My road bike this season has been the Look 566 Ultegra.  It was a gamble.  This bike is Look’s primary endurance model and also happens to be the same bike that my 73 year old dad rides.  I was nervous about using the 566 as a race bike.

I kept the bike relatively stock.  I slammed the stem down, replaced the wheels with Stans Notubes Alpha 340s.  I also replaced the bars, stem, and saddle to my liking.  I did not upgrade them, just got a wider bar, longer stem, and personal preference saddle.  Other then that it’s a pretty decent build for $2999 retail.  Ultegra all around, with the exception of the FSA Energy BB30 crankset.  I don’t mind the 50/34 gearing, it’s the crankset’s quality.  It’s just not super stiff, and needs lot’s of maintenance.  I think for a straight endurance setup it’s not a problem (my dad has had no issues).

Value – I think this bike is one of the best value Ultegra level bikes on the market.  It fits your all around grand fondo market, entry level rider market, and budget college racer.  You aren’t going to find a lighter bike (17.1 stock) for the price.

Ride Quality – Super comfortable on long rides.  The natural position is more upright so if you are used to riding down low you’ve gotta slam the stem.  However, the handling on and off road is the best I’ve ridden.  It corners well, and is pretty twitchy with the compact frame setup.

Spec – I’m not crazy about the crankset, and the stock Shimano wheels were no ideal for me (I’d even rather have a Mavic Aksium), but I’m with everything else.  I like the aluminum cockpit it comes with.

Race-able – I couldn’t believe how well the bike raced.  Crazy light for the price, stiff enough.  By high end race bike standards it would be a noodle, but for cat 3/4/5 racing it’s all the stiffness you need.

-Shaun Radley

Director of Operations