Premium brand launches OSTRO Gravel - an aerodynamic racing gravel bike
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23 September 2022: FACTOR, the premium performance bicycle brand, today launches the eagerly awaited OSTRO Gravel - the ultimate gravel racing bike that combines elite gravel performance with best-in-class aerodynamics.
FACTOR - no stranger to high end performance driven engineering and technology - has applied its road and time trial expertise to construct a bike that is fast across a variety of surfaces. Designed with high end gravel racing - where there is a growing desire for optimized aerodynamics - in mind, the OSTRO Gravel combines elite aerodynamics with gravel riding/racing design details to deliver a gravel bike that is in a class of its own.
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Providing tire clearance of up to 45mm and weighing in at 900g (size 54 fully painted frame in Naked Grunge), the OSTRO Gravel draws inspiration from FACTOR’s highly successful Tour de France stage winning OSTRO VAM and adapts it for the nuances of gravel racing in the form of lower speed aerodynamics, more rugged construction, geometry and handling, and versatile mounting options.
As elite gravel racing continues to evolve and winning times continue to come down, aerodynamic optimization - or the lack thereof - on a 200-mile race can spell the difference between a podium or a top-10 finish. By manipulating the behavior of airflow (specifically the laminar separation bubble) around the head tube before it can be disrupted by the rider and the bike itself, FACTOR’s engineers were able to give the OSTRO Gravel its unique lower speed aero-efficient characteristics.
Constructed from a blend of TeXtreme®, Toray® and Nippon Graphite® pitch-based fiber, the OSTRO Gravel balances FACTOR’s signature lightweight design with a strengthened layup to handle the challenging conditions of gravel racing. A T47A threaded bottom bracket, rounded steerer tube, and fully-internal cabling further maximize the OSTRO Gravel’s security and robustness, while multiple mounting points provide versatile mounting options for essential gravel accessories.
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Many all-road and gravel bikes struggle to deliver steering that’s effective and confident both on- and off-road, typically ending up with an unsatisfying compromise of soft handling and modest tire capacity. The OSTRO Gravel breaks that mold by making the tire size an integral part of the geometry. Wider tires also have a greater outside diameter (or rolling circumference) which increases the true, or ‘resulting’ trail of a bike; narrower tires have a smaller outside diameter which reduces resulting trail.
FACTOR’s engineers selected a trail value on the slightly faster handling side for gravel use, given the bike’s racing focus, while prioritizing head tube angle when selecting fork rake. This leads to a fast handling gravel bike on 43mm tires and an equally satisfying and precise all-road machine on 32s, with no low-speed wheel flop.
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Black Inc Components
FACTOR’s sister brand BLACK INC completes the build for the OSTRO Gravel, providing the wheelset and integrated aero barstem, both specifically optimized for gravel performance. The BLACK INC THIRTY-FOUR wheelset is engineered for gravel and all-terrain riding, offering modern hookless rim profile specifically to host 30mm tires or wider, all while maintaining FACTOR and BLACK INC’s racing pedigree with a svelte weight of 1,489g, custom CeramicSpeed bearings and Sapim CX-Ray and CX-Sprint butted aero spokes.
The BLACK INC Aero Integrated Barstem has been developed to complement the agile frame. Featuring a gently flared design to give the rider confidence without creating strange shifter orientations, it houses internal cable routing and wireless shifting to maximize aerodynamic efficiency. The ergonomically designed profile of the handlebars also provide significant power savings of up to 9 watts in comparison to a regular bar stem set-up, as validated through FACTOR's wind tunnel testing.
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FACTOR Founder and CEO Rob Gitelis said: “Extending our current gravel offering to include a bike of this calibre is integral to FACTOR's development. We have invested heavily in the technology to create what we believe to be the world’s fastest gravel bike. Seeing it already succeed on the world stage is something we are extremely proud of".
Adam Roberge, 2022 Gravel World Champion and FACTOR athlete said: "I have been working closely with Factor behind the scenes on the development of the OSTRO Gravel. This bike without a doubt helped me achieve a 16 second course record at the worlds in Nebraska. The bike was extremely compliant and responsive, especially considering the high paceline and constant elevation change. It has been a real asset to my season."
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Prices
Premium Complete Bike
SRAM FORCE - USD 8,599 / EUR 8,520 / GBP 7,400
SRAM FORCE + Power meter - USD 8,799 / EUR 8,720 / GBP 7,570
SRAM FORCE XPLR + Power meter - USD 8,199 / EUR 8,120 / GBP 7,060
SRAM RED - USD 10,499 / EUR 10,400 / GBP 9,030
SRAM RED + Power meter - USD 10,899 / EUR 10,800 / GBP 9,380
SRAM RED XPLR + Power meter - USD 9,799 / EUR 9,710 / GBP 8,430
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