L
LOOKR96
track
01
Origin
The R96 was LOOK's track superbike for the 2016 Rio Olympics — its name literally stands for 'R(io) 96'. It was an Olympic-grade refresh of the long-serving L96 that had already won with the French team, using a higher grade of carbon and a redesigned seatmast to drop about 150 g. It proved enormously popular, becoming the most-used track bike at the Rio velodrome with roughly 80 frames present. The platform later evolved into the R96 Speed Evo and TT Evo before LOOK introduced the T20 for Paris 2024.
02
Specifications
- Frame
- All-carbon aerodynamic track frame; an Olympic refresh of the L96 using a higher grade of carbon and a redesigned seatmast to save ~150 g; later R96 Speed Evo / TT Evo variants
- Weight
- kg
- Drivetrain
- Single-speed fixed track; ZED Track one-piece pressfit carbon monobloc crankset (~2x stiffer than a traditional track crank, ~450 g), arm length adjustable via a tri-lobed nut, T1 or T2 sizing; BB65 LOOK-specific bottom bracket (Ceramic Speed bearings on top builds)
- Brakes
- None (track/fixed-gear)
- Wheels
- Carbon track wheels (CORIMA on team/Evo builds)
03
The verdict
+Strengths
- Proven Olympic pedigree — the most-used track bike at Rio 2016
- Stiff, light ZED Track one-piece carbon crankset
- Highly fittable with 55-140 mm stem range and Speed/TT versions
−Weaknesses
- Now superseded by the T20 — older aero generation
- Pure track tool with no road use
- Proprietary BB65 and crank complicate servicing
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Tags
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Related models
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