An ultralight machine for the high mountains that challenges the UCI weight limit
(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Factor has used the Tour de France to launch a brand new bike in the shape of a new O2 VAM model. The O2 VAM is Factor's lightweight all-rounder and the bike looks to have received a fairly large overhaul.
Tech Editor Josh is on the ground in Bilbao ahead of the opening stage of the race and snapped the new bike before the racing begins and the overall contenders do battle. We have also covered the eye-catching paint job on Mads Pederson's Trek Madone ahead of the race.
The new bike belonged to Australian rider Simon Clarke who has ridden for team Israel-Premier Tech since 2022. Although the team decided to not select Chris Froome for the race this year, Clarke and his teammates will be looking to race aggressively and target stage victories. Australian Clarke is around 175cm tall and his frame is a size 52cm model, and his bike is almost certainly one of the lightest bikes in the race, tipping the scales at 6.92kg, barely over the UCI minimum 6.8kg limit.
The biggest differences on the new O2 appear to be the slender tube profiles, with especially thin seat stays; Factor appears to have capitalised on the UCI's removal of the minimum tube cross-section rule here. There's also a D-shaped seat tube that transitions into an integrated seat mast, and dropped seat stays which are the biggest change visually from the existing O2 VAM.
The low-profile wheels from Factor's in-house component brand Black Inc are also unreleased, and we expect to see them in use during the race.
The new bike is really quite different from the current O2 VAM and joins the dropped seat stay club (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Fairly tight tyre clearances at the chain stay here, the 28mm tyres may be the largest the frame will take. We think the bottom bracket is some sort of team-edition CeramicSpeed T47 model. The bright blue colour isn't featured on the brand's website (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This is a max 34T Dura-Ace cassette, we can spot some traces of what looks like green grease or chain lube on the sprocket teeth (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The FSA aero chainring is a 54T model, de rigueur in the World Tour peloton these days (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
A name sticker at the bottom of the down tube, we wonder if this allows for faster bike changes when spotting a bike on a car roof rack or grabbing it from a team truck (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Slender seat stays and a direct mount Dura-Ace r9250 12-speed di2 rear derailleur (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
This looks like the integrated Black Inc aero bar and stem. The 7-degree flare means the drops are slightly wider than the hoods, Chris Froome is said to have provided input for the design of the bar. Note the angled in aero shifter position (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Visible carbon weave on the dropouts and chain and seat stays is something you see a little less on top-end race bikes these days. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The UCI sticker confirms it, the new O2 is out in the wild. The new Ridley bike spotted at the Tour still has a prototype sticker (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
These are new, unreleased, shallower Black Inc carbon fibre wheels. The shallower depth will be better suited to hillier days. We assume the 28/33 marking denotes wheel depth (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The Continental GP5000 TR tyre profile is easy to spot front-on. There's healthy tyre clearance but these aren't the widest fork legs we have seen (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Dropped seat stays, integrated seat mast and some slender frame tubes look to take advantage of the UCI's removal of the minimum tube cross-section rule (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Fairly tight tyre clearances at the seat tube for the 28mm tyres. No bottle cage on the seat tube for the moment either. Could this be a lightweight bike for the hilliest days? (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The Grand Prix 5000 logo has been blacked out on this tyre. Bladed spokes, external spoke nipples and a tubeless valve completes the setup on the new wheels. The team's listed tyre sponsor is Maxxis (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
There's a groupset component mix with Dura-Ace di2 and an FSA Power 2 Max power meter being used (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
A small adhesive rubber strip has been fitted to the chainstay, which we assume is to quieten any potential chain slap on rough terrain and protect the carbon fibre frame. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Tucked away under the top tube is the UCI RFID (radio frequency identification) tag as per the new equipment registration rules this year (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
It appears a chain catcher can be retrofitted should the team or riders desire it. The front derailleur braze-on mount itself looks to have been 'faced' and left unpainted to perhaps allow for improved derailleur alignment (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The new O2 VAM uses an integrated seat mast instead of a regular seatpost (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The integrated Black Inc handlebar (Factors own component brand) is slammed and Clarke uses quite a long stem length, perhaps 130/140mm. Spot the out front Hammerhead computer mount too (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Dropped seat stays feature on the new bike as well as a D-shaped seatpost, both are features we see a lot of on the best road bikes(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
A top tube mounted name sticker and Australian flag for Clarke (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
A carbon railed Selle Italia saddle is the perch of choice for Clarke (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
O2 branding on the bikes drive side chain stay (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Clarke's neat race number mount and above it a pair of hex bolts to adjust the seatpost mast topper height (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The fork crown profile, and its transition into the down tube, look similar to the existing O2 VAM frameset. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The stem appears to sit on the bearing top cover and a single 5mm spacer. Brake hoses are completely integrated and there's an aero profile on the stem top cap (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The new O2 VAM is visually a fairly big departure from the current and we assume outgoing model (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Team edition Power 2 Max power meter chainset featuring carbon fibre crank arms. The chainset bolt has a torque rating of 38-41Nm (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
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Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
