Factor 02 VAM (long term review)

[@CamNicholls]

Please excuse the typo in the vid. Medium 'frame' size, not medium fame. No 'subliminal messaging going on' @SuperOrcy.

[@mattcherubino1464]

Great honest review Cam, completely agree. I'm 68kg and run my Vam with 45mm black inc's setup Tubless, climbing and long rides are my style and I'd say I'm that exact target market you mentioned. Puts a smile on my face every climb.

[@midlifebalance]

Nice video - snappy and to the point. I have the disc version, am 68kg, 170cm and live in the hills. It’ll never leave the stable.

[@massivemmafan]

Let's get some trek reviews! Preferably the emonda 😉

[@k.o.mpenaflor1443]

I am from South America and I have been in living in Australia, with that said this is my personal opinion from the tipes of routes you can do in the big island. I got the feeling you are missing a really good, long and tough climb to test this bike, what I am trying yo say is some kind of mounting that offer a 10 km long road with and average gradient of 10% to really give it a go. this bicycle unfortunately is not meant to be ride in the big island, you can get a better performance with whatsoever aero bike. (Excuse my rusty english I haven't been writing a lot lately), send me the bike if you are not using it XD, I am surrounded by mountains in my town, got a lot of nice route to get alone with that beauty Factor. Cheers mate

[@alainpfammatter8224]

Nice long term review Cam. I personally love the look of the VAM Bike. In my opinion its the best looking bike you own. Just the tubular setup would be a nogo for me.

[@CamNicholls]

It's definitely a good looker.

[@global_nomad.]

Thanks for the good balanced review and the reminder that the bike/rider/riding typology is the set of things to consider when choosing a bike, rather than just focusing on one aspect.

[@durianriders]

HUGE advantage now riding these lightweight bikes compared to everyone riding their 1700g wheeled, rubbing rotors 8kg aero disc road bike for sure. It is crazy how slow the new trend of bikes are. It is hilarious how many people I BLAST pass now on my rim brake bike.

[@CamNicholls]

Haha! Love the enthusiasm for rim! Do you really think there’s a big advantage on the flats though? I don’t find that personally. Even at a 4-6% grad I don’t notice too much. But after 6%, yes

[@waynosfotos]

Never get a disc bike down to 6kg fully fitted, no matter how much you spend!

[@JonReid]

@@waynosfotos David Arthur did with a Canyon.

[@waynosfotos]

@@JonReid with pedals and bottle cages?

[@JonReid]

@@waynosfotos yeah, I just tried to find the link on KZbin, but it seems it was a project he did with GCN and is only available via GCN plus.

[@gavinbutler1109]

You have built a very nice looking bike. As stated is probably a great climbing bike. Still nice to keep. Great honest review.

[@CamNicholls]

Cheers Gavin

[@stevelong9178]

Vam 02 is defo a climber's bike. The new Factor out I believe is good for all riders. This is a bike I have looked at a lot. the price point puts me off. But if your small, light and like going upwards then it is a great bike to look at. Great review Cam. Hope the Family and yourself have a great Xmas and Happy New Year.

[@hestersplace7899]

Hi Cam, you say the flexibility was a problem but you never described how that flexibility manifested itself in a negative way. I have a lot of experience on an O2 VAM rim brake, also built to 6kg, and I found that the frame was literally folding in the middle during hard cornering. The net result was front and rear wheels on different planes which created some terrifying steering effects. All sorts of steering corrections were required to keep the thing on line. It was better if I reduced the pressure on the outside pedal, sort of shared my weight between both pedals and the saddle but no one is going to do their best cornering, fastest descending like that. FWIW I weight 76 kg on a 56 frame. Brake rub was also a problem for me. Though like you I did find the bike a lot of fun in certain situations.

[@CamNicholls]

Thanks for sharing on your he thread. For me it’s having a bike that’s stiff enough to handle the aggressive nature of fast crits and bunches. Bumping into people in the final moments of a day race, quickly dodging something, and feeling confident you’re machine is ready.

[@donschloth5785]

Thanks Cam. I’m actually awaiting delivery of my O2 this week! It’s a disc model and not the VAM. Hopefully it compliments my Bianchi Oltre XR4.

[@SonnyDarvishzadeh]

Thank you for sharing your experience. This is exactly the type of reviews we need.

[@CamNicholls]

Cheers Sonny

[@Bluesman2509]

Nothing like great rim brake bikes.

[@lmcg436]

I’m seriously considering purchasing a Factor bike most likely just the 02. I have an unused pair of Decadence 49 rim brake clinchers. Recently got hit by a car in Melbourne so looking at investing in a new bike as my beautiful giant TCR has been written off. Great review as usual!

[@thegoodwheel]

Hey Cam. Love your content. I ride tubulars on a couple of my bikes. My spare is a Tufo Elite 135 track tire in size 22. It rolls up about the same size as an inner tube and goes in my jersey pocket. Big time peace of mind.

[@ianglover2852]

Thanks for the tip. I have a set of C50s gathering dust in my garage because I am too scared to ride without a spare and the spare I bought is too bulky to carry easily.

[@thegoodwheel]

@@ianglover2852 glad the info helped

[@andyg9991]

Cam, you're not the first person to notice the flex in the O2 VAM. Thing is, its only on the VAM, the regular O2's do not seem to have the same flex feeling. Definitely something to think about for those on the wrong side of 75kgs

[@CamNicholls]

Yes I rode the 02 non vam version and I think I prefer it. Although it was 3 years ago now.

[@calhoune19]

Which side is the “wrong” side of 75kg?

[@WLRKldn]

@@calhoune19 on this bike, the upper side

[@1411198812345]

I second that as well. Currently riding an O2 and despite being over 90kg, I have never found any flex issue. Factor however strangely chose to market the van version as the stiffer one.

[@wesdrum1999]

Hope you keep those tubular wheels! Nice for the hills and smooth ride.

[@2XFactor51]

I’d like to see you review the Factor One aero bike, and see if that’s more your style. I bought one not too long ago, and was amazed at how responsive it was. Thanks for the content.

[@terrywalker7127]

Perfect. I have been researching new bikes for next year and came across the FACTOR O2 VAM. Also considering rhe LOOK 795 Blade RS and the TIME Skylon. Am 5ft 7in. And 155 lbs.

[@_cpdchua]

Great video Cam! Hope u can review the Ostro VAM soon!

[@durianriders]

Red 22 is hard to beat for performance, weight and price. Can get a groupo for 300-500AUD now because of the 12spd electric disc trend. My winspace SLC is 5.74kg with Red. Rides great! Do some vids of the bargains you can get now for 500-1500AUD. So many deals out there today on gummy and facey.

[@CamNicholls]

Shit! I should have spoken with you prior to spending over $2k

[@janmitvora4510]

@@CamNicholls durianrider aka Harley is an absolute legend

[@shannonparker7404]

At 13000 beer tickets that bad boy would be a garage princess for me too!

[@CamNicholls]

haha

[@durianriders]

Put an alloy stem and bars on and it will TRANSFORM the ride quality. Carbon bars are always more flexy especially the one piece stuff. FSA compact bars for $30 are the stiffest bar out there.

[@malecyclist]

I weight 91.5kg, and really enjoy the O2 (non VAM). Decent chunk of carbon (and cash!)

[@jamesmckenzie3532]

Really sexy bike. Way out of my price range now. I do know a couple of people here who sing the praises of the Factor brand, one being the person who sells them. However, like you I weigh too much for the frame. I'll stick to my gravel bike.

[@jamestalkscycling]

This is very timely. I'm looking at a hill climb build and Factor is certainly one to look at. Would be interesting to see you do some timed runs up a climb on various bikes to see the difference.

[@CamNicholls]

I was planning on it, but the Spring weather has simply been too influential to do speed tests.

[@jamestalkscycling]

@@CamNicholls Fair enough, weather has been pants here as well. Hopefully you can find the time soon. I've got a lot of time for youtube while we try and work out what is going on with my knee.

[@scottjordan4850]

100kg on non-VAM 02. If its flexing during higher power output, I don't notice it. I considered my weight when looking at the VAM vs standard 02. And I live in Texas where your only climbing option is freeways. Guess I made the right decision. Thanks for the reviews and insight.

[@CamNicholls]

Non Vam was stiff, I remember it quite well.

[@jordimadridgarcia9892]

Thanks for this revew

[@bendardania]

I hope you get a chance to test and own the factor ostro vam. I recently went on a ride with a friend and swamped during the ride between sl7 Segan and ostro vam (with enve wheels, that maybe helped) and to he honest I like ostro better. I highly recommend you try it. My friend owned a roadmachine and said that ostro vam reminds him of road-machine a lot but better. Happy holidays!

[@CamNicholls]

I think I have one. It’s called the SEKA Exceed. I have been comparing them online and they seem borderline identical. Video to come next Wednesday

[@bendardania]

@@CamNicholls I think so too! :) I mentioned something about that last week. Honestly they look very similar. SEKA looks beautiful. Don’t forget though Ostro is .760 grams for the frame and 280 for the fork also Ostro comes without a compression plug. I can’t wait for SEKA review. Cheers

[@Leahdutoit3118]

Cam, I dont know why people go on about terminology used. We all know what you mean. Anyhow, I like your reviews and tests you do. Safe us shit loads of cash. But getting back to this built, as much as I would like a bike at 6kg, I will be reluctant to get of that bike when doing national racing due to the weight.

[@JonHizon]

Hello Cam, why is it you didn’t bought a Disc? Im planning to change my Bike Frame also preferably Vam Rim or Disc? Or maybe if the Disc is too pricey i will buy the Dare MA-AFO

[@lasylog1]

good insights, i never considered rider to bike body weight ratio.

[@jarrodfife242]

I think if you’re over 75kg odds are you’re not a pure climber and shouldn’t be worried about a bike weighing between 7.5-8.5kg if it’s aero. It’ll be faster on the flat and less than 6% gradients due to aero dynamics but slower on steeper climbs where you’re probably getting dropped anyway by 60-70kg riders. I wouldn’t like to see a powerful sprinter like Kittel riding it from what you’ve said

[@verbinnenben]

But what about the snappy feel of a (sub) 7kg bike? I'm around the 75kg mark and I would take my 7.2kg tarmac pro anyday of the week above my friends wilier cento 1air 8.1kg. What I do think would be nice, is a previous gen canyon aeroad slx with rim brake. Aero + sub 7,5kg.

[@jarrodfife242]

@@verbinnenben Yeah, if you like a snappy bike hood good for you but I’m speaking generically. I’m a sprinter. I don’t care if my bike weighs over 8kg. As long as it’s aero and fast: I can’t climb for shit unless it’s a short berg. Most people who weigh more than 75kg aren’t climbers and would still get dropped regardless by climbers and the flat is their speciality. So they should value aero over weight

[@verbinnenben]

@@jarrodfife242 makes sense. I rode 7000kms before I went to the Pyrenees.. I got dropped every single time by my mate who is 20kg lighter, but might not have ridden more than 1000kms...

[@jarrodfife242]

@@verbinnenben Yeah, my FTP is a lot higher than my good mate who is 10kgs less than me who’s a sprinter by the power profile. He was dropping me on a climb because I didn’t want to go over 350 watt average which would’ve been so much lower for him. Some of us are built for climbing and some aren’t

[@jarrodfife242]

Yeah, I tried doing a 8.5km climb at 4 watts per kg which was 296. My mate can’t hold that on the flat at all but uphill he would’ve only needed to do 250 watts and the steep sections he’d have to wait for me when pacing me up there.

[@jesseproud1707]

Very interested that you opted for mechanical on this bike. What was the reasoning? Just weight?

[@deheckler]

"Flex the Flex" send it ovah here my Steel Ride is killing me @18 lbs!!

[@MarcMendoza]

Cam, what is your bb-to-saddle height? Just from visuals, it looks quite low for someone at 179cm against the 50cm seattube length of this medium 54 O2, or maybe I'm just seeing things. Do you have a long torso proportion?

[@WheelersAtLarge]

At 120kg every CF Bike flexes but in a worrying way 😂 👍

[@danthewookiechewy9555]

hey cam what arm exercises do you do? you seem to have decent arms for a roady

[@CamNicholls]

haha, none. It's legacy from my days in the gym. I do pull ups weekly but that's it. I need to saw them off so I can keep up with the skinny whippets in A grade!

[@dmbiscuit]

I know this isn't an aero bike, but how would you rate any aero touches they put on the frame?

[@adamsmith2408]

Now I'm going to be obsessing on whether my O2 is flexing next time I ride it.

[@CamNicholls]

haha, please don't! The fact is, it starts to become the norm and you notice it a lot less when it's the sole bike you ride. I jump from one to the next, which makes it very obvious.

[@Montrealcycling]

RIM BRAKE IS THE SHIT👌🏻💪🏻🚴🏻‍♂️

[@gregsmith299]

Beautiful looking bike and great review (as always!). Expensive bike though.

[@CamNicholls]

Cheers Greg

[@lukaszbbbb]

The winspace SLC 2.0 still beats it weight wise.👍

[@CamNicholls]

Wow, didn't know that! Will have to look into it.

[@happywolfie1980]

Hm I'll believe it if you have a scale shot

[@marcustan5868]

Winspace frameset is lighter than the factor?

[@marcustan5868]

This is my dream bike

[@jethrovergara]

What's the weight of the seatpost and integrated drops?

[@JB-cc1cw]

Great video

[@cliffcox7643]

What happened to the ultimate crit bike, the Chapter 2 Rere.? That's the bike you're supposed to be with still.

[@CamNicholls]

She moved on mate.

[@cliffcox7643]

@@CamNicholls well, at least you're responding to the viewers. Which i like.

[@CamNicholls]

@@cliffcox7643 I've lost touch a little recently mate so might have missed a few. It's very important to keep up to date with the comments but also very time consuming as the channel grows! I know you have been here for a loooong time and I appreciate the support.

[@theguzziman]

Interesting review Back on speedplays?

[@CamNicholls]

On both Assioma (looks) and Speedplay. I need to make a video about it actually

[@zanshan]

May I ask what is the weight for a disk red etap factor o2 vam

[@daviddang82]

Did you know there is a kit to turn ur sram 11 sp mechanical into 12 sp? Would be cool to do a 1x set up with one. Would you consider doing something like that for a vid and review?

[@CamNicholls]

Interesting to hear that David, thanks for sharing mate. I am about to have a few months off the content creation, so not taking anything new onboard at this stage. But maybe next year!

[@daviddang82]

@@CamNicholls awesome. Well looking forward to if you ever decide to do it. The company is called Ratio Technology. You can find some vids out there already but most people are converting their gravel bikes. Haven't seen anyone implement on road bikes so would be great to hear someone like your take. Also, it doesn't have to be for 1x, you could still do 2x.

[@darrenbarlow5759]

Cam what is the difference between the 02 and 02 Vam? Soz about the break-up mate :)

[@CamNicholls]

Carbon. Higher quality apparently on the VAM and less used for weight savings. I think I prefer the non VAM version TBH

[@darrenbarlow5759]

@Cam Nicholls excellent because that's what I got in August (Miami blue) love it!

[@michaelkennedy9064]

Would love for your thoughts on the Ostro Vam

[@museves]

I weight 95kg and light weight bikes is never my go to bike. Reasons they usually tend to flex alot more than endurance/allround or aerobikes and gives a twitchy sensation on the road

[@janmitvora4510]

Or you can go with the winspace slc rim with winspace hyper wheels

[@SuperYouKey]

Sir maybe you can review brand name Gusto series cobra (Japan Torayca High Modulus Carbon Fiber T-800), or aluminium light weight road bike name mosso 735 (ALU 7005).

[@aniketjagtap5745]

Is the factor os normal bike which barret used is still manufactured now

[@aniketjagtap5745]

I mean o2

[@FaigMir]

Hi buddy, you mentioned that your height is 179 cm. and you took a frame the size of L manufacturer SEKA, but why such a large size, ? I have a height of 178.5 cm , I 'm thinking about taking the size M , won 't the frame be too big ?

[@CamNicholls]

I m a medium in SEKA.

[@derekcravenPT]

So… do I win the Factor 02 give-away? I’m only 68kg and my TCR has been off the road 5 wks because the carbon post snapped clean off under the seat and I’m having to ride my heavy gravel-grinder everywhere 😁🤞🤞

[@CamNicholls]

haha, sorry to hear about the TCR! How frustrating. You can win the prize for buying it! I will sell her off soon.

[@derekcravenPT]

@@CamNicholls shame, really thought I’d got this one, be better than winning Lotto! Perhaps you could talk to Factor, they wanna do a little charity 😁

[@ahnilatedahnilated7703]

Here in the US, paying $10k for a bicycle is insane to me. I love riding but just can't see that for my up to 125 mile/200km rides.

[@mitchellsteindler]

Not sure what you mean by "here in the US". An unbelieve amount of people buy 10k+ bikes.

[@citer5574]

@@mitchellsteindler But it seems to me that factor just rebrands chinese frames

[@pavlos..]

So, I can expect to see that Factor on Bike Chaser sooner rather than later?

[@CamNicholls]

Soonish yes

[@Cyclingchoice]

Cam, at 179 you are in borderline between a medium and large in most brands. Do you ride large frames as well ? or all of your bikes are medium? thanks

[@CamNicholls]

I used to ride 56cm/large when I first started road cycling, but after five years I went to a medium and never turned back. About six years ago now.

[@leslie7922]

I'm borderline med and small, I went med but regret it. Always downsize your frame imo. My next frame will be a small

[@Cyclingchoice]

@@CamNicholls thanks , I am almost your same height, I ride medium too, but recently got a large scott addict frameset which I am planning to build, fit wise do you think there will be a big difference? I am hoping I can get the same geometry by going with a shorter stem.

[@CamNicholls]

@@leslie7922 agreed, if you're on the border, best to go down. But there are always anomalies!

[@CamNicholls]

@@Cyclingchoice It can also depend on your torso and leg length & the specific geo of the frame as not all larges are considered equal, so I guess you'll find out. Should be OK though.

[@MrSzwarz]

90% of bike weight comes from accesories only (groupset, crank, tyres, brakes, steer bar, saddle). Even not from wheels.

[@occyman]

Mentioning quiet….how is the Reacto?

[@CamNicholls]

That’s gone. Wasn’t mine

[@occyman]

@@CamNicholls ahh ok ...I test rode one and it seemed a bit noisy ie around seat/seat post. It had just been built so perhaps it needs a tweak but I hate noisy bikes.

[@CamNicholls]

@@occyman sounds like the person who put it together hasn’t greased it properly. Bike was no issue on my side

[@Peter-wg1ri]

is the frame for sale?

[@CamNicholls]

I will be selling it, yes. [e-mail] if you have interest

[@furyl1_neverz91]

Finally…

[@andersnyberg4034]

I thought they made premium stuff, not only slamming on a premium price. I weigh 95 kg and have peaked 2000 watts. Would be appreciated if you test some bikes that don't flex much around BB and rear triangle when pushing higher watts.

[@jacklalalaful]

Honestly - if you're buying frames in this price range you have more money than sense. The reality is that the frame makes a difference sure but most aren't all that different than a Chinese frame that you can pick up for a grand

[@durianriders]

Factor are made in China though.

[@CamNicholls]

I disagree, the design and engineering is superior on most mainstream bikes.

[@waynosfotos]

Your folding the spare tubular wrong. Your can fold a 23mm small enough to fit in your jersey pocket. I ride tubulars all the time, they are very easy to live with once you adapt to them. You can put sealant in to fix a thorn flat or change a tub pretty quick once you are confident. The slashed tyre flat will stop you with any type of tyre.

[@engnelsito]

Literally all the punctures I had in the past 5 or 6 years were the same: a 5 to 8mm cut in the tyre sidewall. Although a new tube (or patching the damaged one) wouldn't solve the issue since it would come through the hole and burst, I always managed to get home by simply using an energy bar wrapper between the tube and the slashed tire, so that the tube doesn't come through the hole. With tubulars, I would have been stranded.

[@waynosfotos]

@@engnelsito no, with a tubular, you are carrying a whole spare tyre, so you would be good. 👍

[@CamNicholls]

It's a cheap thicky mate. Way too much girth for the back pocket. I need to invest in a good quality one.

[@engnelsito]

@@waynosfotos my point was that with a bit of ingenuity, you can get back home even in a slashed tyre if you're running clinchers, meaning you don't have to carry very much on your rides. I don't even carry a spare tube, just a few patches that take no space and don't weight very much and this was always enough to get me back home. No matter how well you fold a tubular, you are still left with something relatively bulky that weights 250g+ in your pocket or saddlebag.

[@bluemystic7501]

Definitely a sexy bike.

[@CamNicholls]

Very much so.

[@nationsnumber1chump]

1800 grams? Isnt that heavy for todays standards?

[@henrylee8213]

What saddle bag is that?

[@CamNicholls]

That's it www.bike24.com/p2359982.html

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

well don't we have pattycakes on tricycles barbecuing Strawberrys ,

[@CamNicholls]

haha, Harry you are bamboozling me often these days.

[@HarryTzianakisTheGodOfSpeed]

Ha ha ha 🤣😁

[@lukaszbbbb]

And destroys it price wise...of course....

[@CamNicholls]

No surprises there.

[@mrT-gx5bq]

8400€...I rather buy 4 nice bikes for that money...

[@bendunbar8334]

Why are his valves so long hahaha

[@CamNicholls]

I'll blame Jay Taylor for what was available in his store at the time. Great tyres though

[@malmsey1541]

You always do this thing when you get to the negative but then never really explain why it's that negative and lay off on the criticism as if your paid to do so which I know your not. Why not just straight up say why you dislike the flex, expand on how it feels and actually describe it as the flimsy twig of a bike it is. There's a reason Israel premier tech always ride the ostro vam even on the hilliest of stages.

[@SuperOrcy]

medium fame. some subliminal messaging going on?

[@CamNicholls]

haha, oops. My first official typo in a video on the channel. Thanks for the pick up!

[@engnelsito]

I am pretty disappointed with this video. Since you invested so much in this bike, it could be used to bring some more quality content to your channel that people would certainly appreciate and enjoy. A comparison against the aero bikes (Propel, Reacto and the Winspace) in your usual segments would be a great way to show how much impact the aero and the weight have in different situations, for example. A subjective evaluation is good but somewhat short of the quality content you usually have in your channel...

[@CamNicholls]

The weather it simply too influential this time of year to do the speed tests unfortunately. It should also be noted that I was attempting to interview someone from Factor about the flex for this review, but they never responded. But thanks for the feedback

[@chrisibberson9742]

If a 10kg lighter rider rode this could this bike then feel harsh to them as they won’t be “flexing” the frame as much? let’s be honest this industry is just so wrong in so many ways 13k for a bike where the sram 11spd drivetrain tech hasn’t changed in how many years, Factor own there own factory and tooling, used to (still?)making frames for others so how can they charge so much for a bike frame?

[@CamNicholls]

I don't think so, I just feel it would reduce the notable flex. It would still be comfortable, for sure.