It’s a bike that I’ve been keen to test ever since the original Factor O2 burst onto the scene under the AG2R La Mondiale pro team in 2016. But somehow it never happened. I have hardly even seen one in the flesh either, except a fleeting glance of a pro’s bike at a product launch a couple of years ago.
Meanwhile, the Factor O2 has undergone a makeover, while Factor has parted company with AG2R, its bikes are now ridden by the Israel Start-Up Nation pro team.
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New frame tech
That March 2020 makeover updated the O2 and split it into the VAM model that we tested a couple of months ago and the 'standard' O2.
It’s still a premium frameset at over £2,600 for either the disc version or the direct mount rim brake variant. You can buy the O2 frameset-only, or Factor will build a bike to your spec and offers a bike fit as part of the deal.
Buy now from Factor, frameset price starts from £2,650
The O2 rides like a premium bike too and it looks gorgeous, particularly in the Miami Blue colour scheme tested. We spent some time deciding whether the shots did this justice: in the shade the blue looks quite muted but it really pops to a vivid, lustrous mid-blue palette once you’re out in sunny conditions.
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The main difference between the VAM and the standard O2 frameset is the weight. Whereas the size 56cm Factor O2 VAM with Dura-Ace Di2 Disc groupset tipped the scales at 6.6kg, the test size 54cm O2 came in at 7.3kg with Ultegra Di2 Disc and the same Black Inc 30 AR carbon wheelset.
That’s still not bad for a disc equipped bike, with the groupset accounting for around 250g of the difference, but not quite in the flyweight category.
Factor has ported the tech from the VAM to the standard O2, which it says has upped the frame’s comfort and strength over its predecessor. As with the VAM, higher pressure moulding has reduced the amount of resin in the carbon fibre matrix, reducing the frame’s weight from the older version.
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Nice spec options
The O2’s makeover didn’t just split the field into two models though, it also upped the tyre clearance to 30mm. The test bike came with pliant, fast-rolling 28mm Vittoria Corsa tyres. Set up tubeless, the extra width and lower pressure came in handy on the usual bumpy backroads, and it didn’t feel as if it impeded progress either.
Black Inc’s 30 AR wheelset is designed for 28mm-plus tyres and works well with the Vittoria Corsas, with the 21mm internal, 30mm external rim supporting them well.
Buy now from Factor, frameset price starts from £2,650
The wheel depth is a bit less than many carbon clinchers, with all-rounder designs typically coming in around 45mm. Despite their lower profile, they still felt a little twitchy on a gusty day.
The wheelset comes with CeramicSpeed bearings, helping to explain its £1,900 price tag, although at 1,475g claimed for the disc brake version and 1,390g rim brake, its light weight helps to justify that price.
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Factor fits the O2 with a custom Black Inc bar/stem. It suits the bike well. Some complain of the lack of adjustability in a single piece front end, but I found the geometry just right, with a neutral hand position in the drops and plenty of surface area to the tops. That’s helped by the wide range of sizes available, with 19 options from 380 x 90mm all the way up to 440 x 130mm.
That's an unusually large range for a low volume, expensive to manufacture carbon component. There’s a custom out front mount for a Garmin as part of the package. Since there’s a standard width steerer tube, you could instead fit a standard bar and stem if you wanted, although I reckon that would upset the front end aesthetics.
Unlike many brands’ latest high end bikes, Factor hasn’t run the cables fully internally through the bar/stem on the O2. So there’s an external run into the frame and fork in an electronic set-up and a blanking plate in the down tube which lets you run mechanical shift cables if you prefer and means that the O2 is compatible with the full gamut of manufacturers’ groupsets.
Also unlike many of the latest crop of premium bikes, such as the Cannondale SuperSix, Specialized Tarmac and Scott Addict RC, the Factor O2 doesn’t boast any aero flourishes. You get an asymmetric, squarish down tube with a chunky BBright bottom bracket shell and a round seat tube with a round seatpost, although the bar/stem should smooth airflow over the bike’s front end.
But the classic silhouette still looks stylish and sets the O2 apart from the current crop of semi-aero road bikes, which to be honest all look a bit the same.
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Ride-all-day comfort
The Factor O2 is a great ride too, justifying its premium price tag. I was particularly impressed with its handling on fast downhill runs, when its straight line handling was right at the top end of bikes I've ridden, holding a line and maintaining stability when other bikes often become twitchy.
In fact, it’s a bike that feels eager to be ridden fast everywhere, encouraging you to hunker down in the drops and push that bit harder on flat straights. Once you get to a hill, the light weight, grippy tyres and robust power transfer from the chunky bottom bracket encourage you to push for the top.
That’s amplified by the 36x25 lowest gear offered on the test bike. A notch higher than most bikes that come in for review, it was a bit more of a test of my climbing mettle.
The wide tyres help a lot with stability and comfort, while the light weight of the shallow rims adds reactivity. I wondered if the ride quality was down to that combination, but even on 25mm tyres on heavier, deeper section wheels there’s a ride-all-day feel to the O2. There’s plenty of compliance in the frameset, not just the tyres.
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Buy now from Factor, frameset price starts from £2,650
Still a rare sight
Last year on the way back from a launch, a guy from an equally fancy European brand expressed surprise that there weren’t lots of Factors out on the road in the UK. The brand’s scarcity continues though.
In a world where top end bikes from more mainstream brands appear increasingly frequently in the UK’s cycling hotspots, the O2’s rarity is an attraction if you’re looking to ride a premium bike that stands out from the crowd.
Spec
| Frame | O2 carbon, Svelte carbon fork |
| Groupset | Shimano Ultegra Di2 |
| Brakes | Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc |
| Chainset | Shimano Ultegra 52/36 |
| Cassette | Shimano Ultegra 11-25 |
| Bar-stem | Black Inc |
| Seatpost | Black Inc carbon |
| Saddle | Fizik Arione R1 |
| Wheels | Black Inc 30 AR carbon, CeramicSpeed bearings |
| Weight | 7.3kg (54cm) |
| Contact | factorbikes.com |
This review was updated after first publication following a pricing update from the brand
All reviews are fully independent and no payments have been made by companies featured in reviews