Riding the Look 795 Blade RS: 6,000 km of Speed and Restraint

Introduction

For a long time, I didn’t own a proper road bike. I showed up to local club rides on a restomodded 1990s mountain bike, worked harder than everyone else, and told myself modern road bikes were mostly overkill. It was part conviction, part budget, and part stubbornness.

That changed when the new season started and I realized I wasn’t choosing “purity” anymore—I was choosing limitation. Around that time, a colleague who’s a bike mechanic sourced a Look 795 Blade RS frame at a price that made commitment easier than deliberation. I didn’t comparison-shop. I built it.

This 2019 Look 795 Blade RS—Ultegra Di2, deep-section wheels, and a few deliberate indulgences—is still the only road bike I own. After roughly 6,000 kilometers, that feels more telling than any spec sheet.

This isn’t a traditional review. It’s a perspective on how this bike rides once the excitement fades, what it asks of the rider, and why I haven’t felt the need to replace it.

The Build: Intentional Excess (and Where It Stops Mattering)

The Look 795 Blade RS was never going to be a sensible build, and that’s fine. This is an aero frame with proprietary parts and a clear expectation that you commit to the concept rather than optimize for value.

The bike is built around Shimano Ultegra Di2, which sits comfortably in the “disappears while riding” category. A modern 105 groupset would perform nearly as well, but Ultegra hits the balance of reliability, feel, and long-term satisfaction I care about. It does its job without asking for attention.

The wheels define the bike far more than the frame. I’m running 9th Wave Avalon 50s with Vittoria Corsa Pro tubeless tires in 28 mm. They hold speed exceptionally well and reward steady power, while the tubeless setup takes the edge off what could otherwise be a harsh ride. On a bike like this, tires matter more than most people want to admit.

Some choices are easier to question. The Dura-Ace cassette adds little beyond weight savings. The Look ADH2 aero bars were an expensive upgrade with no measurable performance benefit. They do, however, complete the bike visually and ergonomically—which, for a bike meant to be ridden hard and admired quietly, counts for something.

Fit, Geometry, and Riding the Body You Actually Have

Out of the box, the Look fit well—but I made one deliberate choice early on: I prioritized stack. Years ago, I shattered my collarbone in a crash and now ride with a plate and recurring back issues. Chasing an aggressively low front end would have been performative, not fast.

The 795 Blade RS sits in an interesting middle ground. It’s not a full-on aero race bike, but it’s also far from an endurance platform. With a higher stack and a stable front end, it allows me to ride in the drops for long stretches without feeling folded in half. That matters more to sustained speed than a few millimeters of reach.

This geometry favors riders who can hold steady power rather than those hunting explosive accelerations. It’s confident and deliberate, not nervous or twitchy. Once set up correctly, the bike feels less like something you’re balancing on and more like something you’re driving.

Fit doesn’t make this bike comfortable in the traditional sense—but it makes it usable at speed. And that distinction ends up shaping everything about how the bike rides.

How It Rides — Once You Stop Asking It to Be Something Else

Power, Speed, and the Kind of Fast It Rewards

The 795 Blade RS is at its best when effort is sustained and deliberate. It’s not a bike that leaps forward with every stomp on the pedals, and out of the saddle it feels less impressive than it does locked into the drops. But settle into a steady, high-output rhythm and the bike comes alive.

This is where the wheels earn their keep. Rolling accelerations are effortless, and once the bike is up to speed it holds momentum with almost stubborn determination. Compared to all the other bikes I own—the power transfer feels ruthless in the best way. You put something in, it goes forward. No drama, no softness.

It’s not a great sprinter, and it’s not pretending to be one. For a strong amateur rider who values long pulls, fast flats, and sustained efforts, that trade-off makes sense. The Blade RS doesn’t flatter you at low intensity, but it rewards commitment.

Handling, Stability, and Confidence at Speed

Handling on the 795 Blade RS is best described as composed. The bike feels planted and predictable, especially at higher speeds, and it tracks smoothly through long corners without demanding constant corrections. It’s not especially nimble, but it is reassuring.

On fast descents, that stability becomes its defining trait. The front end feels calm rather than twitchy, and the bike encourages you to stay off the brakes longer than you might expect. In crosswinds, the 50 mm rims are about as deep as I’d want to run regularly—noticeable, but manageable once you learn how the bike reacts.

This isn’t a playful bike, and it doesn’t try to be. Over time, that seriousness becomes a strength. As trust replaces novelty, the bike fades into the background and lets you focus on holding speed and choosing lines instead of correcting mistakes.

Comfort, Fatigue, and Riding Longer Than Planned

“Comfort” isn’t the right word for how this bike feels, but fatigue is noticeably well managed. The frame itself is stiff and unapologetically so, yet road buzz is kept in check thanks almost entirely to the tubeless setup and tire choice. The Vittoria Corsa Pro 28 mm tires do more work here than any tube shaping ever could.

On longer rides—two to four hours and beyond—I don’t find myself shaking out numb hands or shifting around to relieve pressure. Upper-body fatigue stays low, even when riding hard, which matters far more than isolated moments of plushness. This is a bike that lets you stay focused rather than constantly reminding you that you’re riding it.

It doesn’t coddle, and it doesn’t pretend to be an endurance bike. Instead, it strikes a balance that makes riding fast for longer feel sustainable, not heroic.

Living With the Blade RS: The Friction You Accept

Owning the 795 Blade RS means accepting a certain level of proprietary stubbornness. The cockpit, stem, and seatpost are all Look-specific, which is fine once everything is dialed but less enjoyable when it isn’t. The stem spacers, in particular, feel more functional than elegant, and I’ve had to do some light filing to make things sit properly—hardly premium behavior, but manageable.

The seatpost has developed the occasional creak, partly due to its design and partly due to my fit choice, trying to negate its pronounced setback. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s a reminder that unique solutions often come with unique annoyances. Matte paint also demands more care than glossy finishes; cleaning requires attention if you want it to keep looking intentional rather than tired.

None of this affects how the bike rides, and that’s the key distinction. I don’t travel with it, I don’t tinker with it unnecessarily, and once set up, it asks very little of me beyond regular maintenance. The friction is real—but it’s background noise, not a defining feature.

What This Bike Has Taught Me

Riding the Look 795 Blade RS has clarified what I value in a road bike. It doesn’t reward casual riding or distracted effort, but it excels when you commit to the ride and settle into its rhythm. It’s not for weight obsessives, climbers chasing marginal gains, or riders who want instant gratification at low speeds.

It is for riders who appreciate sustained speed, stability, and a certain seriousness of purpose. There’s also an emotional component that’s hard to quantify: part of enjoying this bike is appreciating the craft, the design decisions, and yes, a bit of French eccentricity.

After about 6,000 kilometers, I don’t feel the urge to replace it. That might be the clearest endorsement I can give. Bikes come and go easily; staying put usually means something is working.