Look 895 Vitesse Track Frame

Anyone who loves to ride track knows how hard it can be to fit a track racing bike into a budget. The Look 895 Vitesse redresses the balance by offering an elite level velodrome-specific track racing bike at a friendly price point.

The classic French brand manages to do this by trickling down some of the features developed for the French National team’s use at the Tokyo Olympics to enhance not only the 895 Vitesse’s aerodynamics but also its adjustability and rigidity. By taking some of the neatest bits of the T20 track bike ridden in Tokyo, like the T20 Fork, and combining it with their in-house carbon expertise at their own factory in Tunisia, the aero gurus at Look have made the 895 Vitesse the type of track bike that can certainly live up to its name.

Though the frame shape has been refined for increased aerodynamics, the biggest improvements compared to the 875 Madison is in the use of the T20 Fork. The design extends the fork crown in one-piece all the way up to the stem, offering a sleek leading edge for the front end. Combining that with the integrated, adjustable Carbon Track Stem, which is available in 18 different sizes, means that the rider doesn’t need to adapt to the bike settings, but the bike can be fit precisely for the individual rider.

After all, increased power output is only possible when the rider is comfortable on the bike. You can be as aero as you want in the wind tunnel, but if that aero-ness puts you in an uncomfortable position that robs you of watts, then there’s no benefit. The fact that the Look 895 Vitesse is available in four sizes, from XS to L adds to the options by catering both to the smaller and larger rider. The dedicated, reversible saddle cradle ensures you can have your saddle custom fitted, fore and aft as well.

In terms of importance, the stiffness of a track bike comes a close second to aerodynamics. And this is another area where the Look 895 Vitesse excels. Thanks to the fact Look owns its own factory, they have employees with the level of expertise to hand lay the various types of carbon precisely where they’ll do the most good. Up to 20% of the carbon used is high modulus to supply the level of stiffness required for on the track. Since things like road vibrations are negligible on a track, the 895 Vitesse is 15% stiffer than a road bike frame. The oversized BSA 68mm bottom bracket is ultra-stiff for maximum power transfer completes the package for one stiff ride. Though Look makes its own ZED crankset, it does not come included with this frame. That means you can choose whichever track crankset you’d like to use.

With a price point that is as competitive as the frame design, the Look 895 Vitesse makes it possible for non-sponsored track athletes to buy the top quality equipment that will help increase their speeds and decrease their race times in the argy-bargy of track racing.

Also check Cinelli track bikes.