Look launches its latest track frameset designed to achieve ‘ultimate aerodynamic efficiency’
The 895 Vitesse boasts a striking frame shape that’s said to help reduce drag and increase stiffness as well as being adaptive to different riding positions.
French brand Look Cycling has unveiled its newest track frameset, the 895 Vitesse, with promises of improved aerodynamics, performance and fit.
The frameset is a full monobloc construction with a cutting-edge design that Look believes will “deliver stiffness, aerodynamics and aesthetics.”
The 895 Vitesse is certainly a visually striking bike. Its oversize tubes wrap around the rear wheel, with an integrated seatpost and the same forks that adorn its T20 model that the French national team rode at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Coupled with the stealth matte black finish and you have a bike that doesn’t just look fast; it appears like it could achieve warp speed.
(Image credit: LOOK)
This visual appeal is created with purpose of course: to reduce drag and to improve aero performance, two of the design pillars for faster times on the track. The pursuit of this goal has been driving Look for some thirty years now, both in its work with individual cyclists and the French National Cycling Federation.
In fact, Look sees the 895 Vitesse as the culmination of its time spent at the forefront of aerodynamic bicycle design. Even a quick look at its lineage on the track and you can see its point; success starting at the Atlanta Olympics in ‘96 with the KG296 PKV bike, continuing all the way to its recent medal tally in Tokyo, with this long journey imbuing the 895 Vitesse with plenty of lessons learned.
(Image credit: LOOK)
So it’s probably safe to say that, even without riding it, Look’s latest track frameset is a product of much consideration. Some of the design elements appear more obvious; its bottom bracket has a stiffness rating of 205N/mm (Newtons), which tells us should result in an extremely efficient transfer of power. Likewise the integrated seat post and seat tube that hugs the rear wheel are known to be aerodynamically beneficial, which is why you see versions of them on many track bikes, TT bikes and aero road bikes.
But some of what Look describes as “purposeful design” is less obvious and more intriguing. The 895 Vitesse has an integrated stem that’s ‘rotative’. In essence this means it's designed to be adaptive to a wide range of riders, their positions and riding styles. The stem is available in 18 different sizes from 55mm to 140mm.
(Image credit: LOOK)
The adaptability of the 895 Vitesse doesn’t stop there. As a frame-only offering LOOK has developed it to be compatible with any track chainset on the market.
The 895 Vitesse is available in two colour options. The first is 'Côte d’Azur', a nod to, LOOK explains “the heritage of track racing and the flat strip of blue boards at the very inside of the velodrome.” The second offering is described as ‘Pro Team Black Mat’, that LOOK adds is “inspired by the graphics decorating the bikes of Olympic athletes.” The later colour scheme is one you may already recognise, with it being available across the brand’s range of track bikes, from the T20 to the AL 464.
The LOOK 895 Vitesse is available as a frameset only and is offered in four different sizes, from XS to L. It costs £3790 / US$4500.
Luke Friend has worked as a writer, editor and copywriter for twenty five years. Across books, magazines and websites, he's covered a broad range of topics for a range of clients including Major League Baseball, the National Trust and the NHS. He has an MA in Professional Writing from Falmouth University and is a qualified bicycle mechanic. He has been a cycling enthusiast from an early age, partly due to watching the Tour de France on TV. He's a keen follower of bike racing to this day as well as a regular road and gravel rider.
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