Factor ONE vs OSTRO VAM: A Taste Test

First, I get to focus on one thing and one person at a time. Thanks to the cycling community’s support, I am always busy. There is never a time when my schedule isn’t booked out at least two weeks in advance. During peak season, it reaches four weeks, but even then, I am only ever working with one person at a time, so my “busy” isn’t really all that busy. I get to focus on one rider at a time, and never have to deal with being pulled in three directions at once like everyone else in the shop.

And I only ever deal with people who want to be in the room. Everyone who enters the Regroup FIT studio wants to be there. No one is ever upset, angry, or disappointed. Not so with most other jobs. Imagine being a car mechanic, or an AC repairman, or a dentist… People HAVE to see you, often at very inconvenient times, and are generally not super happy about it. Not so in the bike fit studio! You only end up in my studio if you WANT to be there.

Another reason — I get to play with some very cool toys and very cool people. The Regroup team built an incredible studio, filled it with cameras, lasers, pressure systems, custom bespoke software, comfy chairs, coffee, and on and on and on. All that cool stuff attracts cool people who love riding bikes. Some are professionals, some are amateurs, all are passionate and engaged.

Anyway, I’ve dragged this out too long already. I need to get to the headline and the reason why you are reading this article. Let’s just say that reason number 4 why I have the best job in the industry is because I get to ride some very cool bikes.

People are always curious about what the bike fitter is riding. They want to pore over my bikes and check out the details, and more often than not, they ask themselves whether they should try out whichever bike I happen to be on. It is a great way to showcase a product, and for the shop to get behind a given model or brand. I usually ride the bike for a few months, then we sell it at a small discount when the next shiny bike comes along. My last two bikes have been very special indeed.

I was lucky enough to be one of the very first amateur riders to get to ride the all-new Factor ONE. (You can read my complete review here.) The ONE is an absolutely amazing bike. We had a client who was moving out of the country and who desperately wanted one. They were backordered at the time, but his fit was very similar to mine, so we sold him my beloved ONE.

But don’t cry for me Argentina. We replaced it with an equally badass Factor OSTRO VAM.

Since my first ride on the VAM, people have been asking me how it compares to the ONE. Honestly, it is hard to compare the two. While both bikes are perfect examples of what a modern race bike should be, they are still very, very different creatures. Outside the obvious cosmetic differences, the bikes also have very different geometries and personalities.

The ONE has a very unique voice. It gives the rider an inside look at where race bikes are heading, in a clear, straightforward way. It is simply stiffer, more aerodynamic, and sharper handling than any other bike I have ever ridden.

The VAM is the pinnacle of a more traditional line of thinking. It does absolutely everything well, and absolutely nothing poorly. It is light enough to be built at the UCI minimum, but also aero enough to leave most other “race” bikes in its wake.

Comparing bicycles is like comparing whiskey. Not everyone likes the same flavors, so we group them into categories. Peat, smoke, earth, wood, floral, fruit. We tell each other that one whiskey has more of some of those flavors than another, and the people who like things more earthy buy one type of whiskey, and people who like the floral flavors buy another. We do the same thing with bicycles, only instead of wood and fruit, we talk about stiffness, ride quality, weight, acceleration, and cornering. Below are some of the flavors that struck me about both the VAM and the ONE, and where I think they shine. Keep in mind that these are my taste buds, and not yours.

So here you go. Let the ONE vs VAM taste test begin.