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Aug 04, 2023

New Factor O2 VAM breaks UCI weight limit with lightweight wheels and CeramicSpeed bearings

"World's fastest climbing bike" weighs claimed 6.2kg in complete build This competition is now closed By Ashley Quinlan Published: July 10, 2023 at 10:00 am Factor has officially launched the new O2

"World's fastest climbing bike" weighs claimed 6.2kg in complete build

This competition is now closed

By Ashley Quinlan

Published: July 10, 2023 at 10:00 am

Factor has officially launched the new O2 VAM, a climbing-focused race bike ridden by the Israel-Premier Tech team.

First spotted by BikeRadar at the Tour de France Grand Départ, the new bike brings heavily tapered aerofoil tube shapes and a move to an integrated seat mast design in a bid to optimise aerodynamics while saving weight, Factor says.

Factor says the new O2 VAM effectively splits the aero difference between the previous O2 VAM and the brand’s dedicated aero bike, the Ostro VAM.

A painted size 54cm O2 VAM frame is claimed to weigh just 730g including the new seat mast, with complete bikes set to break the UCI weight limit – assisted by the new featherweight Black Inc 28//33 wheelset.

The O2 VAM is available today, priced from £9,900/$9,899/€9,499/AU$15,990 for complete builds.

A frameset kit is also available for £6,300/$6,299/€6,049/AU$9,990, and a frame and wheelset kit complete with new Black Inc 28//33 wheels will cost £8,900/$8,899/€8,599/AU$14,390.

The new O2 VAM has been designed as an all-round race bike and will outright replace the older model, according to Factor.

The brand’s CEO, Mark Gitelis, says the new bike was therefore developed to be “a bike pro riders would use”.

Should riders pick it (like Simon Clarke did at the 2023 Tour de France Grand Départ), they are set to benefit from a claimed 35 per cent average improvement in stiffness and a 12-watt improvement at 48kph compared to the previous O2 VAM, according to Factor.

The lightest complete bikes weigh a claimed 6.2kg. We weighed Clarke’s complete 52cm bike at 6.925g complete with pedals.

The frameset is manufactured using a blend of Toray T1000, pitch fibre, pan fibre, M60J and TeXtreme carbon.

The brand says each frame size has a unique distribution of these carbon fibres, which is claimed to keep the bike’s handling characteristics the same across the range.

The climbing bike has a heavily slimmed down and tapered top tube. This tapers down to 10mm where it meets the seat tube.

The seatstays are dropped in a bid to maximise aero performance and stiffness, according to Factor, and feature NACA aero profiling.

The head tube has been narrowed to increase aero efficiency. The headset retains Factor’s 1-1/4in lower bearing size.

Despite the narrower head tube, the bike’s accompanying Black Inc integrated cockpit has fully integrated cable routing.

The headset employs CeramicSpeed’s Solid Lubrication Technology – much like Tadej Pogaçar’s Colnago V4RS – which is said to offer near maintenance-free, low friction performance.

The threaded T47A bottom bracket also uses CeramicSpeed’s ceramic bearings.

The new O2 VAM features a seat mast design reminiscent of that seen on the Giant TCR SL. A sleeve fits over the top of an extended seat tube and is fastened externally.

Compared to a bike with a conventional seatpost, Factor says a seat mast design can also simplify a bike frame and minimise the amount of material needed, reducing weight. The potential downside is, of course, a lack of adjustability once cut.

The seat mast toppers are available in three lengths (largely dependent on frame size) and two setbacks (zero and 25mm). The setback toppers are 10mm longer than the zero-setback models to compensate for the offset clamp.

The bike has clearance for 700x32mm road bike tyres, although Factor says it is aerodynamically optimised for 700x28mm tyres in combination with the new Black Inc 28//33 wheelset.

The Factor O2 VAM’s geometry draws inspiration from the Ostro VAM.

Seven sizes are offered, from 45 to 61cm. A size 54cm bike has a steep 74-degree seat tube angle married to a slightly slacker 72.5-degree head tube.

The trail is almost identical across the range at 58 to 58.6mm, thanks to the use of four size-dependent fork offsets.

The stack height is slightly taller than the Ostro VAM, measuring 552mm on a size 54cm frame.

Factor says it’s been able to make its headline weight, stiffness and aerodynamic improvements through a combination of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) testing.

Using these technologies, Factor says it could iterate the design quickly and efficiently, evaluating and improving the bike through testing. Factor says it optimised the structural makeup and aerodynamic profile across a +/-5 degree yaw angle swing to hit its targets.

Factor says all of these processes allowed it to reduce unnecessary carbon use while improving the weight and stiffness properties of the frame.

From there, the bike was tested in the wind tunnel to verify the computer simulations using new patented “rapid prototyping techniques”, and tested outdoors with the assistance of pro rider Dylan Theuns.

The brand claims its new prototyping protocol – developed at a new facility in Taiwan – enables it to cut iteration development timelines from three weeks to as little as one day.

The Black Inc 28//34 wheelset launches alongside the new O2 VAM, and will come as part of complete bike builds.

It features a mini-hook design for clincher compatibility but is designed to work optimally with tubeless tyres.

As the name suggests, the front rim is 28mm deep and the rear rim is 34mm deep.

The rims have a 23mm internal rim width and a 28mm external width.

Carbon spokes lace to the rims via an offset spoke bed, which is claimed to improve tension balance. The wheels come with Black Inc hubs and ceramic bearings.

A 28//34 wheelset is claimed to weigh 1,146g.

The wheelset is also available as an aftermarket upgrade, priced at £2,900/$2,899/€2,799/AU$4,690.

The new Factor O2 VAM is available today and pricing starts at £9,900/$9,899/€9,499/AU$15,990 for complete builds.

There are six builds with either a Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Di2, Shimano Ultegra R8100 Di2, SRAM Red AXS or SRAM Force AXS groupset.

Two of the SRAM builds feature power meters, but Factor has chosen not to put power meters on its Shimano-equipped bikes.

A frame kit will cost £6,300/$6,299/€6,049/AU$9,990, in addition to a frame kit-plus-Black Inc 28//34 wheelset costing £8,900/$8,899/€8,599/AU$14,390.

Senior technical editor

Ashley Quinlan is a senior technical editor for BikeRadar, covering all things road and gravel. A trained journalist, he has been working in and around the bike industry for almost a decade, and riding for much longer. He’s written for road.cc, eBikeTips, RoadCyclingUK and Triathlon Plus magazine, covering the latest news and product launches, and writing in-depth reviews, group tests, buyer’s guides… and more. He’s also worked in PR for some of the industry’s biggest brands. A roadie at heart (who often casts an interested gaze at gravel and XC mountain biking), Ash has been told that he’s best used as windbreak thanks to his 188cm, 80-plus kilogram build. Despite this, he loves spending time in the mountains scaling cols and is a repeat finisher of the Étape du Tour.

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