Look Trail Grip pedal review - a great option for the adventurous commuter

Impressive grip, but the lugs are not up to the demands of rigourous off-road riding – the 'trail' title might be a bit misleading...

Image shows the Look Trail Grip flat pedals mounted on a bike.
(Image credit: Future)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

These are well-made pedals with striking aesthetics. Their 'trail' title is a tad misleading, as they are certainly better suited to a utility or commuting bike; the lugs are not as effective as conventional MTB pedal pins. If you are looking to upgrade your flat pedals to something grippier and quite enjoy the occasional off-piste forray, these would be a great investment. That's not to say there aren't cheaper options though.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Grippy but not aggressive

  • +

    Replaceable pads

  • +

    Integrated reflectors

  • +

    Serviceable

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Pricey

  • -

    Heavy

  • -

    Not as good as a pedal with pins

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

While Look are classically associated with road racing, in recent years they’ve diversified somewhat to offer MTB gear, including a range of flat pedals. I’ve previously tried out the Geo City Grip Vision pedals and loved them for urban commuting; Paul Grele also tried the Geo City Flat not too long ago. 

I was keen to see how the Trail Grip compared, and performed, on a variety of terrains.

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Emma’s first encounters with a bike were in between swimming and running. Soon after competing for GB in the World Age Group Triathlon Championships in Edmonton in 2001 she saw the light and decided to focus on cycling. 

With a couple of half decent UK road seasons under her belt, she went out to Belgium to sample the racing there, spending two years with Lotto-Belisol Ladies team, racing alongside the likes of Sara Carrigan, Grace Verbeke, Rochelle Gilmore and Lizzie Deignan. Emma moved from Lotto-Belisol to Dutch team Redsun, working primarily as a domestique for Emma Johansson. When Redsun folded, Emma was offered the opportunity to ride with a newly formed Belgian team and home to the first year senior and budding rider Anna Van Der Breggen.

After retiring, Emma returned to teaching, setting up her own tutoring business. When not coercing kids to do maths, she is invariably out on two wheels. While the road bike remains her true passion, she has also developed an addiction to touring, with destinations including Iceland, Georgia and Albania, to mention just a few. There have also been sightings of Emma off-road, on mountain and gravel bikes… As if all of this isn't enough, she's been working as a freelancer since 2005, testing and reviewing the latest kit and sharing her insight into the sport.