I’ve spent the last few months dipping in and out of fantasy Factor Ostro Vam ownership, alongside pretending to own some other really exceptional pro-level road bike kit. I swap them around during my testing schedule, and often end up back-to-backing very similar bikes. I was very keen to see how this bike performs alongside its nearest competition, which I had several of to hand.
What’s obvious before I even get a leg over these kinds of bikes is that there are very few geometric outliers in the pro ranks. The only one is the BMC Roadmachine, which features an unusually long wheelbase and a trail of 63mm, which is well outside the average. At the other extreme is the Specialized Tarmac SL8 with a trail value of just 55mm, similar to the Cervelo S5, and the others that sit between 56 and 59mm.
And that is why it’s hard not to be taken in by these machines. The physics dictate much of how they ride and feel, and they’re all so very close. And, on a smooth road, for the most part, all feel fantastic.
Factor Ostro Vam downtube
(Image credit: Future)
Design details
The Ostro Vam was the Israel Premier Tech team’s full-gas race bike, after they parted company with the team in November, we will have to wait and see whether or not they’ll be in the WorldTour in 2026.
Regardless, it’s still a ‘balls to the wall’ race bike, marketed as aggressively as it’s designed to be ridden. If you’ve got the cash. At just £1,000 less than a top-tier Tarmac, it’s not cheap enough to call it a value option, so it has to deliver at least as well as those top-tier brands, despite its relatively more affordable ticket price.
Factor of course manufactures its own bikes and can source and deploy very high-end fibre, exactly where it wants it, with the best Taiwanese carbon experts in-house. It’s one of the pleasures of owning your own production, where clearly nothing is off the menu. The frame is made in its own factory in Taiwan, from a Michelin-star menu of the highest-quality fibres available anywhere. This frame alone utilises, wait for it, Toray, Nippon Graphite, and Pitch-Based Fiber, including TeXtreme. Few F1 laboratories would have that lot to hand.
Frames come in seven sizes from 45 to 61, and Factor dealers will happily fit you and swap out bars and stems to really dial in the bike. The seat post also comes in 0 and 20mm setback options, opening up the range to a far wider group of riders without the compromises associated with a more rigid fit approach – well done, Factor.
(Image credit: Future)
The Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 specced model comes with some fancy extras, such as Ceramic Speed SLT bearings, which promise to reduce servicing costs. Black Inc, Factor’s in-house component brand, supplies the hoops in Black Inc 48 and 58mm deep specifications. You get clearance for 32mm tyres, which is sufficient, but may seem dated to some nowadays.
The bikes come in a dizzying array of colours, with what must be the best paint range in a bike of this kind. I couldn’t list them all, and there are several special editions also, depending on your territory. If you can’t find what you want where you live, though, they’ll custom paint one for you for an extra £1,200. An Ostro Vam with Dura-Ace, without power, is £10,999 / €12,299.
Andy Carr is the tech editor at Cycling Weekly. He was founder of Spoon Customs, where for ten years, him and his team designed and built some of the world’s most coveted custom bikes. The company also created Gun Control Custom Paint. Together the brands championed the highest standards in fit, fabrication and finishing.
Specifications
The bike I’ve been testing features a Classified wheelset, which enables me to run the Classified hub. This hub utilises a clever electronic version of a planetary gearbox, essentially providing the functions of a 2x setup without a front mech. The hub and wheelset are teamed up with TRP’s new Vistar Powershift Groupset, which I’ve been testing all summer. Combined, the system is interesting, as it offers 16 gears that can be sequentially shifted up and down, and it’s brilliant in use. I tested the incredibly good Cervelo S5 recently with a 1x SRAM XPLR system, which was terrific in use, too, so I’m certainly a convert to the concept of 1x, and with the Classified hub adding back the capability I had lost on the S5, giving me 16 tightly spaced ratios served up sequentially, it was really exciting to try that. I’ll review that another day.
(Image credit: Future)
It’s an off-menu option, as the bike was supplied to me via TRP, not directly from Factor. Hence, the slightly odd spec. For the review, I’ve focused on the main event, the frame, contact points, and its ride quality.
The cockpit is standard, but anything but to look at. Black Inc makes it, featuring an integrated bar and stem made of carbon fibre, with a reach of 80mm and a drop of 120mm.
Performance
What our scores mean
5 stars: Superb, best in class and we couldn’t fault it
4.5 stars: Excellent, small change(s) and it would be perfect
4 stars: Solid product, could be improved
3.5 stars: Fine, but there are better alternatives
3 stars: Okay, but a few niggles let this down
2.5 stars: Acceptable, but needs improvement
2 stars: Works, but it’s disappointing
1.5 stars: Poor, approach with caution
1 star: Very poor, barely worked
Unlike much larger Taiwanese companies like Giant and Merida, Factor has a laser-like focus, born of its road race ambitions. Israel Premier-tech uses the Ostro Vam with great success, and all that experience has presumably contributed to the refinement you’ll feel in the frame when you ride it. It’s not comfy, it’s not soft by any means, either, but it doesn’t beat you around and doesn’t feel harsh. Thought has gone into this frame to achieve that, and the numerous brand names quoted in the description of the carbon used have obviously been deployed with some skill. It’s not simply an identikit frame made by a recent entrant that has had relatively little development time. It could have been, and some are from other younger brands, but this one is emphatically not.
The trail value does indicate some common sense in the stability stakes also. The back end is extremely short at 405mm, which aids turn-in and directional changes. However, the relatively slacker front end does contribute to a general feeling of relative stability at high speeds, primarily when pointing downhill. The Specialized Tarmac SL8 and others demand a modicum more concentration, and I suspect this greater stability would play out well in a race situation when you’re thoroughly exhausted. However, it’s subtle, so I wouldn’t prioritise buying this frame over one of the others mentioned for that reason alone; you do still have to concentrate when riding any bike made in this kind of template.
Combine that with the handling values I’ve touched on, and you don’t have to spend long on this bike to realise it’s right up there with the best in terms of that grin-inducing urgency that only a highly tuned race bike delivers. It feels eager, and very, very focused. All those superlatives might not be helpful, but they are indeed characteristics of a well-set-up race bike, which this frame certainly is.
(Image credit: Future)
The seatpost is an integrated number, different from the Factor Monza, and feeds into a smaller, more compliant-looking rear end and dropped stay configuration. This contributed to what felt like a slightly more refined rear end than the excellent Monza. Rear-end comfort was excellent for a bike of this type, considering its aero features.
The cockpit design features a slightly swept-back top area and a small, yet comfortable, flare. The bar is shaped for aero in the familiar way, and it has a relatively sharp leading and trailing edge. It was very comfortable in use, and any concerns I had about the ‘sharp’ edges were quickly forgotten. It’s a very good bar and feels ‘about right’ in terms of the available give.
(Image credit: Future)
Now, while I am happy to say that overall the bike and ride feel is refined, I’m not saying it’s comfortable. I’m simply saying that for a bike with a bladed aerofoil fork, integrated into a deep headtube, I was expecting the front end of this bike to be extremely unforgiving, and it’s just not. It’s firm, but it’s not harsh. And harshness is the quality we humans seem to like the least in objects connected to us by the soles of our feet, palms of our hands, and arses.
Here, Factor deserves some credit. Like the Monza, I was riding at the same time as I tested this, and it feels like a race bike. It doesn’t feel too crazy to catch you out if you’re used to a race bike, and it isn’t particularly uncomfortable overall, so for the breed, it’s right up there.
For a direct comparison, the Specialized Tarmac SL8 has an arguably better front end; it’s just more lively, flickable, and more fun in some circumstances. The Ostro doesn’t quite offer the same level of comfort as bikes like Colnago’s V5RS, where handling is less exciting, and that bike also feels softer overall. However, considering its deep headtube and bladed aerofoil profiles on the fork, this bike is remarkably refined. More so than this design looks.
Overall, the Ostro Vam is adept at delivering a race bike feel, without any of the common downsides I see in less refined bikes.
(Image credit: Future)
Value
For value, Factor deserves commendation. Okay, it’s not a cheap bike, but it’s not designed to be. There is no ‘supermarket own brand’ fibre in this bike, nor is there much skimping on the spec sheet, with CeramicSpeed SLT bearings in the head tube and a T47 CeramicSpeed bottom bracket.
The other extensive options make it even more compelling. Vires Velo, the UK Factor dealer, will spend half the day with you dialling in your fit, and the extensive spec list options, and dizzying array of paint offerings make an Ostro Vam purchase feel more like a custom build than almost any other brand I can think of, and for the few lucky enough to be spending this kind of money on a fancy bike that means something.
Indeed, you could buy one of these and have it custom-fitted and painted for almost the same price as an off-the-peg Specialized Tarmac SL8. And that won’t come with SLT bearings.
Brands like Canyon have made significant strides in offering more fit options and even custom paint in some markets, but Factor started off doing things this way, so I’d wager that the experience of specifying and buying one might surpass the Canyon offer, with fewer options and upgrades priced in. I’ve met the team at Vires Velo, and they really are selling an experience. They know their onions when it comes to off-menu or custom-fitting and building. I think Factor has the edge over Canyon in terms of brand kudos, and that does matter to many.
(Image credit: Future)
Verdict
The Factor Ostro Vam is every bit the WorldTour race bike template. It’s relatively short, with nothing crazy going on at the front end, so it’s rideable, whilst also delivering all the race bike feels we’ve come to love from this premium race-rep segment.
With a better set of wheels, like those that come in the Ostro Vam premium package, and a conventional groupset, this bike is equal to anything else out there, and with the custom options, it’s a good deal more compelling than most. And in many comparisons, for less cash.
The only competitor it really has to worry about is its stablemate, the Monza. If you don’t mind a couple of hundred grams, it delivers all the thrills and spills, with the brand you want on the downtube for a few thousand dollars less.
