Is this my FAVOURITE bike ever? | Factor Ostro Review... Let's talk SHARP EDGES. 

Ahh the comments are alive with people not content with the sound, our videos normally had sound on point with decent mic’s, I used a rode mic here and plugged it into the wrong outlet on the camera. My bad. Also those saying froomey didn’t like the bike I guess only read the headlines, and didn’t watch his video 😂

There goes any excuses ;) Good luck this year Alex have a great season, looking forward to seeing you smash those pedals!!!

Really enjoy when you go into the aero information! And cool to see a world class rider use "normal" gears -- I am old enough that I remember when a pro would say "yeah, I've got my climb gears on, 39x25"

Really informative video, thanks. I started cycling in the eighties and to think how far things have come with bike technology is amazing, the amount of thought that goes into a frame these days, the clean lines with no cables, etc. is fantastic. It’s just a shame that they’re so expensive!!

This was a great review. Love the description of how the tube shapes work.

Factor, for when money isn't one ;)

Discussing the science, but more importantly the reasoning behind it, is top notch. Enjoyed those details.

Great review Alex..very interesting to hear your take on the changes made. Have a great season.

Great review Alex thanks 👍 good luck for next season

Thank you for the video Alex. I ordered the frameset and I cannot wait to get my hands on! Replacing my Bianchi Oltre with the Ostro Vam in Soho Mix.

VAM is the abbreviation for the Italian term velocità ascensionale media, translated in English to mean "average ascent speed" or "mean ascent velocity", but usually referred to as VAM. It is also referred to by the English backronym "Vertical Ascent in Meters".

So many people with their quirky smart Arse replies. Well done Alex for talking about your bike and sharing your personal thoughts . It looks really simple, no messy cables and has a fantastic paint job too. We all all know your legs do the talking but if you are happy sitting on the bike that's a massive psychological gain for free. All the best for 2021 to you and the team.

Great video, Alex maybe you can do a video about your bike settings ( and not only how you set up your bike, but also why you set it up like that). Thanks. Have a great season!

I love the look of this bike and Alex’s review of it. Cheers

Awesome, I love these bikes and being local to me makes it even better 😁. But the question we all want to know Alex is... are you convinced disc’s are the way forward 🙊

Wow alex, you making this video is making me like cycling even more and makes me wanna go buy an expensive bike myself and go and learn a lot about cycling sport

My favorite part of this video is "Factor has their own Factor..y" The bike is lovely and I can't wait to see it in action!

great video Alex, thank you for breaking down your gorgeous team bike for us brother.

Thanks for sharing the video. Obviously it is a very nice bike and I really appreciate the comments about the tyres and details of the frameset. Just one thing though, I believe quite a few of us would like your view about the maintenance side of the disc brakes.

Beautiful machine; you’ve got a fun year ahead!

I bought the same bike and what can I say is that it is absolutely incredible !!! Stiff and comfortable at the same. What impressed me more is the fact with wind the bike is just not moving at all !!! I can' t believe how much is stable. Another point is the fantastic feeling with the fork when descending quickly, very very stable and simple to drive.

Wasn’t convinced I’d watch this, then 11m 35s in...I realised I’d watched it...

You have no idea how long I've waited to understand why teardrop shapes disappeared in favour of the trimmed tip/kamtail. Ha, finally. Thank you.

Great video Alex, will you be doing a review vid on the TT bike?

Thanks for the review! I’m interested now haha!

Fantastic review. How would you rate the wheels and do you see any benefits to fitting Princeton Wake 65/60 wheels which are deeper and a little lighter too with Tune hubs or the 180’s

Alex, I'm with you on the OSTRO Vam. See my review. Its the best bike I've ever had. Just a shame I can't ride it in nicer weather like you can. Great video. Looking forward to some more wins this season - good luck.

Kamm? Wikipedia says - The ideal shape to minimize drag is a teardrop having a smooth airfoil-like shape, but it is not practical for road vehicles because of size constraints. However, researchers including Kamm found that abruptly cutting off the tail resulted in a minimal increase in drag. The reason for this is that a turbulent wake region forms behind the vertical surface at the rear of the car. This wake region mimics the effect of the tapered tail in that air in the free stream does not enter this region (avoiding boundary layer separation), therefore smooth airflow is maintained which minimizes drag.

the KAM tail is also better than a full teardrop shape when the wind comes in at an angle. The Factor Ostro is definitely a bike with bleeding edge design and manufacturing chops behind it, and thankfully it still manages to look very elegant.

Nice video Alex..Allways. Been a fan..I see Factor have followed the VAM.! (Cervelo) frame sizing guide. Less frame jigs Less cost for the manufacture. More profit.

My stock Ostro weighed with Wahoo Nano pedals , Sram Red build, Black Inc 60's in size 56 weighed exactly 16 lbs. I knocked another 1 lb off by swapping to a 10-26 cassette, shorter 165mm cranks, slamming stem, minimal bar tape, and the biggest change was the wheels swapped to Zipp 454 NSW's with tubeless Goodyear 700x25 Eagle F1 tubeless supersports. Fastest bike I ever road and I rode some fast bikes, S-works venge, s-work Tarmaxc SL7, Canyon Aeroroad CF SLX

Great bike....thanks for sharing Alex

Always thought about getting a Factor, really liked the previous models. This looks the perfect bike. £5,200 for frame, fork, seatpost, bars and stem. Jeez! Still tempted.

Alex terrific that you can share ur Pro Rider insights with us. Its gr8 content. Naughty wife bailing on u & Factor with another bike brand .. U 2 Factor , well my wife has life style choices way above my pay grade. Can l ask 4 a pay rise. Enjoy 2022 🚴🏼‍♂️🚴🏼‍♂️

I prefer 45/50 mm rim depth, I feel that these are deep enough and I think less troubles in crosswinds than the 60mm or deeper rim sections.

Every Job has it pros and cons but a free bike to use at today pricers is a nice one to have (not that you don't deserve it Alex ) Great review ......

Next video should deffo be a Hambini / Chanel collaboration review 😂

Great review one question, did you have a hard time installing the mechanical groupset? I’m considering the frameset but I don’t think I can do the full eTap groupset and was thinking of the same Shimano mech groupset. Any issues? Thanks again

Good review Alex. Quick question that has me wondering: If you're riding in front of another rider and there's a tailwind, as the lead rider, do you still get the benefit of the tailwind? Sort of the reverse of riding behind someone against a headwind I guess?

5:55 looks like alex skipped arm day in that gym routine video while lifting the bike 💪🏼

Not “all the new boys” were satisfied 😂😂😂 great review.

just need chanels review now,including the pedal sticks lol

Interesting and another great upload. No mention of disc brakes, but cool with this. For another debate. Should punters not have a choice between rim or disc? AND, will it be long before we cannot even have manual gears? Spending more than a motorbike and being told what you can have... Wagging tails and dogs. (or cats😁)

Also do you race on 28's or are these just for training? I'm considering the move up to 28's but I'm still on the fence.

Shame your review wasn't as technical as Chanel's excellent reviews🙂

Thanks for this review of the Ostro. BTW what does Ostro mean? If I may ask: how tall are you and what is your inseam. I am looking at one day maybe replacing my Pinarello F10. And I am a recreational rider (and older) but do you see an issue with using Campy Super Record EPS4? Thanks again for the awesome review.

I'm two minutes in and the tire labels not being lined up with the valves is triggering my OCD.

VAM comes from "velocità ascensionale media" (climbing rate). This comes from Conconi and Ferrari explaining why they don't necessarily need power meters when looking for "sweet spot" training zones/windows for their clients. I'm pretty sure this dates back to "public discourse" smack talk when certain demagogues were trying to attack everything Conconi and his associates have done since Moser broke the World Hour Record. Moser used heart rate training zones and did some intervals in the hills with a fixed gear (IIRC). VAM for Factor means "climbing" performance has been "factored" in to the design.

Nice! If those wheels are set up tubeless, is there a reason you're using valve extenders?

According to Google: VAM is the abbreviation for the Italian term velocità ascensionale media, translated in English to mean "average ascent speed" or "mean ascent velocity", but usually referred to as VAM

How does Froomedog rate it ? Rim brake version is a must .Ineos still use them ( rim brakes ) that’s a massive statement 😃👌 factor do the right thing and make a climbing ultra rim brake edition 👌😁😁😁😁😁🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️ let’s get serious .. thanks for review Alex 👍

Bring back the Kiwi with the classic commentary lol. Southern Hemisphere rule.

Hello what brand of tires are u riding? and model and size and are they regular clinchers or TUBELESS

Great video - contrast with Froomey's !

Hi Alex, am looking at a 58cm Ostro, how do you find the drop from saddle from handlebar? Thanks

But Froome isn't convinced with his Factor disc. I'm so confused. What am I supposed to believe? ;)

Looks like a top bike, hope they serve you and the team well. Would love to see you winning a stage or two again in a grand tour. What's your thoughts on the brakes 🤔 or have you all had the memo to 🤐 after froomey's review. 😬😂

Finally got me a power meter . Now I know what 400w feels like . I can do 2 mins at 400w. You are a sick man Dowsett, mutant freaks all of yus.

Can't wait for the controversies

No question this is a seriously fast race bike with state-of-the-art technology. Yes, as usual with new aero bikes it's a little bit heavy, but the aero tech is there. A few road racer friends recently got the V.A.M. and all said it's the fastest bike they've ever owned, hands down. The jury is out, I guess. I still want (and love) my super-lightweight rim brake bikes. But I really like FACTOR bikes. How much $$$ are they?? Up there with the SL7 or more., no doubt. Yikes 😲😳 I know they're going to get that weight down, little by little.

Just got my Ostro Vam fully build. Rode the bike around the shop and WOW, what a difference from my Bianchi Oltre. Immediate comfort, composure, solid, light, and just felt right! Full build with Ultegra di2, DT Swiss ERC1100 wheels, pedals, computer mount, power meter and bottle cages- 16lbs!

Hambini will have a field day with this!!

Chanel is a marketing machine 😂 💪

Why go with Swiss stop rotors and pads over the shimano?? Cheers

Hi Alex I heard you're wearing a T56 and I think you're 1.82m tall How high do you have the saddle? Thank you so much All the best.

I think your R3 and R1 numbers are the radius of the tube corner in mm.

Chanel knows.. 😂😂😂 Awesome.

May I ask do you think that this bike can be build under 7kg with red and black inc 45?

How do you like the rotors? I have Ultegra rotors and they are noisey...

What bottle cages do you have there Alex?

Is froome going to be climbing with a 7,5 kg bike??

Do you like the disc brakes as much as Froomey?

Got 1 on order hope I love it🤔

I get that discs are the deal and riders can't really reinvent the wheel. And hopefully, discs will perform better in the heat of competition this year, no crazy skids or whatever.

In Sweden VAM means something quite different to say the least.

People are surprised about the weight which is stupid. He has pedals, cages, gps mount , and even deep wheels

what about the disc brakes? why do not mention how much you love them over rim brakes

“Do you have a discount code for it” hahaha

So when is the giveaway? 😅

Great review. Do you mind sharing some of your fit measurements? saddle height from bb? saddle set back? crank arm length? handlebar width (c-c)?

Lol everything about your explanation shouts "Love this bike". I really liked the airflow physics bits (being a physicist that turned into a software developer way back). Wishing you many enjoyable and successful hours on this feast of engineering!

Two bad things about this bike 1) my riding ability or rather lack of 2) I couldn't afford but I still enjoyed the video Thanks

Having listened to the cycling tips nerd alert podcast on Factor bikes I was sold on one. They seemed to have really nailed what mattered due to their own factor-y etc. Then I saw the price; gulp. For what it’s worth my 2p worth on the Froome review he seemed to really like the bike, subtext inferred much more so than his old one re straight lines weight etc. Was the discs he had issue with. I fear the over spec width of swiss stop rotors may not add to the experience...

How is Albert doing with the kido?

Wish I had a spare 9 grand to spend on a bike great vid but different world !

Would like to hear what Hambini or Peak Torque think about sharp edges reducing drag? I thought the exact opposite was true.....

Clearly the mechanics had sorted your brakes

thansk a lot...my future bike too💝👍

What’s about the flexible bars and dodgy discs!!!

it's a good review but noise is too much you need a external mic :)

So if I ask Factor for a discount on a frame saying I'm a mate of yours I might get a discount?

If I had the cash for one I would be ordering, one day maybe.

wait she is going to share her vids on this channel or she has her own? link pls.

Do you like the disc brakes? 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂

VAM or V.A.M stands for vertical ascent in metres. Aka it is the measurement for how fast you climb vertically in meters per hour. Factor call their climbing bikes the VAM edition meaning their light as f@ck basicallly. Personally i prefer very awesome machine!

is that a scratch on the crank arm :(

5:00 - that looks very much like a 34T inner chain ring

I f'n LOVE mine too!!

@alex was the team running tubeless or tubular tires in the Giro?

What sort of BB? T47? Cheers