I keep finding myself revisiting the Look booth ever since the French firm unveiled its 765 Gravel RS at the 2018 Interbike. Not only was it a damn good looking bike, it also looked polished with its clean cable route, integrated front end, and matte green paint with orange accents. Who would have known green and orange can coexist so nicely together?
I revisited the bike some eight months later at Sea Otter Classic in Monterey and yeah, it still looked like a rockstar. There was also an e-bike version that stole the show…
And now the 765 family is expanding, the newest model, dubbed the 765 Optimum+, is nearly identical to its gravel-focused sibling, down to its race-oriented geometry, but with a few notable modifications to better suit the endurance/all-road crowd.
The carbon frame features Look’s blend of high modulus fibers along with its signature 3D wave stays designed to soak up the rough stuff.
As it is geared for the road, Look reduced the number of bottle cage mounts from four to two. Also gone is the top tube-mounted bento box mount and the integrated Direct Drive stem/spacer system in favor of a more traditional bar/stem combo. Approved rear tire clearance is now 2mm more for a maximum of 700x42c. It is still compatible with 650bx2.1 tires should you decide to take it off the beaten path.
But wait! Also hidden deep into the launch is Look’s own R38D tubeless carbon hoops. With a 38mm hooked rim measuring 26.5mm externally/19.3mm internally and laced to Centerlock DT Swiss bits, The wheelset will be standard equipment as part of a claimed 8.5kg medium 765 Optimum+ build complete with Shimano Ultegra R8000 built kit.
A mid-tier Ultegra R8000 model with a heavier cockpit and Shimano WH-RS171 wheels, plus a 2,799€ third build with Shimano 105 and RS510-spec’d starting are also available.
So is this a gravel-minded road bike or a road bike with serious gravel chops?
