As a new Factor ambassador, I worked with John Bailey (Managing Director of Factor Bikes UK) to design my dream bike, a custom Factor O2 VAM. John knows I’m a diva, so he wanted to help me design something unique to me. (I will share the story of the design with you next time.)

I jumped on Adobe Illustrator to visualise the build. My VAM is due to arrive mid-April… I can’t wait (that’s probably why I’m writing this).

Why is the Factor O2 VAM my dream bike?

Here’s some context:

(If you have read my blog post Factor ‘The Usurpers’ then you can probably scroll through this first part, if not, enjoy reading the backstory.)

I have ridden the Pinarello Dogma F10 in the French Alpes-Maritimes, the S-Works Tarmac over the Parcours of the Tour of Flanders, I have tried and tested nearly every road bike in the pro peloton. All incredible bikes, but none of them could usurp (de-throne [yes, I am using Game of Thrones language]) my Colnago 50 👑 a bike made way back in 2003...

(Naturally, I have lots of bikes… but I’m talking about my best bike, my summer bike, you know… ‘the one’ . 💍)

I believed that no one was capable of engineering a better bike… But last year I test rode the Factor O2… ‘the usurper, the ‘Kingslayer’. It changed everything.

I threw N+1 out the window and SOLD MY C50.

I know it sounds criminal to sell such a classic icon. This gesture was symbolic of my loyalty towards Factor and my belief that they engineer the best bikes in the world. Loyalty goes both ways, that is how you form a long-lasting and successful relationship.

You see, I’m a ‘rouleur’ (no, not a magazine - a versatile rider) my riding style has changed quite a lot over the past decade. I used to be a rouleur that can sprint, now I’m a rouleur that can climb - but I will always be a rouleur at heart. I’m known as ‘*The Dandy Lion or the Lion of Flowers’ (in some small circles), it’s a play on my hero’s nickname ‘the Lion of Flanders’ Johan Museeuw, who is considered the greatest rouleur of all time.

*The Dandy Lion/Lion of Flowers: London-Esq dandy style with a Flemish heart (Not because I’m so light I might blow away in the wind like a dandelion, I hope).

So dancing days are here again
As the summer evenings grow
You are my flower, you are my power
You are my woman who knows

(Led Zeppelin - “Dancing Days”) ☮️

As a rouleur, I need a road bike that can do everything, not a specialist bike, such as an ‘aero-bike’, which are more suited to flatter roads where ‘power to frontal mass’ takes priority over ‘power to weight’; for example, Lorena Wiebes when she won Omloop van het Hageland on her custom Dutch National Champion Factor ONE. 🇳🇱 

I need a bike that can: roll, climb, descend, corner, sprint, is comfortable & responsive, can attack in bursts, etc. But more importantly… I need a bike that looks good and is a reflection of who I am as a rider.

Bikes are an extension of who we are, like the clothes we wear, music we listen to, etc. We all have our own beliefs, cultures, values and need a sense of identity, style and individuality.

Factors brand values align seamlessly with my own: zero-compromise, continuous-improvement, challenging the status quo, open-minded, progressive, etc.

The O2 VAM

Factor ‘usurped the usurper’ by releasing the O2 VAM - A sub-700g road frame promising a new benchmark for ultralight performance for when the road goes up. The ultimate expression of Factor’s design and manufacturing expertise.

VAM or ‘Velocità Ascensionale Media’ (average ascent velocity) is a measurement of climbing speed, theorised by Italian coach Dr Michele Ferrari in the ’80s as a way to gauge a rider’s climbing performance. VAM is unaffected by variables such as wind, temperature and drafting, but became pretty much irrelevant with the invention of the power meter (as It's far more accurate and gives real-time feedback).

You know I adore cycling history. Dr Ferrari might be a ‘James Bond-Esq baddie’ in the story of road cycling, but every great story needs heroes and villains. The Factor O2 VAM is a hero with a villainous streak, this just makes me love it even more.

VAM Explained

VAM = (metres of elevation gained x 60) ÷ by minutes taken to ride the climb

For example, Alpe d’Huez has 1,090m of elevation and let’s say it takes you 30mins (Yeah, as if 😂).

(1,090m x 60) ÷ 30mins = 2,180VAM - (If your VAM was this high, you’d be accused of visiting Dr Ferrari 😉)

How is the O2 VAM different from the O2?

When the VAM was released I had a few questions - “Is it just a lighter version of the O2? Is this frame only for climbing? Can this ‘weight-weenie’ still handle the cobbles of Flanders? (my favourite place to ride), etc.”

After posing this line of questioning to Factor, the response was reassuring and on reflection, needless for me to even ask.

“Factor is founded on zero-compromise. This frame is optimised for climbing and cycling. We have obsessively improved fabrication technology, structural design, stiffness, efficiency and ride quality while using the absolute minimum material possible; a completely new method of carbon compaction pressurisation allows us to wring excessive resin, therefore making the carbon stronger, lighter and more efficient. An optimised and strategic layup of mixed modulus carbon helps further define VAM’S handling characteristics.

The O2 VAM is the result of the most substantial engineering breakthrough in carbon bike manufacturing… in decades.”

Seeing the VAM under the legs of Team Parkhotel Valkenburg and Israel Start-Up Nation during Omloop Het Nieuwsblad proved the VAM’s abilities and silenced my questions. This ‘weight-weenie’ can take a punch… 🥊

…But more importantly, It can throw a knock-out punch 💥 ”ding, ding” 🔔, leaving your opponent ‘down and out’.

The pros have proved that the VAM’s chassis is built to attack and manoeuvre, whether you’re scaling or descending a mountain, navigating a technical city-centre finish, or powering up the Muur van Geraardsbergen - the O2 VAM can clearly ‘roll with the punches’.

Sadly, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we won’t get to see the O2 VAM race the Tour of Flanders or Paris Roubaix. Worst of all, we won’t be able to see the VAM in its element - racing up the mountains of the Giro d’Italia.

I look forward to sharing the story of my design and build with you.

Gareth.