Can practicality triumph over prestige? Is a sensible bike instead of a showy one better for those of us who aren’t pros and ride our bikes to work instead of for work? Does it have to be a case of either-or?
The more forward-thinking brands have started to address these questions, acknowledging that although they are the most expensive and the most desirable in their ranges, WorldTour race bikes are designed in collaboration with cycling teams for professional athletes with little consideration for the rest of us. However, that’s not to say we can’t benefit from the same technological advancements – the materials, the aerodynamics, the stiffness, the handling and so on – with just a little tweaking. And that’s where the Factor Monza comes in.
At the Monza's launch, Factor described it as: "A purebred race machine tuned for those who train, race and push their limits day in and day out… These racers are being left behind by an industry focused on exclusivity, where the entry into high-performance cycling keeps rising. It is Factor, made for more racers."
The Monza was launched some months before the radical new Factor One aero bike, almost as if to soften the blow. The One was designed not only to be the fastest UCI-legal road bike but also to re-centre the extreme positions that the pros were achieving on their race bikes via very long stems, inline seatposts and short cranks – because it was starting to affect handling and safety. Factor shifted the geometry to ‘normalise’ those positions but, as I found when I rode the One at its launch last year, more traditional bike-fit positions have now become the outliers for that bike. But it’s OK, because Factor already had those covered with the Monza.
It has an aero-optimised frame directly derived from Factor’s more traditional aero race bike, the Ostro VAM. The Monza also shares the Ostro’s geometry with the exception of a slightly higher stack height for a “more democratic” fit. There’s clearance for 34mm tyres, integrated frame storage and it is mini-UDH compatible. It is more rugged – yes, inevitably that means it’s heavier – in order to withstand the knocks that come with regular use. However, it’s priced considerably lower than the Ostro VAM and the new Factor One aero bike, with the top SRAM Force Monza retailing at £6,399/$6,999 – that’s over £4,000 below the Ostro VAM with an equivalent spec.
Frame and fork
Factor's engineering director Graham Shrive described the Monza as “not the kind of fragile bike where if it falls over in the garage or at the coffee shop, you're going to be freaked out because it's going to cave the down tube in.”
The tube wall thickness and the tubes themselves are thicker than those of the Ostro VAM, which are particularly narrow (the seat tube is under 2cm wide) but it is still designed to perform and look like an aero bike. Factor claims a frame weight of 1,100 grams compared with 820 grams for the Ostro VAM, which builds to an actual weight of 6.8 kilos in the Dura-Ace spec for the size 56. The size 56 Monza on test here with its SRAM Force groupset and Black Inc Forty Five wheels weighs 7.9 kilos – I would say that's still acceptably light.
The Ostro VAM’s head tube is narrow, pointed and hourglass profiled, containing a D-shaped steerer to reduce the frontal area further, whereas the Monza goes for a more practical round steerer tube and standard 1.5in upper and lower bearings with more space for cables and easier assembly and disassembly with the new HB04 Black Inc cockpit – which incidentally is available in multiple stem lengths and widths at point of purchase.
There is what Factor describes as a planar break between the fork crown and the underside of the head tube: this means a straight line rather than the more complex aerodynamic lip under the Ostro VAM’s down tube where it meets the rear of the fork crown.
There are also simplifications in the manufacturing as well as the tube shapes that make it less costly to produce: Factor says it uses a strategic carbon layup while maintaining its signature ride feel, and “streamlined shaping” increases manufacturing efficiency.
It’s possible that the addition of the down tube storage puts some complexity back in – and adds weight – but it also adds practicality and makes up for some of the sacrificed aerodynamics by hiding tools and spares out of the airflow. Shrive said: “With an aero bike, a saddlebag doesn't make a lot of sense. We ran the Monza in the wind tunnel with and without a saddlebag and the result is almost six watts of aero drag.”
Geometry
I already knew the Monza’s geometry would be perfect for me since it’s the same as the Ostro VAM’s – when I reviewed the Ostro VAM in 2024 I found it responsive yet stable, aggressive enough to get into a good aero position on the hoods…and that was with 2cm of spacers under the stem (I couldn’t cut the steerer as obviously I was going to return the bike). I even did a course PB at a club evening time trial on it. It was fast. So I knew I would get on with the Monza.
Comparing geometries of the size 56 in each model, the Monza’s stack is 9mm higher, its reach is 3mm shorter but the head tube and seat tube angles (73.5° parallel), wheelbase (987mm), chainstay length (405mm) and BB drop (70mm) are all identical. The difference is like having one spacer under the stem and that’s it. Factor doesn’t explicitly say so, but if you want a slammed stem and you’re not as flexible as a twenty-something pro, with the Monza you can still slam it. If not, it doesn’t look like you have a tottering tower of spacers to get the correct height at the front.
Wheels and build
The Black Inc Forty Five is an aero all-rounder carbon wheelset that’s obviously specced for maximum versatility, it weighs 1,595 grams and is probably more aimed at reliability than ultimate performance. In the past, brands would frequently bundle a bike with budget ‘training’ wheels just to keep the price down – this isn’t that, but perhaps since the Forty Fives are jacks of all trades, I found them slightly workmanlike. However, that means there’s an opportunity for lighter or more aero upgrade wheels that will pep up the Monza’s performance in either of those directions should you wish. After all, who doesn’t have a set of ‘best’ wheels?
The latest SRAM Force AXS is the perfect accompaniment to the Monza. Launched last year and designed to deliver all the benefits of the flagship Red groupset but at a lower price, having ridden them both it’s honestly hard to tell the difference. Shifting and braking is phenomenally effortless, and I love the hood and lever ergonomics. It comes with the latest dual-sided Force power meter chainset, which I tested against the new Wahoo Kickr Core 2 smart trainer using ZwiftPower and found them to be within two per cent of each other.
I already mentioned the HB04 cockpit – as well as being more mechanic friendly it also has a more traditional shape than the Ostro VAM’s AB02. It’s not round profiled on the tops but it’s not as deep as the AB04 and so is a little easier to wrap your hands around – and to attach lights to.
Ride impressions
Having raved about the Ostro VAM, I admit my expectations for the Monza’s ride were quite low. How was it going to get anywhere near that sort of thrilling, “dazzling” performance that I described when I reviewed it. That bike went like a rocket uphill, downhill, on the flat and round corners. Well, the Monza actually gets impressively close. The 7.9 kilos compared to 6.8 are evident going up steep hills and it doesn’t have that same snappy feel out of the saddle on a climb. But everywhere else the handling is the same – as you’d expect from more or less identical geometry. It wasn’t easy to judge its stiffness against the Ostro VAM because I rode them more than a year apart, but I found it perfectly responsive with a balanced ride quality.
Another worry was that it might be an endurance bike in all but name, but it’s definitely built for speed. In an effort around my usual 40-kilometre loop for corrected watts it was just a fraction of a kilometre per hour off the other two aero bikes I rode last year, the Van Rysel RCR-F and the Reap Vekta. This test was obviously not conducted with anything like scientific rigour, with many factors (sorry) that could influence the outcome, but it was enough to prove that it’s a fast bike. With a set of faster wheels I think it could be the match of most aero bikes.
Conclusion
Factor has thought carefully about how to make its superb Ostro VAM more appealing to a wider audience, and the Monza is the result. Except it's a different bike with a different personality. Other brands might just wheel out the same race bike made with cheaper carbon and a lower spec, but that's not the Monza; this is a great bike in its own right. No one would ever say £6K is a bargain, but you’re getting most of of what the £10K Ostro VAM can offer, and for most of us it doesn’t make sense to spend another £4K to get that marginally superior performance.
From the expensive ride feel, to the luxury aesthetic to the almost hidden user friendliness, which is beautifully accomplished, it blends prestige and practicality like no other bike does at the moment.
Visit Factor's website to see all the specs and build options.
