I’ve had a soft spot for French carbon frames since their inception. TVT were the first to master the concept, and then Look continued where TVT dwindled their interest. TVT were unique in their construction, using a knitted sock like a stockinette for their carbon tubes, that was fed onto a mandrel. This gave a seamless finish which was stronger than the competition’s tubes. They enjoyed plenty of success with their frames on the pro circuit, where several other manufacturers even saw TVT frames being painted up as their own, because the riders wanted to reap the benefits of a carbon frame over their sponsor’s steel offerings! TVT’s success in the big Tours were shared with the likes of big names such as Delgado, Lemond, and Indurain (among many others of course). Back in the late 80’s it was fairly obvious that this new material was set for a strong future with the sport. Look (famed for their clipless pedals) wanted in on the action, and their first attempt at building frames wasn’t a great success, so they had to go back and employ TVT’s know-how to put them right. The Look KG86 was Look’s first branded frame, but they were actually built by TVT, which is quite evident when you look at them in detail. They were even using TVT branded chainstays. Sharing the knowledge that TVT had built up, they assisted Look in building their own ‘Look built’ frames, and these would be the KG96. TVT’s future in the sport was coming to an end as they pursued other areas of their business, which was a fantastic opportunity for Look to take over as the innovator.
The KG96 was available in one colour scheme only, and they were mostly marketed with versions of Shimano’s Dura Ace 7400 spanning the ‘89 to ‘91 groupsets. This new frameset gave Look a strong foothold in the future story of carbon bike frames, and something they would build on very quickly, ultimately leading them to be one of the most reputable carbon frame builders of the 21st century.
I bought this one many years ago, and have had it stored whilst other projects took priority. It was clean enough, free from any structural damage, but superficially a little tired here and there. My plan was to strip it and start again with the lugs receiving fresh paint, a new set of decals to replace the tired ones, and then a lovely deep gloss lacquer over the top. However, as time has passed I’m less in favour of sterilising it, and would rather clean it up just a little, retaining its patina. It’s only original paint once, and it’s good enough to leave alone. The groupset I have built up for it isn’t mint either, but shows evidence of light use. I’ll clean up the group’s components and ensure their finish is consistent with each other and the rest of the bike, so it fits together in a convincing sort of way.
I don’t normally ‘do’ catalogue spec bikes, but this one will be very close to the picture shared below. The bar choice and which rims to pick are still undecided, but I’m leaning towards 3TTT and some Wolber TX Profil clinchers.
Here’s a close up from Look’s catalogue, clearly showing the Badger’s endorsement! And yes, I have the Look branded Rolls saddle, albeit rather more tired looking than this one.
The KG96 was available in one colour scheme only, and they were mostly marketed with versions of Shimano’s Dura Ace 7400 spanning the ‘89 to ‘91 groupsets. This new frameset gave Look a strong foothold in the future story of carbon bike frames, and something they would build on very quickly, ultimately leading them to be one of the most reputable carbon frame builders of the 21st century.
I bought this one many years ago, and have had it stored whilst other projects took priority. It was clean enough, free from any structural damage, but superficially a little tired here and there. My plan was to strip it and start again with the lugs receiving fresh paint, a new set of decals to replace the tired ones, and then a lovely deep gloss lacquer over the top. However, as time has passed I’m less in favour of sterilising it, and would rather clean it up just a little, retaining its patina. It’s only original paint once, and it’s good enough to leave alone. The groupset I have built up for it isn’t mint either, but shows evidence of light use. I’ll clean up the group’s components and ensure their finish is consistent with each other and the rest of the bike, so it fits together in a convincing sort of way.
I don’t normally ‘do’ catalogue spec bikes, but this one will be very close to the picture shared below. The bar choice and which rims to pick are still undecided, but I’m leaning towards 3TTT and some Wolber TX Profil clinchers.
Here’s a close up from Look’s catalogue, clearly showing the Badger’s endorsement! And yes, I have the Look branded Rolls saddle, albeit rather more tired looking than this one.
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