{"id":2090101,"date":"2026-08-12T15:42:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T12:42:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2090101"},"modified":"2026-08-12T15:42:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T12:42:33","slug":"factor-one-review-a-member-exclusive-deep-dive-into-the-most-talked-about-aero-bike-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2090101","title":{"rendered":"Factor One review: A member-exclusive deep dive into the most talked-about aero bike of the year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-2560-80.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><article class=\"page-content-onecol flex-1\nnews-article article\n\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"widget-area-group widget-area-group-2col flex flex-wrap box-border\">\n<div id=\"widgetArea16\" class=\"widget-area basis-full md:basis-2\/3 widget-area-g-md-vp-2-3 widget-area-g-lg-vp-2-3 widget-area-g-xl-vp-2-3 page-widget-area-16\">\n<div data-widget-type=\"hero\" id=\"hero\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-hero widget-hero widget-hero-hero widget-hero widget-hero-fter-news\">\n<div class=\"news-article\">\n<header data-component-name=\"Article:Hero\">\n<nav class=\"breadcrumb\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\">\n<ol>\n<li>\nBikes\n<\/li>\n<li>\nRoad Bikes\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<h1>Factor One review: A member-exclusive deep dive into the most talked-about aero bike of the year<\/h1>\n<div class=\"kiosq-member-label\" data-component-name=\"Article:Hero:KiosqPaywallLabels\"><span class=\"kiosq-member-label-text\"><br \/>\nMEMBER EXCLUSIVE<br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"byline-social\">\n<div class=\"vds-byline-block flex flex-row flex-nowrap my-1.5 gap-2 text-left items-start justify-center mx-auto max-sm:text-center max-sm:items-center\" data-component-name=\"Article:BylineBlock\">\n<p>Features<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-auto vds-simple-byline\"><span class=\"inline-block vds-author\"><br \/>\nBy<br \/>\nJosh Croxton <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex gap-1 vds-byline-with-avatar__meta max-sm:justify-center\"><span class=\"vds-date block font-normal tracking-normal normal-case text-xs\"><br \/>\nPublished<br \/>\n<time data-component-name=\"UI:DateTime\" datetime=\"2026-08-12T15:42:33Z\" class=\"relative-date\"><br \/>\n12 August 2026<br \/>\n<\/time><\/span><span class=\"vds-read-time flex items-center gap-1 leading-none text-primary-500\"><br \/>\n24 min read<br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Empirical testing meets real world impressions as Josh tests Factor&#8217;s $15k aero superbike<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"text-gray-700 flex items-center mx-0 my-5 p-0 justify-center text-center\" id=\"affiliate-disclaimer\" data-component-name=\"AffiliateDisclaimer\">\n<p class=\"text-[color:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--text-color,inherit)] mb-2 text-[length:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--font-size,0.75rem)] leading-[18px] md:text-[13px] [&amp;&gt;a]:text-inherit [&amp;&gt;a]:underline\">\nWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here\u2019s how it works.\n<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-widget-type=\"contentparsed\" id=\"content\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-contentparsed widget-content widget-contentparsed-content widget-content-parsed widget-content-parsed-content_document \">\n<div class=\"wcp-item-content\">\n<section class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"box less-space hero-image-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"mb-0\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-2560-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1600-80.jpg.webp 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-750-80.jpg.webp 750w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"font-article-copy text-(--image--text--color) font-article-copy mt-2\"><span class=\"credit font-article-copy\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo\" class=\"contents\" data-only-inline=\"1\">\n<div class=\"visible flex flex-row flex-nowrap sticky max-lg:-ml-5 top-[var(--site-header-height,60px)] sm:top-0 z-[9994] w-screen lg:w-full h-[50px] bg-white p-0 mb-5 border-neutral-200 border border-solid\" data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo:Variants:Inline\" data-analytics-id=\"sticky-nav\" id=\"sticky-nav--inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"sticky-nav\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-row w-full h-full overflow-x-scroll overflow-y-hidden tracking-normal overscroll-x-contain\" id=\"sticky-nav__scroll-container\"><span class=\"pl-4 my-auto text-base font-semibold font-article-heading lg:pl-3 lg:text-sm whitespace-nowrap uppercase\">Jump To:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-row w-auto border-y-0\">\n<li class=\"inline-flex after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:inline-block after:relative after:h-3\/6 after:w-px after:bg-neutral-200 after:top-1\/4\nborder-b-[3px] border-b-(--jumpto-underline-color) border-solid font-semibold \" data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo:Inline:Link\">\n<p>Design and aesthetics<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"inline-flex after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:inline-block after:relative after:h-3\/6 after:w-px after:bg-neutral-200 after:top-1\/4\n\" data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo:Inline:Link\">\n<p>Performance<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"inline-flex after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:inline-block after:relative after:h-3\/6 after:w-px after:bg-neutral-200 after:top-1\/4\n\" data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo:Inline:Link\">\n<p>Wind tunnel data<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"inline-flex after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:inline-block after:relative after:h-3\/6 after:w-px after:bg-neutral-200 after:top-1\/4\n\" data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo:Inline:Link\">\n<p>Value<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"inline-flex after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:inline-block after:relative after:h-3\/6 after:w-px after:bg-neutral-200 after:top-1\/4\n\" data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo:Inline:Link\">\n<p>Verdict<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"text-copy bodyCopy auto paywall-locker\">\n<div data-analytics-id=\"utility-bar\" id=\"utility-bar\" class=\"font-ui-heading flex justify-between items-center py-2 border-t border-b border-gray-300 border-solid mb-5 mx-auto\" data-component-name=\"UtilityBar\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"utility-bar\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div data-component-name=\"Social:Dropdown\" role=\"menu\" id=\"utilitybar__dropdown--share\" aria-labelledby=\"utilitybar__button--share\" class=\"absolute left-0 top-full w-44 bg-white rounded-md shadow-md border border-neutral-200 z-[9996] list-none m-0 py-2 px-3 border-solid\">\n<ul class=\"m-0!\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Facebook<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>X<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Pinterest<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 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tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<p>Follow us<\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-add-us-as-a-preferred-source-on-google\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-subscribe-to-our-newsletter\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy-box\" id=\"elk-4afb3ad2-90e2-11f1-a18f-9dafadd9057f\">\n<div class=\"fancy_box_body\">\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-2560-80.png.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-1920-80.png.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-1440-80.png.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-1280-80.png.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-1200-80.png.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\"><strong>Verdict:<\/strong><br \/>An engineering marvel and an excellent race-focused bike that delivers impressive sprinting performance, but its extreme stiffness makes it uncomfortable for everyday riding, and its polarising aesthetics may deter some buyers. Unless you&#8217;re specifically seeking a dedicated racing tool, alternatives offer comparable performance with greater versatility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\"><strong>For:<\/strong><br \/>Extremely good when sprinting.<br \/>Best in class at facilitating the trendy &#8216;modern&#8217; road position.<br \/>Best in class aero performance in Cyclingnews wind tunnel tests<\/p>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\"><strong>Against:<\/strong><br \/>Too stiff for comfortable everyday riding.<br \/>Mega expensive for a bike with such a narrow use case.<br \/>Handling is slower than competitors. (in my size, 58cm)<\/p>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\"><strong>Score:<\/strong><br \/>74%<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy-box\" id=\"elk-a091b574-9250-11f1-80f7-9987c8f23ca5\">\n<div class=\"fancy_box-title\">Tech specs<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy_box_body\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Price: <\/strong>\u00a314,588.00 \/ $15,788<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weight: <\/strong>8.2kg with cages and sealant.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sizes: <\/strong>47, 52, 54, 56, 58 (tested)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Groupset:<\/strong> SRAM Red XPLR<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wheels:<\/strong> Black Inc 62 \/ Black Inc Hyper 62<\/li>\n<li><strong>Colours:<\/strong> Onyx Black \/ Nimbus Grey (tested) \/ Silverstone \/ Blush \/ plus limited editions<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tyre clearance:<\/strong> 34mm (tested 28mm)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gearing: <\/strong>48\/35T chainset x 10-30T cassette as tested<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80ee88-90d8-11f1-837e-03ddb5c1c7bf\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The Factor One has to be one of the most talked-about bikes to launch in years.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It first broke cover at the Criterium du Dauphin\u00e9 in 2025, and very quickly broke our small corner of the internet with its wild time-trial-esque design, extremely wide fork and chainstays, and bayonet fork with razor-thin leading edge.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80ee88-90d8-11f1-837e-03ddb5c1c7bf-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Less than a day later, it looked as though it was going to be banned by the UCI, who announced a rule governing how wide forks and chainstays could be, but I later learned that Factor knew about the impending rule change and designed the bike right up to the legal limit.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It won a stage of the Dauphin\u00e9 a few days later, and was then raced at the subsequent Tour de France by Israel-Premier Tech. And to cap it off, a pre-production prototype tested extremely well in the <em>Cyclingnews<\/em> aero bikes wind tunnel test, both with and without a rider, as you&#8217;ll see in more detail below.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Soon after, it launched officially with an emphasis on its progressive geometry. In fact, the only thing bigger than the fork clearance was head engineer Graham Shrive&#8217;s presentation on that matter. I&#8217;ll get into that later, but in simple terms the bike is designed with a modern racing position in mind; further forward, with shorter cranks, narrower bars and bigger tyres.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It also launched with claims of being faster than the Tarmac SL8 \u2013 which our own testing data agrees with but Specialized&#8217;s does not \u2013 and at a price that is sure to make most wallets wince.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In the UK, a frameset (with handlebar and seatpost) is \u00a36,920, and full builds start at \u00a311,056 (Shimano Ultegra). &#8216;Standard&#8217; builds top out at \u00a313,419.00 with Campagnolo Super Record.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I was sent the model equipped with SRAM Red to review (with power meter), priced at \u00a313,082. However, it also came with the \u00a3506 optional extra CeramicSpeed OSPW system, as well as the not-currently-specced Black Inc 62 Hyper wheels, which alone fetch \u00a33,799 (\u00a31000 more than the &#8216;standard&#8217; Sixty Two wheels).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To my maths, that makes this build \u00a314,588 (or \u00a31,000 less with the &#8216;standard&#8217; Sixty Two wheels).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-1afd0fc0-9251-11f1-a9b6-97c86599516b\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-2560-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The front end is really unusual-looking, but you have to admire the mindset to create something so different. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-design-and-aesthetics\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Design and aesthetics<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f090-90d8-11f1-aa94-af315b848777\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To begin this section, it&#8217;s pertinent to revisit the motivations that drove its creation. For years, Head Engineer Graham Shrive had wanted to design a bike that really pushed the envelope, but the brand&#8217;s founder \u2013 then CEO \u2013 Rob Gitelis didn&#8217;t think the Factor brand was ready to put something like this out into the world.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Through its sponsorship of the Australian Olympic Squad, the development of the Hanzo Track saw them unearth plenty of aero gains. Then the UCI&#8217;s rules changed in 2023 governing how the fork and down tube could be designed together. In 2024, our <u>original round of aero bike testing<\/u> proved that the Ostro VAM was not only competitive but a leader in the &#8216;superbike&#8217; space both in terms of weight and aero. With all those things combined, Gitelis decided it was time.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Concurrently, the brand was a sponsor of the Israel-Premier Tech team, who, like the rest of the pro peloton, were slowly shifting their positions to this modern consensus. Saddles were being slammed forwards to get over the bottom bracket and rotate the body to lower the front end, shorter cranks were fitted to keep the hip angle open, longer stems swapped in to accommodate the newly shortened reach, narrower bars added for aerodynamics, and tyre sizes grew for comfort, grip and rolling resistance improvements.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Shrive says this led to riders running stems that were so long that they were unsafe, and it put their centre of gravity too high and too far forward on the bike, meaning any sudden braking came with an increased risk of an over-the-bars crash.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Therefore, he designed the ONE&#8217;s geometry with this in mind, and the result is that across all sizes, the reach of the bike has grown by 20mm. In my size 58cm, that means a reach of 421mm, which is 19mm longer than an equivalent Tarmac SL9, which I have also been testing.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f0f4-90d8-11f1-b629-6567d378a81c\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-2250-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The reach is longer, but the seat tube is steeper, pushing the saddle (and thus the rider) further forward. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f158-90d8-11f1-ba6d-5b431a77fad8\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To offset the fit implications of the longer reach, the seat tube angle is now steeper. On all but the 47cm frame (where it&#8217;s 1\u00b0), the seat tube is now 2\u00b0 steeper than the OSTRO, at 75.5\u00b0. Some basic trigonometry tells me that at my saddle height (785mm), that puts me 27mm further forward, easily offsetting the extra reach.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">At the rear, the chainstay lengths are unchanged, so the distance from the bottom bracket to the rear hub is still 405mm (except the 58cm, where it&#8217;s 408mm). This is shorter than most of the competition, and lends itself to an agile ride, albeit there&#8217;s nuance to this in the bigger sizes that I&#8217;ll get to shortly.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To account for the trend towards bigger tyres (and to a point, shorter cranks), the bottom bracket drop is now 5mm bigger (thus it sits lower) on all sizes.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The rest of the differences against the OSTRO VAM are size dependent. To account for handling goals and toe overlap concerns at the smaller end of the size run, Factor has kept a similar wheelbase to the OSTRO VAM (technically it&#8217;s 3 &#8211; 4mm longer), steepened the head tube angle, and offset this by reducing the fork rake (in the 47cm frame, Factor has changed the fork rake by a quite significant 9mm).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The goal of this is that toe clearance (or the removal of toe overlap) isn&#8217;t solely achieved by slackening the head tube angle so much that it ruins handling. As such, smaller riders should get a bike that handles as well as bigger riders. I&#8217;ve been riding a 58cm so can&#8217;t verify it, but the logic holds.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To compare that again to the Tarmac \u2013 the Specialized doesn&#8217;t come in a 47, so I&#8217;ll compare the 52cm frames \u2013 the head tube angle is 73.3\u00b0 on the ONE, 0.8\u00b0 steeper than the 72.5\u00b0 of the Tarmac. However, both have 58mm of trail because the Tarmac&#8217;s fork has a 4mm greater rake (aka offset).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">All that is to say, this should make the handling of the ONE slightly sharper than an equivalent Tarmac, especially combined with 5mm shorter chainstays and a 1mm shorter wheelbase.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f1bc-90d8-11f1-9c92-2f89db96f0de\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-2250-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The seat tube angle is steeper than most, and this is further exacerbated by the 0mm offset post. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f216-90d8-11f1-b7ff-d30f8e33779a\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">At the other end of the size run, though, the increased reach has mostly carried over into the wheelbase. It&#8217;s now 16mm longer than the Ostro VAM in the 56 and 58cm frames (which I have here). That makes it more stable, but it does lose some of that agility that made the OSTRO VAM frame special.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To continue the Tarmac comparisons, the One is longer and lower (19mm more reach and 4mm lower stack in my size 58cm). The Tarmac&#8217;s head tube is marginally steeper, with a shorter trail, meaning the front end feels a little more nimble, which is no doubt also aided by the Tarmac&#8217;s lighter weight.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But added to this, the Tarmac&#8217;s chainstays are only 2mm longer (again, we&#8217;re comparing the 58cm frame), and the wheelbase is 16mm shorter. In tight corners, this definitely bears out in the Tarmac&#8217;s favour, but the ONE makes up the ground in other places.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Rounding off this comparison, since the Tarmac comes specced with a -15mm offset seatpost (you can change it) and the ONE comes with a straight post (you can also change this), I can get 42mm further forward on the ONE, which makes for a big difference in how I feel when I actually ride the bike. I can obviously also slide the saddle back to undo this, and as I&#8217;ll explain below, I tried a few different positions.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f27a-90d8-11f1-bdfc-43fb48860c62\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Before I get into that, though, let&#8217;s just talk about some of the other standout design points, because aside from all these geometry shifts, there&#8217;s some serious engineering going on here.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Primarily, that&#8217;s the way the front of the bike is put together. It uses a bayonet-style head tube (where the steerer tube doesn&#8217;t travel through the head tube, but rather in front of it and clamps top and bottom); a design popularised by the Cerv\u00e9lo S5 and also now found on the Colnago Y1Rs, but the leading edge of the ONE is insanely narrow, even by the aforementioned bikes&#8217; standards.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f2d4-90d8-11f1-b916-973afa36994e\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-2250-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The tolerances on this frame might have been a little too tight. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f338-90d8-11f1-96f3-9da4b18589cd\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The way the fork mounts into place is a little complicated, to the point that Factor has a &#8216;V2&#8217; in its manual that simplifies the original instructions.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Thankfully for the mechanics out there, no specialist tools are needed (unless you count a hollow socket, but a ring spanner works in its place).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">There&#8217;s a rather large &#8216;tension rod&#8217; that sits vertically and is tightened from the bottom to first add preload and also hold everything together. In my time with the bike, I experienced a loss of preload on multiple occasions, creating that unnerving feeling of a loose headset.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f39c-90d8-11f1-83c0-15fb3118bd7d\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-2560-80.png.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1920-80.png.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1440-80.png.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1280-80.png.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1200-80.png.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Adding and removing spacers to adjust stack height is doable without any complex cable re-routing. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f3f6-90d8-11f1-9380-0fd91bcdd0ca\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Loosening and re-tightening to add preload got me through the few months I had with the bike, but not without the final attempt shearing off part of the head of the bolt, meaning I was then unable to disassemble it for a proper fix. I&#8217;m well aware a paying customer would just take it back to a shop for a fix here, probably when the headset loosened the first time, and so a proper disassembly-reassembly would likely remove this issue entirely.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Where the ONE really changes the script, however, is where the cockpit clamps into place. Instead of mounting at the point of the steering axis, it clamps into place approximately 4cm further forward, downwards onto the top of the fork using four bolts (which are later hidden by a carbon cover).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The steering axis, and thus the &#8216;lever&#8217; you turn when steering the bike, is still normal, so handling feels familiar, but this design means less distance between your hands and where the cockpit meets the bike, which makes it much stiffer. This adds to the directness of the steering, but it has pretty dire implications for comfort, as I&#8217;ll get into later.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The rear brake hose (and Di2 cables where necessary, but my bike was wireless) routes vertically out of the top of the head tube, and is then directed around a tight corner forwards into a hole at the rear of the one-piece cockpit, before being directed left or right depending on which way round you run your brakes. The front brake hose travels entirely through the fork, and thus exits slightly further forward before being bent around another tight corner to the opposite lever.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Both of these are pretty difficult manoeuvres. That much was already clear from the state of the hoses in my test bike \u2013 they&#8217;d clearly been ravaged by pliers or mole grips to force them where they needed to go.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f45a-90d8-11f1-9216-01be2cd845f0\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-2560-80.png.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1920-80.png.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1440-80.png.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1280-80.png.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1200-80.png.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">These hoses were a bit of a pig to manouvre left and right toward their respective brake levers, and only when doing it myself did I realise why the hose outer was marked with the teeth from pliers. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f4b4-90d8-11f1-a731-fde9b8482953\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I got a taste of doing it myself when I needed to swap the bars from the size 1 (90mm stem \/ 110mm effective length) the bike was accidentally shipped with, to the size 3 (110mm stem \/ 130mm effective length) I needed, and pliers really are the only way to get the hoses to bend where they need to go. I&#8217;m just glad we&#8217;re no longer using cable-operated brakes, as this would be on par with the Venge Vias&#8217;s infamous rim brakes.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The other big design story (both literally and figuratively) is the wide fork, and despite having thousands of words on geometry already, there&#8217;s actually not a huge amount to say.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Somewhat obviously, they draw from learnings made in the Hanzo Time Trial and Track development. Specifically, learnings about tyre wake and how the disrupted airflow acts downstream, and how the fork leg spacing helps to smooth the airflow before it then goes on to hit the frame and rider&#8217;s legs.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Factor says it tested multiple fork leg spacing iterations to see which was fastest, and settled on a fork that is 114mm at its widest point; a mere millimetre under the UCI limit of 115mm.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The crown of the fork protrudes forward from the head tube to the point that it creates a little shelf. I could probably sit a small mascot on here like truck drivers who tie toys to their grill, but that would likely upset Shrive and the aero motivations for making it this way.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-1afd10a6-9251-11f1-857c-0df10ada2166\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-2560-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Those are some seriously wide fork legs. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f572-90d8-11f1-99ab-db335004dae8\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The depth of the fork blades no doubt aids the bike&#8217;s ability to &#8216;sail&#8217; in crosswinds, but what&#8217;s less discussed is that Shrive intentionally changed the shape so that the leading edge was more vertical, because that makes it more perpendicular to the airflow. Most forks sit at an angle loosely in line with the head tube angle plus a little bit of offset, but the ONE&#8217;s fork actually kicks forward at the top before coming down more vertically toward the axle. This really changes the aesthetic of the bike \u2013 and I&#8217;m still not sure I&#8217;m over that \u2013 but from an aerodynamics standpoint, it reduces the (horrible phrase alert) &#8216;wetted length&#8217;, which is the length of material in contact with the air, and improves the effectiveness of what is.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-performance\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Performance<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f630-90d8-11f1-9fab-2fb538ebb0b7\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Clearly, a lot is going on with the design of this bike, and there&#8217;s a hell of a price tag to boot, but how does it actually feel to ride, as a bicycle, on the road?<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Well, the biggest surprise to me when I first hopped onto one is that it felt\u2026 normal. Save for a headset issue on my first test bike, which essentially gave it indexed steering, the Factor One rides and handles a lot like any other race bike.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The primary affectors of how the bike rides \u2013 its geometry, its material, its touchpoints \u2013 are all fairly normal. I&#8217;ve already spent 1000+ words on the geometry so I won&#8217;t go there again, but aside from a seat tube angle that puts you further forward on the bike, and a wheelbase that&#8217;s longer, everything else is pretty much the same.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The forward-protruding fork makes the head tube angle look steep, but in this size, it&#8217;s the same as the OSTRO and 0.2\u00b0 different from the Tarmac. The trail is similar, the chainstay length is similar, the stack is similar.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So if you came here to learn if riding the Factor One was going to feel foreign compared to your current race bike, there&#8217;s a good chance that it won&#8217;t (assuming that race bike isn&#8217;t from the 1970s).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">However, before you rush off to remortgage your house, &#8216;normal&#8217; doesn&#8217;t automatically make it great. In fact, despite the price tag, there are a lot of things the Factor ONE doesn&#8217;t do very well. Whether that actually matters to you will depend on what you want from it.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">If you&#8217;re considering the Factor One as your only bike, I think you&#8217;ll grow weary very quickly. To peddle a metaphor, it&#8217;s akin to having a car designed for track meets as your daily commuter, or to borrow one from my colleague Will, using a fish filleting knife as your general-purpose knife. I will cut up a pizza, but it won&#8217;t be the best tool for that job.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The primary reason for this is that it&#8217;s ridiculously stiff. I&#8217;d love to put some numbers to this, but Factor chose not to be involved in our <u>road bike stiffness tests<\/u> earlier this year, so I&#8217;m left to infer from feeling. And the main &#8216;feeling&#8217; is a lack thereof, because every time I ride it for more than about 40 minutes, my hands go numb. This is probably partly due to my weight being further forward and thus more supported by my hands, but there&#8217;s no getting around how insanely stiff the bike &#8211; and specifically the cockpit &#8211; is.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In my entire history of riding other bikes, I can recall one instance of hitting a bump and my hands coming off the bars, causing me to almost crash. It&#8217;s happened three times on this bike. I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s a lack of attention on my part either; the jolt through the front end of the bike is so much more severe than I&#8217;m used to that smaller bumps that I&#8217;m otherwise happy to ride over are enough to dislodge my hands.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I&#8217;ve ridden the One with two different wheelsets (the &#8216;normal&#8217; Sixty Two and the Hyper Sixty Two), two cockpits (110 and 130mm), with the Black Inc stock bar tape, without bar tape at all (through necessity for one ride) and with Fizik&#8217;s Comfortfeel 3.5mm tape. The stiffness or numbness hasn&#8217;t abated in any case.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f694-90d8-11f1-8fae-aff93aa24abb\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-2560-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The cockpit is ridiculously stiff, and that has its negatives, but there are positive sides too. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f6ee-90d8-11f1-8265-3dfe99b63b88\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Of course, I&#8217;m framing it as a problem, and it must be said that the One can accept 32mm tyres, but that stiffness has its benefits too. Yanking on the bars in an ugly-face, all-out sprint, the difference is night and day compared to pretty much anything else out there. Have you ever picked up an old smartphone and wondered how the hell you ever lived with it? That&#8217;s kind of how I feel when I try to sprint on anything else now. The responsiveness in the pedals feels marginally better, but the feeling through the bars is ridiculously good.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It carries over into climbing too. The Factor ONE weighs 8.2kg in this setup (with pedals and computer, no bottles) but has the sprightly feel you get on a 6kg lightweight bike because of how the stiffness translates to the road. I doubt for a second it&#8217;s actually undoing the 1.5kg deficit it has to the O2 VAM when it comes to a hill climb, but from a pure sensations point of view, it&#8217;s a nice thing to have on a bike that can also then barrel along a flat road with ease.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">And &#8216;barrel along&#8217; it can. The ONE is a bike that enables the en vogue modern, progressive aero position, and for that I really like it. Partly because it lets me open up my hip angle and prevent pinching of my hip flexors, which has long caused me discomfort, but also because I get to ride in that racy, forward, purposeful position that has long-ago been shown to be more aero.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I&#8217;ve always been quite quad dominant in my pedalling technique too, and I feel this lets me play to that strength. This is also the first test bike I&#8217;ve had in years where I&#8217;ve not had to slam the saddle as far forward on the rails as it&#8217;ll go, and I buy into the notion that a longer front-centre reduces the over-the-bar risk, even if it&#8217;s not something I&#8217;ve ever really worried about before.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The downsides to this position mean I now have more trouble with my neck, because rotating my body forwards means my neck has to compensate in the opposite direction if I&#8217;m still to see where I&#8217;m going. I had it especially badly on the Ridley Noah Fast 3, but I seem to be in the minority in having this problem, so I&#8217;ll brush it aside as a me problem for now.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But this all leads to the ONE feeling really at home. I&#8217;m loath to say it &#8216;feels&#8217; fast, because so many other factors could come into play on any given day and we have the wind tunnel data to prove that it is \u2013 keep reading for that \u2013 but it &#8216;feels&#8217; happy. The longer wheelbase adds high-speed stability, and where I found the Ridley Noah was buffeted by the wind quite easily with its deep wheels and mega head tube, the Factor is stable and surefooted. The switch to the Hyper wheels adds a slight twitchiness to the front end by dint of its reduced weight, but with either wheelset fitted, the bike was quite content ticking along at speed, even when the going got a bit blustery. And once I&#8217;d put the longer-reach cockpit on, I could sit in a nice long, low, narrow position and tick at speed nicely.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">When the going gets twisty, however, I can&#8217;t help but shake the feeling that the handling is actually comparatively slow in comparison to the Ostro Vam, Tarmac SL8 and SL9. I&#8217;d add the Noah Fast 3.0 to that mix too, but the Noah Fast I&#8217;ve ridden was a smaller frame size, so it&#8217;s not a perfectly apples-to-apples comparison &#8211; not least since the Ridley geo is even longer and lower than this, with a slacker seat tube angle.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f752-90d8-11f1-a79d-99ea42ca13bf\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The extremely stiff cockpit kind of helps to offset this and give the impression of precision, and it goes extremely well on fast, sweeping descents where the roads are smooth because the front triangle flex that can cause vagueness under high load \u2013 like you get on the Y1Rs \u2013 isn&#8217;t an issue here. But on tighter corners and hairpins, I&#8217;d often miss the apex. Overall, I just struggled to develop the intuition for how the bike would handle like I could on the OSTRO VAM, or like I can on the SL9. This is exacerbated when the road surface gets a little rougher, as is common here in the UK, as every bump is felt through the hands, making steering inputs more difficult.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Of course, I&#8217;m splitting hairs here, but it sort of bears out in the geometry charts in my frame size too. I think riders on smaller frames will probably feel differently, because in that comparison against other race bikes, the ONE&#8217;s gets a steeper head tube and pairs it with a short wheelbase, but in my size, it&#8217;s a different proposition with a longer wheelbase and no meaningful change to head tube angle and trail. Thanks to the position change, there&#8217;s perhaps a little too much weight through my hands too. It&#8217;s not a dealbreaker though. As I say, I&#8217;m splitting hairs and comparing an elite bike against other elite bikes, and it&#8217;s perhaps something that I could reduce by playing around with more tyre sizes, different cockpits shifting my weight balance around to find a sweet spot.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-aero-performance-wind-tunnel-test-data\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Aero performance &#8211; wind tunnel test data<\/span><\/h3>\n\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f86a-90d8-11f1-aa4d-03e37d6f5870\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><em>Cyclingnews<\/em> subscribers will already be familiar with this, but the ONE can lay claim to the title of being the fastest bike we&#8217;ve ever tested in the wind tunnel, both with and without a rider. That&#8217;s against a cohort of over 30 high-end road race bikes, and includes pretty much all the big players from Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, Colnago, Cervelo and more.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The graph above shows the CdA (the measurement of how aerodynamic something is) at seven different wind angles, with 0\u00b0 at the centre being a direct headwind, and a lower measurement being better or more aerodynamic.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The Factor One is highlighted, and it&#8217;s clear that its aero credentials come to the fore as the wind angle increases.<\/p>\n\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f928-90d8-11f1-aab6-edc71e754e95\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Using the CdA from each of those wind angles and averaging them out, we then calculate the number of watts needed to overcome the aerodynamic drag of both the Factor One and dozens of other bikes that have been through the same test.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">We use an old, basic bike as the comparison, and can see that the Factor One tops the list, saving 40.28 watts. Perhaps more usefully, it&#8217;s two watts more aerodynamic (at 40km\/h) than the next best bike.<\/p>\n\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f9f0-90d8-11f1-a58d-cfc1c6a5f38f\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">With a rider on the bike, things shift a little, but the Factor is still within 0.04w of the top spot, which is well within the error margin of the test. In this test, it was 27.53W more aero than our baseline bike with a rider, and 7.9W more aero than the Tarmac SL8 (we&#8217;re yet to test the SL9).<\/p>\n\n<p id=\"elk-2e80faa4-90d8-11f1-ac82-5b0e85ddb2b3\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">And in our third aero test, we swapped out the stock wheels for a &#8216;control&#8217; wheel &#8211; the Enve SES 6.7.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">This allows us to see how each bike compares with the exact same wheel-tyre combo, isolating the aero differences to the frame, fork, handlebar and so on.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In that test, we once again have Factor atop the tree with a sizeable step to the next best on test.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80fb08-90d8-11f1-ae19-cd17ff9b417d\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To read the full breakdown, head to our <strong>wind tunnel aero bikes shootout<\/strong> or our <strong>Factor One wind tunnel deep-dive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-value\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Value<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80fbc6-90d8-11f1-a6ca-a720f2623bc4\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The price of this build is \u00a314,588, or $15,788. Minus \u00a31000 or $1100 for the &#8216;standard&#8217; Black Inc Sixty Two wheelset.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That&#8217;s \u00a390 cheaper (or oddly, $288 more expensive) than a Colnago Y1Rs specced with the same groupset and a similar wheelset upgrade (Enve 4.5 SES wheels). But it&#8217;s also \u00a32,589 more than an off-the-peg S-Works Tarmac SL9.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To contextualise just how much money the Factor One will cost, here&#8217;s a look at what else you could buy. You could buy a Tarmac SL8 Expert &#8211; Ultegra Di2 (\u00a35,499), a Crux 5 Expert Force XPLR (\u00a35999) and an Epic Hardtail (Comp, S-1000 AXS and Sid SL)<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Alternatively, if you wanted a top-tier race product, you could buy a Canyon Aeroad CFR (\u00a38029) and still have enough to buy that aforementioned brand new Crux 5.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Or to put another spin on it, if you&#8217;re buying it because you want to get better at racing, you could buy that aforementioned Canyon Aeroad CFR, and then spend \u00a3300 a month on a support network of various coaches for 21 months to help you find significantly more than the few watts you&#8217;re saving here.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-verdict\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Verdict<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80fc84-90d8-11f1-a477-6b1456614d64\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The Factor One is a singularly minded, out-and-out race bike, and for that type of riding it&#8217;s really good, but it&#8217;s an incredibly expensive tool for a specific purpose, not a versatile bike. It&#8217;s the drywall screwdriver in the toolkit; brilliant at its job, and technically capable as an impact driver, but it&#8217;d soon get tiresome.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The handling might not feel quite as sharp as the OSTRO did, but it&#8217;s still really fun to ride when you&#8217;re trying to go fast. Racing, KOM hunting, or simply chasing your mates on it is a hoot, and the geometry allows that &#8216;modern&#8217; position. It&#8217;s longer, lower, but with a steepness to the seat tube that doesn&#8217;t just stretch me out, instead letting me really get over the bottom bracket, drop my elbows and ride it hard.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As a result, it&#8217;s a bike that holds pace on the flat as well as anything else out there, and the stiffness means sprinting is also better than anything else out there.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But the big takeaway is that it&#8217;s so stiff that riding it every day becomes tiresome. Even after adding plush bar tape and swapping to my favourite saddle, I feel battered if I go for more than a couple of hours, not to mention my numb hands and pothole incidents.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As such, this is more a race tool than an everyday machine. And that throws up another issue in that it has such a divisive aesthetic that plenty of its potential buyers wouldn&#8217;t actually feel comfortable turning up to their local race on one.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The ability to get into the modern position is really good. But the Noah Fast offers this too.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It&#8217;s not a bike I&#8217;d overall recommend, unless for a very specific purpose.<\/p>\n<div class=\"slice-container table-wrapper slice-container-table kiosq-b\" data-component-name=\"Slice:Table\" id=\"elk-2e80fcde-90d8-11f1-8e33-ab3474660837\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"table__instruction\">\nSwipe to scroll horizontally<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"table__container\">\n<table class=\"table__wrapper table__wrapper--inbodyContent table__wrapper--sticky table__wrapper--divider\">\n<caption class=\"table__caption table__caption--top table__caption--left\">\nTesting scorecard and notes<br \/>\n<\/caption>\n<tbody class=\"table__body\">\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Design and aesthetics<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Aesthetically, I don&#8217;t love it, but I do really appreciate the design and engineering that went into bringing it to life. It&#8217;s a significant rethink on the making of a race bike.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>8\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Weight<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>8.2kg is reasonable for a bike with such aero-first credentials, but it&#8217;s beaten by its closest competitors such as the Cervelo S5.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>8\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Aero<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Can lay claim to being the fastest bike we&#8217;ve tested in all configurations, with a significant step above 2nd place in bike-only configurations.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>10\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Ride performance<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>A mixed bag. It&#8217;s excellent at holding speed on flat roads, and it&#8217;s a gamechanger when sprinting, but it&#8217;s brutally uncomfortable, making it a raceday tool rather than an enjoyable bike to own. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>8\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Value<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>\u00a314k for a bike that offers very little versatility can&#8217;t score highly. Its only saving grace is that similarly out-there bikes like the Y1Rs are priced to match.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>3\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p><strong>Overall<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\"><span class=\"sr-only\">Row 5 &#8211; Cell 1 <\/span><\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p><strong>37\/50 (74%)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block mb-5\" id=\"articleTag\" data-component-name=\"PostArticleLinks\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"post-article-links\">\n<div class=\"border-b border-b-black border-solid py-2.5 text-black font-bold uppercase\">TOPICS<\/div>\n<nav class=\"py-2.5 flex gap-2.5 flex-wrap\" data-analytics-id=\"article-tag\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-tag\">\n<p>Tech<\/p>\n<p>Road<\/p>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"slice-container-authorBio-28biEfdaXkWccGzdiAnsHA\" class=\"slice-container slice-author-bio authorBio-28biEfdaXkWccGzdiAnsHA slice-container-authorBio\">\n<div class=\"author author__default-layout author--separator author--collapsible\" data-hydrate=\"true\">\n<div class=\"author__header\">\n<div class=\"author__avatar-block\">\n<figure class=\"image-wrapped__wrapper\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"false\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapped__widthsetter\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapped__aspect-padding\">\n<div><source class=\"author__avatar image-wrapped__image image__image\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V3GXEP85KSp9eSMY5JsYqd-140-80.jpg.webp 140w\" sizes=\"99vw\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V3GXEP85KSp9eSMY5JsYqd.jpg\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V3GXEP85KSp9eSMY5JsYqd.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V3GXEP85KSp9eSMY5JsYqd.jpg\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__heading\">\n<div class=\"author__name\">Josh Croxton<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__social\">\n<nav class=\"button-social-group author__social-buttons\" aria-labelledby=\"button-social-group- author__social-buttons\">\n<div id=\"button-social-group- author__social-buttons\">Social Links Navigation<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__role\">Associate Editor (Tech)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__bio-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"author__biography\">\n<p>Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews \u2013 leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he&#8217;s covered everything from buyer&#8217;s guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews. <\/p>\n<p>On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, &#8216;cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"relative max-w-[1070px] viafoura-twig-component mt-6 mx-4 lg:mx-0\" data-component-name=\"Viafoura:Comments\" data-nosnippet data-community-guidelines-text=\"&lt;p class=&apos;vfcustom-community-guidelines&apos;&gt;Please follow our &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/about\/#section-community-guidelines&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;community guidelines&lt;\/a&gt;.&lt;\/p&gt;\" data-join-the-conversation-text=\"Join the Conversation\">\n<div class=\"absolute top-0 left-0 w-full h-full flex items-center justify-center z-50 bg-white\/90 border-1 rounded-b-[var(--comment-widget-border-radius,0)]\">\n<div class=\"p-2 text-center\">\n<p class=\"mb-3 text-lg!\">You must confirm your public display name before commenting<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3 text-sm!\">Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"widgetArea17\" class=\"widget-area md:basis-1\/3 widget-area-g-md-vp-1-3 widget-area-g-lg-vp-1-3 widget-area-g-xl-vp-1-3 page-widget-area-17\">\n<div data-widget-type=\"dynamic\" id=\"popular-data\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-dynamic widget-popular-data widget-dynamic-popular-data widget-dynamic-fter-popular-box\">\n<div class=\"wdn-fte-pb pos-relative space-t20\n\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"slice-container popular-box-slice\">\n<section class=\"popular-box\" data-component-name=\"Slice:PopularBox\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__label\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__label__tab popular-box__label__tab--active\" role=\"heading\">\nLATEST ARTICLES\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ol class=\"popular-box__articles-list popular-box__articles-list--active\">\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__image-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-720-80.jpg.webp 720w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-640-80.jpg.webp 640w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"99vw\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">1<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">\n<p>Factor One review: A member-exclusive deep dive into the most talked-about aero bike of the year<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">2<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">\n<p>Overcoming RED-S, inspirational Mexican debut, and a 21-year-old in the top 10 \u2013 North American roundup from the Tour de France Femmes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">3<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">\n<p>Garmin HRM 600 review: A powerhouse of a heart rate monitor, but perhaps lost on just cyclists<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">4<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">\n<p>&#8216;Really difficult to go through&#8217; \u2013 C\u00e9lia Gery&#8217;s first comments on Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney controversy at Tour de France Femmes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">5<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">\n<p>Sweet Protection Tucker III 2Vi review: Surprisingly airy and promises great aero<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"page-content-onecol flex-1\nnews-article article\n\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"widget-area-group widget-area-group-2col flex flex-wrap box-border\">\n<div id=\"widgetArea16\" class=\"widget-area basis-full md:basis-2\/3 widget-area-g-md-vp-2-3 widget-area-g-lg-vp-2-3 widget-area-g-xl-vp-2-3 page-widget-area-16\">\n<div data-widget-type=\"hero\" id=\"hero\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-hero widget-hero widget-hero-hero widget-hero widget-hero-fter-news\">\n<div class=\"news-article\">\n<header data-component-name=\"Article:Hero\">\n<nav class=\"breadcrumb\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\">\n<ol>\n<li>\nBikes\n<\/li>\n<li>\nRoad Bikes\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<h1>Factor One review: A member-exclusive deep dive into the most talked-about aero bike of the year<\/h1>\n<div class=\"kiosq-member-label\" data-component-name=\"Article:Hero:KiosqPaywallLabels\"><span class=\"kiosq-member-label-text\"><br \/>\nMEMBER EXCLUSIVE<br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"byline-social\">\n<div class=\"vds-byline-block flex flex-row flex-nowrap my-1.5 gap-2 text-left items-start justify-center mx-auto max-sm:text-center max-sm:items-center\" data-component-name=\"Article:BylineBlock\">\n<p>Features<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-auto vds-simple-byline\"><span class=\"inline-block vds-author\"><br \/>\nBy<br \/>\nJosh Croxton <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex gap-1 vds-byline-with-avatar__meta max-sm:justify-center\"><span class=\"vds-date block font-normal tracking-normal normal-case text-xs\"><br \/>\nPublished<br \/>\n<time data-component-name=\"UI:DateTime\" datetime=\"2026-08-12T15:42:33Z\" class=\"relative-date\"><br \/>\n12 August 2026<br \/>\n<\/time><\/span><span class=\"vds-read-time flex items-center gap-1 leading-none text-primary-500\"><br \/>\n24 min read<br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Empirical testing meets real world impressions as Josh tests Factor&#8217;s $15k aero superbike<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"text-gray-700 flex items-center mx-0 my-5 p-0 justify-center text-center\" id=\"affiliate-disclaimer\" data-component-name=\"AffiliateDisclaimer\">\n<p class=\"text-[color:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--text-color,inherit)] mb-2 text-[length:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--font-size,0.75rem)] leading-[18px] md:text-[13px] [&amp;&gt;a]:text-inherit [&amp;&gt;a]:underline\">\nWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here\u2019s how it works.\n<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-widget-type=\"contentparsed\" id=\"content\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-contentparsed widget-content widget-contentparsed-content widget-content-parsed widget-content-parsed-content_document \">\n<div class=\"wcp-item-content\">\n<section class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"box less-space hero-image-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"mb-0\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-2560-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1600-80.jpg.webp 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-750-80.jpg.webp 750w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"font-article-copy text-(--image--text--color) font-article-copy mt-2\"><span class=\"credit font-article-copy\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo\" class=\"contents\" data-only-inline=\"1\">\n<div class=\"visible flex flex-row flex-nowrap sticky max-lg:-ml-5 top-[var(--site-header-height,60px)] sm:top-0 z-[9994] w-screen lg:w-full h-[50px] bg-white p-0 mb-5 border-neutral-200 border border-solid\" data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo:Variants:Inline\" data-analytics-id=\"sticky-nav\" id=\"sticky-nav--inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"sticky-nav\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-row w-full h-full overflow-x-scroll overflow-y-hidden tracking-normal overscroll-x-contain\" id=\"sticky-nav__scroll-container\"><span class=\"pl-4 my-auto text-base font-semibold font-article-heading lg:pl-3 lg:text-sm whitespace-nowrap uppercase\">Jump To:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-row w-auto border-y-0\">\n<li class=\"inline-flex after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:inline-block after:relative after:h-3\/6 after:w-px after:bg-neutral-200 after:top-1\/4\nborder-b-[3px] border-b-(--jumpto-underline-color) border-solid font-semibold \" data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo:Inline:Link\">\n<p>Design and aesthetics<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"inline-flex after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:inline-block after:relative after:h-3\/6 after:w-px after:bg-neutral-200 after:top-1\/4\n\" data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo:Inline:Link\">\n<p>Performance<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"inline-flex after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:inline-block after:relative after:h-3\/6 after:w-px after:bg-neutral-200 after:top-1\/4\n\" data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo:Inline:Link\">\n<p>Wind tunnel data<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"inline-flex after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:inline-block after:relative after:h-3\/6 after:w-px after:bg-neutral-200 after:top-1\/4\n\" data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo:Inline:Link\">\n<p>Value<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"inline-flex after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:inline-block after:relative after:h-3\/6 after:w-px after:bg-neutral-200 after:top-1\/4\n\" data-component-name=\"Article:JumpTo:Inline:Link\">\n<p>Verdict<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"text-copy bodyCopy auto paywall-locker\">\n<div data-analytics-id=\"utility-bar\" id=\"utility-bar\" class=\"font-ui-heading flex justify-between 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tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<p>Follow us<\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-add-us-as-a-preferred-source-on-google\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-subscribe-to-our-newsletter\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy-box\" id=\"elk-4afb3ad2-90e2-11f1-a18f-9dafadd9057f\">\n<div class=\"fancy_box_body\">\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-2560-80.png.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-1920-80.png.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-1440-80.png.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-1280-80.png.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-1200-80.png.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/axNocuX5jokqGMaZgiPsag-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\"><strong>Verdict:<\/strong><br \/>An engineering marvel and an excellent race-focused bike that delivers impressive sprinting performance, but its extreme stiffness makes it uncomfortable for everyday riding, and its polarising aesthetics may deter some buyers. Unless you&#8217;re specifically seeking a dedicated racing tool, alternatives offer comparable performance with greater versatility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\"><strong>For:<\/strong><br \/>Extremely good when sprinting.<br \/>Best in class at facilitating the trendy &#8216;modern&#8217; road position.<br \/>Best in class aero performance in Cyclingnews wind tunnel tests<\/p>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\"><strong>Against:<\/strong><br \/>Too stiff for comfortable everyday riding.<br \/>Mega expensive for a bike with such a narrow use case.<br \/>Handling is slower than competitors. (in my size, 58cm)<\/p>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\"><strong>Score:<\/strong><br \/>74%<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy-box\" id=\"elk-a091b574-9250-11f1-80f7-9987c8f23ca5\">\n<div class=\"fancy_box-title\">Tech specs<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy_box_body\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Price: <\/strong>\u00a314,588.00 \/ $15,788<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weight: <\/strong>8.2kg with cages and sealant.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sizes: <\/strong>47, 52, 54, 56, 58 (tested)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Groupset:<\/strong> SRAM Red XPLR<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wheels:<\/strong> Black Inc 62 \/ Black Inc Hyper 62<\/li>\n<li><strong>Colours:<\/strong> Onyx Black \/ Nimbus Grey (tested) \/ Silverstone \/ Blush \/ plus limited editions<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tyre clearance:<\/strong> 34mm (tested 28mm)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gearing: <\/strong>48\/35T chainset x 10-30T cassette as tested<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80ee88-90d8-11f1-837e-03ddb5c1c7bf\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The Factor One has to be one of the most talked-about bikes to launch in years.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It first broke cover at the Criterium du Dauphin\u00e9 in 2025, and very quickly broke our small corner of the internet with its wild time-trial-esque design, extremely wide fork and chainstays, and bayonet fork with razor-thin leading edge.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80ee88-90d8-11f1-837e-03ddb5c1c7bf-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Less than a day later, it looked as though it was going to be banned by the UCI, who announced a rule governing how wide forks and chainstays could be, but I later learned that Factor knew about the impending rule change and designed the bike right up to the legal limit.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It won a stage of the Dauphin\u00e9 a few days later, and was then raced at the subsequent Tour de France by Israel-Premier Tech. And to cap it off, a pre-production prototype tested extremely well in the <em>Cyclingnews<\/em> aero bikes wind tunnel test, both with and without a rider, as you&#8217;ll see in more detail below.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Soon after, it launched officially with an emphasis on its progressive geometry. In fact, the only thing bigger than the fork clearance was head engineer Graham Shrive&#8217;s presentation on that matter. I&#8217;ll get into that later, but in simple terms the bike is designed with a modern racing position in mind; further forward, with shorter cranks, narrower bars and bigger tyres.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It also launched with claims of being faster than the Tarmac SL8 \u2013 which our own testing data agrees with but Specialized&#8217;s does not \u2013 and at a price that is sure to make most wallets wince.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In the UK, a frameset (with handlebar and seatpost) is \u00a36,920, and full builds start at \u00a311,056 (Shimano Ultegra). &#8216;Standard&#8217; builds top out at \u00a313,419.00 with Campagnolo Super Record.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I was sent the model equipped with SRAM Red to review (with power meter), priced at \u00a313,082. However, it also came with the \u00a3506 optional extra CeramicSpeed OSPW system, as well as the not-currently-specced Black Inc 62 Hyper wheels, which alone fetch \u00a33,799 (\u00a31000 more than the &#8216;standard&#8217; Sixty Two wheels).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To my maths, that makes this build \u00a314,588 (or \u00a31,000 less with the &#8216;standard&#8217; Sixty Two wheels).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-1afd0fc0-9251-11f1-a9b6-97c86599516b\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-2560-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The front end is really unusual-looking, but you have to admire the mindset to create something so different. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-design-and-aesthetics\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Design and aesthetics<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f090-90d8-11f1-aa94-af315b848777\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To begin this section, it&#8217;s pertinent to revisit the motivations that drove its creation. For years, Head Engineer Graham Shrive had wanted to design a bike that really pushed the envelope, but the brand&#8217;s founder \u2013 then CEO \u2013 Rob Gitelis didn&#8217;t think the Factor brand was ready to put something like this out into the world.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Through its sponsorship of the Australian Olympic Squad, the development of the Hanzo Track saw them unearth plenty of aero gains. Then the UCI&#8217;s rules changed in 2023 governing how the fork and down tube could be designed together. In 2024, our <u>original round of aero bike testing<\/u> proved that the Ostro VAM was not only competitive but a leader in the &#8216;superbike&#8217; space both in terms of weight and aero. With all those things combined, Gitelis decided it was time.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Concurrently, the brand was a sponsor of the Israel-Premier Tech team, who, like the rest of the pro peloton, were slowly shifting their positions to this modern consensus. Saddles were being slammed forwards to get over the bottom bracket and rotate the body to lower the front end, shorter cranks were fitted to keep the hip angle open, longer stems swapped in to accommodate the newly shortened reach, narrower bars added for aerodynamics, and tyre sizes grew for comfort, grip and rolling resistance improvements.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Shrive says this led to riders running stems that were so long that they were unsafe, and it put their centre of gravity too high and too far forward on the bike, meaning any sudden braking came with an increased risk of an over-the-bars crash.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Therefore, he designed the ONE&#8217;s geometry with this in mind, and the result is that across all sizes, the reach of the bike has grown by 20mm. In my size 58cm, that means a reach of 421mm, which is 19mm longer than an equivalent Tarmac SL9, which I have also been testing.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f0f4-90d8-11f1-b629-6567d378a81c\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-2250-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The reach is longer, but the seat tube is steeper, pushing the saddle (and thus the rider) further forward. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f158-90d8-11f1-ba6d-5b431a77fad8\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To offset the fit implications of the longer reach, the seat tube angle is now steeper. On all but the 47cm frame (where it&#8217;s 1\u00b0), the seat tube is now 2\u00b0 steeper than the OSTRO, at 75.5\u00b0. Some basic trigonometry tells me that at my saddle height (785mm), that puts me 27mm further forward, easily offsetting the extra reach.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">At the rear, the chainstay lengths are unchanged, so the distance from the bottom bracket to the rear hub is still 405mm (except the 58cm, where it&#8217;s 408mm). This is shorter than most of the competition, and lends itself to an agile ride, albeit there&#8217;s nuance to this in the bigger sizes that I&#8217;ll get to shortly.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To account for the trend towards bigger tyres (and to a point, shorter cranks), the bottom bracket drop is now 5mm bigger (thus it sits lower) on all sizes.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The rest of the differences against the OSTRO VAM are size dependent. To account for handling goals and toe overlap concerns at the smaller end of the size run, Factor has kept a similar wheelbase to the OSTRO VAM (technically it&#8217;s 3 &#8211; 4mm longer), steepened the head tube angle, and offset this by reducing the fork rake (in the 47cm frame, Factor has changed the fork rake by a quite significant 9mm).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The goal of this is that toe clearance (or the removal of toe overlap) isn&#8217;t solely achieved by slackening the head tube angle so much that it ruins handling. As such, smaller riders should get a bike that handles as well as bigger riders. I&#8217;ve been riding a 58cm so can&#8217;t verify it, but the logic holds.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To compare that again to the Tarmac \u2013 the Specialized doesn&#8217;t come in a 47, so I&#8217;ll compare the 52cm frames \u2013 the head tube angle is 73.3\u00b0 on the ONE, 0.8\u00b0 steeper than the 72.5\u00b0 of the Tarmac. However, both have 58mm of trail because the Tarmac&#8217;s fork has a 4mm greater rake (aka offset).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">All that is to say, this should make the handling of the ONE slightly sharper than an equivalent Tarmac, especially combined with 5mm shorter chainstays and a 1mm shorter wheelbase.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f1bc-90d8-11f1-9c92-2f89db96f0de\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-2250-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The seat tube angle is steeper than most, and this is further exacerbated by the 0mm offset post. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f216-90d8-11f1-b7ff-d30f8e33779a\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">At the other end of the size run, though, the increased reach has mostly carried over into the wheelbase. It&#8217;s now 16mm longer than the Ostro VAM in the 56 and 58cm frames (which I have here). That makes it more stable, but it does lose some of that agility that made the OSTRO VAM frame special.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To continue the Tarmac comparisons, the One is longer and lower (19mm more reach and 4mm lower stack in my size 58cm). The Tarmac&#8217;s head tube is marginally steeper, with a shorter trail, meaning the front end feels a little more nimble, which is no doubt also aided by the Tarmac&#8217;s lighter weight.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But added to this, the Tarmac&#8217;s chainstays are only 2mm longer (again, we&#8217;re comparing the 58cm frame), and the wheelbase is 16mm shorter. In tight corners, this definitely bears out in the Tarmac&#8217;s favour, but the ONE makes up the ground in other places.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Rounding off this comparison, since the Tarmac comes specced with a -15mm offset seatpost (you can change it) and the ONE comes with a straight post (you can also change this), I can get 42mm further forward on the ONE, which makes for a big difference in how I feel when I actually ride the bike. I can obviously also slide the saddle back to undo this, and as I&#8217;ll explain below, I tried a few different positions.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f27a-90d8-11f1-bdfc-43fb48860c62\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Before I get into that, though, let&#8217;s just talk about some of the other standout design points, because aside from all these geometry shifts, there&#8217;s some serious engineering going on here.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Primarily, that&#8217;s the way the front of the bike is put together. It uses a bayonet-style head tube (where the steerer tube doesn&#8217;t travel through the head tube, but rather in front of it and clamps top and bottom); a design popularised by the Cerv\u00e9lo S5 and also now found on the Colnago Y1Rs, but the leading edge of the ONE is insanely narrow, even by the aforementioned bikes&#8217; standards.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f2d4-90d8-11f1-b916-973afa36994e\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-2250-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The tolerances on this frame might have been a little too tight. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f338-90d8-11f1-96f3-9da4b18589cd\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The way the fork mounts into place is a little complicated, to the point that Factor has a &#8216;V2&#8217; in its manual that simplifies the original instructions.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Thankfully for the mechanics out there, no specialist tools are needed (unless you count a hollow socket, but a ring spanner works in its place).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">There&#8217;s a rather large &#8216;tension rod&#8217; that sits vertically and is tightened from the bottom to first add preload and also hold everything together. In my time with the bike, I experienced a loss of preload on multiple occasions, creating that unnerving feeling of a loose headset.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f39c-90d8-11f1-83c0-15fb3118bd7d\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-2560-80.png.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1920-80.png.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1440-80.png.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1280-80.png.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1200-80.png.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Adding and removing spacers to adjust stack height is doable without any complex cable re-routing. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f3f6-90d8-11f1-9380-0fd91bcdd0ca\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Loosening and re-tightening to add preload got me through the few months I had with the bike, but not without the final attempt shearing off part of the head of the bolt, meaning I was then unable to disassemble it for a proper fix. I&#8217;m well aware a paying customer would just take it back to a shop for a fix here, probably when the headset loosened the first time, and so a proper disassembly-reassembly would likely remove this issue entirely.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Where the ONE really changes the script, however, is where the cockpit clamps into place. Instead of mounting at the point of the steering axis, it clamps into place approximately 4cm further forward, downwards onto the top of the fork using four bolts (which are later hidden by a carbon cover).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The steering axis, and thus the &#8216;lever&#8217; you turn when steering the bike, is still normal, so handling feels familiar, but this design means less distance between your hands and where the cockpit meets the bike, which makes it much stiffer. This adds to the directness of the steering, but it has pretty dire implications for comfort, as I&#8217;ll get into later.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The rear brake hose (and Di2 cables where necessary, but my bike was wireless) routes vertically out of the top of the head tube, and is then directed around a tight corner forwards into a hole at the rear of the one-piece cockpit, before being directed left or right depending on which way round you run your brakes. The front brake hose travels entirely through the fork, and thus exits slightly further forward before being bent around another tight corner to the opposite lever.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Both of these are pretty difficult manoeuvres. That much was already clear from the state of the hoses in my test bike \u2013 they&#8217;d clearly been ravaged by pliers or mole grips to force them where they needed to go.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f45a-90d8-11f1-9216-01be2cd845f0\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-2560-80.png.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1920-80.png.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1440-80.png.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1280-80.png.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1200-80.png.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">These hoses were a bit of a pig to manouvre left and right toward their respective brake levers, and only when doing it myself did I realise why the hose outer was marked with the teeth from pliers. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f4b4-90d8-11f1-a731-fde9b8482953\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I got a taste of doing it myself when I needed to swap the bars from the size 1 (90mm stem \/ 110mm effective length) the bike was accidentally shipped with, to the size 3 (110mm stem \/ 130mm effective length) I needed, and pliers really are the only way to get the hoses to bend where they need to go. I&#8217;m just glad we&#8217;re no longer using cable-operated brakes, as this would be on par with the Venge Vias&#8217;s infamous rim brakes.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The other big design story (both literally and figuratively) is the wide fork, and despite having thousands of words on geometry already, there&#8217;s actually not a huge amount to say.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Somewhat obviously, they draw from learnings made in the Hanzo Time Trial and Track development. Specifically, learnings about tyre wake and how the disrupted airflow acts downstream, and how the fork leg spacing helps to smooth the airflow before it then goes on to hit the frame and rider&#8217;s legs.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Factor says it tested multiple fork leg spacing iterations to see which was fastest, and settled on a fork that is 114mm at its widest point; a mere millimetre under the UCI limit of 115mm.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The crown of the fork protrudes forward from the head tube to the point that it creates a little shelf. I could probably sit a small mascot on here like truck drivers who tie toys to their grill, but that would likely upset Shrive and the aero motivations for making it this way.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-1afd10a6-9251-11f1-857c-0df10ada2166\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-2560-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Those are some seriously wide fork legs. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f572-90d8-11f1-99ab-db335004dae8\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The depth of the fork blades no doubt aids the bike&#8217;s ability to &#8216;sail&#8217; in crosswinds, but what&#8217;s less discussed is that Shrive intentionally changed the shape so that the leading edge was more vertical, because that makes it more perpendicular to the airflow. Most forks sit at an angle loosely in line with the head tube angle plus a little bit of offset, but the ONE&#8217;s fork actually kicks forward at the top before coming down more vertically toward the axle. This really changes the aesthetic of the bike \u2013 and I&#8217;m still not sure I&#8217;m over that \u2013 but from an aerodynamics standpoint, it reduces the (horrible phrase alert) &#8216;wetted length&#8217;, which is the length of material in contact with the air, and improves the effectiveness of what is.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-performance\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Performance<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f630-90d8-11f1-9fab-2fb538ebb0b7\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Clearly, a lot is going on with the design of this bike, and there&#8217;s a hell of a price tag to boot, but how does it actually feel to ride, as a bicycle, on the road?<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Well, the biggest surprise to me when I first hopped onto one is that it felt\u2026 normal. Save for a headset issue on my first test bike, which essentially gave it indexed steering, the Factor One rides and handles a lot like any other race bike.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The primary affectors of how the bike rides \u2013 its geometry, its material, its touchpoints \u2013 are all fairly normal. I&#8217;ve already spent 1000+ words on the geometry so I won&#8217;t go there again, but aside from a seat tube angle that puts you further forward on the bike, and a wheelbase that&#8217;s longer, everything else is pretty much the same.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The forward-protruding fork makes the head tube angle look steep, but in this size, it&#8217;s the same as the OSTRO and 0.2\u00b0 different from the Tarmac. The trail is similar, the chainstay length is similar, the stack is similar.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So if you came here to learn if riding the Factor One was going to feel foreign compared to your current race bike, there&#8217;s a good chance that it won&#8217;t (assuming that race bike isn&#8217;t from the 1970s).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">However, before you rush off to remortgage your house, &#8216;normal&#8217; doesn&#8217;t automatically make it great. In fact, despite the price tag, there are a lot of things the Factor ONE doesn&#8217;t do very well. Whether that actually matters to you will depend on what you want from it.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">If you&#8217;re considering the Factor One as your only bike, I think you&#8217;ll grow weary very quickly. To peddle a metaphor, it&#8217;s akin to having a car designed for track meets as your daily commuter, or to borrow one from my colleague Will, using a fish filleting knife as your general-purpose knife. I will cut up a pizza, but it won&#8217;t be the best tool for that job.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The primary reason for this is that it&#8217;s ridiculously stiff. I&#8217;d love to put some numbers to this, but Factor chose not to be involved in our <u>road bike stiffness tests<\/u> earlier this year, so I&#8217;m left to infer from feeling. And the main &#8216;feeling&#8217; is a lack thereof, because every time I ride it for more than about 40 minutes, my hands go numb. This is probably partly due to my weight being further forward and thus more supported by my hands, but there&#8217;s no getting around how insanely stiff the bike &#8211; and specifically the cockpit &#8211; is.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In my entire history of riding other bikes, I can recall one instance of hitting a bump and my hands coming off the bars, causing me to almost crash. It&#8217;s happened three times on this bike. I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s a lack of attention on my part either; the jolt through the front end of the bike is so much more severe than I&#8217;m used to that smaller bumps that I&#8217;m otherwise happy to ride over are enough to dislodge my hands.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I&#8217;ve ridden the One with two different wheelsets (the &#8216;normal&#8217; Sixty Two and the Hyper Sixty Two), two cockpits (110 and 130mm), with the Black Inc stock bar tape, without bar tape at all (through necessity for one ride) and with Fizik&#8217;s Comfortfeel 3.5mm tape. The stiffness or numbness hasn&#8217;t abated in any case.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f694-90d8-11f1-8fae-aff93aa24abb\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-2560-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The cockpit is ridiculously stiff, and that has its negatives, but there are positive sides too. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f6ee-90d8-11f1-8265-3dfe99b63b88\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Of course, I&#8217;m framing it as a problem, and it must be said that the One can accept 32mm tyres, but that stiffness has its benefits too. Yanking on the bars in an ugly-face, all-out sprint, the difference is night and day compared to pretty much anything else out there. Have you ever picked up an old smartphone and wondered how the hell you ever lived with it? That&#8217;s kind of how I feel when I try to sprint on anything else now. The responsiveness in the pedals feels marginally better, but the feeling through the bars is ridiculously good.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It carries over into climbing too. The Factor ONE weighs 8.2kg in this setup (with pedals and computer, no bottles) but has the sprightly feel you get on a 6kg lightweight bike because of how the stiffness translates to the road. I doubt for a second it&#8217;s actually undoing the 1.5kg deficit it has to the O2 VAM when it comes to a hill climb, but from a pure sensations point of view, it&#8217;s a nice thing to have on a bike that can also then barrel along a flat road with ease.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">And &#8216;barrel along&#8217; it can. The ONE is a bike that enables the en vogue modern, progressive aero position, and for that I really like it. Partly because it lets me open up my hip angle and prevent pinching of my hip flexors, which has long caused me discomfort, but also because I get to ride in that racy, forward, purposeful position that has long-ago been shown to be more aero.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I&#8217;ve always been quite quad dominant in my pedalling technique too, and I feel this lets me play to that strength. This is also the first test bike I&#8217;ve had in years where I&#8217;ve not had to slam the saddle as far forward on the rails as it&#8217;ll go, and I buy into the notion that a longer front-centre reduces the over-the-bar risk, even if it&#8217;s not something I&#8217;ve ever really worried about before.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The downsides to this position mean I now have more trouble with my neck, because rotating my body forwards means my neck has to compensate in the opposite direction if I&#8217;m still to see where I&#8217;m going. I had it especially badly on the Ridley Noah Fast 3, but I seem to be in the minority in having this problem, so I&#8217;ll brush it aside as a me problem for now.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But this all leads to the ONE feeling really at home. I&#8217;m loath to say it &#8216;feels&#8217; fast, because so many other factors could come into play on any given day and we have the wind tunnel data to prove that it is \u2013 keep reading for that \u2013 but it &#8216;feels&#8217; happy. The longer wheelbase adds high-speed stability, and where I found the Ridley Noah was buffeted by the wind quite easily with its deep wheels and mega head tube, the Factor is stable and surefooted. The switch to the Hyper wheels adds a slight twitchiness to the front end by dint of its reduced weight, but with either wheelset fitted, the bike was quite content ticking along at speed, even when the going got a bit blustery. And once I&#8217;d put the longer-reach cockpit on, I could sit in a nice long, low, narrow position and tick at speed nicely.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">When the going gets twisty, however, I can&#8217;t help but shake the feeling that the handling is actually comparatively slow in comparison to the Ostro Vam, Tarmac SL8 and SL9. I&#8217;d add the Noah Fast 3.0 to that mix too, but the Noah Fast I&#8217;ve ridden was a smaller frame size, so it&#8217;s not a perfectly apples-to-apples comparison &#8211; not least since the Ridley geo is even longer and lower than this, with a slacker seat tube angle.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f752-90d8-11f1-a79d-99ea42ca13bf\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The extremely stiff cockpit kind of helps to offset this and give the impression of precision, and it goes extremely well on fast, sweeping descents where the roads are smooth because the front triangle flex that can cause vagueness under high load \u2013 like you get on the Y1Rs \u2013 isn&#8217;t an issue here. But on tighter corners and hairpins, I&#8217;d often miss the apex. Overall, I just struggled to develop the intuition for how the bike would handle like I could on the OSTRO VAM, or like I can on the SL9. This is exacerbated when the road surface gets a little rougher, as is common here in the UK, as every bump is felt through the hands, making steering inputs more difficult.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Of course, I&#8217;m splitting hairs here, but it sort of bears out in the geometry charts in my frame size too. I think riders on smaller frames will probably feel differently, because in that comparison against other race bikes, the ONE&#8217;s gets a steeper head tube and pairs it with a short wheelbase, but in my size, it&#8217;s a different proposition with a longer wheelbase and no meaningful change to head tube angle and trail. Thanks to the position change, there&#8217;s perhaps a little too much weight through my hands too. It&#8217;s not a dealbreaker though. As I say, I&#8217;m splitting hairs and comparing an elite bike against other elite bikes, and it&#8217;s perhaps something that I could reduce by playing around with more tyre sizes, different cockpits shifting my weight balance around to find a sweet spot.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-aero-performance-wind-tunnel-test-data\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Aero performance &#8211; wind tunnel test data<\/span><\/h3>\n\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f86a-90d8-11f1-aa4d-03e37d6f5870\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><em>Cyclingnews<\/em> subscribers will already be familiar with this, but the ONE can lay claim to the title of being the fastest bike we&#8217;ve ever tested in the wind tunnel, both with and without a rider. That&#8217;s against a cohort of over 30 high-end road race bikes, and includes pretty much all the big players from Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, Colnago, Cervelo and more.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The graph above shows the CdA (the measurement of how aerodynamic something is) at seven different wind angles, with 0\u00b0 at the centre being a direct headwind, and a lower measurement being better or more aerodynamic.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The Factor One is highlighted, and it&#8217;s clear that its aero credentials come to the fore as the wind angle increases.<\/p>\n\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f928-90d8-11f1-aab6-edc71e754e95\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Using the CdA from each of those wind angles and averaging them out, we then calculate the number of watts needed to overcome the aerodynamic drag of both the Factor One and dozens of other bikes that have been through the same test.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">We use an old, basic bike as the comparison, and can see that the Factor One tops the list, saving 40.28 watts. Perhaps more usefully, it&#8217;s two watts more aerodynamic (at 40km\/h) than the next best bike.<\/p>\n\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f9f0-90d8-11f1-a58d-cfc1c6a5f38f\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">With a rider on the bike, things shift a little, but the Factor is still within 0.04w of the top spot, which is well within the error margin of the test. In this test, it was 27.53W more aero than our baseline bike with a rider, and 7.9W more aero than the Tarmac SL8 (we&#8217;re yet to test the SL9).<\/p>\n\n<p id=\"elk-2e80faa4-90d8-11f1-ac82-5b0e85ddb2b3\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">And in our third aero test, we swapped out the stock wheels for a &#8216;control&#8217; wheel &#8211; the Enve SES 6.7.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">This allows us to see how each bike compares with the exact same wheel-tyre combo, isolating the aero differences to the frame, fork, handlebar and so on.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In that test, we once again have Factor atop the tree with a sizeable step to the next best on test.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80fb08-90d8-11f1-ae19-cd17ff9b417d\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To read the full breakdown, head to our <strong>wind tunnel aero bikes shootout<\/strong> or our <strong>Factor One wind tunnel deep-dive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-value\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Value<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80fbc6-90d8-11f1-a6ca-a720f2623bc4\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The price of this build is \u00a314,588, or $15,788. Minus \u00a31000 or $1100 for the &#8216;standard&#8217; Black Inc Sixty Two wheelset.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That&#8217;s \u00a390 cheaper (or oddly, $288 more expensive) than a Colnago Y1Rs specced with the same groupset and a similar wheelset upgrade (Enve 4.5 SES wheels). But it&#8217;s also \u00a32,589 more than an off-the-peg S-Works Tarmac SL9.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To contextualise just how much money the Factor One will cost, here&#8217;s a look at what else you could buy. You could buy a Tarmac SL8 Expert &#8211; Ultegra Di2 (\u00a35,499), a Crux 5 Expert Force XPLR (\u00a35999) and an Epic Hardtail (Comp, S-1000 AXS and Sid SL)<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Alternatively, if you wanted a top-tier race product, you could buy a Canyon Aeroad CFR (\u00a38029) and still have enough to buy that aforementioned brand new Crux 5.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Or to put another spin on it, if you&#8217;re buying it because you want to get better at racing, you could buy that aforementioned Canyon Aeroad CFR, and then spend \u00a3300 a month on a support network of various coaches for 21 months to help you find significantly more than the few watts you&#8217;re saving here.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-verdict\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Verdict<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80fc84-90d8-11f1-a477-6b1456614d64\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The Factor One is a singularly minded, out-and-out race bike, and for that type of riding it&#8217;s really good, but it&#8217;s an incredibly expensive tool for a specific purpose, not a versatile bike. It&#8217;s the drywall screwdriver in the toolkit; brilliant at its job, and technically capable as an impact driver, but it&#8217;d soon get tiresome.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The handling might not feel quite as sharp as the OSTRO did, but it&#8217;s still really fun to ride when you&#8217;re trying to go fast. Racing, KOM hunting, or simply chasing your mates on it is a hoot, and the geometry allows that &#8216;modern&#8217; position. It&#8217;s longer, lower, but with a steepness to the seat tube that doesn&#8217;t just stretch me out, instead letting me really get over the bottom bracket, drop my elbows and ride it hard.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As a result, it&#8217;s a bike that holds pace on the flat as well as anything else out there, and the stiffness means sprinting is also better than anything else out there.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But the big takeaway is that it&#8217;s so stiff that riding it every day becomes tiresome. Even after adding plush bar tape and swapping to my favourite saddle, I feel battered if I go for more than a couple of hours, not to mention my numb hands and pothole incidents.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As such, this is more a race tool than an everyday machine. And that throws up another issue in that it has such a divisive aesthetic that plenty of its potential buyers wouldn&#8217;t actually feel comfortable turning up to their local race on one.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The ability to get into the modern position is really good. But the Noah Fast offers this too.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It&#8217;s not a bike I&#8217;d overall recommend, unless for a very specific purpose.<\/p>\n<div class=\"slice-container table-wrapper slice-container-table kiosq-b\" data-component-name=\"Slice:Table\" id=\"elk-2e80fcde-90d8-11f1-8e33-ab3474660837\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"table__instruction\">\nSwipe to scroll horizontally<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"table__container\">\n<table class=\"table__wrapper table__wrapper--inbodyContent table__wrapper--sticky table__wrapper--divider\">\n<caption class=\"table__caption table__caption--top table__caption--left\">\nTesting scorecard and notes<br \/>\n<\/caption>\n<tbody class=\"table__body\">\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Design and aesthetics<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Aesthetically, I don&#8217;t love it, but I do really appreciate the design and engineering that went into bringing it to life. It&#8217;s a significant rethink on the making of a race bike.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>8\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Weight<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>8.2kg is reasonable for a bike with such aero-first credentials, but it&#8217;s beaten by its closest competitors such as the Cervelo S5.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>8\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Aero<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Can lay claim to being the fastest bike we&#8217;ve tested in all configurations, with a significant step above 2nd place in bike-only configurations.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>10\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Ride performance<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>A mixed bag. It&#8217;s excellent at holding speed on flat roads, and it&#8217;s a gamechanger when sprinting, but it&#8217;s brutally uncomfortable, making it a raceday tool rather than an enjoyable bike to own. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>8\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Value<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>\u00a314k for a bike that offers very little versatility can&#8217;t score highly. Its only saving grace is that similarly out-there bikes like the Y1Rs are priced to match.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>3\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p><strong>Overall<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\"><span class=\"sr-only\">Row 5 &#8211; Cell 1 <\/span><\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p><strong>37\/50 (74%)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block mb-5\" id=\"articleTag\" data-component-name=\"PostArticleLinks\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"post-article-links\">\n<div class=\"border-b border-b-black border-solid py-2.5 text-black font-bold uppercase\">TOPICS<\/div>\n<nav class=\"py-2.5 flex gap-2.5 flex-wrap\" data-analytics-id=\"article-tag\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-tag\">\n<p>Tech<\/p>\n<p>Road<\/p>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"slice-container-authorBio-28biEfdaXkWccGzdiAnsHA\" class=\"slice-container slice-author-bio authorBio-28biEfdaXkWccGzdiAnsHA slice-container-authorBio\">\n<div class=\"author author__default-layout author--separator author--collapsible\" data-hydrate=\"true\">\n<div class=\"author__header\">\n<div class=\"author__avatar-block\">\n<figure class=\"image-wrapped__wrapper\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"false\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapped__widthsetter\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapped__aspect-padding\">\n<div><source class=\"author__avatar image-wrapped__image image__image\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V3GXEP85KSp9eSMY5JsYqd-140-80.jpg.webp 140w\" sizes=\"99vw\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V3GXEP85KSp9eSMY5JsYqd.jpg\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V3GXEP85KSp9eSMY5JsYqd.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V3GXEP85KSp9eSMY5JsYqd.jpg\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__heading\">\n<div class=\"author__name\">Josh Croxton<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__social\">\n<nav class=\"button-social-group author__social-buttons\" aria-labelledby=\"button-social-group- author__social-buttons\">\n<div id=\"button-social-group- author__social-buttons\">Social Links Navigation<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__role\">Associate Editor (Tech)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__bio-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"author__biography\">\n<p>Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews \u2013 leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he&#8217;s covered everything from buyer&#8217;s guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews. <\/p>\n<p>On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, &#8216;cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"relative max-w-[1070px] viafoura-twig-component mt-6 mx-4 lg:mx-0\" data-component-name=\"Viafoura:Comments\" data-nosnippet data-community-guidelines-text=\"&lt;p class=&apos;vfcustom-community-guidelines&apos;&gt;Please follow our &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/about\/#section-community-guidelines&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;community guidelines&lt;\/a&gt;.&lt;\/p&gt;\" data-join-the-conversation-text=\"Join the Conversation\">\n<div class=\"absolute top-0 left-0 w-full h-full flex items-center justify-center z-50 bg-white\/90 border-1 rounded-b-[var(--comment-widget-border-radius,0)]\">\n<div class=\"p-2 text-center\">\n<p class=\"mb-3 text-lg!\">You must confirm your public display name before commenting<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3 text-sm!\">Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"widgetArea17\" class=\"widget-area md:basis-1\/3 widget-area-g-md-vp-1-3 widget-area-g-lg-vp-1-3 widget-area-g-xl-vp-1-3 page-widget-area-17\">\n<div data-widget-type=\"dynamic\" id=\"popular-data\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-dynamic widget-popular-data widget-dynamic-popular-data widget-dynamic-fter-popular-box\">\n<div class=\"wdn-fte-pb pos-relative space-t20\n\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"slice-container popular-box-slice\">\n<section class=\"popular-box\" data-component-name=\"Slice:PopularBox\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__label\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__label__tab popular-box__label__tab--active\" role=\"heading\">\nLATEST ARTICLES\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ol class=\"popular-box__articles-list popular-box__articles-list--active\">\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__image-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-720-80.jpg.webp 720w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-640-80.jpg.webp 640w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"99vw\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">1<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">\n<p>Factor One review: A member-exclusive deep dive into the most talked-about aero bike of the year<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">2<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">\n<p>Overcoming RED-S, inspirational Mexican debut, and a 21-year-old in the top 10 \u2013 North American roundup from the Tour de France Femmes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">3<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">\n<p>Garmin HRM 600 review: A powerhouse of a heart rate monitor, but perhaps lost on just cyclists<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">4<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">\n<p>&#8216;Really difficult to go through&#8217; \u2013 C\u00e9lia Gery&#8217;s first comments on Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney controversy at Tour de France Femmes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">5<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">\n<p>Sweet Protection Tucker III 2Vi review: Surprisingly airy and promises great aero<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"news-article\">\n<header data-component-name=\"Article:Hero\">\n<nav class=\"breadcrumb\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\">\n<ol>\n<li>\nBikes\n<\/li>\n<li>\nRoad Bikes\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<h1>Factor One review: A member-exclusive deep dive into the most talked-about aero bike of the year<\/h1>\n<div class=\"kiosq-member-label\" data-component-name=\"Article:Hero:KiosqPaywallLabels\"><span class=\"kiosq-member-label-text\"><br \/>\nMEMBER EXCLUSIVE<br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"byline-social\">\n<div class=\"vds-byline-block flex flex-row flex-nowrap my-1.5 gap-2 text-left items-start justify-center mx-auto max-sm:text-center max-sm:items-center\" data-component-name=\"Article:BylineBlock\">\n<p>Features<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-auto vds-simple-byline\"><span class=\"inline-block vds-author\"><br \/>\nBy<br \/>\nJosh Croxton <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex gap-1 vds-byline-with-avatar__meta max-sm:justify-center\"><span class=\"vds-date block font-normal tracking-normal normal-case text-xs\"><br \/>\nPublished<br \/>\n<time data-component-name=\"UI:DateTime\" datetime=\"2026-08-12T15:42:33Z\" class=\"relative-date\"><br \/>\n12 August 2026<br \/>\n<\/time><\/span><span class=\"vds-read-time flex items-center gap-1 leading-none text-primary-500\"><br \/>\n24 min read<br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Empirical testing meets real world impressions as Josh tests Factor&#8217;s $15k aero superbike<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"text-gray-700 flex items-center mx-0 my-5 p-0 justify-center text-center\" id=\"affiliate-disclaimer\" data-component-name=\"AffiliateDisclaimer\">\n<p class=\"text-[color:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--text-color,inherit)] mb-2 text-[length:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--font-size,0.75rem)] leading-[18px] md:text-[13px] [&amp;&gt;a]:text-inherit [&amp;&gt;a]:underline\">\nWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. 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Unless you&#8217;re specifically seeking a dedicated racing tool, alternatives offer comparable performance with greater versatility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\"><strong>For:<\/strong><br \/>Extremely good when sprinting.<br \/>Best in class at facilitating the trendy &#8216;modern&#8217; road position.<br \/>Best in class aero performance in Cyclingnews wind tunnel tests<\/p>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\"><strong>Against:<\/strong><br \/>Too stiff for comfortable everyday riding.<br \/>Mega expensive for a bike with such a narrow use case.<br \/>Handling is slower than competitors. (in my size, 58cm)<\/p>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\"><strong>Score:<\/strong><br \/>74%<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy-box\" id=\"elk-a091b574-9250-11f1-80f7-9987c8f23ca5\">\n<div class=\"fancy_box-title\">Tech specs<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy_box_body\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Price: <\/strong>\u00a314,588.00 \/ $15,788<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weight: <\/strong>8.2kg with cages and sealant.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sizes: <\/strong>47, 52, 54, 56, 58 (tested)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Groupset:<\/strong> SRAM Red XPLR<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wheels:<\/strong> Black Inc 62 \/ Black Inc Hyper 62<\/li>\n<li><strong>Colours:<\/strong> Onyx Black \/ Nimbus Grey (tested) \/ Silverstone \/ Blush \/ plus limited editions<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tyre clearance:<\/strong> 34mm (tested 28mm)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gearing: <\/strong>48\/35T chainset x 10-30T cassette as tested<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80ee88-90d8-11f1-837e-03ddb5c1c7bf\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The Factor One has to be one of the most talked-about bikes to launch in years.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It first broke cover at the Criterium du Dauphin\u00e9 in 2025, and very quickly broke our small corner of the internet with its wild time-trial-esque design, extremely wide fork and chainstays, and bayonet fork with razor-thin leading edge.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80ee88-90d8-11f1-837e-03ddb5c1c7bf-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Less than a day later, it looked as though it was going to be banned by the UCI, who announced a rule governing how wide forks and chainstays could be, but I later learned that Factor knew about the impending rule change and designed the bike right up to the legal limit.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It won a stage of the Dauphin\u00e9 a few days later, and was then raced at the subsequent Tour de France by Israel-Premier Tech. And to cap it off, a pre-production prototype tested extremely well in the <em>Cyclingnews<\/em> aero bikes wind tunnel test, both with and without a rider, as you&#8217;ll see in more detail below.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Soon after, it launched officially with an emphasis on its progressive geometry. In fact, the only thing bigger than the fork clearance was head engineer Graham Shrive&#8217;s presentation on that matter. I&#8217;ll get into that later, but in simple terms the bike is designed with a modern racing position in mind; further forward, with shorter cranks, narrower bars and bigger tyres.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It also launched with claims of being faster than the Tarmac SL8 \u2013 which our own testing data agrees with but Specialized&#8217;s does not \u2013 and at a price that is sure to make most wallets wince.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In the UK, a frameset (with handlebar and seatpost) is \u00a36,920, and full builds start at \u00a311,056 (Shimano Ultegra). &#8216;Standard&#8217; builds top out at \u00a313,419.00 with Campagnolo Super Record.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I was sent the model equipped with SRAM Red to review (with power meter), priced at \u00a313,082. However, it also came with the \u00a3506 optional extra CeramicSpeed OSPW system, as well as the not-currently-specced Black Inc 62 Hyper wheels, which alone fetch \u00a33,799 (\u00a31000 more than the &#8216;standard&#8217; Sixty Two wheels).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To my maths, that makes this build \u00a314,588 (or \u00a31,000 less with the &#8216;standard&#8217; Sixty Two wheels).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-1afd0fc0-9251-11f1-a9b6-97c86599516b\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-2560-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/kaBniUdMm36zYUJ6JrmiJJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The front end is really unusual-looking, but you have to admire the mindset to create something so different. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-design-and-aesthetics\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Design and aesthetics<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f090-90d8-11f1-aa94-af315b848777\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To begin this section, it&#8217;s pertinent to revisit the motivations that drove its creation. For years, Head Engineer Graham Shrive had wanted to design a bike that really pushed the envelope, but the brand&#8217;s founder \u2013 then CEO \u2013 Rob Gitelis didn&#8217;t think the Factor brand was ready to put something like this out into the world.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Through its sponsorship of the Australian Olympic Squad, the development of the Hanzo Track saw them unearth plenty of aero gains. Then the UCI&#8217;s rules changed in 2023 governing how the fork and down tube could be designed together. In 2024, our <u>original round of aero bike testing<\/u> proved that the Ostro VAM was not only competitive but a leader in the &#8216;superbike&#8217; space both in terms of weight and aero. With all those things combined, Gitelis decided it was time.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Concurrently, the brand was a sponsor of the Israel-Premier Tech team, who, like the rest of the pro peloton, were slowly shifting their positions to this modern consensus. Saddles were being slammed forwards to get over the bottom bracket and rotate the body to lower the front end, shorter cranks were fitted to keep the hip angle open, longer stems swapped in to accommodate the newly shortened reach, narrower bars added for aerodynamics, and tyre sizes grew for comfort, grip and rolling resistance improvements.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Shrive says this led to riders running stems that were so long that they were unsafe, and it put their centre of gravity too high and too far forward on the bike, meaning any sudden braking came with an increased risk of an over-the-bars crash.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Therefore, he designed the ONE&#8217;s geometry with this in mind, and the result is that across all sizes, the reach of the bike has grown by 20mm. In my size 58cm, that means a reach of 421mm, which is 19mm longer than an equivalent Tarmac SL9, which I have also been testing.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f0f4-90d8-11f1-b629-6567d378a81c\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-2250-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jW7HVhqJQtHQbSqjfzZFRJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The reach is longer, but the seat tube is steeper, pushing the saddle (and thus the rider) further forward. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f158-90d8-11f1-ba6d-5b431a77fad8\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To offset the fit implications of the longer reach, the seat tube angle is now steeper. On all but the 47cm frame (where it&#8217;s 1\u00b0), the seat tube is now 2\u00b0 steeper than the OSTRO, at 75.5\u00b0. Some basic trigonometry tells me that at my saddle height (785mm), that puts me 27mm further forward, easily offsetting the extra reach.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">At the rear, the chainstay lengths are unchanged, so the distance from the bottom bracket to the rear hub is still 405mm (except the 58cm, where it&#8217;s 408mm). This is shorter than most of the competition, and lends itself to an agile ride, albeit there&#8217;s nuance to this in the bigger sizes that I&#8217;ll get to shortly.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To account for the trend towards bigger tyres (and to a point, shorter cranks), the bottom bracket drop is now 5mm bigger (thus it sits lower) on all sizes.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The rest of the differences against the OSTRO VAM are size dependent. To account for handling goals and toe overlap concerns at the smaller end of the size run, Factor has kept a similar wheelbase to the OSTRO VAM (technically it&#8217;s 3 &#8211; 4mm longer), steepened the head tube angle, and offset this by reducing the fork rake (in the 47cm frame, Factor has changed the fork rake by a quite significant 9mm).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The goal of this is that toe clearance (or the removal of toe overlap) isn&#8217;t solely achieved by slackening the head tube angle so much that it ruins handling. As such, smaller riders should get a bike that handles as well as bigger riders. I&#8217;ve been riding a 58cm so can&#8217;t verify it, but the logic holds.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To compare that again to the Tarmac \u2013 the Specialized doesn&#8217;t come in a 47, so I&#8217;ll compare the 52cm frames \u2013 the head tube angle is 73.3\u00b0 on the ONE, 0.8\u00b0 steeper than the 72.5\u00b0 of the Tarmac. However, both have 58mm of trail because the Tarmac&#8217;s fork has a 4mm greater rake (aka offset).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">All that is to say, this should make the handling of the ONE slightly sharper than an equivalent Tarmac, especially combined with 5mm shorter chainstays and a 1mm shorter wheelbase.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f1bc-90d8-11f1-9c92-2f89db96f0de\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-2250-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DxuF868844utCYBKnXrYNJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The seat tube angle is steeper than most, and this is further exacerbated by the 0mm offset post. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f216-90d8-11f1-b7ff-d30f8e33779a\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">At the other end of the size run, though, the increased reach has mostly carried over into the wheelbase. It&#8217;s now 16mm longer than the Ostro VAM in the 56 and 58cm frames (which I have here). That makes it more stable, but it does lose some of that agility that made the OSTRO VAM frame special.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To continue the Tarmac comparisons, the One is longer and lower (19mm more reach and 4mm lower stack in my size 58cm). The Tarmac&#8217;s head tube is marginally steeper, with a shorter trail, meaning the front end feels a little more nimble, which is no doubt also aided by the Tarmac&#8217;s lighter weight.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But added to this, the Tarmac&#8217;s chainstays are only 2mm longer (again, we&#8217;re comparing the 58cm frame), and the wheelbase is 16mm shorter. In tight corners, this definitely bears out in the Tarmac&#8217;s favour, but the ONE makes up the ground in other places.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Rounding off this comparison, since the Tarmac comes specced with a -15mm offset seatpost (you can change it) and the ONE comes with a straight post (you can also change this), I can get 42mm further forward on the ONE, which makes for a big difference in how I feel when I actually ride the bike. I can obviously also slide the saddle back to undo this, and as I&#8217;ll explain below, I tried a few different positions.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f27a-90d8-11f1-bdfc-43fb48860c62\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Before I get into that, though, let&#8217;s just talk about some of the other standout design points, because aside from all these geometry shifts, there&#8217;s some serious engineering going on here.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Primarily, that&#8217;s the way the front of the bike is put together. It uses a bayonet-style head tube (where the steerer tube doesn&#8217;t travel through the head tube, but rather in front of it and clamps top and bottom); a design popularised by the Cerv\u00e9lo S5 and also now found on the Colnago Y1Rs, but the leading edge of the ONE is insanely narrow, even by the aforementioned bikes&#8217; standards.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f2d4-90d8-11f1-b916-973afa36994e\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-2250-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tzTbM3aQBUCN6mDV9KrsGJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The tolerances on this frame might have been a little too tight. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f338-90d8-11f1-96f3-9da4b18589cd\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The way the fork mounts into place is a little complicated, to the point that Factor has a &#8216;V2&#8217; in its manual that simplifies the original instructions.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Thankfully for the mechanics out there, no specialist tools are needed (unless you count a hollow socket, but a ring spanner works in its place).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">There&#8217;s a rather large &#8216;tension rod&#8217; that sits vertically and is tightened from the bottom to first add preload and also hold everything together. In my time with the bike, I experienced a loss of preload on multiple occasions, creating that unnerving feeling of a loose headset.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f39c-90d8-11f1-83c0-15fb3118bd7d\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-2560-80.png.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1920-80.png.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1440-80.png.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1280-80.png.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1200-80.png.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/4bNNseBs8zpDedN3UGhHoG-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Adding and removing spacers to adjust stack height is doable without any complex cable re-routing. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f3f6-90d8-11f1-9380-0fd91bcdd0ca\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Loosening and re-tightening to add preload got me through the few months I had with the bike, but not without the final attempt shearing off part of the head of the bolt, meaning I was then unable to disassemble it for a proper fix. I&#8217;m well aware a paying customer would just take it back to a shop for a fix here, probably when the headset loosened the first time, and so a proper disassembly-reassembly would likely remove this issue entirely.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Where the ONE really changes the script, however, is where the cockpit clamps into place. Instead of mounting at the point of the steering axis, it clamps into place approximately 4cm further forward, downwards onto the top of the fork using four bolts (which are later hidden by a carbon cover).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The steering axis, and thus the &#8216;lever&#8217; you turn when steering the bike, is still normal, so handling feels familiar, but this design means less distance between your hands and where the cockpit meets the bike, which makes it much stiffer. This adds to the directness of the steering, but it has pretty dire implications for comfort, as I&#8217;ll get into later.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The rear brake hose (and Di2 cables where necessary, but my bike was wireless) routes vertically out of the top of the head tube, and is then directed around a tight corner forwards into a hole at the rear of the one-piece cockpit, before being directed left or right depending on which way round you run your brakes. The front brake hose travels entirely through the fork, and thus exits slightly further forward before being bent around another tight corner to the opposite lever.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Both of these are pretty difficult manoeuvres. That much was already clear from the state of the hoses in my test bike \u2013 they&#8217;d clearly been ravaged by pliers or mole grips to force them where they needed to go.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f45a-90d8-11f1-9216-01be2cd845f0\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-2560-80.png.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1920-80.png.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1440-80.png.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1280-80.png.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1200-80.png.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LWwTVdd6LiAPoCN3YcnHqG-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">These hoses were a bit of a pig to manouvre left and right toward their respective brake levers, and only when doing it myself did I realise why the hose outer was marked with the teeth from pliers. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f4b4-90d8-11f1-a731-fde9b8482953\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I got a taste of doing it myself when I needed to swap the bars from the size 1 (90mm stem \/ 110mm effective length) the bike was accidentally shipped with, to the size 3 (110mm stem \/ 130mm effective length) I needed, and pliers really are the only way to get the hoses to bend where they need to go. I&#8217;m just glad we&#8217;re no longer using cable-operated brakes, as this would be on par with the Venge Vias&#8217;s infamous rim brakes.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The other big design story (both literally and figuratively) is the wide fork, and despite having thousands of words on geometry already, there&#8217;s actually not a huge amount to say.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Somewhat obviously, they draw from learnings made in the Hanzo Time Trial and Track development. Specifically, learnings about tyre wake and how the disrupted airflow acts downstream, and how the fork leg spacing helps to smooth the airflow before it then goes on to hit the frame and rider&#8217;s legs.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Factor says it tested multiple fork leg spacing iterations to see which was fastest, and settled on a fork that is 114mm at its widest point; a mere millimetre under the UCI limit of 115mm.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The crown of the fork protrudes forward from the head tube to the point that it creates a little shelf. I could probably sit a small mascot on here like truck drivers who tie toys to their grill, but that would likely upset Shrive and the aero motivations for making it this way.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-1afd10a6-9251-11f1-857c-0df10ada2166\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-2560-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nA9uqQnawjqT5jGEdHXtJJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Those are some seriously wide fork legs. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f572-90d8-11f1-99ab-db335004dae8\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The depth of the fork blades no doubt aids the bike&#8217;s ability to &#8216;sail&#8217; in crosswinds, but what&#8217;s less discussed is that Shrive intentionally changed the shape so that the leading edge was more vertical, because that makes it more perpendicular to the airflow. Most forks sit at an angle loosely in line with the head tube angle plus a little bit of offset, but the ONE&#8217;s fork actually kicks forward at the top before coming down more vertically toward the axle. This really changes the aesthetic of the bike \u2013 and I&#8217;m still not sure I&#8217;m over that \u2013 but from an aerodynamics standpoint, it reduces the (horrible phrase alert) &#8216;wetted length&#8217;, which is the length of material in contact with the air, and improves the effectiveness of what is.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-performance\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Performance<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f630-90d8-11f1-9fab-2fb538ebb0b7\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Clearly, a lot is going on with the design of this bike, and there&#8217;s a hell of a price tag to boot, but how does it actually feel to ride, as a bicycle, on the road?<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Well, the biggest surprise to me when I first hopped onto one is that it felt\u2026 normal. Save for a headset issue on my first test bike, which essentially gave it indexed steering, the Factor One rides and handles a lot like any other race bike.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The primary affectors of how the bike rides \u2013 its geometry, its material, its touchpoints \u2013 are all fairly normal. I&#8217;ve already spent 1000+ words on the geometry so I won&#8217;t go there again, but aside from a seat tube angle that puts you further forward on the bike, and a wheelbase that&#8217;s longer, everything else is pretty much the same.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The forward-protruding fork makes the head tube angle look steep, but in this size, it&#8217;s the same as the OSTRO and 0.2\u00b0 different from the Tarmac. The trail is similar, the chainstay length is similar, the stack is similar.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So if you came here to learn if riding the Factor One was going to feel foreign compared to your current race bike, there&#8217;s a good chance that it won&#8217;t (assuming that race bike isn&#8217;t from the 1970s).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">However, before you rush off to remortgage your house, &#8216;normal&#8217; doesn&#8217;t automatically make it great. In fact, despite the price tag, there are a lot of things the Factor ONE doesn&#8217;t do very well. Whether that actually matters to you will depend on what you want from it.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">If you&#8217;re considering the Factor One as your only bike, I think you&#8217;ll grow weary very quickly. To peddle a metaphor, it&#8217;s akin to having a car designed for track meets as your daily commuter, or to borrow one from my colleague Will, using a fish filleting knife as your general-purpose knife. I will cut up a pizza, but it won&#8217;t be the best tool for that job.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The primary reason for this is that it&#8217;s ridiculously stiff. I&#8217;d love to put some numbers to this, but Factor chose not to be involved in our <u>road bike stiffness tests<\/u> earlier this year, so I&#8217;m left to infer from feeling. And the main &#8216;feeling&#8217; is a lack thereof, because every time I ride it for more than about 40 minutes, my hands go numb. This is probably partly due to my weight being further forward and thus more supported by my hands, but there&#8217;s no getting around how insanely stiff the bike &#8211; and specifically the cockpit &#8211; is.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In my entire history of riding other bikes, I can recall one instance of hitting a bump and my hands coming off the bars, causing me to almost crash. It&#8217;s happened three times on this bike. I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s a lack of attention on my part either; the jolt through the front end of the bike is so much more severe than I&#8217;m used to that smaller bumps that I&#8217;m otherwise happy to ride over are enough to dislodge my hands.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I&#8217;ve ridden the One with two different wheelsets (the &#8216;normal&#8217; Sixty Two and the Hyper Sixty Two), two cockpits (110 and 130mm), with the Black Inc stock bar tape, without bar tape at all (through necessity for one ride) and with Fizik&#8217;s Comfortfeel 3.5mm tape. The stiffness or numbness hasn&#8217;t abated in any case.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-2e80f694-90d8-11f1-8fae-aff93aa24abb\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-2560-80.jpg.webp 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1440-80.jpg.webp 1440w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/bLeRE6QLN2PpQdwthrrQLJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">The cockpit is ridiculously stiff, and that has its negatives, but there are positive sides too. <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Josh Croxton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f6ee-90d8-11f1-8265-3dfe99b63b88\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Of course, I&#8217;m framing it as a problem, and it must be said that the One can accept 32mm tyres, but that stiffness has its benefits too. Yanking on the bars in an ugly-face, all-out sprint, the difference is night and day compared to pretty much anything else out there. Have you ever picked up an old smartphone and wondered how the hell you ever lived with it? That&#8217;s kind of how I feel when I try to sprint on anything else now. The responsiveness in the pedals feels marginally better, but the feeling through the bars is ridiculously good.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It carries over into climbing too. The Factor ONE weighs 8.2kg in this setup (with pedals and computer, no bottles) but has the sprightly feel you get on a 6kg lightweight bike because of how the stiffness translates to the road. I doubt for a second it&#8217;s actually undoing the 1.5kg deficit it has to the O2 VAM when it comes to a hill climb, but from a pure sensations point of view, it&#8217;s a nice thing to have on a bike that can also then barrel along a flat road with ease.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">And &#8216;barrel along&#8217; it can. The ONE is a bike that enables the en vogue modern, progressive aero position, and for that I really like it. Partly because it lets me open up my hip angle and prevent pinching of my hip flexors, which has long caused me discomfort, but also because I get to ride in that racy, forward, purposeful position that has long-ago been shown to be more aero.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I&#8217;ve always been quite quad dominant in my pedalling technique too, and I feel this lets me play to that strength. This is also the first test bike I&#8217;ve had in years where I&#8217;ve not had to slam the saddle as far forward on the rails as it&#8217;ll go, and I buy into the notion that a longer front-centre reduces the over-the-bar risk, even if it&#8217;s not something I&#8217;ve ever really worried about before.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The downsides to this position mean I now have more trouble with my neck, because rotating my body forwards means my neck has to compensate in the opposite direction if I&#8217;m still to see where I&#8217;m going. I had it especially badly on the Ridley Noah Fast 3, but I seem to be in the minority in having this problem, so I&#8217;ll brush it aside as a me problem for now.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But this all leads to the ONE feeling really at home. I&#8217;m loath to say it &#8216;feels&#8217; fast, because so many other factors could come into play on any given day and we have the wind tunnel data to prove that it is \u2013 keep reading for that \u2013 but it &#8216;feels&#8217; happy. The longer wheelbase adds high-speed stability, and where I found the Ridley Noah was buffeted by the wind quite easily with its deep wheels and mega head tube, the Factor is stable and surefooted. The switch to the Hyper wheels adds a slight twitchiness to the front end by dint of its reduced weight, but with either wheelset fitted, the bike was quite content ticking along at speed, even when the going got a bit blustery. And once I&#8217;d put the longer-reach cockpit on, I could sit in a nice long, low, narrow position and tick at speed nicely.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">When the going gets twisty, however, I can&#8217;t help but shake the feeling that the handling is actually comparatively slow in comparison to the Ostro Vam, Tarmac SL8 and SL9. I&#8217;d add the Noah Fast 3.0 to that mix too, but the Noah Fast I&#8217;ve ridden was a smaller frame size, so it&#8217;s not a perfectly apples-to-apples comparison &#8211; not least since the Ridley geo is even longer and lower than this, with a slacker seat tube angle.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f752-90d8-11f1-a79d-99ea42ca13bf\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The extremely stiff cockpit kind of helps to offset this and give the impression of precision, and it goes extremely well on fast, sweeping descents where the roads are smooth because the front triangle flex that can cause vagueness under high load \u2013 like you get on the Y1Rs \u2013 isn&#8217;t an issue here. But on tighter corners and hairpins, I&#8217;d often miss the apex. Overall, I just struggled to develop the intuition for how the bike would handle like I could on the OSTRO VAM, or like I can on the SL9. This is exacerbated when the road surface gets a little rougher, as is common here in the UK, as every bump is felt through the hands, making steering inputs more difficult.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Of course, I&#8217;m splitting hairs here, but it sort of bears out in the geometry charts in my frame size too. I think riders on smaller frames will probably feel differently, because in that comparison against other race bikes, the ONE&#8217;s gets a steeper head tube and pairs it with a short wheelbase, but in my size, it&#8217;s a different proposition with a longer wheelbase and no meaningful change to head tube angle and trail. Thanks to the position change, there&#8217;s perhaps a little too much weight through my hands too. It&#8217;s not a dealbreaker though. As I say, I&#8217;m splitting hairs and comparing an elite bike against other elite bikes, and it&#8217;s perhaps something that I could reduce by playing around with more tyre sizes, different cockpits shifting my weight balance around to find a sweet spot.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-aero-performance-wind-tunnel-test-data\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Aero performance &#8211; wind tunnel test data<\/span><\/h3>\n\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f86a-90d8-11f1-aa4d-03e37d6f5870\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><em>Cyclingnews<\/em> subscribers will already be familiar with this, but the ONE can lay claim to the title of being the fastest bike we&#8217;ve ever tested in the wind tunnel, both with and without a rider. That&#8217;s against a cohort of over 30 high-end road race bikes, and includes pretty much all the big players from Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, Colnago, Cervelo and more.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The graph above shows the CdA (the measurement of how aerodynamic something is) at seven different wind angles, with 0\u00b0 at the centre being a direct headwind, and a lower measurement being better or more aerodynamic.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The Factor One is highlighted, and it&#8217;s clear that its aero credentials come to the fore as the wind angle increases.<\/p>\n\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f928-90d8-11f1-aab6-edc71e754e95\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Using the CdA from each of those wind angles and averaging them out, we then calculate the number of watts needed to overcome the aerodynamic drag of both the Factor One and dozens of other bikes that have been through the same test.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">We use an old, basic bike as the comparison, and can see that the Factor One tops the list, saving 40.28 watts. Perhaps more usefully, it&#8217;s two watts more aerodynamic (at 40km\/h) than the next best bike.<\/p>\n\n<p id=\"elk-2e80f9f0-90d8-11f1-a58d-cfc1c6a5f38f\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">With a rider on the bike, things shift a little, but the Factor is still within 0.04w of the top spot, which is well within the error margin of the test. In this test, it was 27.53W more aero than our baseline bike with a rider, and 7.9W more aero than the Tarmac SL8 (we&#8217;re yet to test the SL9).<\/p>\n\n<p id=\"elk-2e80faa4-90d8-11f1-ac82-5b0e85ddb2b3\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">And in our third aero test, we swapped out the stock wheels for a &#8216;control&#8217; wheel &#8211; the Enve SES 6.7.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">This allows us to see how each bike compares with the exact same wheel-tyre combo, isolating the aero differences to the frame, fork, handlebar and so on.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In that test, we once again have Factor atop the tree with a sizeable step to the next best on test.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80fb08-90d8-11f1-ae19-cd17ff9b417d\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To read the full breakdown, head to our <strong>wind tunnel aero bikes shootout<\/strong> or our <strong>Factor One wind tunnel deep-dive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-value\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Value<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80fbc6-90d8-11f1-a6ca-a720f2623bc4\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The price of this build is \u00a314,588, or $15,788. Minus \u00a31000 or $1100 for the &#8216;standard&#8217; Black Inc Sixty Two wheelset.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That&#8217;s \u00a390 cheaper (or oddly, $288 more expensive) than a Colnago Y1Rs specced with the same groupset and a similar wheelset upgrade (Enve 4.5 SES wheels). But it&#8217;s also \u00a32,589 more than an off-the-peg S-Works Tarmac SL9.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">To contextualise just how much money the Factor One will cost, here&#8217;s a look at what else you could buy. You could buy a Tarmac SL8 Expert &#8211; Ultegra Di2 (\u00a35,499), a Crux 5 Expert Force XPLR (\u00a35999) and an Epic Hardtail (Comp, S-1000 AXS and Sid SL)<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Alternatively, if you wanted a top-tier race product, you could buy a Canyon Aeroad CFR (\u00a38029) and still have enough to buy that aforementioned brand new Crux 5.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Or to put another spin on it, if you&#8217;re buying it because you want to get better at racing, you could buy that aforementioned Canyon Aeroad CFR, and then spend \u00a3300 a month on a support network of various coaches for 21 months to help you find significantly more than the few watts you&#8217;re saving here.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-verdict\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Verdict<\/span><\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-2e80fc84-90d8-11f1-a477-6b1456614d64\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The Factor One is a singularly minded, out-and-out race bike, and for that type of riding it&#8217;s really good, but it&#8217;s an incredibly expensive tool for a specific purpose, not a versatile bike. It&#8217;s the drywall screwdriver in the toolkit; brilliant at its job, and technically capable as an impact driver, but it&#8217;d soon get tiresome.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The handling might not feel quite as sharp as the OSTRO did, but it&#8217;s still really fun to ride when you&#8217;re trying to go fast. Racing, KOM hunting, or simply chasing your mates on it is a hoot, and the geometry allows that &#8216;modern&#8217; position. It&#8217;s longer, lower, but with a steepness to the seat tube that doesn&#8217;t just stretch me out, instead letting me really get over the bottom bracket, drop my elbows and ride it hard.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As a result, it&#8217;s a bike that holds pace on the flat as well as anything else out there, and the stiffness means sprinting is also better than anything else out there.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But the big takeaway is that it&#8217;s so stiff that riding it every day becomes tiresome. Even after adding plush bar tape and swapping to my favourite saddle, I feel battered if I go for more than a couple of hours, not to mention my numb hands and pothole incidents.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As such, this is more a race tool than an everyday machine. And that throws up another issue in that it has such a divisive aesthetic that plenty of its potential buyers wouldn&#8217;t actually feel comfortable turning up to their local race on one.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The ability to get into the modern position is really good. But the Noah Fast offers this too.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">It&#8217;s not a bike I&#8217;d overall recommend, unless for a very specific purpose.<\/p>\n<div class=\"slice-container table-wrapper slice-container-table kiosq-b\" data-component-name=\"Slice:Table\" id=\"elk-2e80fcde-90d8-11f1-8e33-ab3474660837\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"table__instruction\">\nSwipe to scroll horizontally<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"table__container\">\n<table class=\"table__wrapper table__wrapper--inbodyContent table__wrapper--sticky table__wrapper--divider\">\n<caption class=\"table__caption table__caption--top table__caption--left\">\nTesting scorecard and notes<br \/>\n<\/caption>\n<tbody class=\"table__body\">\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Design and aesthetics<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Aesthetically, I don&#8217;t love it, but I do really appreciate the design and engineering that went into bringing it to life. It&#8217;s a significant rethink on the making of a race bike.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>8\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Weight<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>8.2kg is reasonable for a bike with such aero-first credentials, but it&#8217;s beaten by its closest competitors such as the Cervelo S5.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>8\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Aero<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Can lay claim to being the fastest bike we&#8217;ve tested in all configurations, with a significant step above 2nd place in bike-only configurations.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>10\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Ride performance<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>A mixed bag. It&#8217;s excellent at holding speed on flat roads, and it&#8217;s a gamechanger when sprinting, but it&#8217;s brutally uncomfortable, making it a raceday tool rather than an enjoyable bike to own. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>8\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>Value<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>\u00a314k for a bike that offers very little versatility can&#8217;t score highly. Its only saving grace is that similarly out-there bikes like the Y1Rs are priced to match.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p>3\/10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"table__body__row\">\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p><strong>Overall<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\"><span class=\"sr-only\">Row 5 &#8211; Cell 1 <\/span><\/td>\n<td class=\"table_body__data\" colspan=\"1\">\n<p><strong>37\/50 (74%)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/bikes\/road\/factor-one-review-a-member-exclusive-deep-dive-into-the-most-talked-about-aero-bike-of-the-year\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGuJ4p6pajYHAuJgUyfcWJ-2560-80.jpg&#8221;] Bikes Road Bikes Factor One review: A member-exclusive deep dive into the most talked-about aero bike of the year MEMBER EXCLUSIVE Features By Josh Croxton Published 12 August 2026 24 min read Empirical testing meets real world impressions as Josh tests Factor&#8217;s $15k aero superbike When you purchase through links on our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,68],"class_list":["post-2090101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-cyclingnews-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2090101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090101\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2090101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2090101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2090101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}