The new Factor Monza is a “true high-performance race bike that balances speed, efficiency and real-world usability without unnecessary complexity”. It has an aero-optimised frame derived from its flagship race bike, the Ostro VAM, whose geometry it also shares with the exception of a slightly higher stack height to “democratize” the fit. It has clearance for 34mm tyres, integrated frame storage and is mini-UDH compatible. It is more rugged, designed to withstand the inevitable knocks that come with regular use. Perhaps most crucially, it is priced considerably lower than the Ostro VAM, with the top SRAM Force spec retailing at £6,399/$6,999.
Factor is of course already the bike sponsor of Israel-Premier Tech and Human Powered Health but, it says, not everyone who races is a pro. “Passionate competitors all over the world balance family, careers and life’s responsibilities… their World Championships happen at local crits, club races and fast group rides at dawn.” Factor adds: “These racers are being left behind by an industry focused on exclusivity, where the entry into high-performance cycling keeps rising.” However, it emphasises that the Monza is not an entry-level bike – it is a “purebred race machine tuned for those who train, race and push their limits day in and day out… it is Factor, made for more racers.”
However, assuming money is no object, is the ‘everyday racer’ really likely to choose the Monza over the Ostro VAM – which I reviewed last year and found to be absolutely outstanding? It's an inescapable fact of cycling life that there are many amateurs who love to ride pro-level bikes to the cafe and then sit there gazing at them across a flat white. Can the Monza convince them that practicality is better than prestige? Would they choose a sensible bike over a showy one with star quality?
Interestingly, Factor’s founder, Rob Gitelis, told us at the press briefing that its own Factor Racing under-23 UCI Continental team and Team Amani’s development riders, also sponsored by Factor, would be using the Monza. “It was a little tough when we only had the Ostro VAM and the O2 VAM because in many ways that's not quite the right bike to be giving an 18-year-old and saying ‘here you go, learn your trade on this bike'. We want them to aspire to move up, to get on an Ostro VAM and to move up to the pro level. So we realised we needed to add a bike to our quiver that made more sense for these younger riders and everyday bike racers.” Along with this confirmation that the Monza is a real race bike that will be competing in pro races – albeit not at WorldTour level – he was frank that with the Monza he was aiming to open up Factor to a different group of customers from the traditional Factor customer. Up until now, only premium bikes have been offered. Let’s have a look into those things about the Monza that Factor claims tick all the boxes for the everyday rider, and evaluate whether they can trump the WorldTour glamour of the Ostro VAM.
Down-tube storage
The first of those boxes regards storage. Shrive recalled when a group of high-end customers came to Factor’s Taiwan HQ to collect and ride their new custom-painted Ostro VAMs. The first thing they did was hang bar bags, saddle packs and frame bags off them. “I thought, what are we doing here?” In a less extreme example, carrying a bare minimum of spares is essential for those who don’t have a team car following them, and that’s where the Monza’s internal frame storage comes in. “With an aero bike, a saddlebag doesn't make a lot of sense,” says Shrive. “We ran the Monza in the wind tunnel with and without a saddlebag and the result is almost six watts of aero drag. You could put two TPU tubes, two CO2 canisters and a patch kit in your down tube and it wouldn't affect your aerodynamics at all. It adds a bit of weight, maybe in the 80-100g range [not including the contents], but how much weight does a saddlebag add to your bike?” Shrive points out that the removal of the saddlebag also enables a rear light or radar to be mounted higher up for better visibility. Additionally, there’s a saddle-rails light mount for the Monza which couldn’t be used with a saddlebag (but no seatpost-integrated light à la Scott Foil or BMC Roadmachine). You can confidently say that if it saves six watts, down tube storage is worth having.
Higher stack
“Right now we are seeing a move towards an opening up of the hip angle and that's being driven by two different things,” explains Shrive. “One is the increase in seat tube angles and the other is the move to shorter cranks. Those two things lend themselves to a slightly more upright position, and to be frank a lot of amateur racers struggle with closing their hip angle and leaning all the way over on the bike. It's quite a modest increase, about a centimetre, also driven by how we saw riders using the existing Ostro VAM. If you go to a club ride and see five or six people on Ostros, typically you'll see some spacers under the stem so raising the stack gives more of a democratic fit that appeals to a broader group of people.” Of course it also gives more riders the opportunity to ride with a slammed stem – highly prized in the club cycling world. More stack equals a more open hip angle (and therefore more power), fewer spacers and a slammed stem? Same geometry as the Ostro VAM except for a 1cm taller head tube? It gets my vote.
Clearance for 34mm tyres
Not once does Factor mention ‘all-road capability’, ‘mixed terrain’ or ‘light gravel’ – and Factor has to be applauded for not falling into that particular marketing trap. It has more clearance than the Ostro because it is likely to be ridden over potholes in the road, perhaps unseen in the dark or when the rider in front doesn’t point them out. This a fact of group riding life. The bigger the tyre (within reason) the smaller the likelihood of puncturing in this scenario.
New HP04 integrated bar
This is, according to Factor, an “all-new budget-friendly bar/stem designed to distinguish the frameset package from similarly priced competitors” (mostly separate bar and stem) and it has a “semi-aero profile”, meaning it’s more rounded on the tops. Shrive explains that the HP04 bar is designed around a slightly more modest approach to aero performance that’s slightly detuned from the Black Inc ABO2, which has a significantly deeper section. It also has a shorter reach and shallower drop. My personal preference would be to keep a deeper aero top section in order to maximise the aero benefit from the frame. I’d also like to see a recessed section for the bar tape to avoid the ledge where the wrap finishes. Admittedly, the AB02 doesn’t have this either. I would also investigate whether other widths and stem lengths were available at point of purchase (I am checking this with Factor). For me the jury is out on this bar. When I review the bike and actually have it in my hands, I’ll decide.
More robust wheels
When I reviewed the Factor Ostro VAM, among the many highlights were the Black Inc 48|58 wheels with their carbon spokes and ceramic bearings that weighed 1,270g and went terrifyingly fast. I’ll admit that I avoided dreadful surfaces. They were too nice for that. The Monza comes with Black Inc 45 wheels, which have steel spokes and steel bearings and weigh around 200g more – still a sub-1,500g wheelset, but not considered ‘light’ by modern standards any more. There’s nothing to stop Monza riders simply putting in lighter, faster wheels for smoother surfaces or riding abroad on better roads, but these wheels won’t be a serious hindrance.
The other things to make life easier
There are more thoughtful but less obvious touches designed to make life easier for the Monza owner and perhaps their local bike shop depending on their level of wrenching expertise. A larger top headset bearing (1.5in) paired with a round steerer tube (as opposed to D-shaped) allows more space for cables inside the head tube and easier assembly – and disassembly for travelling. Also on the subject of travelling, a UDH hanger makes sourcing a spare much easier if a bent one needs replacing, it’s a sensible futureproofing measure since, as Shrive points out, 1x is becoming more common. And finally, a T47 threaded bottom bracket and more corrosion-proof seatpost clamp with two parts that can be more comprehensively greased to avoid sticking. All unsexy but sensible things.
More robust frame
Finally, at the press briefing, 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 tubes are visibly fatter than the Ostro VAM’s, which are unusually narrow, but at the moment we don’t have any exact information about the frame weight.
Of course the other thing I don’t have exact information about, is how the Monza rides. It might be easy to live with and Factor claims it’s fast in the wind tunnel, but if it’s really to tick all those boxes it has to feel fast. I’m going to be reviewing the Monza as soon as Factor has a sample ready. Only then will it really be possible to decide whether the so-called everyday racer ought to choose it over the glitzier Ostro VAM.
