FACTOR UNVEILS NEW OSTRO VAM, ENGINEERED FOR RIDERS THAT DEMAND THE BEST

EMBARGOED UNTIL 11:00 CET 14 February 2024; Taichung, Taiwan - Factor Bikes, the premium performance bicycle brand, has announced the next generation of the OSTRO VAM. Designed and developed for all-round speed, the new model has been shaped around precisely managed aerodynamic gains while offering riders an uncompromised and highly responsive racing bike. 

Factor’s engineers sought to find balance across weight, stiffness and aerodynamics; refusing to concede any one of these three critical components at the expense of another. The result is a modern racing bike for riders who demand pinpoint handling, immediate power transfer, comfort on unforgiving roads and low weight for optimum performance on the climbs. 

The new OSTRO VAM has already been proven to perform in the pro peloton by Stevie Williams, general classification winner of the 2024 Santos Tour Down Under. 

Beginning with the aero-critical leading edge of the bike - primarily the fork and head tube - the engineering team captured and systematically reassessed aerodynamic gains as the design moved rearward. Each of Factor’s design concepts were CFD modelled and assessed in three ways to ensure these performance gains are passed on to the rider: independently, as a complete bike, and dynamically with rider input. 

Designed, tested and manufactured in-house by Factor, each design idea underwent hundreds of simulation runs throughout the development cycle before wind tunnel verification and real-world testing. Key areas of optimisation compared to the previous OSTRO VAM frame include the forks, head tube, top tube, and seat post. 

Factor’s rapid design iteration, analysis and optimisation process has resulted in a 70 gram reduction in drag (a seven-watt saving) compared to the previous OSTRO VAM frame, with aerodynamic benefits becoming more pronounced at five- to ten-degree yaw angles that most represent real-world riding conditions.

Developed alongside the new OSTRO VAM, the new Black Inc 48/58 wheelset delivers speed in all conditions. Providing a predictable ride feel without compromising on weight or aerodynamics, the rounded profile is optimised for 28mm tires with a 23mm internal rim width, promoting aerodynamic performance at larger yaw angles and giving the rider a greater feeling of control in gusts and crosswinds. 

The high-flange carbon spoke hub has been engineered to maximise ride feel through an increased bracing angle and wheel lateral stiffness, with an offset spoke bed achieving a balanced tension across the carbon spokes. At 1,270 grams a pair, the Black Inc 48/58 wheelset is the perfect complement to the OSTRO VAM.

Each gram has been modelled, tested, and proven to deliver aerodynamic benefits and elevate the OSTRO VAM’s point-and-shoot ride feel. With a frame weight of 820 grams in a size 54 (painted), savings have been drawn from both Factor’s aerodynamic improvements and in response to recently updated UCI tube width regulations. As such, a size 54 OSTRO VAM with off-the-shelf components can be readily built up as a sub 6.8 kilogram complete bike when paired with the new Black Inc 48/58 wheels. This marks a 267.8 gram weight saving versus the previous generation. 

In the relentless pursuit to seek out every aerodynamic gain, Black Inc has also developed a set of OSTRO VAM water bottle cages to bridge the gap that is created between the frame and the water bottle cages, reducing localised drag both with and without a bottle present. The Black Inc OSTRO VAM Sprint Bottle Cage has been developed to be most aerodynamically functional when a rider ejects their bottle before the final sprint; the foil profiles and precise spacing with the seat tube act to funnel air tightly across the tube and to the rear wheel.

Rob Gitelis, Founder of Factor Bikes and Black Inc, said: “With the launch of the new OSTRO VAM, we are pushing the boundaries of carbon bicycle design and production to improve on what was already a proven winner. Overall victory in the 2024 Santos Tour Down Under was a dream debut for the OSTRO VAM, and we look forward to seeing pro riders and consumers alike reach new heights with this bike.”

The new Factor OSTRO VAM is available exclusively from factorbikes.com and authorised Factor dealers worldwide. It can be purchased as a frameset, frameset with Black Inc 48/58 disc brake carbon wheelset, or as a complete bike in sizes 45, 49, 52, 54, 56, 58 and 61. 

See frame geometries and learn more here: https://factorbikes.com/bikes/ostro-vam