Factor Bikes (United Kingdom) - Press Release: The world’s fastest climbing bike with unrivalled lightness and aero.

The fastest light bike:

The new O2 VAM is the definitive aero climbing bike. We didn’t invent this category, but we did perfect it: nothing else this light is as fast, nothing this fast is as light. It’s also extremely stiff, beautifully smooth and descends with the precision, confidence and speed of a fighter pilot. It’s the ultimate choice for riders seeking full-course performance on big days in the mountains, whether you’re riding the Étape du Tour or racing the Tour de France. It’s everything you dreamed of and didn’t think possible, a unicorn among bikes.

Lightness. So much lightness:

The O2 VAM was born to climb, so it’s seriously light, from just 6.4kg out-of-the-box for a 54 with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2. Few disc brake bikes can compete and none of them are aero. Crucially, that figure means the pros can line up with a bike that’s still very close to the 6.8kg minimum once their pedals, cages, transponder and race number are added. One thing we all share with the pros is that when you’re about to take on thousands of metres of climbing, we want the lightest bike possible. The new O2 VAM uses ultra-high-grade materials, tube shapes optimized by super-computers for stiffness-to-weight, and a new manufacturing process so advanced that we built a whole new factory.

A whole lot of aero, too:

Why make an aero climbing bike? Firstly, because the climbs are only part of anyone’s ride and on the rest of any route it’s as important as ever to be aero. Secondly, because the pros climb so fast that aero remains a significant consideration even at typical gradients of 8%. Of course, everyone wants both lightness and low drag, but with aero shapes being heavier, the challenge for a climbing-focused bike is to save the most watts while adding the fewest grams. Our team nailed it. How aero is it? In the wind tunnel, at effective wind angles of 0-5 degrees (ie a calm day, or headwind to moderate crosswind) the new O2 VAM is only 5W behind the OSTRO VAM, which itself is the fastest aero bike on the market. Across a full sweep of angles, it slashes the gap by 50% versus the previous version. For such a light bike, that’s outrageous. On the road, it means that your climbing bike will be faster than many brands’ much heavier dedicated aero offerings.

Stiffness, handling. Check. Check:

The new O2 VAM is as stiff as the mighty OSTRO VAM and feels inspirational when you stamp on the pedals. You’ll be attacking just to feel it. The handling geometry is shared, too, which means incredible poise at high speed on descents, confidence at big lean angles, and the agility to outmanoeuvre a house fly. After all, a bike for the mountains has to be great on the way down, too.

Engineered obsessively:

To craft a bike that is everything you've ever wanted took everything we've ever learned, and more. In pursuit of the ultimate climbing bike, our relentless R&D broke new ground, pushed boundaries and polished every detail.

New Black Inc 28//33 wheels:

The new 28//33 wheelset was designed to complement the new O2 VAM and represents an equally remarkable breakthrough in lightness and aerodynamics. The 28//33 weighs a feathery 1,146g as tubeless clinchers optimized for 28mm tires. They feature differentiated front and rear depths of 28 and 33mm, measure 23mm internally and 28mm externally, and use exceptionally light and strong carbon fiber spokes. As well as a substantial weight saving, they also reduce drag by 10g from the previous THIRTY wheelset and greatly boost stiffness, and therefore responsiveness and acceleration.

Sublime ride comfort:

The most visually apparent features of the O2 VAM relate to ride comfort as well as weight saving. The external seatpost, ultra-thin toptube and dropped seatstays all work together to promote controlled deflection at the saddle. The latest UCI rules allow a minimum tube thickness of 10mm and that is exploited in the toptube ahead of the seat cluster. This section bows in a controlled way under the reverse force of the rider on the saddle when the bike hits a bump. In combination with the external seatpost, which eliminates the mass and overlap of a conventional seatpost, this enables a small amount of ‘travel’ at the saddle over rough roads.

Next-gen aero:

The sheer speed of the new O2 VAM is unprecedented for its category. It's made possible by our engineers’ ground-breaking work to create all-new, aggressively truncated airfoil shapes for key frame sections. A focus on some complicated aerodynamic principles – centred around low Reynolds number airflow behaviour and first learned during development of the OSTRO Gravel – has made the new O2 VAM especially fast in ‘low yaw conditions’, that is when there is either no wind, a straight headwind, or a slight crosswind. Our team gained the ability to manipulate the formation of the ‘laminar separation bubble’ and subsequent reattachment of the airflow, reducing the drag.

Specs:

• Frame TeXtreme®, Toray®, Nippon Graphite® Pitch-Based Fiber
• Fork Factor O2 VAM Aero fork
• Seatpost 0 and 25mm setback available
• Barstem Black Inc Integrated Barstem Reach 80mm, drop 120mm. Multiple stem lengths and bar widths available
• Headset CeramicSpeed SLT 1-1/8" and 1-3/8" bearings
• Head Tube Diameter 1-1/8" upper and 1-3/8" lower
• Saddle Rail Clamps 7x7 and 7x9
• Bottom Bracket CeramicSpeed T47A Aluminium cups / CeramicSpeed bearings available for DUB, 24mm, or Ultra-Torque
• Cable Routing Internal
• Brake Type Disc
• Max Chainring 54-tooth
• Front Axle 12 x 100mm thru-axle
• Rear Axle 12 x 142mm thru-axle
• Wheelset Black Inc 28//33
• Wheel Size 700c
• Max Tire Clearance 32mm Measured
• Weight 700g
• Manufacturer Warranty Limited Lifetime Warranty