Unreleased Look P24 to be raced by French track team at 2023 World Championships
The unreleased Look P24 track bike features an unusual two-seatpost setup and wide-stance fork.
The bike is being ridden by the French national track team at the 2023 World Championships and has been pictured in pursuit and bunch racing setups.
Look has supplied no public details on the P24 and did not reply to our request for comment in time for publication.
A double seatpost?
The bike’s most striking feature is its double seatpost (technically a seatmast).
The bladed aero seatposts sit proud of either side of the extended top tube. They clamp onto what appears to be a removable portion of the frame that sits on top of the seatstay wishbone.
The saddle then attaches to an extension on the top of the seatpost(s). This places the saddle in a more conventional position, offering fore/aft adjustability.
The design is, presumably, intended to minimise aerodynamic drag towards the rear of the bike.
Team GB is using a similar setup on its Hope HB.T Paris track bike, though the split seatpost fits into the frame via a conventional single mast. Trek also took a similar approach with its Madone aero road bike.
It is unclear why this portion of the Look P24 frame would be made removable, however.
We assume any swappable section would be to enable riders to choose a conventional seatpost, but haven’t seen a setup like this used in competition.
The rear wheel is hugged by a cut-out in the rear of the seat tube, with the axle bolts shrouded by the deep track ends.
Wide vs narrow debate set to emerge
The fork is similar in profile to that seen on the Hope HB.T, with deep yet narrow blades sitting proud of the front wheel.
However, unlike the British track squad’s bike, the fork blades end at the crown, rather than extending to the top of the head tube.
The fork attaches to the frame using a hinged setup similar to the existing T20.
There is a distinct divergence in design philosophies emerging on the track, with the likes of Hope, Look and the Japanese track squad all racing on wide-profile front ends.
Meanwhile, Canyon has focused on reducing front-end width and is confident its testing has shown a narrower design to be faster.
Look P24 track bike build
The cockpit of the bike is centred around a flat and broad stem. This sits inside a divot moulded into the top tube of the bike and extends past this, sitting over the top tube.
Either drop bars or an aero cockpit mount onto the top of the stem via four bolts.
The aero-profiled tops of the drop bar used for mass start events flow into near-vertical ramps. The long drops attach to the hooks of the bar at a near-90-degree angle.
The French national squad have been pictured racing on an aero cockpit, but we’re yet to get a close look at their setup.
It’s unclear if the bike uses Look’s existing Zed 3 one-piece carbon crankset or a new design.
The bike rolls on a pair of Corima disc wheels mounted with Vittoria Pista Speed tyres.