Bicycling Australia
The 464P (the P is for piste), is an aluminium-framed bike with carbon fibre forks and was originally designed, according to Look, as a “bike for use in track cycling schools”. I’m not sure what the French cycling schools are like, but I suspect there wouldn’t be too many clubs wanting to fork out $2K per bike for their fleet. In any case, this bike is far from being a beginner’s machine and sits more comfortably in the mid range level.
The frame is made from 6061 aluminium. The top tube is slightly ovalised and the big down tube is tear trop shaped for good aerodynamics. The geometry of this bike is pretty much identical to that used on the pro track bikes, the 496 and the 596. The carbon fork is also aero in shape with trailing edges. It has been re-enforced to be super stiff, up to and above 144 joules. There’s not too many decals on the bike, which is nice and the finish is super high gloss.
The Look 464P is available as a frame and fork only, or as a complete bike. It comes with Mavic Elipse wheels and Omnium cranks. The gear ratio is suited to a beginner or mid range rider, being 14T at the rear and 49 at the front. The cranks are 170mm in length. The bars and stem, being Deda, are pure track sprinting bars with Look’s own carbon bar tape. One thing I didn’t like was that the tape was only installed a small way up the bars. This is because you always ride on the drops when on the track. But it does have the effect of allowing the bars to crash into the top tube during rest periods and transport. I solved this by placing some electrical tape onto the top tube, but it does detract from the 464P’s good looks.
When I began track cycling, I started on a bike in the $800 range and I can tell you that the Look 464 is far superior. It is stiffer, more comfortable and importantly, faster. Track frames aren’t known for their comfort level, they really need to be as fast as possible, and this was very noticeable on our local concrete track. So much so that I had to change the saddle to something a bit more comfortable than the supplied Fizik Arione. If you do your riding on the boards rather than concrete I suspect this wouldn’t be as much of a problem. I would love to have a go on this bike at Disc or somewhere similar. It really flies and is super responsive in the turns.
The Look 464P, as previously mentioned, was designed with the beginner in mind. However it is considerably better than that. To my mind, this bike would suit the rider who has dabbled on the track for a while and is now ready to make the step up to a higher grade. It’s not in the pro class, but I reckon you could win a lot of races on it.
Price: $1,999
Distributed by Groupe Sportif