out the ride – it’s the rear that is more compliant in this department. On the flip side, the less complaint front end does inspire confidence in the corners and out of the saddle sprints. When I arrived at home, I was completely satisfied that this was one mean climbing machine. I promised myself to lose some weight by summertime and put in a real climbing test next time out.

Strengths:
The next few rides were mostly long climbs with varying steep sections. These rides confirmed what I originally thought, that the 586 is made to climb. Short steep climbs and long slow grinders- both come naturally for the 586. I would put money down today on the next 5 Tours if Alberto Contador rode the 586. His explosive out of the saddle climbing and efficient seated climbing is what this bike is made for. Simply put, the 586 is exceptionally nimble and just wants to go upwards as fast as possible.

Instead of marketing a comfortable race bike (like my prior S Works Roubaix), a super stiff bike (Cervelo or Extreme Power), Look should simply market this frame as a climber’s dream. I cannot say whether the 586 is x% stiffer, x% more complaint or x% comfortable than the other bikes I have ridden, but I can easily say it climbs the best- both seated and standing.

When deciding on a new frame (assuming it fits), application often competes with the type of rider you are, ie. What are you going to use the bike for? vs. I excel at sprinting?

For me, herein lies the quandary. My body type and strengths prefer the solidity that the lugged 595 has to offer. When pounding up a riser or jumping to catch the last wheel in an echelon after taking too long of a pull, the 595 would be my weapon of choice. Yet, my spirit and mind love the brutal rhythm of climbing long ponderosa lined climbs at maximum sustained intensity. After a few rides, I am convinced that there is no better frame than the 586 for that application. For me, the decision is pretty easy since the overwhelming majority of my rides are Colorado climbs. I regularly feast on long slugfests with varying gradients, despite my more portly build. My best rides include steep climbs, fast descents and all out sprints for the city limits sign. Thus, the 586 has earned a heralded place in my stable for the indefinite future.

Weaknesses:
The 586 Does not have the same solidity as the 595 origin exhibits when hammering in the drops. The 595 origin feels like the best steel frames but with a lot less weight.

Similar Products Used:
Look 595, Look 585 Ultra, Specialized Roubaix SW, Trek Madone 110, Cervelo P2C, Time VX, Trek 5900 etc.

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