Factor MONZA + the New SRAM Force

The MONZA has been designed to provide high level performance while offering a level of practicality and accessibility that bikes destined to be raced at the WorldTour level don’t require. Similarly, SRAM Force has made its mark as the ultimate high performance, reasonably priced groupset. It is a groupset designed for riders who value durability and practicality as equally important as elite performance.

It is the exact same target group that will find the MONZA as the ideal mix for their riding and racing needs. Where practicality and durability are not sacrificed on the altar of marginal performance gains.

The new Force AXS road collection has received an update that improves the ergonomics of the hoods shapes that fit a wider range of hand sizes. The braking power has also been upgraded to allow for exceptional one-finger braking. A new level of precision shifting ensures you’ll never miss a beat when slamming your gears while attacking the competition.

The Force’s new elegant carbon finish pairs perfectly with the MONZA’s frame designs, resulting in a beautiful, performance-oriented package that is ready to tackle any road.

MONZA’s genesis

Factor is a company of racers. Some of us are ex-pros like founder Rob Gitelis and Brand Director David Millar. But most of us are just in love with riding and racing our bikes wherever we can. That’s why Factor has only ever done fast. That’s why the OSTRO VAM has been independently rated the WorldTour’s most aerodynamic racing bike. It was designed specifically for the elite competition in the WorldTour.

MONZA is the offspring of the OSTRO VAM. While the OSTRO was designed for WorldTour riders and focused on their needs, the MONZA uses the same engineering and production expertise that’s behind the OSTRO to bring similar benefits to a different type of rider with different types of needs; a rider who can benefit from the advanced technology employed yet enjoy the practicalities intended for real world riding and racing situations.

Whether you are planning on racing at the front of the pack, or just racing to and from work to get in some training time, the MONZA has been developed to answer all your needs, from performance to practicality.

What makes MONZA so fast and comfortable?

Build quality is an obvious answer. Having engineers who know what they are doing is also crucial. And controlling the process from drafting board to carbon layup to production run is essential.

We are also not afraid to take lessons from past projects. For instance, we looked at how normal, daily riders were setting up their OSTRO VAMs. These are athletes who take their riding and racing seriously, even if they are not pros or training to become pros. They just love to ride, race, and test themselves using the best mix of equipment possible.

What we noticed is that oftentimes, they loved the high performance of the OSTRO VAM, but were finding it necessary to adapt the frame geometry to their position needs. For instance, they would need to add spacers under the stem to allow them to find their desired fit. That’s one reason we introduced a more democratic fit with MONZA.

Adaptive fit

In the ever-evolving world of bike fit philosophy, amateur racers are often caught in the crosshairs of having to follow what the pros are doing if they want to ride top-end bikes. Taking the super aggressive geometry of the OSTRO VAM is a prime example. But we wanted to facilitate the opening up of the hip angle for all athletes, no matter their level of flexibility.

With the MONZA, athletes no longer have to add all those spacers thanks to a modest increase in stack height – about 1 cm across all sizes. Combining that with an increase in seat tube angle and the use of shorter cranks will allow all riders to get their position dialed. They can settle into an appropriately aggressive set-up while enjoying the long distance comfort provided by the Democratic fit.

Geometry eased; ride quality enhanced

At Factor, we don’t have quality tiers. Every bike we produce starts first with meticulous research and design, and then uses ultra-high quality materials. Only the intended ride scenarios differ and distinguish each bike from others in our line-up. For the MONZA, we envisioned the use-case scenario and developed the bike to accommodate those rides and riders.

Having the expertise to provide a precise carbon layup that ensures not only comfort, but responsiveness makes the MONZA special. Being able to combine that with intelligent geometry and design decisions that accommodate the widest number of riders is what sets Factor apart from all other brands.

Though a pure racing bike, the MONZA also incorporates several utilitarian design features that focus on the needs of the daily rider. Things like the in-frame storage allow the rider to carry the right tools to be self-sufficient without sacrificing aero performance with a huge saddle bag. Similarly, removing the need for a saddle bag allowed us to develop a rear saddle mount for effective lighting solutions. Combining that with the front computer/lighting mount increases the bike’s usability in low level lighting situations, which is essential for athletes who train early in the morning or use the evening commute home from work to get in some good training time.

What about UDH on the road?

There’s been a lot of debate lately regarding how appropriate or necessary Universal Derailleur Hanger capability is for a road bike application. Several pundits already are crying “foul” or more to the point “marketing ploy!” But we believe adding UDH compatibility is just another way to enhance MONZA's use scenarios.

We believe the possibility of running a 1x on a road bike is less a marketing ploy and more a question of geography. Where riders live can largely dictate what type of gear set-up will work best for them. If you are living where there are limited opportunities to tackle long climbs, then a 2x set-up might end up feeling superfluous. We want riders in places like Miami, Chicago, Berlin, Perth, Holland, or the Canal du Midi to have the option to simplify their drivetrain and roll the MONZA with a 1x.

It doesn’t have to be today. It doesn’t have to be everybody. But we want to give people all the opportunities they need to turn the MONZA into their perfect bike for their typical rides. And to counteract any perceived weight penalty, the MONZA currently uses a 4.5 mm spacer to reduce the dropout thickness. The design allows full compatibility with all transmission drivetrains without adding weight. The imminent introduction of a more compact UDH hanger will replace the current hanger and spacer set-up, which will further reduce bulk and system weight.

Looks comfortable, feels FAST

So, you think you can tell how a bike will ride by just looking at it? Or perhaps by looking at the geometry chart? Or maybe you think you know what to expect from its ride by looking at the price point. What if we were to suggest the MONZA explodes all these preconceived notions?

Sure, the MONZA looks beautiful and well-crafted. Does it look racy? Or does it lull the viewer into a false sense of no-frills comfort all-road type of ride? We know from our own marketing that we want people to feel fast on this bike in all situations. So, have we succeeded?

Zack Morris, the first rider to test the MONZA on Factor’s photoshoot, discusses his first impressions:

“It’s actually a surprising experience riding this bike. Because when you look at it and see the big tubes you immediately think ‘COMFORT!’ Comfortable it is, but it’s super responsive, so it kinda freaks you out mentally. ‘Cause when you get on it, it just dives in and out of all the corners and hits all the places you want to be in your mind; by the time you are thinking about it, the bike just drops right in there. So it’s really a surprising experience and it takes a couple seconds to get adapted to it once you get on because it’s way more responsive than you think it will be.”

Ride. Train. Race. Repeat.

Even if we all find inspiration and motivation from watching how the pros ride, we can acknowledge that we are not pros with home mechanics and soigneurs. We fit our training in between work and family responsibilities, we race the Tuesday night crit series or hill climbs on Sunday afternoons, and we get up on Monday morning ready to do it all over again.

We need a bike that can keep up with us and smoke the competition. We need the Factor MONZA. Combine it with the new SRAM Force and you will have the ultimate racing machine with an ideal level of practicality and durability for the long haul.