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Road.cc’s review of the second-generation Look Geo City Vision pedals says their wraparound lights make a cyclist more visible from the side and rear, particularly on a cargo bike. But the lights emit red in every direction, which the review says conflicts with UK rules prohibiting a lamp that can show red light to the front. The pedals also add USB-C charging and multiple lighting modes, while their price is lower than the first generation.
Look’s second-generation Geo City Vision pedals make a cyclist more visible from the side and rear, but their red lights can also be seen from the front, a design that road.cc says conflicts with UK road-lighting regulations. The review found the pedals useful on a cargo bike with limited side visibility, while flagging the legal issue as a significant drawback for riders who want equipment compliant with UK rules.
The main change from Look’s first-generation illuminated pedals is a light that wraps around the pedal’s outer edge, making it visible from several directions. Road.cc tested the pedals on a Gen 1 Tern GSD cargo bike, where panniers obscured much of the existing rear light when viewed from the side. The reviewer said the pedals made a clear difference, particularly on the brightest flashing setting.
The reviewer identified the light colour as the central concern: the LEDs emit red light in every direction. Regulation 11(1) of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 says a vehicle must not be fitted with a lamp capable of showing a red light to the front. The lens may look orange when the light is off, the review says, but that does not change the colour produced when it is illuminated.
Each pedal has two steady and two flashing modes, selected with its power button. Look quotes battery life of 7.5 or 15 hours in steady modes and up to 60 hours when flashing. After 30 seconds without movement, the lights enter standby; they switch off fully after 30 minutes. The removable light units charge over USB-C, and Look quotes a three-hour full charge. The company says the lights carry an IPX7 water-resistance rating; a supplied Y-shaped cable can charge both units from one power source.
Visibility Comes With a Legal Trade-Off
The review highlights a practical conflict for riders: lights that are easy to see from the side may also display a colour associated with the rear of a vehicle toward the front. Road.cc says that can make it harder for other road users to judge which direction a cyclist is travelling, apart from the legal question. Riders considering these pedals for UK road use therefore need to weigh their visibility benefit against the rule identified in the review.
The issue is particularly relevant to cargo-bike users or others whose bags or equipment block side views of existing lights. In the reviewer’s test, the Geo City Vision lights filled that visibility gap. The review does not, however, establish that the pedals are suitable or compliant for road use in the UK; it explicitly warns that their forward-visible red light is not compliant with the cited regulation.
Look’s design also reflects a broader safety idea: the company cites research at Clemson University suggesting that illumination moving with a cyclist’s pedalling can attract attention and help drivers identify a cyclist. That research is cited by Look in the source review; it is not a finding independently tested by the pedal review.
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How the New Lights Differ
Look has previously sold pedals with integrated lights. The review recalls that the first generation used orange lights at the front and rear. Reviewer Emma found them eye-catching at night, though the light was less visible from the side and the original price of £115 reduced their appeal. The new version extends the light around the pedal’s edge, addressing that visibility limitation while changing the emitted colour to red.
The review also compares the Look pedals with illuminated pedals from Redshift. Those products use red and white LEDs and determine which side of the pedal faces forward, illuminating it white and the rear red, according to the review. Road.cc says that approach addresses the front-facing colour issue but notes that the Redshift pedals still do not meet the legislation’s reflector requirement. The review describes them as a more expensive option, priced above £150 at the time covered by the source.
UK lighting rules also require pedals to have amber reflectors, the review says, and notes that many bikes with clipless pedals do not have them. That observation is not a statement that the requirement has been waived. The source suggests enforcement may not be a priority, but it gives no data on enforcement or legal outcomes.
“No vehicle shall be fitted with a lamp which is capable of showing a red light to the front.”
— Regulation 11(1) of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, quoted in the road.cc review
Compliance and Real-World Runtime
The review does not report a formal legal ruling, police guidance or enforcement action concerning these pedals. Its warning rests on the wording of Regulation 11(1) and the reviewer’s observation that the lights emit red light visible from the front. Riders should not read the review’s comment about enforcement priorities as confirmation that the setup is lawful.
The battery figures are Look’s quoted estimates, not runtime results measured in the review. The source also does not give a specific current price for the second-generation pedals, beyond saying the price has fallen substantially from the first version. It does not establish whether Look plans a different-colour light or a design change to address UK compliance.
What Buyers Should Check
Anyone considering the pedals for road use in the UK should check the applicable lighting and reflector requirements before relying on them as compliant equipment. The review offers no announced update from Look and identifies no planned regulatory or product milestone. For now, its practical findings are that the pedals improve side visibility in the test setup, while the red light visible from the front remains the stated compliance problem.
Readers comparing options can also check the light’s charging and mode requirements against their own riding habits. The reviewer found that the pedals need to be switched on manually and noted that an e-bike’s automatic lights may make it easy to forget them. Whether the quoted battery life holds in regular use, and whether a future version will change the light colour or standby behaviour, remain unanswered in the source review.
Key Questions
What is the main concern raised about the Look Geo City Vision pedals?
The review says the pedals emit red light visible from the front, which conflicts with the wording of Regulation 11(1) of the UK Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989.
How visible are the pedals from the side?
The second-generation lights extend around the pedal’s outer edge. In its Tern GSD test, road.cc said they substantially improved side visibility, especially in the brightest flashing mode.
How long does Look say the lights last?
Look quotes 7.5 or 15 hours in steady modes and up to 60 hours in flashing modes. These are manufacturer estimates, not runtime figures independently confirmed by the review.
How are the light units charged?
The units detach from the pedals and charge through USB-C ports. Look quotes a three-hour full charge, and a supplied Y-shaped cable can connect both lights to one power source.
Do the pedals include amber reflectors?
The review says UK regulations require amber pedal reflectors and notes that they are often absent on bikes using clipless pedals. It does not say the Geo City Vision pedals satisfy that reflector requirement.
Source: road.cc
