My custom Factor O2 VAM has arrived.

I have obsessively scrutinised every detail of this frame in typical Gollum-esque fashion.

This is truly the most stunning example of world-class-road-bike-engineering that I have EVER come across (and I have seen and ridden a lot of road bikes…)

Every detail of the VAM has been approached with the mindset of ‘How do we approach and improve this from an engineering perspective?’ The result is a technologically-advanced product, packaged in a brilliantly simple aesthetic execution. This frame is a game-changer.

(Have a read of my previous blog post for the story of my custom design and how the final build will have my story weaved into every detail.)

The Build

As much as Factor wanted to send over a fully-built bike, I insisted that I would build this myself. I’m not the best mechanic in the world (far from it), but I want to enjoy the process of building this bike from scratch.

The relationship between bike and rider can be… deep (possibly too deep for a ‘non-cyclist’ to ever understand). I think the opening sequence of ‘A Sunday In Hell’, where the Brooklyn mechanic cleans Roger De Vlaeminck’s bike and Eddy tinkers with his fit ahead of Paris-Roubaix 1976, demonstrates the romance I am talking about, perfectly.

I can’t wait to share the build process and end result with you. More importantly, I can’t wait to get my VAM on the road.

Thanks, Factor Bikes UK, for putting up with my Gareth-ism’s and helping me create my dream bike.

Where am I going to keep this old Colnago?

Gareth.