Factor

Factor bikes is a UK based high-performance frame brand which makes bikes built predominantly for racing.

History

Factor started out as an offshoot of bf1systems in 2007, providing design services within the motorsport industry. That all changed in 2009 when bf1systems managing director, John Bailey, asked the Factor team to use their F1 and motorsport knowledge to create a new bike. The result was the Factor 001, dubbed by the brand as “the most advanced bike ever".

The 001’s innovative design - it was launched and exhibited at the London Science Museum - immediately garnered plenty of attention and the bike placed Factor firmly on the cycling industry’s radar.

It has stayed there ever since and, following the success of the 001, Factor swiftly got to work on its next bike, the ONE-77. Released in 2012, it followed a similar pattern and was created in collaboration with motorsport-giants Aston Martin. Taking the 001’s design and refining it, the ONE-77 featured a new cockpit and hand-stitched leather saddles.

Factor’s opening two forays into the cycling world were project bikes, attempting to push the boundaries of bike design. By 2013, it wanted to take a new direction to create its first production bike. That led to the Vis Vires, a bike that took the previous motorsport-inspired bikes and transformed them into a functional road bike. It proved to be a watershed moment for many reasons, not least because it introduced the brand to Rob Gitelis, whose Taiwanese factory the bike was produced in.

By 2015, Gitelis had acquired Factor and the company soon unveiled its next road bike: the ONE. It’s since made way for the O2, now the O2 VAM (which the brand claims is the “world’s fastest climbing bike”), and the aero OSTRO VAM.

With the expansion of its road range, Factor entered the world of racing, becoming bike suppliers for AG2R La Mondiale in 2017. They’ve since teamed up with women’s WorldTour team Parkhotel Valkenburg and men’s teams Israel-Premier Tech, Team UKYO, InstaFund Racing and ACA Cycling.

Exploring new avenues, Factor created its first track bike, the SLiCK, in 2017. It’s since been followed by the HANZŌ. Heading in the other direction, the ViSTA’s release in 2018 marked the brand’s first foray into off-road riding. Billed as an ‘all-road’ bike, it incorporated the spirit of cyclocross and gravel riding, merging them into one off-road machine.

Since then, the world of gravel racing has boomed, leading to the LS, a pure gravel bike with a focus on performance.

Did you know?

Pro cycling

• Parkhotel Valkenburg
• Israel-Premier Tech
• Team UKYO
• InstaFund Racing

• Only a year after developing the O2 road bike, Factor became bike suppliers for WorldTour team AG2R La Mondiale in 2017. It proved to be a winning combination as Romain Bardet powered to a victory atop the O2 on stage 12 of the 2017 Tour de France.
• Many more sponsorships and partnerships followed as Factor teamed up with women’s WorldTour team Parkhotel Valkenburg and men’s teams Israel-Premier Tech, Team UKYO, InstaFund Racing and ACA Cycling.
• Factor bikes has enjoyed plenty of success since, linking up with Israel-Premier Tech riders for three Tour de France stage victories. The last of those came on stage 9 of the 2023 Tour de France when Michael Woods won atop Puy de Dôme. It was the first time the climb was tackled at the race since 1988.