Factor O2 VAM

The new Factor O2 VAM has been designed to be the ultimate lightweight climbing bike – but Factor's designers haven't achieved that by making sacrifices in other areas. A low weight, a great ride quality and top-level finishing kit combine to deliver an excellent bike that allows you to enjoy the cycling experience wherever it takes you, while its geometry allows you to push it hard on descents.

> Buy now: Factor O2 VAM for £9999 from Vires Velo

Ride

'Nothing else this light is as fast, nothing this fast is as light.'

That's quite a bold claim from Factor – and to be honest it's not that one that's easy to quantify. But I will agree that its O2 VAM is a very light and very fast bike, especially when you point it upwards.

But the thing I love most about it is just how damn planted it feels for such a light bike.

Some lightweight bikes can be buzzy, twitchy and unsettled by rough, washboard road surfaces, which can make them a bit of a handful to ride fast on, especially when you're descending quickly on the far-from-perfect roads we're all so familiar with.

The O2 VAM is nothing like that.

It has the poise and surefootedness of a weightier bike, which means you can exploit its lack of weight and impressive stiffness wherever you're riding.

And I think that is a very important point when it comes to making a decision about whether to buy the O2 or not. After all, very few of us need a specialist road bike, especially here in the UK where we don't have extreme mountain passes – and if you're good enough to need a fleet of bikes to fit every specific riding niche, then your team will probably supply them for you.

Even if you're out riding on flatter, faster roads, which is probably the O2 VAM's weakest area, you aren't ever going to feel short-changed unless you're in the middle of your club's 10-mile time trial.

Factor says that its O2 VAM does have some aero touches in its design, and in reality it isn't much less efficient than its OSTRO VAM – which of course Factor claims is the fastest aero bike on the market – and I reckon if you fitted some deep-section wheels you aren't going to be at a disadvantage on the level sections between the hills.

It is designed for climbing, though, so this is obviously where it is most comfortable and competent.

Our build registered just 6.99kg on our scales – a mere 199g over the UCI minimum weight limit – and that makes it extremely responsive and a bike that's very eager to get a move on. Climbing is an absolute joy, and that's true even for a non-climber like me.

To be honest, I've never understood the joy of conquering a climb or spending hours trying to win a battle against gravity – but I was quite happy seeking out my local 'chain-snapper' ascents when I was clipped into the Factor.

And the result feels rather rewarding. The frame is very stiff around the bottom bracket and even giving it full beans through the pedals I couldn't feel any flex, so you can definitely class it as efficient.

Ah, but there's always the plus side of climbing – the descent that follows, which is my favourite bit.

As mentioned earlier, the O2 VAM is a confidence-inspiring descender. Our 54cm frame's short, 985mm wheelbase means it feels nimble through the turns, and you won't be surprised to hear it changes direction very quickly indeed.

But for a bike that has such quick and direct steering, the handling isn't twitchy. It carves a line nicely through bends and it wasn't upset by the high-speed off-camber chicane that sits at the top of my test descent.

Everywhere else the O2 VAM is a great bike to ride. It doesn't feel as though it needs to be hammered everywhere as it's comfortable too – well, as comfortable as a super-stiff, peloton-ready race machine is ever likely to be. It's not harsh, is what I'm trying to say, and you can bolster that comfort further by running tyres up to 32mm wide.

Frame & Fork

Factor says on its website that it invented a new manufacturing method to create this carbon fibre frameset, which resulted in it having to build a new factory too. It certainly looks the business in all of the paintjobs that Factor offers it in, and with a claimed frame weight of just 700g it's up there (or should that be 'down there'?) with some of the lightest frames on the market.

The tapered head tube accepts the fork's full-carbon steerer, and to keep things running smoothly a CeramicSpeed SLT headset is included in the build.

The frame and fork's 32mm clearance isn't the largest that you'll find on a top-end race bike, but from my point of view I think it's more than you need.

The O2 VAM comes with a CeramicSpeed bottom bracket. The frame has been designed to accommodate the T47 bottom bracket, which blends a threaded bearing with an internal press-fit mounting.

This allows the use of a wider bottom bracket shell and larger diameter adjoining tubes, without affecting the overall width between the crank arms.

One thing we don't see very often is an external seatpost, which slides over the top of the seatmast, the extended section of the seat tube. Factor says that this works in conjunction with the section of the slender top tube in front of the seat cluster to keep things comfortable by bowing in a controlled way when you hit a bump.

I can't say I'm a fan of the aesthetics, but the O2 VAM is definitely comfortable.

Aside from this, it's pretty much business as usual elsewhere, with 12mm thru-axles and flat-mount callipers.

There are seven sizes available, which is a good spread for a carbon frame considering all of the moulds required.

When it comes to geometry, Factor oddly doesn't provide top tube or head tube lengths in its geometry table, but it does give stack and reach figures of 552mm and 381mm for our 54cm frame, the middle size, which is around 10mm taller than the previous version.

The head angle is 72.5°, the seat angle 74°. This forward-style seating position helps you to get the power down, though the front end isn't as aggressive as some, which helps the O2 VAM to retain that easy riding style even at speed.

Finishing Kit & Pricing

Vires Velo, the UK distributor of Factor's bikes, offers the O2 VAM in four standard builds, with Dura-Ace Di2 or SRAM Red AXS starting at £11,999 and Ultegra Di2 or this model with the latest SRAM Force groupset both costing £9,999.

If you want to build your own O2 VAM, you can go for the Premium Frameset Package that includes frame, fork, integrated bar/stem, seatpost, CeramicSpeed bottom bracket and headset, computer mount and bar tape for £6,300.

We recently reviewed the latest SRAM Force AXS groupset, and it's fair to say Jamie was very impressed with it.

Having used this groupset on quite a few bikes recently I'd have to say I'm also a big fan, and you also have the option of speccing a power meter.

Our bike came with a 48/35T chainset, though Vires Velo's online bike builder gives you other options, which is paired to a 10-33T cassette. Personally I find that this combination provides an efficient set of gears, thanks to chainrings that are smaller than those used by other brands. I find I can stay in the larger ring for much longer, and the 10T sprocket means you don't lose out on the top end.

I also like the way the shifters work – you use one lever for going up the cassette, the other for bringing the chain back down. Press both at the same time and the chain shifts between chainrings.

The braking performance is very good too.

Factor supplies Black Inc components on its builds, which includes our test bike's integrated carbon handlebar and stem. When you order your bike you can choose from a huge selection of handlebar widths and stem lengths, as well as seatmasts with different heights and setback figures.

I like our test bike's setup. The handlebar shape works well for me, and it has a nice road feel. There's a small amount of flex for comfort and feedback from the road, while still being stiff enough for hard out-of-the-saddle efforts.

We've reviewed a few Black Inc wheelsets over the last few years and have found them light and impressive performers.

As standard the O2 VAM builds come with Black Inc 28/33 (28mm deep front rim, 33mm rear), but you have the options to go for deeper section 48/58s or some cool-looking five-spoked carbon wheels.

Our bike's 28/33s continued the Factor's lightweight theme, having a claimed weight of just 1,118g per pair.

Their hooked carbon fibre rims mean they're compatible with both clincher and tubeless tyres, and they also continue the ceramic theme, with CeramicSpeed supplying the hub bearings.

They're a lovely set of wheels to ride, providing plenty of lateral stiffness and staying true throughout the review period.

The tyres are Goodyear's Eagle F1 Rs, which Emily described as a great all-round race tyre that grips well in the wet or dry. I found their ride supple, which I don't always find is the case with tubeless tyres, and it's the type of tyre that delivers on the performance front without you having to worry about your ride or race being ruined by a proneness to punctures.

You can also choose from a number of different saddles. The standard model is the Selle Italia SLR Boost, though we have the carbon-railed version that would add £175 to the price.

The SLR is a very comfortable saddle, I love its shape and a 3D-printed version is also an option.

Value & Competition

Not including any upgrades this bike comes in at £9,999, which while pretty pricey, isn't that extreme for this level of bike.

For instance, the SRAM Red-equipped Giant Defy Advanced SL that Mat recently reviewed is around 600g heavier, though part of that will be down to a larger frame size, and costs £11,499, which is £500 cheaper than the similarly equipped Factor O2 VAM.

The Colnago V4Rs that I tested came with Dura-Ace Di2 with deep-section wheels from the same groupset and will cost you £12,999. In that build it came in just over 7.2kg, which makes it both a littler heavier and a bit pricier than the Factor.

Specialized's super-light S-Works Aethos climber costs £12,000 for either SRAM Red or Shimano Dura-Ace – though the claimed weight for the 56cm frame is an almost unbelievable 585g.

Or for more options at a wide range of prices, our best road bikes buyer's guide is the place to go.

Conclusion

The O2 VAM isn't just a climbing bike – it's a capable machine pretty much anywhere you want to ride it. And crucially, Factor hasn't forgotten the basics in its quest to deliver low weight and impressive stiffness. The ride quality is excellent and Factor's designers have done a great job creating a frame that feels very planted and is an absolute joy to ride.

Verdict

A master of climbing – but a bike that's also incredible fun and extremely capable everywhere else