RAPHA CYCLING CLUB AND FACTOR ANNOUNCE GLOBAL BIKE HIRE PARTNERSHIP WITH RCC-EDITION OSTRO VAM

23rd May 2024, Taichung, Taiwan - Rapha, the premium apparel brand aiming to inspire and equip people to live a life by bike, and  Factor Bikes, the performance bicycle brand, have today announced a bike hire partnership bringing Factor’s new OSTRO VAM to members of Rapha Cycling Club (RCC), worldwide. 

RCC is an active riding community for cyclists around the world. Members benefit from exclusive bike hire from Rapha’s Clubhouses, allowing riders travelling without their own bike to explore cities including Los Angeles, Taipei and Copenhagen on two wheels. With hire bikes available soon in London, New York, Miami, San Francisco and Mallorca Rapha Clubhouses, the global roll-out of RCC-edition Factor OSTRO VAM’s is about to begin. 

Factor’s creative director, Jay Gundzik, and Rapha’s creative team, worked closely to develop the unique RCC-edition OSTRO VAM colourway, combining Rapha’s iconic pink and black accent colours with Factor’s signature raw carbon fibre textures. The design emphasises pure speed and complements the OSTRO VAM’s aerodynamic frame profile while spotlighting Factor’s engineering expertise, balancing and uniting each brand’s visual language. 

Designed and developed for all-around speed, Factor’s OSTRO VAM has been shaped around precisely managed aerodynamic gains while offering riders an uncompromised and highly responsive racing bike. It has already been proven to perform in the pro peloton by Stevie Williams, general classification winner of the 2024 editions of the Santos Tour Down Under and Flèche Wallonne. 

Completing the OSTRO VAM’s set-up, the bike is also specced with the latest 48/58 wheelset from Black Inc ensuring RCC members get the full Factor experience. The aero-optimised and lightweight wheelset was developed in tandem with the new bike matching its race-optimised design and delivering exceptional performance.

Aleda Fitzpatrick, Global RCC Manager, said: "We are incredibly excited to join forces with Factor Bikes. Their passion for cycling, investment in the sport and commitment to high performance aligns perfectly with Rapha's values. Our global bike hire has always been one of the most loved benefits of the RCC, and we're delighted to partner with Factor to enable our members to explore the best cycling routes around the world, on the very best bikes." 

Rob Gitelis, Founder of Factor Bikes and Black Inc, said: “We’re delighted to collaborate with RCC to bring our new OSTRO VAM to cyclists worldwide. The new OSTRO VAM has been our moment to push the boundaries of carbon bicycle design and production to improve on what was already a proven winner, and we look forward to seeing RCC members around the globe discovering new cities from this iconic partnership bike.”

Factor and Rapha are set to collaborate on several special edition bikes to reflect upcoming collaborations, all of which will be available for RCC members to rent from clubhouses worldwide."

Find out more about the RCC x Factor partnership here.

About Rapha

Rapha exists to inspire people to live life by bike. We believe that cycling is a fundamental force for good in the world that helps people to live happier, healthier lives. Since 2004, we’ve equipped people to live life by bike by creating the finest technical clothing for all riders, from road racers to mountain bikers. Headquartered in London, we are based in key cycling cities around the world with a network of 20+ Clubhouses. Bringing together our latest products with all aspects of cycling culture through café spaces, events and regular rides, Clubhouses also act as a hub for the Rapha Cycling Club, our 23,000-strong global community of riders. We serve today’s riders but we support tomorrow’s too, with the Rapha Foundation whose grantees include a range of grassroots organisations around the world. And to ensure we protect the world for future generations to ride in, we are focused on reducing our impact through a series of targeted, tangible commitments published on rapha.cc.