Factor launches the new O2 VAM as the fastest climbing bike in the world

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Factor has unveiled a new version of its O2 VAM road bike it calls the world’s fastest climbing bike, with a frame weighing a claimed 730g, including external seatpost. Factor says the updated O2 VAM can be built into complete bikes weighing just 6.2kg, and the UCI’s 6.8kg minimum weight limit for racing can be achieved with the pedals, transponder and tender number attached. The bike, which also includes aerodynamic features such as D-shaped truncated aero tube profiles, will be used in the 2023 Tour de France by Israel-Premier Tech.

Factor claims the O2 VAM is the equivalent of 12W more efficient than the previous model when measured in the wind tunnel at +15 to -15 yaw angles at 30mph. In other words, you can achieve the same speed with less power. While the bike can fit tires up to 32mm wide with 4mm of clearance all around, it is optimized for 28mm.

Factor is launching the updated O2 VAM with some strong claims.

The new O2 VAM is an aero climbing bike, nothing else this light is this fast, nothing this fast is this light, says Factor. It’s the ultimate choice for riders seeking performance on big days in the mountains, whether you’re riding the Tape du Tour or the Tour de France.

The new O2 VAM is for anyone looking for an improved and faster driving experience in mountainous and hilly terrain, with faster ascents, safer descents, higher speed on the flats and more comfort. It is for long distance runners, trail runners and those for whom a week in the mountains is the highlight of the year. If speed isn’t your priority, the increased efficiency will save you energy to ride further.

The previous generation O2 VAM was light but didn’t bring much to the party in terms of aerodynamics, and there has been a big trend in the road bike world to combine the two attributes over the last couple of years.

Graham Shrive, Factors Director of Engineering, says: We started by asking the riders of the Israel-Premier Tech team What terrain do you get your results on and how can we help them? They wanted a bike that weighed less than 7 kg in race set-up, with pedals, transponders and number.

So we asked, what’s stopping you from riding the previous O2 VAM? They said aerodynamics and stiffness. So, we made the new O2 VAM as stiff as the Ostro VAM, a 35% increase and 12W faster than the old O2 VAM in the wind tunnel, which is about half the difference to the Ostro VAM and with angles of low yaw of 0 -5 is only 5W behind.

As if to reiterate how much the peloton values ​​aerodynamics and stiffness in this day and age, Michael Woods rode what appeared to be a VAM Ostro aero road bike to his stunning Tour de France stage 9 victory on the fearsome and iconic Puy de Dme yesterday (we’re not entirely sure why Woods didn’t use the new O2 VAM).

> Why lightweight aero bikes are now THE essential racing weapon

Factor claims they’ve increased ride comfort thanks to the external seatpost and slim top tube, which tapers down to 10mm to aid in controlled saddle deflection over bumps. This takes advantage of the recently revised UCI rules on frame size.

The riding position was changed in response to customer fit data and the fact that people tend to sit more upright when climbing hills than when on level ground. There is a 10mm increase in stack height across the size range, designed to reduce the use of headset spacers.

Development of the new Factor O2 VAM

Factor says it set ambitious weight, stiffness and aerodynamic goals when it began the project. Among his goals was to develop the most aerodynamically efficient frame possible at 700g, while other bikes this weight predominantly use round tubes and little or no cable integration. Factor also says it wants to push the limits of the recently updated UCI rules to develop new tube shapes and optimize aerodynamics for relevant real-world speeds.

It first began developing a range of tube shape options using finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to examine structural and aerodynamic performance.

Computational studies have been done of airfoils at a range of wind speeds and angles, pipe cross-sections as predictors of mass, and wall thickness versus sectional area, Factor says. An intricate optimization process has identified the shapes with the best balance of aerodynamics, stiffness and light weight.

Factor says they have used CFDs that can model spinning wheels and a pedaling cyclist and measure the resistance of individual components. He ran his entire preliminary designs through software before taking them to the wind tunnel for aerodynamic testing. He then tested the prototypes in-house before final testing of the prototype was performed by Israel-Premier Tech pilots.

Plenty of brands have made their lightweight bikes more aerodynamic in recent years—think, for example, the Specialized Tarmac SL7 and Trek Emonda—so it’s no surprise to see Factor go this route.

> Check out our Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 Dura-Ace Di2 review

Why make an aero climbing bike? Farmer asks. First, because climbing is only part of anyone’s ride, and on the rest of any course, aerodynamics are more important than ever. Secondly, because the pros climb so fast that aerodynamics remain a significant consideration even with typical 8% gradients.

Factor says a light weight becomes more important than aerodynamic considerations on that slope for pro riders, but that reducing drag can still yield significant gains as it gets steeper.

Of course, aero tube profiles tend to be deeper than standard shapes and the extra material adds weight, so the challenge is to combine aerodynamics with lightness.

Drawing on and expanding on the learnings from the Factor Ostro Gravel, the fastest gravel bike in the world, the team created all-new aero shapes for the downtube, seat tube and headtube, says Factor. These airfoils use aggressively truncated airfoils that offer a very high stiffness-to-weight ratio with minimized drag achieved by manipulating airflow separation and reattachment.

A focus on optimizing frontal area for low yaw conditions means that at a 0-5 effective wind angle the new O2 VAM is just 5W behind the Ostro VAM, which itself is the fastest aero bike on the market. The new O2 VAM is not only the fastest bike in its class, but also faster than many brands’ much heavier dedicated aero offerings.

Factor is locked down with 1.25-inch bearings in the head tube to keep frontal area as small as possible, and the NACA truncated-profile seat stays are UCI’s minimum 10mm thick.

The seat tube reaches the full width of the bottom bracket but tapers significantly as it extends upward. The idea is to combine stiffness and aerodynamic performance. The slim top is designed, with the top tube flattened to improve flat compliance for comfort and energy dissipation.

New Black Inc wheelset

Factors’ in-house component brand, Black Inc, is also introducing a new 28//33 tubeless wheelset designed to complement the new O2 VAM. As the name suggests, the front wheel is 28mm deep while the rear is 33mm deep and you could be one step ahead here.

Internal width is 23mm and external width is 28mm, and the rims are optimized for 28mm tires. The wheels are built with carbon fiber spokes and Factor claims a weight of just 1,146g.

Factor hasn’t gone hookless for street, though it does for gravel, preferring to use what it calls a mini hook to help hold the tires in place, which makes us think of the approach Orbeas brand Oquo has recently taken. adopted with its new range of road and gravel wheels.

> Orbeas brand Oquo launches its first range of road and gravel wheels using the mini hook system

In addition to a significant weight saving, they also reduce drag by 10g over the previous Thirty wheelset and significantly increase stiffness, and therefore responsiveness and acceleration, says Factor.

The 28//33 wheelset is available separately at a price of 2,900.

New technology

Factor says the introduction of a new R&D facility in Taiwan contributed to the genesis of the new O2 VAM.

The prototype iteration rate went from three weeks to a day, and a new compaction method was developed, the details of which are secret and proprietary, he says.

Factor reveals that the new O2 VAM uses a similar fiber mix to the current Ostro VAM, including the T1000 and M60J.

Boron is used in the external seatpost to achieve an extreme strength-to-weight ratio, says Factor. Over 40 iterations of the layup program have been prototyped and tested, and all seven frame sizes have a unique carbon fiber laminate kit and unique layup program, ensuring an optimal ride quality for all riders.

Models and prices

The Factor O2 VAM is now available in these builds:

Shimano Dura-Ace 9170 Di2 11,800 Shimano Ultegra 8170 Di2 9,900 SRAM Red eTap AXS + Quarq PM 12,200 SRAM Red eTap AXS 11,800 SRAM Force eTap AXS + Quarq PM 10,100 SRAM Force eTap AXS 9,900 Frameset 6,300 Frameset + Black Inc 2 Wheels 8/33 8.900

factorbikes.com

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