1991 Look KG96 with Mavic Zap

1991 Look KG96 Team Replica

The Look KG96 team replica.

State-of-the-art carbon fiber from 1991. That means carbon fiber tubes in almost the same dimensions as steel or aluminum tubes glued into aluminum lugs. These particular carbon tubes also had some sort of ceramic material added into the carbon weave or the aluminum joints that added… Something… To the ride quality or frame strength.

This bike is set up almost entirely with French equipment (a Shimano front shifter and an Italian seat kind of ruins the total effect), but it is a showcase of French technology that was definitely ahead of its time.

This was my bike, and in the early ‘90’s I had it set up just like the bikes that the Toshiba team rode. It had the Dura-Ace 7400 group, a Selle San Marco Rolls saddle, white handlebar tape and Look pedals.

Almost all French parts

Push button shifters and a battery in the bar

Mavic Zap electronic derailleur

Wonderfully sculpted Mavic crankset

A “hi-tech” frame with ceramic particles mixed into the carbon

At some point the Gan and then Credit Agricole teams became my favorites, so the bike got changed to reflect their equipment. The Mavic Zap electronic shifting was notable for the its absolute flawless rear derailleur shift precision and stone-age front shifting quality. Sometime in the mid ‘90’s there came a compromise, pairing the Mavic Zap in back with a Shimano STI lever to handle the front changes.

This bike dispells two modern bike myths.  The first myth that gets busted is that somehow carbon fiber is fragile, or that it doesn’t last.  This thirty year old bike has about 30,000 miles on it, was involved in three pretty horrendous crashes, and had the right chainstay gashed pretty deeply and early on in its life in a baggage-handling misshap.  Yet the bike is still ridden today.  The second myth is that Shimano came up with the first electronic shifting system for racing bikes.  Clearly not true, as this KG96 was outfitted with the Mavic Zap component group in 1994.