BikeMichigan.comLook’s new 566 is part of the emerging “performance luxury class” of road bikes. Think BMW 5 Series performance at Ford pricing. It is a bike filled with impressive surprises; a series of delights in the frame design, but also in the parts kit. In fact, when you go front wheel to back on the new Look 566 there is not a single error with the bike, and perhaps only a slight wrinkle with the logistics (more on that, read on…).
The Look 566 is what happens when a racing company decides to make a bike for how we really ride. Are we racers? Yes- we are. We ride hard and compete with our friends on club rides and in the occasional local criterium or road race. We ride spirited club rides that are really races, competitive tours, centuries and daily fitness and “training” rides. We aren’t doing the Tour de France but we may go there to ride up L’Alpe d’ Huez as a true disciple of the event.
RoadBikeReview.comLOOK Cycles showed off the new 566 to media recently, a new entry level road bike from the French boutique cycling brand. The new frame features tube to tube carbon technology, which is one of the more affordable and simple ways to build a carbon frame. The bike is going to be manufactured in Asia, but the design and testing was done all in house at LOOK’s headquarters in Nevers, France.
The 566 is built for comfort, a bike that a rider can ride all day and not get beat up on, but at the same time remains efficient. Lateral efficiency is key in keeping the frame from flexing and making sure all power input from the rider is not lost in frame flexing, but rather going toward forward movement. The key also though is to make sure it’s vertically compliant as well, making the bike comfortable.
BikeRadar.comThe carbon Look 566 Origin is the French company's first foray into Asian-made complete bikes, and the shorter top tube and slightly longer headtube on this sportive ride make for an interesting – and affordable – alternative to the racerboy offerings out there.
It's lively, quick and light for how it's specced. The handling is amiable, with enough stiffness to trust it in the curves and on descents. With a few improvements, it could be a world beater.
RoadBikeAction.comWith their brand awareness among high-end cyclists secured, for 2009 Look decided to aim their technology and cutting-edge design traits at a more entry-level cyclist. Enter the 566 Origin. Not cheap, but the bike is definitely less expensive than the racier models that cost about two thousand dollars more. The cost savings are quick to come by, especially since this model comes out of Asia and not the Look factory in France.
With its shorter top tube and taller head tube, the 566 differs from the race bikes with its more upright positioning. As you expect from a stylish company like Look, there’s more to the eye of the 566 than just round tubes. The compact frame has a distinct kink in the top tube (a trait shared with their radical 596 TT bike) and a shapely rear triangle that is intended to be both stylish and functional by allowing some designed-in resiliency.