Factor Aluto gravel bike review: Sharp and agile, great for the generalist, but lacking the tyre clearance to keep up with modern trends

It’s been some time since I rode a Factor gravel bike. I tested the Ostro Gravel in early 2023, and while there were some bits I really liked about it, I thought it lacked the versatility that is so often the key selling point of the best gravel bikes. I think, being overcome with an unusual attack of literary whimsy, I compared it to a fish filleting knife; superb for filleting fish (which, in this stretched metaphor, is a stand-in for ‘gravel racing’) but less adept at, say, chopping veg, which I would equate to ‘normal, general purpose gravel riding’.

While I am often overcome by a surfeit of ego, I’m not going to claim responsibility for Factor describing the Aluto as a ‘Swiss Army knife’, as this is a comparison often made of a great many gravel bikes by brands and journalists alike. Having thrashed about on the Aluto on some long, multi-surface days out, the occasional commute, and good old-fashioned smashing about in the woods for a few hours, I am actually inclined to suggest the Aluto is actually much more like a very good chef’s knife than a Swiss Army knife.