A Queensland-based chain waxing service (renh_chain_wax_service) appears to have inadvertently leaked an as-yet-unreleased new Factor Ostro VAM this morning. The bike, belonging to Israel-Premier Tech’s Simon Clarke, appears to have been raced at the 2024 Australian National Road Race Championships and the news was first spotted by Escape Collective. It will also (we assume) feature in the upcoming Tour Down Under and we will keep an eye out for it there.
It’s unclear whether Clarke opted for the AU$20 Standard or AU$50 Race chain optimization waxing service, but the Instagram post gives us an excellent look at the new model, the release date of which is currently unknown.
January often sees plenty of new kit and equipment being rolled out. You can keep up to date with what everyone is using this year in our men’s and women’s WorldTour tech guides.
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A new Factor Ostro VAM
What’s new then? Well, compared to the current model, this edition seems to be following the general industry trend for aero in the front, lightweight in the back. The fork legs are deeper, and mould more organically into a deeper, more obviously rounded headtube; the current model is all aggressive kammtail cutoffs, not the case here. It also appears that the steerer isn’t set right at the front of the head tube, indicating the designers have added material in front to make the head tube deeper, much like the ‘speed sniffer’ seen on the latest Specialized Tarmac SL8.
The top tube tapers much more drastically, to a wafer-like section at the seat tube junction, and the down tube is slightly deeper too. Clarke rides a relatively small frame, and there appears to be a very slight sculpting on the underside of the down tube to accommodate the front wheel.
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The seat tube doesn’t appear to be much deeper but does now feature a cutout…
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