SpongeBob Meets Superbike: Factor Debuts a Unique Aero Frame at the Tour de France Femmes

Starting today, you can make the Factor One stand out even more. A SpongeBob SquarePants version of the bike is now available for sale on the Factor website. You will also be able to see two versions of the bike race at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

As the Femmes starts, you will see a Mighty Jaxx XXRAY Plus interpretation of the yellow and blue SpongeBob SquarePants character ridden by Human Powered Health. You will also see a Patrick Star variation featuring a purple, red, and pink fade ridden by Ma Petite Entreprise.

It is a big departure from the men’s Tour de France, where Factor was without a sponsored team this season. That absence left the brand without an opportunity to validate what it describes as its most advanced aero racing bike in the professional peloton. Now, that validation is set to play out in the women’s race, though some might question the choice to decorate the bikes of the fastest women in the world with cartoon characters. According to Factor, “The reason for doing it was to create an unexpected meeting of two worlds,” while David Millar, Factor Chief Brand Officer, stated, “Super bikes don’t have to be monochrome to be fast.”

The design itself comes from Mighty Jaxx, and the XXRAY Plus concept translates clearly onto the bikes. Mighty Jaxx is the brainchild of Jackson Aw, an entrepreneur and avid toy collector who launched his own line of collectibles in 2012. Today, the brand works with official licenses from major global companies and collaborates with artists like Jason Freeny. It is Freeny’s signature anatomical style that drives the XXRAY Plus design, imagining SpongeBob and Patrick Star as if partially seen without skin. Both bikes utilize the extensive surface area of the aero-optimized Factor One to display each side of the character on a single fork leg.

It’s clever, and the result is a bike that was already likely to stop people in their tracks becoming even more unique. Sadly for fans of Patrick Star, it appears that only the yellow and blue SpongeBob edition is currently available for sale.

Pricing and Availability

There is a small upcharge for this special edition. An extra $300 on a bike that starts at $7,599 provides a highly unique finish. Buyers can start with a chassis (frameset including cockpit and seatpost) or select from any of the standard build options Factor offers for the Factor One. For more details and to purchase, visit the Factor website.