Factor Bikes Announces the OSTRO VAM and Black Inc FORTY FIVE Wheels

FACTOR ANNOUNCES THE NEW OSTRO, A SUPERLIGHT AERO RACE BIKE THAT’S READY FOR COBBLES, AND THE PERFECTLY MATCHED BLACK INC FORTY FIVE WHEEL

The new OSTRO combines the best of Factor’s renowned engineering capabilities across lightweight, aerodynamics and comfort into one bike that’s ready for anything.

The OSTRO VAM is an ‘everything’ bike, a quiver killer, a master of all trades. Searingly fast, incredibly light and supremely comfortable, it’s ready to win sprints, mountain stages and cobbled Classics. It’s the ultimate all-rounder because it refuses to compromise. If you’re the sort of rider who races with ‘the knife between your teeth’ no matter the parcours, this is the bike you’ve been waiting for. When we say you can have it all, we mean it.

Unapologetically future-facing, the OSTRO is only available for disc brakes and electronic shifting. The benefits of these technologies are now well understood and appreciated in the market and, by committing to them, Factor has enabled further gains to frame weight and integration.

Named after a southerly Mediterranean wind that sweeps through the Côte d’Azur and Nice, location of the Grand Départ of the 2020 Tour de France, the OSTRO is made for exactly the sort of mixed terrain and crosswinds that the riders of the Israel Start-Up Nation team encountered during the early stages of this year’s Grand Boucle. The OSTRO is making its debut at the Tour de France and is being ridden by the team.

“The OSTRO concept was born from my long experience working with pro teams and riders, especially at Paris-Roubaix,” explains Graham Shrive, Factor’s Director of Engineering. “Every year there would be a couple of riders who wanted to use their aero bikes to get that advantage, no matter how poorly suited they were to the cobbles. Plus, of course, pros have always wanted an aero bike with no weight penalty, or a super light bike with no drag penalty in the valleys, as the climbers might see it. Instead of battling to get them on a bike made for the cobbles, we decided to build them what they wanted, and it turns out to be a hell of a bike.”

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