LOOK G85 Cezal Gravel Bike Review: Hot AF, No BS

LOOK G85 Cezal Gravel Bike

“Born from LOOK’s elite road DNA but infused with a playful MTB spirit, the G85 Cezal is a fast and versatile carbon bike designed for all-around gravel rides, bridging the gap between amateur racing and long-distance adventure.” – Look Cycle

Named after the rugged, sprawling landscapes of central France, the G85 Cezal delivers a balanced, responsive experience across country roads and technical singletrack. At its core, the bike is driven by perfected geometry and handling, ensuring every movement feels intuitive and intentional. Built for any journey, the G85 Cezal offers unmatched versatility, adapting seamlessly to every adventure, personal challenge, and custom specification its rider demands.”

LOOK G85 Cezal Review Video

Alternative Video Link for those reading via email subscription

In this video, JOM of the Gravel Cyclist crew presents his review of the Look G85 Cezal Gravel Bike.

Key Features

Tire / tyre clearance up to 700c x 50mm / 700c x 45mm on the rear with a 2x Configuration
1x or 2x Drivetrains
Acceptance of suspension up to 60mm of travel
Carbon frame and fork feature UD High Modulus
Downtube storage unit

Written Ride Experience (or watch the review above)

The Look G85 is the next evolution of gravel bike from Look, and it has been a joy to ride during the period of my review. Producing a bike that is a do-it-all rig, one that you can race, ride fast with your mates, cruise about the countryside aka all rounder, or even bike pack, is a tough order. I cannot speak for lashing bags to the Look’s very purple frame, love the livery, but I can speak for riding fast with my mates, and cruising about the countryside for 200 miles, or about 320kms, more on that later.

Featuring a gravel centric geometry which can mean a lot of things these days. I chose the size Medium for this review, featuring a 544mm top tube and a 128.8mm head tube. Love the fact this bike breaks away from the floppy and sloppy handling that I sometimes associate with much longer top tubes that are becoming the norm, higher stack, longer reach frame, etc. Head tube angle is 70 degrees, but unlike some lumbering bikes with this head tube angle, the Look wants to get up and go, the 74 degree seat tube angle helps that, and it still has manners to ride nice and civilized as you clock up the miles and kilometers.

I took the Cezal G85 to a couple of spirited group rides, and during one of those rare evenings where I felt amazing, was able to attack, counter attack, and so on, going hard out of the saddle, like you would on a road bike. The G85 was very responsive to be thrashed about the place, a trait I really like. Some of that can be attributed to the bike’s 425mm chainstay, a universal length for all sizes of the Cezal G85.

The bike is versatile and comfortable, just throw on a top tube pack, a handlebar bag, and some way oversized water bottles, and ride 200 miles. That’s just what I did early March of 2026, I rode the Cezal G85 for 200 miles at the Hell of the NorFla, a 200 mile event that is part of the North Florida Freeride gravel series, 100% free, no corporate bullshit, fuck paying out the arse to ride 200 miles. That sweet ride experience video is linked below.

I’ll have a separate video covering the Cezal’s setup for this ride, but it was absolutely rock solid all day. I did change the stock saddle and opt for Zipp’s amazing 303 XPLR SW wheels, only because I’ve got a tyre review I’m working on which involves those wheels. No matter where you ride 200 miles, you can expect a lot of variables, and the Cezal just lapped up every mile, and mind you, I did absolutely no training for this ride, barring a 100 plus mile solo ride aboard the Cezal the weekend before. I like when I don’t have to think about the bike during an effort like that.

The 50mm of tyre clearance is perfect and will treat you well across any terrain I can think of with stability, predictability, and no slow or stodgy handling. Tyre clearance will drop to 45mm at the rear if you run a 2x drivetrain, which would be my preferred configuration for the G85. The Force XPLR 1×13 speed is arguably the market leader for 1x drivetrains, but the 10-46 cassette isn’t optimal for terrain that is flatter, or with rolling hills.

Look’s 3D Wave Flex system at the rear end is difficult to quantify what’s happening beneath and behind my arse as I ride along. It’s almost similar to another company’s fancy isolating technology, you know it’s there, and you think it’s doing something. Either way, placebo is real, and I can honestly tell you, my arse was not beaten up after riding 200 miles, my legs were a different matter.

The stock configuration with Fulcrum’s new to market Soniq wheels, the Cezal tips the scales at around 19.4lbs with Look’s very own X-One-G pedals and Look’s carbon bottle cages. Very competitive weight whether you’re racing or riding just for fun.
Look’s Internal frame storage has a nice closure system, and during the 200 mile ride I referenced earlier, I had that downtube stuffed with a Wolf Tooth Tool Kit, and a bunch of hydration power mix saches, a really good place to stash stuff like that. Frame storage isn’t for everyone, but it can be pretty handy.

Wrapping up, I was on a limited timeframe to review this bike before its official launch, but it’s a bike you should consider. It ticks all of the ride all day, have fun, and performance gravel cycling boxes, and it stands out from the crowd. The purple livery reminds me of a certain colorway made sort of famous by a steel frame builder who was really peaking during the mid 1990’s, always loved that color.

I don’t say often during my reviews, the Look Cezal G85 is a bike I could add to my own stable of bikes, that’s how much I enjoyed riding it. I don’t have pricing information at the time of this video, but drop by the Look Cycle website to learn more.