OSTRO VAM — Dura-Ace Di2 / Black Inc 48|58

Factor cures its own frames in Norfolk, and that control over the layup is the argument behind the OSTRO VAM. The laminate combines TeXtreme spread-tow sheets with Toray pitch-based fibre, chosen where a higher modulus buys stiffness without plies. The frame is quoted at 820 g painted in size 54, and the second generation is 250 g lighter than the first with 7 W less drag at 48 km/h on the specified Black Inc 48|58 wheelset.

The tube sections are NACA-derived, with a biconvex nose rather than the truncated aerofoil most frames use at the leading edge. A biconvex profile behaves better across yaw angles because it does not depend on a fixed stagnation point, at the cost of a deeper section for the same drag. The seatpost follows the same logic at 15 mm of width, a dimension the current UCI rules allow and which was only possible after the Di2 battery moved inside the seat tube, accessed from behind the bottom bracket.

The bottle cages are part of the aerodynamic package: the down tube cage guides air over a bottle, and Factor measures the frame as faster with the seat tube cage fitted and empty than with no cage at all. The bottom bracket is T47A, threaded, with CeramicSpeed bearings. The reference build is 6.70 kg without pedals, on Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 and Black Inc 48|58, with 32 mm of tyre clearance.