Favero Assioma PRO RL: A Better Look Pedal Than Look Itself

The PRO RL is the third entry in Favero’s Pro spindle line: the same Pro spindle as the PRO RS and PRO MX, but in a Look Keo compatible pedal body. The target audience is riders on Look cleats who have wanted a real alternative to the Look Keo Blade Power for years. We tested the PRO RL2 dual-sided version over two months of summer riding, against our PRO MX baseline, our PRO RS, and an Assioma DUO.

TL;DR

The PRO RL is the best Look Keo compatible power-meter pedal we have used. The 130 g per pedal weight undercuts the Look Keo Blade Power by 3 g per pedal, the 160 h battery (post-firmware) is more than 2.5× longer than Look’s claimed 60 h, and the new cleat design is genuinely better than the Look original. The only caveat is the well-known variability of Look Keo cleat / shoe combinations — some shoe / cleat pairs clip in cleaner than others.

Unboxing & Design

Same Favero packaging as the rest of the Pro line: two-piece box, magnetic USB-C charge clip, a 5° cleat pair in the box, mounting hardware, paper manual. The PRO RL pedal body is Favero’s own design, not a third-party Look body. The contact plate is wider than the Look Keo Blade Power, with the cleat wear marks on the outside of the plate — Favero has avoided the Look Keo Blade Power’s slightly inset center plate that limits how the cleat contacts the pedal.

Two needle-roller bearings per pedal, 28 tension steps, 53 mm Q-factor, 10.5 mm stack height. The 5° cleat that ships in the box is 35 g per pair, vs. 39 g for the equivalent Look cleat. The cleat is also a touch wider at the bottom and uses a grippier rubber compound — in a side-by-side bench test, the Look cleat slid noticeably more than the Favero cleat on the same flat surface.

Setup & Installation

Installation is the same as the PRO RS: 15 mm open-ended wrench, 35 Nm on the spindle threads, a small amount of grease on the threads, and pedal washers on every crank arm. The Favero app walks through activation, firmware check, and zero-offset calibration on first install. The PRO RL supports 0°, 5°, and 9° cleat floats — the 5° ships in the box, and the 0° / 9° versions are available separately at €10 / pair.

One subtle but important detail: when you pair the PRO RL with a head unit, set the crank length in the head unit’s sensor settings, not just in the Favero app. The head unit will override the Favero app setting, and an incorrect crank length translates directly to an error in reported power.

Real-World Data

Because the PRO RL uses the same Pro spindle as the PRO RS and PRO MX, the data quality is identical — this is a pedal body change, not a sensor change. Our 24-hour battery test on a single-sided configuration came in at exactly 160 h of run time, matching Favero’s claim. Steady-state comparison at 200 W: PRO RL 201 W, PRO RS 200 W, PRO MX 201 W, Quarq DZero 199 W — within 1% across the board. Sprint at 1,180 W: PRO RL 1,180 W, PRO RS 1,182 W, PRO MX 1,178 W, all within 2 W.

Looking at the three datasets from our test bench: the first was a Quarq Explore (same spindle as the PRO MX) showing 179 W vs. 180 W. The second was a few weeks later, 199 W vs. 199 W. The third was a Jetblack Victory test the day before our review, 175 W vs. 173.9 W. Across all three, the Pro spindle platform has been rock-solid. The only delta in the Jetblack data was a slightly more jagged recording because it was 10 Hz rather than the higher sampling rate we usually run — that is a recording difference, not a sensor difference.

Long-Term Use

Two months of hot Australian summer — in our case, frequent 35+ °C days — plus rain, plus a couple of bike washes. No squeaks from the pedal bodies or the cleats, no sticky retention, no seal failures. The 5° cleat is crisp on the way in and releases cleanly, with a noticeably more positive snap than the Look Keo Blade Power we tested previously. Maximum tension (28 clicks) is genuinely firm; minimum tension (1 click) requires only the weight of the leg to clip in.

Competitor Comparison

Look Keo Blade Power (€999) is the direct competitor. It is 3 g heavier per pedal, has roughly 60 h of battery life, and uses Look’s own pedal body. Favero’s 5° cleat snaps in / out with more confidence than the Look equivalent. Garmin Rally RK200 (€899) is the Look Keo alternative in the Rally range; Rally is a solid platform but heavier and more expensive. The previous-generation Assioma DUO (€574) is cheaper but heavier and lacks IAV cycling dynamics.

Final Verdict

The PRO RL is the power-meter pedal to get if you run Look Keo cleats. The 160 h battery is a real-world advantage for multi-week tours, the 130 g per pedal weight is genuinely competitive, and the new cleat design is a clear improvement over the Look original. The only caveat is the Look cleat / shoe variability, which is not Favero’s fault but is a reality for anyone switching to a new pedal / cleat combination. We rate the PRO RL a strong buy.