Factor has launched the Ostro Gravel – an evolution of its flagship all-rounder road race bike the Ostro VAM (opens in new tab), claiming it is “the ultimate gravel racing bike that combines elite gravel performance with best-in-class aerodynamics.”
We spotted the new bike being ridden by gravel pro Dylan Johnson in Unbound and Crusher in the Tushar (opens in new tab) earlier in the year, but now Factor has officially released all the details.
Factor says the Ostro Gravel gravel bike (opens in new tab) draws inspiration from the Tour de France stage-winning Ostro VAM road bike (opens in new tab)(by Simon Clarke on the dramatic cobbled stage five (opens in new tab) in the 2022 race) and adapts it for the nuances of gravel racing in the form of lower-speed aerodynamics, more rugged construction, geometry and handling, and versatile mounting options.
Factor’s existing gravel bike, the Factor LS, has exposed cables and relatively skinny tubes: by contrast the new Ostro Gravel frame with its deeper profiles and integrated bar/stem is barely distinguishable from an aero road bike.
(Image credit: Factor)
According to the Taiwan-based British brand, it has applied its road and time trial expertise – which is considerable – to construct a bike that is fast across a variety of surfaces, but which is specifically designed with high-end gravel racing in mind.
In this discipline, Factor identifies a growing desire for optimised aerodynamics – especially over long distances such as 200km where small watt saving translates into a good chunk of time – and says the Ostro Gravel combines elite aerodynamics with gravel riding/racing design details “to deliver a gravel bike that is in a class of its own.”
Factor is up against new, aero-ised gravel race bikes such as the Pinarello Grevil F, which launched earlier this year (opens in new tab).
Let’s have a look at some numbers.
Factor Ostro Gravel: the numbers
(Image credit: Factor)
There’s 45mm of tyre clearance and Factor says the frame weighs in at 900g (size 54 fully painted frame in Naked Grunge). By comparison the Ostro VAM road race bike has a claimed frame weight of 830g in a size 54 in the Flicker paint scheme.
The frame is constructed from a blend of TeXtreme, Toray and Nippon Graphite pitch-based fibre. This, says Factor, balances its signature lightweight design with a strengthened layup to handle the challenging conditions of gravel racing.
It gets a T47A threaded bottom bracket, rounded steerer tube and…