Look has taken a weight weenie eye to its G85 Cezal, making it more race-focused by changing the carbon lay-up and removing the internal toolbox, claiming a 200g frame saving without changing the geometry. The new G85 Cezal RS targets racers who put weight and response under power ahead of built-in storage.
At the launch event attended by Velora Cycling, product manager Romain Simon described a selective approach to stiffness: reinforce the areas Look considers important for sprinting and climbing while preserving the standard platform's comfort and cornering characteristics.
"You need a bike that passes all the climbs very well and is a good descender. Otherwise this is where you're going to lose time," Simon said. The RS is a different construction and equipment package on the existing chassis, with complete bikes priced at €6,990 and €8,990.
Where the weight saving comes from
The key differences from the standard Cezal are:
- Less weight, no internal storage: Look claims a 200g frame saving from the revised carbon lay-up and removal of the down-tube toolbox together.
- Targeted stiffness changes: the race lay-up changes stiffness around the head tube and bottom bracket, rather than delivering a uniform increase throughout the frame.
- Same geometry and tyre clearance: the RS keeps the existing chassis dimensions and clearance of 57mm front and 50mm rear with 1x. The race update is in the construction, not a geometry redesign.
- An €800 frameset premium: the RS frameset costs €3,290, compared with €2,490 for the standard Cezal.
The standard Cezal retains its down-tube storage compartment, including a waterproof pouch for essentials. RS owners will need to carry those items elsewhere. The race frame also costs more: its €3,290 frameset price is €800 above the standard Cezal's €2,490.
Look's detailed technical slides give a size-M RS frame weight of 1,050g in Carbon/Chrome Orange and 1,070g in Hypershift Blue, with respective fork weights of 480g and 470g. Its complete-build slides list 8.3kg for the SRAM Red XPLR bike and 8.5kg for SRAM Force XPLR.
Look's stiffness table is more informative than its headline description of a bike that is “15 to 20% stiffer”. The company's own tests list increases of 14% at the head tube and 10% at the bottom bracket. Results from an axle-to-axle test by bicycle-testing laboratory Zedler-Institut are listed as 20% and 19% respectively.
Look says its first method applies stress to the nominated area, while the Zedler method tests the entire frame locked at the axles. These are location- and method-specific results, rather than a uniform increase throughout the frame.
Simon used the example of cornering at 40–45km/h, then accelerating from 20 to 40km/h, to explain the racing conditions behind the lay-up choices.
“You want a different balance in the construction of the bike,” he said.
Development partner Russell Finsterwald helped shape those priorities. Simon said his feedback brought sprinting further into the design brief, with an emphasis on short chainstays, rear-triangle stiffness and bottom-bracket power transfer. Look also described his focus on a bike light enough to stay with selections on climbs and capable in technical descents.
Look has kept the standard Cezal geometry, including its relatively short wheelbase and chainstays. The company says this preserves the combination of manoeuvrability and stability it wanted for technical terrain. Its 3D Wave Flex rear-triangle system and 27.2mm seatpost remain part of the package.
Tyre clearance is unchanged too: Look lists 57mm at the front and 50mm at the rear with a 1x drivetrain, dropping to 45mm at the rear with 2x. Simon said seeking more clearance would have required changes to the geometry and the balance between road and off-road use. The RS therefore gains its race focus through construction, rather than a longer chassis built around bigger tyres. For another recent gravel launch, read our Scott Addict Gravel first ride.
Specialized provides a useful, narrow specification benchmark with its claimed 725g S-Works Crux frame, although that figure is not tied to a size or finish as Look's medium-frame figures are. Specialized lists clearance as 47c or 650b × 2.1. BMC, meanwhile, lists 52mm measured-tyre clearance for the Kaius 01 Three.
The Cezal RS also retains suspension-fork compatibility up to 60mm of travel. Simon recommended 40–50mm travel with a 50mm offset to preserve the intended geometry, subject to sag adjustment; he said 60mm would slightly change the head angle. The frame remains 1x- and 2x-compatible, accepts a maximum 50T chainring and uses a T47 bottom bracket, UDH dropout and flat-mount brakes with 160mm rotors.
Look says it concentrated its aerodynamic development on rider position, the cockpit and space between the wheels and frame, rather than more extensive frame shaping. "The synergy with the rider is more important than wind tunnel testing without rider. We want to have real life benefits," Simon said, linking that decision to fit options and the rider's ability to sustain an aerodynamic position. The Look cockpit offers stem lengths from 80–140mm and up to 50mm of spacer adjustment. That is the company's rationale for where it directed its aero work, not an independently established speed advantage.
Two builds and a frameset
The €8,990 SRAM Red XPLR build has a 1x drivetrain with a 44T chainring, a Look Aero Carbon stem and RS 3 handlebar, and a Chrome Orange and Black UD finish. Look's build slide gives its weight as 8.3kg.
The €6,990 SRAM Force XPLR bike uses a 40T chainring and Deda Superzero Gravel handlebar with a Superbox stem, in Hypershift Blue. Its listed weight is 8.5kg. Simon described the Deda cockpit as the more versatile option for aero extensions and carrying bags.
Both complete bikes use 42mm Fulcrum Sharq C25 wheels and Hutchinson Touareg Race 700 × 45c tyres.
The €3,290 frameset comes in Raw Carbon and Chrome Orange, with a Token T47 bottom bracket and Look LS1 UD carbon 27.2mm seatpost. A stem is not included; supported options include Deda Superzero, Look LS3 and Look Aero Carbon stems.
Look says shop deliveries begin in October 2026. The standard Cezal remains alongside the RS, with complete builds starting at €3,490 and its internal storage intact.
