Factor’s New O2 VAM – The Evolution of Light and Aero

With the Tour hitting the mountains, Factor officially releases the next O2 VAM, the brand’s climbing bike. It’s not just an instance of a few minor tweaks and slapping a new paint job on it though, Factor worked with their sponsored teams to find out where they could help their riders gain time, and went to work. The result is a new 02 VAM that is not only lighter, but also faster, stiffer, and more comfortable.

Personally, this is something that I’m excited about. For too long, brands had preconceived notions of categories of bikes, when honestly, our rides are much more fluid than that. We are not always blasting flat roads on our aero road bikes, always climbing up massive climbs on our climbing bikes, or grinding out gravel miles. On any given ride, I can hit all three if I tried. So bikes should not be just one specific category, and brands are starting to see that. Aero road bikes have been going on a diet and becoming a bit more rounded in their skill sets, while we are starting to see aero creeping into the gravel market. For lightweight climbing bikes, aerodynamic details will help you get to the climb faster and fresher, so you can go harder up the mountain, and take advantage on the way down to the end of the ride. Even for pros, Factor found that aero improvements have gains at even up to 8% grades for pro riders.

When meeting with the Israel-Premier Tech team, Factor asked them where they get their results, and how could they help there. The answer, a sub-7kg bike with pedals, transponder, and number. When asked why the O2 VAM they had available was not the answer, they said aerodynamics and stiffness. That’s where the challenge began.

The design team at Factor began by setting ambitious goals for weight, stiffness, and aerodynamic results. Once parameters were set, they used Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to look at both the structure and aerodynamics, since the three goals typically counteract each other. You can have stiff and aero, but it’s not light. You can have light and aero, but it won’t be stiff. These two systems allowed Factor to study how different shapes, materials, thicknesses, and layups played into each of their goals. Studies were done at different speeds and wind angles, while using different tube cross-sections and wall thicknesses to understand how changes in one area affect other areas, helping to find the balance they were looking for.

Along with using FEA and CFD, Factor added a PhD aerodynamicist to the design team, and new capabilities in CFD that helps model each individual component on the bike, along with spinning wheels and spokes and a pedaling rider. This allowed them to measure drag at discreet levels of individual components and how they all work together as a single unit, including the rider. This helped create the initial rapid prototype that would move on to extensive wind tunnel testing to prove the concept. A new system of rapid iteration for carbon fiber layup allowed them to be more agile in wind tunnel and eventually during road testing.

To be able to create these rapid prototypes, speeding up the process from about 3 weeks to a single day, Factor invested in building a new R&D facility in Taichung, Taiwan. From there, a new secret and proprietary compaction method was developed to speed up the prototyping process.

“We’re not reinventing the process,” said Graham Shive, Director of Engineering at Factor. “Rather, we’re perfecting every step. While you could do 90% of what we do anywhere, it’s the last 10% that makes the difference. There’s no magic, but it is state-of-the-art.”

Factor used a similar mix of fibers as in the OSTRO VAM, including T1000 and M60J Pitch Fiber. To create an extreme strength-to-weight ratio, they added Boron to the external seat post topper. Over 40 combinations of layups were tested with each size getting a unique layup for optimal ride quality at each size. Final road testing saw select riders from Israel-Premier Tech first using the bike at their high-altitude training camp in Andorra. Dylan Teuns spent time pushing the bike to its limits through the high Andorra mountains.

“Being on Factors, it’s the first time in my career that I’ve had such direct input and communication with the people making the equipment that I’m going to race on,” explained Chris Froome of Israel-Premier Tech Team. “It’s something I really enjoy because you give feedback, you know it’s being listened to, and some weeks or months down the line you see the final product and it will be just what you talked about.”

“For us, this test was a validation,” explained Shive. “The feedback has been great. We’re early enough that we could make changes to the lay-up if they were needed, but at the same time, we were confident in the bike. We know what it takes, and we know the aero, weight, and stiffness that we’ve achieved.” 

The end result is a new O2 VAM that is as stiff as the OSTRO VAM (35% increase) and 12 watts faster than the previous O2 VAM in the wind tunnel at wider yaw angles, about half the difference between the old 02 VAM and the current OSTRO VAM. At lower yaw angles, 0-5 degrees, it is only 5 watts behind. This comes from the use of D-shaped truncated aero profiles that help As for weight, with the new Black Inc 28/33 wheelset, Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, and a complete build, a 54cm tips the scales at 6.2kg. For the pros, it puts the new O2 VAM under 7kg with pedals, transponder, and number.

“The development of the new O2 VAM has been many years in the making, and required complete buy-in from all Factor stakeholders: athletes, employees, and shareholders alike,” says Factor founder and CEO, Rob Gitelis. “Only then were we able to take a holistic approach, with every decision taken solely to produce the best bike possible. I’m incredibly proud of what our team has achieved with the new O2 VAM, and can’t wait to see it out in the open”. 

Factor added comfort to the bike too, with an external seatpost topper and ultra-thin top tube. The controlled deflection designed into the frame helps to take some of the sting out of the bumps. Optimized for 28mm tires, but can take up to 32mm, the larger tires not only help smooth the ride but also make it faster with today’s wider wheels. Stack height was also increased by 10mm after looking at customer fit data. The 57mm trail was carried over from the OSTRO VAM across all sizes by using different fork offsets by size.

Now, about those Black Inc. 28/33 wheels we mentioned earlier. These disc brake, tubeless-ready wheels, use an aluminum hub and carbon fiber spokes to lace to a nano-loaded epoxy resin with high modulus carbon fiber rim. This package creates a 28mm tall, 23mm internal, and 28.5mm external wheelset that weighs in at a claimed 1,146g. CeramicSpeed bearings help them spin smoothly, and they are available from Black Inc separately for $2,899.

The new O2 VAM will be available in 7 sizes ranging from 45cm to 61cm. Three stock color options include Storm Grey, Red Velvet, and Chrome/Raw Carbon. If those don’t quite match your taste, it will also be available in Factor’s Prisma Studio custom paint. The build is finished off with a one-piece Black Inc. bar/stem combo, the latest Shimano Dura-Ace or Ultegra or SRAM Red or Force electronic drivetrains. Pricing starts at $6,299 and tops out at $12,199 for SRAM Red with a Quarq power meter.

www.factorbikes.com