New Bike Tech: Look Rethinks the Cockpit and Zipp Goes All-In on Road

Look 795 Blade RS 3

This week, Look launched the third generation of the brand’s flagship race bike, the 795 Blade RS 3, and this is a special bike to me. I’ve owned the first and second generations of the 795 Blade RS, and the second generation is currently set up as a Shimano Dura-Ace “dream machine.”

During my time with these bikes, there’s one conversation I’ll never forget. It happened as I was working on the launch of the second-generation bike, when I asked about the choice not to shield the non-drive side thru-axle on an aero bike. What I got back was a response from Romain Simon, Bike Product Manager for Look, that said, “Aerodynamic gains of a shielded axle are anecdotic when weight and resistance could be impacted. Keeping our development simple with a ‘classic’ thru-axle has benefits: standard parts, easy maintenance, and wheel replacement for example. 795 Blade RS is our race bike, aerodynamics is important, but efficiency prevails in every choice.”

Now it’s time for the third generation, and I see Look leaning even further into this concept of race bike over aero bike. Yes, you will find the normal trappings of a new bike launch. As you’d expect, the frame is lighter at a claimed weight of 890g for the frame in size medium (340g for the fork) for a 160g advantage over the outgoing bike. It’s also a claimed 15 watts lower in aero drag (tested internally using Tour magazine protocols but with a speed of 50 kph), but those numbers are not the meat of this launch.

What Look is leaning into instead is fit. The new 795 Blade RS 3 introduces a new XXS size to give more options to smaller riders. The brand even proudly claims, “A woman riding XXS gets a frame engineered for her, not a shrunk version of someone else’s.” However, at the size medium, there is actually a bit less stack and more reach. It’s subtle, but from my own experience, the one thing that was a challenge in the previous generation was the long reach. To fix this, Look updated the handlebar.

Just as before, the latest handlebar is a stealth two-piece design. It does make the stem and bar proprietary; however, it also allows for three width choices (38, 40, and 42cm) and seven stem choices while still appearing to be a single-piece design. What’s new for this generation is an upgrade in ergonomics. Look enlarged the flat mid-section of the bar and added a slight downward angle to ease wrist stress. The brand also introduced a 3.5-degree flare at the drops for better control.

Most importantly for the fit, Look widened the internal hydro hose ports. This allows riders to rotate the hoods higher than the previous bar permitted. Combined with a redesigned drop geometry that brings the lever 6 mm closer to the rider’s hands, it gives you much more control over the effective reach of the cockpit. It’s exactly the fix the older bike needed.

On top of that frame size choice, the latest Look 795 Blade RS 3 is being offered for sale as an à la carte build. Start with your frame color, then frame size, then bar width, stem length, groupset choice, wheel choice, and finally, the seatpost with setback or not.

Pricing starts at $5,790 for the 795 Blade RS 3 frameset and is available now at authorized dealers worldwide. For more information visit the Look website.

Zipp 404S

Also launching this week is the Zipp 404 S. This new wheelset replaces the previous 303 S and brings with it a series of upgrades. Along with those improvements, this wheel also gets a new focus as a road-only option.

That refocusing might seem like a bit of a shock, but it makes sense as soon as you look at the larger Zipp ecosystem. While the Zipp 303 S was once the all-road option, that position is now occupied by the 303 SW, which features an integrated pressure sensor and is priced at $2,200. Zipp has also introduced the 303 XPLR wheelsets (available in S or SW) as a dedicated gravel option.

That repositioning within the lineup leaves room for the latest introduction to really focus on speed. Compared to the previous design, the 404 S has grown in height, moving from a 45mm rim depth up to 50mm at a weight of 1,585g. Along with that deeper profile, Zipp has also increased the external width from 27mm to 29mm while keeping the same 23mm internal width. This combination means the 404 S will better match modern tire widths, and Zipp claims that among the wheels they tested, it carries the lowest average drag across the yaw sweep for the $1,300 asking price. To round out the build, the rims are laced to a 76/176 hubset—20-hole in the front and 24-hole in the rear—using Sapim CX-Sprint spokes in a 2-cross configuration.

For more information visit the Zipp website.

Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team get a special livery for the Tour

Zipp and Look are definitely the big items in this week’s new bike tech roundup, but Pinarello sent over the official announcement for something I actually stumbled across while touring the factory last month. These frames were tucked away, and when I noticed them, I was definitely not allowed to take pictures. As expected, the latest Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team paint scheme for the 2026 Tour de France is stunning.

According to Pinarello, “the team will switch to the one-off design for the duration of the race, with matt-finished Titan and Luxter Venice tones elegantly paired using Pinarello’s popular Cut paint scheme.”

Pinarello also included details on the build, which brings us back to the Zipp 454 NSW wheels as well as SRAM RED. If you are inspired to get your own, Pinarello says that “a limited quantity of this special colourway will be available through Pinarello official retailers.” You could also mix up your own variation via the Pinarello MyWay Custom Paint system. I happen to be fond of this pink one I also saw in the factory.