Home > Feature Stories

2012 Look 920 Mountain Bike Photos, Weights & Details

2012 Look 920 full suspension carbon fiber mountain bike with pivotless 120mm rear wheel travel and integrated stem
16 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

2012 Look 920 full suspension carbon fiber mountain bike with pivotless 120mm rear wheel travel and integrated stem

The new 2012 Look 920 seems to have a polarizing effect due to nothing more than the head tube/stem assembly, but there’s so much more going on with the bike.

There are two frame variants based on size, plus a carbon upgrade kit that gives it a 50g lighter full carbon rocker, carbon seat post and carbon fiber DT Swiss rear shock. The frames differ near the seat tube/top tube junction. The XS and Small sizes have straight tubes meeting as you’d expect. The Medium and Large sizes have a molded, shapely top tube that flows upward into the seat tube much more gracefully, accentuated by the matte paint/carbon finish.

UPDATED: Corrected info about the frame variations at the top/seat tube junction above and other additions throughout the post

Suspension is set at 120mm front and rear using a fixed rear triangle with no pivot near the axle, instead relying on carbon fiber’s ability to flex and recover to keep maintenance and weight at a minimum.

2012 Look 920 full suspension carbon fiber mountain bike with pivotless 120mm rear wheel travel and integrated stem

Up front, the Look 920 has a short, tapered headtube. One of the benefits of the design is the elimination of spacers. Height and reach are adjusted by using different A-Stems, which offer a range of 40mm length and 30mm rise. All finish at the frame the same, keeping the streamlined, integrated appearance.

2012 Look 920 full suspension carbon fiber mountain bike with pivotless 120mm rear wheel travel and integrated stem

The top cap doubles as an aesthetic joint between the headset and the A-Stem. Internal cables would be a nice touch to really make this bike totally smooth, but they seem well placed.

2012 Look 920 full suspension carbon fiber mountain bike with pivotless 120mm rear wheel travel and integrated stem

The seatstays flatten out to create a flex zone that eliminates the need for a rear pivot. Look put metal guards behind the chainrings and on the bottom of the downtube to protect the frame. This model has the Carbon Kit, which drops the weight of the rocker from 160g for the alloy down to about 110g in full carbon.

120mm of travel has been the provenance of trail bikes until lately. While the Look is decidedly a race-ready weapon, Rocky Mountain’s new Element is damn quick and light, too, with 120mm front and rear travel for the 26″ version. We’re betting several other major manufacturers start offering a 120mm race bike before too long.

2012 Look 920 full suspension carbon fiber mountain bike with pivotless 120mm rear wheel travel and integrated stem

The rear chainstays are asymmetrical with a fairly stout looking cross bar in front of the rear wheel. This angle also shows the width of the seatstays where they flatten out to flex.

2012 Look 920 full suspension carbon fiber mountain bike with pivotless 120mm rear wheel travel and integrated stem

The top end model with Carbon Kit and full SRAM XX comes in at 10.26kg (22.62lbs).

2012 Look 920 full suspension carbon fiber mountain bike with pivotless 120mm rear wheel travel and integrated stem

A smaller 920 with color-matched X0 and SID fork.

2012 Look 920 full suspension carbon fiber mountain bike with pivotless 120mm rear wheel travel and integrated stem

Shown here in the glossy red paint option, this shows the alloy rocker and straight top tube that comes on the XS and Small frame sizes. The Medium and Large frame sizes use the shaped gusset to maintain a lower overall standover height on the larger frames. The pic on the right doesn’t do it justice, but the downtube is fairly massive and squared off.

You can check out Look’s MTB product manager’s personal XTERRA race bike over on Triathlonrumor.com, and sponsored rider Marion Lorblanchet took second in the women’s Pro field at the XTERRA World Championships this past weekend in HI.

2012 LOOK 986 RACE HARDTAIL

2012 Look 986 hardtail race carbon fiber mountain bike

The 986 hardtail shares the same deep, short headtube and A-Stem deign and does come in two different frame options. Above is the standard model with regular seatpost and gloss paint scheme.

2012 Look 986 hardtail race carbon fiber mountain bike

Up close, the lines really do look fantastic.

2012 Look 986 hardtail race carbon fiber mountain bike

The top level 986 gets an integrated seatmast model for the racer…which is pretty much anyone still riding a 26″ hardtail these days.

We’ve got word directly from the Look reps working their Interbike booth that 29er versions for both aren’t far behind. If they can pull off the 920’s pivotless rear end with the big wheels and the sleek headtube, it’ll be a sight to behold.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

16 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs
12 years ago

Tyler,
Any idea what the prices will be the top of the line hardtail and fs bikes?
Also, hard to find LOOK dealers in the US, but will they will be available in the US?

Le Piou
Le Piou
12 years ago

They do LOOK nice…
That being said, it doesn’t let much room to modify the geometry of the front if you want a higher bar…

Gillis
Gillis
12 years ago

As i was scrolling down I was thinking the integrated stem would be cooler on a hard tail. Sure enough there they were. But I was hoping for that swoopiness to continue into the seat stays. Kinda lame. One long flow from tip to tail would’ve been nicer.

James
James
12 years ago

Anyone know the weight of the hardtail?

Colin
Colin
12 years ago

Very nice! The red and black model would be sick with XTR and some black fork!

The new Scott Spark’s also have 120mm of travel.

Addy Timney
Addy Timney
12 years ago

Awesome!!

I think this is one of the coolest looking bikes ever. I have used a LOOK 595 and that was the best road bike I have ever ridden.

coop
12 years ago

Simply fantastic! Sad thing is the US availablity, and with the present economy I hate to see the cost.

wvcycling
12 years ago

I like the low handlebar. I’m a roadie turned MTB’er in the fall/winter, so I like the tucked position on XC trails.

Wish I could afford this. Le Piou does have a good point about this bike…

Sean
Sean
12 years ago

Seems like a lot of extra material to make a visual effect, and remove the ability to adjust the front end. Looks real cool however.

Rob
Rob
12 years ago

If you like your bars low like me you might agree – wow this is a great looking bike! Not sure I can afford one since I already have a carbon 29er, but maybe one day.

alloycowboy
alloycowboy
12 years ago

If the design goal is to make the bike and frame as light and as structurally efficient as possible then the Look Design is a failure. If the Bicycle is to be a fashion statement, I think we can do so much better then that.

http://gallery.photo.net/photo/5711243-md.jpg

It was really never about the bike was it?

moz
moz
12 years ago

What a statement!

dirtyonethirty
dirtyonethirty
12 years ago

First off, proprietary stems are a nightmare for shops, customers are appalled when you tell them they need to spend more to get the right fit out of the box on expensive bikes (also true with proprietary seatposts).

Secondly, if the only reason they have that swoop-line design into the stem is aesthetic, that is terrible. You now have limited steering like a dual crown fork. True its not really an issue on trails steering, but a crash could lead to busted up carbon. Even if its only cosmetic damage, its still dumb to have that possibility in the design.

Torben finn laursen
12 years ago

Spanish Mondraker make a similar bike called podium it was awarded with an eurobike award together with the look 920 it has almost the same design at the front who is copying who and what is the differance. Both manufactors will not answer on this…

BunnV
BunnV
12 years ago

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.