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The Factor Ostro VAM has been received some glowing reviews as well as being ranked very high in performance tests, we re-address the bike and compare it to the market leader Specialized SL8. A review of the world championships road race which saw Tadej Pogacar ride solo for 100km.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:30 New Factor Ostro VAM Hits Back
15:27 Direct To Consumer Pricing
29:47 Jesse On A Factor
34:53 BMC Team Machine R
45:48 Simplon Bikes Gone
47:48 Campagnolo’s New Groupset
54:37 STRAVA Quick Edit
1:01:15 World Champs Wrap Up
1:12:16 Attia’s Pogacar Interview
1:25:03 Lachlan Morton’s Around Oz Ride
1:30:04 Chris Uses The Hubbard Strap
Cycling News Review: https://www.cyclingnews.com/reviews/factor-ostro-vam-review-a-race-bike-to-rival-the-best/
Additional Footage
@cyclingunboxed
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STRAVA: https://www.strava.com/athletes/186450
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42 Comments
I would rather pay more to get my bike from a retailer, and not have to deal with any QC problem, months long wait for warranty and unable to find spare parts when something is faulty on my bike like Canyon. Retailers make money by increasing the price but they also bare accountability if something is wrong.
Ive seen many people whine about higher prices from retailers. More often then not, these are the same people who would tell you that a steel bike with shimano 105 is far superior than the latest carbon race bike with Dura Ace and they could smash you in any race. Realistically as a business, Bike companies are not going to waste their ads money targeting this same group of people who cant afford or are not willing to pay for high end bikes.
So why must the consumers who can actually afford them, have to deal with "direct to consumer" model like canyon, and having to encounter QC issues, warranty issues, buying the wrong size and returning, waiting months to actually finally get to ride your bike, and not being able to get spare parts or have any accountability when something goes wrong with your bike.
Take canyon for example. Just look at the amount of forum/reddit/fb post about problems people have encountered. Ive never seen anyone encountering such problems when they buy from retailer.
Yes direct to consumer will definitely increase the demand and sales of a company, but with higher demand means higher production rate, faster QC, not having stock issues, spare parts issue etc. It would save the consumer some money too, but at what expense? There will always be hidden costs. Costs like time, unexpected problems and etc
If i am paying more than 13 grand for a bike, rest assured I want to ride it immediately and enjoy it. I do not want to wait months on end for warranty issues or just because I bought the wrong size as i followed the "recommended size" given by the website because I was not able to try it at a shop and realise its too big or way too small.
Yes you pay more when you buy from a reputable retailer. But you get the benefit of making sure that you are 100% buying the right size, you have peace of mind when it comes to warranty or spare parts, and you can enjoy the bike immediately.
If you don't wanna pay close to 20 grand, dont buy dura ace then. In fact, you can even source for a used groupset or a used wheelset locally, and just buy a brand new frame and build it up.
Factor makes really great bike. Every single details of the way it is designed is top notch. Ive never encountered any issues with them. When i bought the Factor Ostro V2 from the store, i got to try various sizes, and get to choose what stem length and handlebar width i wanted and when the bike was ready within 2 days, I immediately rode it and enjoyed it.
As opposed to my bad experience with Canyon previously, i followed their recommended size and when the frame arrived it was way too big. Geometry was off. And honestly feels cheap.
It would be interesting if the Factor Rep was using the correct terminology and taking various taxes into account, (it's amazing how many don't) also remember the GOVT takes $1820 in GST before the bike shop makes any money
The distinction between Margin and Markup is important @ 30% Margin of the retail price (ex GST) the bike shop is making $4971. But at 30% markup only $3800
Distributor $3500 vs $2950. These differences mean a landed cost difference of $9800 vs $8100 for Factor to take their costs out of. Its a significant difference
Aero testing would be everything on the BMC-R. If that is top 2-3 lightest climbing bike and the fastest aero bike and you got Gucci money. And you have some sort of relative Ftp to your club ride. Then yes you have to have
If you can flex a downtube with your hand, that means if you crash…. I hope the warranty is good.
My theory on the BMC is they wanted to make a hyper bike for Tudor cycling team. The cost to do that won’t be commercially successful, but they need to make it available to the public to satisfy TdF rules
Another great show, guys. More dirty little secrets please!
Perhaps BMC, with their Masterpiece, realised that Cervelo's RCAs, handbuilt by engineers in California from 2012, could actually work again in the market. Drop some weight, charge a bigger premium, especially if the engineers' passion is being paid for by the state.
Australian bicycle distributors; have you ever tried to buy spare cassette parts from Shimano Australia? They also block you buying such things from other markets whilst only selling complete cassettes here. It was once explained to me that Shimano US buys a container load of 105 front derailleurs, whilst Shimano Australia buys a container filled with everything. Online buying should bypass such extortion but then, would all our LBS would die?
Ben O putting 22 secs on the group he broke away from after 270kms? Now THAT is flying under the radar in my book.
Maybe Adam Hansen would make an interesting guest for the show, he's known for his openness and pro knowledge/experiences! 🤔
I don't understand why the cycling fashion line Jessie won't cross is an armband heart-rate strap.
The take on Factor is pretty reasonable but I think the credibility the brand has earned from Israel Premier-tech is being massively understated. Stevie williams is a respected rider who’s had a great season, Joseph Blackmore is probably the highest touted junior in the world, Derek Gee is a super talent who podiumed the Dauphine, they win grand tour stages every season… it goes on. Certainly not a joke performance wise and objectively better than many World Tour teams. I would encourage riders to sign for them over Ineos these days.
It is absolutely a red flag if the ostro flexes just by squeezing it. No thanks.
Awesome job guys, love the show
Pro cyclist to interview? If it’s gear chat, it’s gotta be Victor Campenearts. It used to be Adam Hansen. They really know their tech.
I don’t care about Lachlan Morton riding around the world too. But I can understand if it appeals to people doing Audax rides. -it’s just not my bubble.
True Pogi d*** riders, no doping questions? 😂
Lol I hate the heart rate chest strap!😅 been using an arm strap for the last 3 years now
Once I went with an optical hr strap, hubbard strap apparently, I never went back to chest straps. No irritated skin anymore and yes, it is a bit cleaner as well. Accuracy is good too.
LOL at calling lactate based zone definition proprietary, and this coming from a coach? this is laughable, lactate is much more precise than some percentage range, it is a range because those lactate levels are different for everybody
… maybe discuss how good Tratnik was or how did he so quickly find out Tadej was solo behind so he knew to pull over? Discuss the key moments where the gap was close to 30s but why it went back out… or Ben’s finally getting the timing and move right…. Or how strong some lesser known rides went like Tom’s? Plenty to talk about.
Reminded me that I need to undertake the Coyle Calc on my bike
… many Zone 2 models are essentially trying to proxy for what Inigo uses which is not just a Inigo thing. There’s plenty of literature that discusses the definition of zone two as the point at which maximal fat oxidation occurs – easily determinable via metcart or lab testing… or lactate testing. Makes pretty logical sense if we think about training as causing stress to metabolic systems to cause the body to adapt. It comes down to what your own definition of zone two is and what is ‘endurance training zone’ ? Would it not make sense that your endurance training comes back to energetic systems and stressing the fuel system that lasts the longest, fat oxidation in the type I fibres. How practical is this for consumers? Not very – ergo why people created proxy zone systems they could sell that are easy to understand by consumers. I say wait for the revolution of continuous lactate monitors.
The international margins are quite high and the savings would not be as massive as you think. Just look at canyon bikes. I would suggest it’s a mere 10-15%. Marketing & sales teams ramp up costs tremendously.
I googled them and did everyone forget:
“Sounds like there will be a bunch of protests around the Israel Premier Tech in Australia, about Gaza, even though most of the team aren't from Israel.”
This was from Reddit. A number of clubs I know are not willing to touch the bike due to this issue.
No mention of wheeltop buying rotor?
Because they don't know what to do without a radio, it's more dynamic and exciting without them
Bit disrespectful to the Israel Premier Tech team imo! As for pricing on Factor vs the rest, it all depends what country you're from. In the UK for instance, you'll pay £2.5k more for an equivalent build SWORKS SL8, and the top tier Canyon Aeroad CFR is only around £500 cheaper, and you can't spec your own bar/stem, crank length, chainring sizes, cassette etc…
If you want a bike that everyone owns, buy one of the bigger brands. I'm happy riding a Factor, a brand I hardly see when out riding. Unfortunately that will change though!
The international margins are quite high and the savings would not be as massive as you think. Just look at canyon bikes. I would suggest it’s a mere 10-15%. Marketing & sales teams ramp up costs tremendously.
I googled them and did everyone forget:
“Sounds like there will be a bunch of protests around the Israel Premier Tech in Australia, about Gaza, even though most of the team aren't from Israel.”
This was from Reddit. A number of clubs I know are not willing to touch the bike due to this issue.
Love your comment: “the Israel premier team is still a bit of a joke.” 100%!
It is truly was an influencer bike but no longer on the right path, if they continue on this road I could see them failing in addition to the political folly.
The better alternatives that we have in our club:
Canyon Aeroad
Scott Foil Ultimate
SL7 or SL8
The MPC will be anything but , BMC have dropped the ball massively .
The MPC will be anything but , BMC have dropped the ball massively .
Factor is the King! S works is total shit!
They have 165 cranks but as you can imagine everyone wants 165. May have been sold out for AUS
Why isn';t there more outage about the tim that Swiss rider was laying on the side of the road ( somewhere) before her crash was noticed, and she was found and attended to and medi-vaced. I have readit was something like 90 minutes or more?
The availability of Black Integrated bars is just as poor as the Rovals. Don't think you can choose the Black bar that you want. You can't. They have very few sizes in stock.Also, maybe check some facts; The Ostro V2 frameset is SIGNIFICANTLY heavier than than the V1 (the fork especially), and thus a lot more than the SL8.
I do think the Ostro is more aero than the SL8 though, but I prefer how my SL8 rides to the Ostro.
Im playing a drinking game, every time they say the word factor and it's not as the bike brand…. You drink!
Get Harry Sweeney on fellow YouTuber
I have a S Works SL8 since May and I have to say this is by far the best bike I've ever had. I don't have the package, I bought the frame and did a build my self so the argument of no personalization is not valid. For instance I went for CRW 5055 and not the typical roval clx. I went for Ultegra on a s works frame and so?… I also went for the 0 setback and my lbs didn't charge extra. Regarding the cockpit I could go to EXS or Avian but I prefer the roval and the only thing I have to complain is the low stock, even lower than frames… but that's specialized strategy, making it premium by passing the image that there's no stock around which there isn't because their business models only profits. And btw this frame does not flex anywhere if I squeeze with my hands. A friend told me that he saw a raw carbon frame of an S Works and the amount of pieces it has is huge . This frame is basically a puzzle well optimized. Btw with 8k euros I have a 6.9 kg disc brave bike with pedals cages and mounts. For me the SL8 is the state of the art of frame technology for discs and it looks good on a size 49, thing that doesn't happen with factor.
Get Adam Hansen on the show!
Pog was saying his heart is his engine, and he's tuned into it. Makes sense.
It would have been nice to have a more extended discussion on possible safety measured in the wake of Muriel Furrer's passing. It's wild that people on club runs might have more safety here than pros. E.g. the Specialized helmet crash detection system, my phone does the same, my wife can see my live GPS on my Hammerhead. A simple rule change to make this mandatory for all riders would keep a level playing field as everyone would have the same weight disadvantage.
Jesse was very close with his numbers direct buy from manufacturer. August I got a Canyon Ultimate CFR – with Sram Red for just on 12k. Ordered it on Monday and it arrived from Cologne the next Tuesday. You could get same bike with Durace for maybe 13.5k – LBS wanted 17k for an older model Factor with ultegra. No decision really . Hard trying to persuade your wife to go for a 18 – 20k bike over a new kitchen….
Ostro vam is a very good bike on tests. would still take a cervelo S5 ahead due to its incredible wheel drafting bonus it has over others, testing not completed by most apart from brands inhouse and some rollsroyce workers using rr test centre. the last sworks venge with the new aero bars still one of the fastest options in a straight line.
I think you guys should interview an ex pro other wise you’re just gonna get the media trained responses
On the Factor, what is your view on Factor sponsoring Israel Premier Tech who is sponsored by an investment firm out of US who supports Israel?
That BMC says 9k US, no?
Pros can tell you a lot of interesting things, but not on camera =)
From Canada, I ride a BMC Teammachine. Cannot say I see a whole lot of them riding around.
Most common bikes, anecdotally, are SL7/8s, Emondas and Madones. 🤷