I switched to this bike after being on a TCR for 3.5 years and I must say I absolutely agree that this bike is worth every cent and is so value for money. It holds speed really well and is really stable at high speed, unlike the TCR that i genuinely felt scared sometimes when I tried to push it a bit faster. That said I felt that it takes a bit longer to start the bike when at complete rest and it is slightly less comfortable when climbing (but TCR is for climbing). Overall really great value and would strongly rec as well...
26 วันที่ผ่านมา +1
Excellent. I thought I wanted the Canyon CFR but I had the same hang ups you mentioned. They advertise 15.7 lb for Red build but that's probably a size small. S-works T8 is a strong contender, but priced crazy high. My buddy just bought the Ostra so I started looking into it and found your review. It really checks all my boxes. I do like the Ostra T47 vs. PF, standard size steer tube, beefy bottom bracket. Seems a good value with $2900 wheelset. All CeramicSpeed! Now which color... I am in Bellevue.
Great review, I recently bought an Ostro Vam and love it! It’s well made and handles well. I can say that it’s light for an aero bike, since I had a Scott Foil RC 20 and it was fun to ride but heavy at almost 18 lbs with SRAM Rival. I have the same group-set on my Ostro Vam and it comes in at 16.8 lbs. The paint job is amazing as well.
Love my Ostro vam. I have the TDF version from 2 years ago. I also put Arundel cages on. Factor make great bikes and they're not too common either. Great review
I'm definitely seeing them popping up more and more. I wonder how much of an impact the Phil Gaimon sponsorship has. Quite a few pro crit racers are on them and I totally know why!
15:00 this!!!! If I’m buying a super premium bike, I absolutely expect to take it out of the shop set up exactly how I want it. What value is the local bike shop even providing if they won’t do this for their highest value customers?
I got mine over the summer and went with a Red built with Prisma custom paint. I love it as it rides very smoothly and as you said, loves to hold speed. The best features are the looks and customization options. Just about every S Works SL7 or SL8 I see have a ton of options that were purchased separately, as you said. Plus, I like the T47 BB over the BSA on the Tarmac (that's one reason it's so light, it has a tiny BB area compared to the Ostro) because it feels positively substantial when your put huge efforts into the pedals.
Excellent review. Thanks for the detail and thoroughness of it! My 2025 race bike is looking like a 58cm Ostro V2 in Pearl White with Dura Ace. Can't wait!
Totally agree with you on the review length. The more something costs within its space, the more the extra detail is required. My 15(ish) year old Giant Defy (2X10 105 group, aluminum frame, carbon fork/seatpost) would be worthy of 10-15 minutes at most. For me it’s (almost) perfect for my ability and what I do - and Harv I was willing to spend at the time. If I were to replace it tomorrow, or could go back in time, the only significant changes I’d make are internal cable routing, and the ability to take fatter, tubeless tires. Living in the Kelowna area, I’d love to be able to ride the Myra Canyon and the north half of the Okanagan Rail Trail, which are both gravel.
I love to hear it! I still love my Bianchi, but I can't get behind their new designs. I switched when I was chasing Will down a descent and at over 50mph, my brakes melted trying to corner with him on his new cervelo. I knew I needed to move to discs at that moment.
Great review. It confirms my decision to get an Ostro VAM. I ordered the same black Ostro VAM with black wheels as yours. I’ve never ridden anything but Tarmacs. I was deciding between the Factor and the Tarmac Pro SL8. The deciding factor was the customization you talked about. I actually like that the branding is subtle. My favorite LBS is a Factor dealer so they’ll build it up and do the bike fit included in the price. I feel like I got great value and I great bike. I’ll write a follow up once I get my bike and put some miles on it.
FWIW, I have an SL5 S Works Tarmac. The person who sold it to me said that it will make me want to ride like an A-hole since it knows 2 speeds - parked and 'a-hole'. I come back to that all the time. I feel like Tarmacs, while great bikes overall, are one-trick ponies. The Ostro VAM truly feels versatile. I can sit on it all day without issue - take it to the coffee shop, and then go hammer on it immediately after.
@@Cat3ForLife My current bike is a Tarmac Pro SL6. It’s been a great bike and I’ve done all kinds of rides and races on it. But I probably did ride like an a-hole occasionally. I’m getting my Ostro VAM Thursday so it will be interesting to see how it compares. I expect it will feel like a big upgrade.
@Cat3ForLife if you're running a 28 front tire it'll be wider than the rim which is obviously the opposite of what you want, this is why those reserve rims test so well, they're heavier but aero is so important with wheels. Still super nice wheels and package I just don't understand how they're making new wheels optimized for a 25 tire...
Thanks for this review! Sounds like you just ordered this direct. How did you test the fit? I would worry about putting too much weight on my hands. Maybe that’s why you got the offset seatpost? But you said you wanted to swap that for zero-offset, so it must not be a problem. Is this “just” a matter of riding hard and using your legs to keep weight off your hands?
This was a very informative review. I was literally 50/50 between an V2 Ostro VAM and S-Works SL8 for my current build because I recently cracked the top tube on my Bianchi Specialissima. I also have an Oltre XR4 that I use for crits and this bike is for all of my other road riding. I ended up ordering an RTP SL8 to build custom because the weight of the Ostro was higher than what Factor originally said it would be but I honestly might have felt differently if I had seen your review and real world riding data (especially the comparison with the XR4 with Countervail because I agree with you that it is noticeable). I am looking forward to finishing my SL8 build and I have a buddy that has a V2 Ostro (that is a size smaller than my size), but I am going to try to compare the 2.
I'd love to hear your final comparisons between the 2. Will comes home from college in a month and I'm going to have him thrash the crap out of the Ostro and compare it to his Cervelo. I'll be curious to hear that comparison too. I may have him review his Soloist with SRAM Red '24
@@Cat3ForLifeYou got it, I’ll come back with comments. I have everything except a damn cockpit, which I didn’t realize was going to be such a hassle to source. As soon as a 40x120 in either the Roval Rapide or the EXS Aerover shows up, I’ll order it and finish the build. It’s kind of funny, the celebration of the Ostro customization in this review is the exact reason I decided not to go with the Ostro. I use Assioma pedals and have no use for the 48/35 chainring or the powermeter they force you to buy. That was a $600 unnecessary swing and Factor acted indignant when I tried to get a 50/37 with no powermeter (I did not have nearly the good experience you did with Factor including paying for Prisma paint for a bike I never received but that’s a story for another day). That led me to decide to do a frame-up build and direct comparison of the Ostro frame and the S-works SL8. Im a heavier guy (84Kg) and need all the climbing help I can get so that somewhat dictated the decision. I really wish I could have ridden a new Ostro before making the decision. Again, appreciate you doing such an in-depth review!
@@terrellpickett7904 Man, I'm bummed to hear about that. I had a great order experience. That being said, I did ask for it without a PM and they said no - SRAM only provides them the kit with the PM (which sucks, but I get it). They did have a 50/37 available in the 170mm crank length. Will uses the 50/37, but I just don't climb as well as he does and need that little bit of a boost. Definitely shoot me a few notes on the new build when you get it done!
Excelent review. I am looking at that bike and there are no decent reviews around. Really thank you. Needless to say that I subscribed. I would really be interested for your "own thoughts" about sl8...
I might have missed it, but I didn’t catch which size it was (for the weight comparison). Also how does this match up with your height and Factor’s recommended sizings? Great review BTW, my Ostro v1 has just been written off in a crash and I loved it so much I’ll hopefully be replacing it with an Ostro v2
Yeah, I totally forgot to mention. It's a 54. I'm 5'9" and ride a 55 on my Bianchi. I could DEFINITELY go with a 53 on the Bianchi. Just like on this, I could totally ride a 52. However, I do prefer to be a little stretched rather than a little cramped. In all, I think their sizing guides are pretty solid. The other nice thing - they don't have any one measurement on their bikes that is crazy out of the ordinary like a super tall head tube or long top tube with short down tube config (like Pinarello).
@@Cat3ForLife I'm not sure about the smaller sizes, but the larger sizes are very large. I have the 2024 Ostro Vam in 58. I'm 6'4" tall and the guide, after doing all of the height and inseam measurements recommended the 61cm frame. I was coming from a 2020 S-Works Venge in 61 cm that fit really well with offset seatpost and a 115 stem. I am REALLY glad I went with the 58 and not the 61. I am stretched on the 58 with offset seatpost and a 130 stem. I could probably run a 115 or 120 stem and be fine, but had I gone with a 61, I'd probably have had to replace the seatpost and bar/stem. The larger frames run big in my experience. My son is 6'2"-6'3" and is running a 56cm Ostro Vam quite comfortably (offset seatpost and 130 stem).
Good to know. I do use bike geometry geeks to get my sizing situated between bikes. Will is 6' and rides 54cm bikes. I'm 5'9 and also ride 54s, but we have different saddle height and setback and definitely different stem lengths. I tend to be a little more stretched and he tends to be a little more compact, obviously. One reason we do this though is when we're traveling to race, if one of us breaks a bike, the other can at least have something to ride
Great review! This is top of my shortlist in exact same spec. You mention you'd be better suited to a zero setback seat post, and I see that you have your saddle slammed pretty far forward on the setback seat post. What is your saddle setback measurement? I currently run a saddle setback of 80mm to the nose of an SLR Boost, and I'm not sure if I could get away with a zero setback post or if a setback post is needed. Thanks, and enjoy that awesome machine!
I've swapped out the saddle for the Berk Lupina monocoque which has similar dimensions to the SLR boost (the short version). The biggest difference is I can't get the Berk as far forward by a few millimeters. That being said, with the Berk slammed forward on the rails, I have an 82mm setback from center of BB to nose of saddle. I'll be getting the 0 setback on Friday. Factor are REALLY good at getting stuff out quickly.
Exact same ratio. I climb a LOT. I can't say that, despite the little extra weight that I've noticed any degradation in performance on the climbs. That's saying quite a bit since the Bianchi is insanely good on climbs.
How is it 7.6kg? Doesn’t make sense. Mine has been weighed on 2 separate park tool scales at 7.5kg. Mine is white (heavier than black) is a mix of Force and previous Red. That’s with dura ace pedals, black inc bottle cages and 30c Vitoria Corsa pro which are 298g each. That’s with 40g sealant per tyre. Looks like you need the zero offset seat post too.
Ah cool. Not aware of a heavier bar/stem. Makes a bit more sense now I suppose. I’d expect a black one with full 2024 red to be 6.9-7.1 depending on tyres/saddle etc
I had this bike on my wish list because of the integrated aero extension for the handlebar. However, I didn't expect these attachments bolts to be so prominent. Are the very noticeable when your put your hands right above them?
Not in the slightest. And I added them on. They come with very small rubber grommets instead, but I added the bolts to add a pop of color. Sadly, the bolts that I bought from Amazon 'looked' to be low-profile. They indeed were not. If you choose to use bolts instead of the rubber grommets (which will promptly fall out, btw), if you go with low profile ones, you'll be happy. That being said, I definitely don't have any issues with them on the tops. In fact, they add a little grippy comfort.
Very nice real world review by a Category racer. So much more illuminating than the run of the mill read of the specs review. Kudos.
I switched to this bike after being on a TCR for 3.5 years and I must say I absolutely agree that this bike is worth every cent and is so value for money. It holds speed really well and is really stable at high speed, unlike the TCR that i genuinely felt scared sometimes when I tried to push it a bit faster. That said I felt that it takes a bit longer to start the bike when at complete rest and it is slightly less comfortable when climbing (but TCR is for climbing). Overall really great value and would strongly rec as well...
Excellent. I thought I wanted the Canyon CFR but I had the same hang ups you mentioned. They advertise 15.7 lb for Red build but that's probably a size small. S-works T8 is a strong contender, but priced crazy high. My buddy just bought the Ostra so I started looking into it and found your review. It really checks all my boxes. I do like the Ostra T47 vs. PF, standard size steer tube, beefy bottom bracket. Seems a good value with $2900 wheelset. All CeramicSpeed! Now which color... I am in Bellevue.
Great review, I recently bought an Ostro Vam and love it! It’s well made and handles well. I can say that it’s light for an aero bike, since I had a Scott Foil RC 20 and it was fun to ride but heavy at almost 18 lbs with SRAM Rival. I have the same group-set on my Ostro Vam and it comes in at 16.8 lbs. The paint job is amazing as well.
Love my Ostro vam. I have the TDF version from 2 years ago. I also put Arundel cages on. Factor make great bikes and they're not too common either. Great review
I'm definitely seeing them popping up more and more. I wonder how much of an impact the Phil Gaimon sponsorship has. Quite a few pro crit racers are on them and I totally know why!
15:00 this!!!! If I’m buying a super premium bike, I absolutely expect to take it out of the shop set up exactly how I want it. What value is the local bike shop even providing if they won’t do this for their highest value customers?
Cool, thanks for the detailed review. This bike is now at the top of my list!
I got mine over the summer and went with a Red built with Prisma custom paint. I love it as it rides very smoothly and as you said, loves to hold speed.
The best features are the looks and customization options. Just about every S Works SL7 or SL8 I see have a ton of options that were purchased separately, as you said. Plus, I like the T47 BB over the BSA on the Tarmac (that's one reason it's so light, it has a tiny BB area compared to the Ostro) because it feels positively substantial when your put huge efforts into the pedals.
Excellent review. Thanks for the detail and thoroughness of it! My 2025 race bike is looking like a 58cm Ostro V2 in Pearl White with Dura Ace. Can't wait!
The team my son just signed to is racing that same config except he'll be using a mix of force and red AXS. I think you'll love the new bike!
Great review, thank you for the detailed info 👌
Totally agree with you on the review length. The more something costs within its space, the more the extra detail is required. My 15(ish) year old Giant Defy (2X10 105 group, aluminum frame, carbon fork/seatpost) would be worthy of 10-15 minutes at most. For me it’s (almost) perfect for my ability and what I do - and Harv I was willing to spend at the time. If I were to replace it tomorrow, or could go back in time, the only significant changes I’d make are internal cable routing, and the ability to take fatter, tubeless tires. Living in the Kelowna area, I’d love to be able to ride the Myra Canyon and the north half of the Okanagan Rail Trail, which are both gravel.
Great review. Ironically, I came from the Bianchi to the new factor as well. Same models. I agree with your assessment. Super job.
I love to hear it! I still love my Bianchi, but I can't get behind their new designs. I switched when I was chasing Will down a descent and at over 50mph, my brakes melted trying to corner with him on his new cervelo. I knew I needed to move to discs at that moment.
@@Cat3ForLife That is scary. Glad you are okay. Enjoy the ride:)
Great review. It confirms my decision to get an Ostro VAM. I ordered the same black Ostro VAM with black wheels as yours. I’ve never ridden anything but Tarmacs. I was deciding between the Factor and the Tarmac Pro SL8. The deciding factor was the customization you talked about. I actually like that the branding is subtle. My favorite LBS is a Factor dealer so they’ll build it up and do the bike fit included in the price. I feel like I got great value and I great bike. I’ll write a follow up once I get my bike and put some miles on it.
FWIW, I have an SL5 S Works Tarmac. The person who sold it to me said that it will make me want to ride like an A-hole since it knows 2 speeds - parked and 'a-hole'. I come back to that all the time. I feel like Tarmacs, while great bikes overall, are one-trick ponies. The Ostro VAM truly feels versatile. I can sit on it all day without issue - take it to the coffee shop, and then go hammer on it immediately after.
@@Cat3ForLife My current bike is a Tarmac Pro SL6. It’s been a great bike and I’ve done all kinds of rides and races on it. But I probably did ride like an a-hole occasionally. I’m getting my Ostro VAM Thursday so it will be interesting to see how it compares. I expect it will feel like a big upgrade.
Excellent review
Thanks!
Great review! It seems easily 😂like the best package, my only wish is that they made the rims a little wider externally, but the wheels are so light.
@@Chazz4804 I know there's a trend for wider and wider, but I do think these hit a good sweet spot.
@Cat3ForLife if you're running a 28 front tire it'll be wider than the rim which is obviously the opposite of what you want, this is why those reserve rims test so well, they're heavier but aero is so important with wheels. Still super nice wheels and package I just don't understand how they're making new wheels optimized for a 25 tire...
Thanks for this review! Sounds like you just ordered this direct. How did you test the fit? I would worry about putting too much weight on my hands. Maybe that’s why you got the offset seatpost? But you said you wanted to swap that for zero-offset, so it must not be a problem. Is this “just” a matter of riding hard and using your legs to keep weight off your hands?
This was a very informative review. I was literally 50/50 between an V2 Ostro VAM and S-Works SL8 for my current build because I recently cracked the top tube on my Bianchi Specialissima. I also have an Oltre XR4 that I use for crits and this bike is for all of my other road riding. I ended up ordering an RTP SL8 to build custom because the weight of the Ostro was higher than what Factor originally said it would be but I honestly might have felt differently if I had seen your review and real world riding data (especially the comparison with the XR4 with Countervail because I agree with you that it is noticeable). I am looking forward to finishing my SL8 build and I have a buddy that has a V2 Ostro (that is a size smaller than my size), but I am going to try to compare the 2.
I'd love to hear your final comparisons between the 2. Will comes home from college in a month and I'm going to have him thrash the crap out of the Ostro and compare it to his Cervelo. I'll be curious to hear that comparison too. I may have him review his Soloist with SRAM Red '24
@@Cat3ForLifeYou got it, I’ll come back with comments. I have everything except a damn cockpit, which I didn’t realize was going to be such a hassle to source. As soon as a 40x120 in either the Roval Rapide or the EXS Aerover shows up, I’ll order it and finish the build. It’s kind of funny, the celebration of the Ostro customization in this review is the exact reason I decided not to go with the Ostro. I use Assioma pedals and have no use for the 48/35 chainring or the powermeter they force you to buy. That was a $600 unnecessary swing and Factor acted indignant when I tried to get a 50/37 with no powermeter (I did not have nearly the good experience you did with Factor including paying for Prisma paint for a bike I never received but that’s a story for another day). That led me to decide to do a frame-up build and direct comparison of the Ostro frame and the S-works SL8. Im a heavier guy (84Kg) and need all the climbing help I can get so that somewhat dictated the decision. I really wish I could have ridden a new Ostro before making the decision. Again, appreciate you doing such an in-depth review!
@@terrellpickett7904 Man, I'm bummed to hear about that. I had a great order experience. That being said, I did ask for it without a PM and they said no - SRAM only provides them the kit with the PM (which sucks, but I get it). They did have a 50/37 available in the 170mm crank length. Will uses the 50/37, but I just don't climb as well as he does and need that little bit of a boost. Definitely shoot me a few notes on the new build when you get it done!
Excelent review. I am looking at that bike and there are no decent reviews around. Really thank you.
Needless to say that I subscribed. I would really be interested for your "own thoughts" about sl8...
I might have missed it, but I didn’t catch which size it was (for the weight comparison). Also how does this match up with your height and Factor’s recommended sizings? Great review BTW, my Ostro v1 has just been written off in a crash and I loved it so much I’ll hopefully be replacing it with an Ostro v2
Yeah, I totally forgot to mention. It's a 54. I'm 5'9" and ride a 55 on my Bianchi. I could DEFINITELY go with a 53 on the Bianchi. Just like on this, I could totally ride a 52. However, I do prefer to be a little stretched rather than a little cramped. In all, I think their sizing guides are pretty solid. The other nice thing - they don't have any one measurement on their bikes that is crazy out of the ordinary like a super tall head tube or long top tube with short down tube config (like Pinarello).
@@Cat3ForLife superb. Thanks for the reply. I'm 5ft 11 and I'll be on a 54 (same as my v1.0)
@@Cat3ForLife I'm not sure about the smaller sizes, but the larger sizes are very large. I have the 2024 Ostro Vam in 58. I'm 6'4" tall and the guide, after doing all of the height and inseam measurements recommended the 61cm frame. I was coming from a 2020 S-Works Venge in 61 cm that fit really well with offset seatpost and a 115 stem. I am REALLY glad I went with the 58 and not the 61. I am stretched on the 58 with offset seatpost and a 130 stem. I could probably run a 115 or 120 stem and be fine, but had I gone with a 61, I'd probably have had to replace the seatpost and bar/stem. The larger frames run big in my experience. My son is 6'2"-6'3" and is running a 56cm Ostro Vam quite comfortably (offset seatpost and 130 stem).
Good to know. I do use bike geometry geeks to get my sizing situated between bikes. Will is 6' and rides 54cm bikes. I'm 5'9 and also ride 54s, but we have different saddle height and setback and definitely different stem lengths. I tend to be a little more stretched and he tends to be a little more compact, obviously. One reason we do this though is when we're traveling to race, if one of us breaks a bike, the other can at least have something to ride
Great review! This is top of my shortlist in exact same spec. You mention you'd be better suited to a zero setback seat post, and I see that you have your saddle slammed pretty far forward on the setback seat post. What is your saddle setback measurement? I currently run a saddle setback of 80mm to the nose of an SLR Boost, and I'm not sure if I could get away with a zero setback post or if a setback post is needed. Thanks, and enjoy that awesome machine!
I've swapped out the saddle for the Berk Lupina monocoque which has similar dimensions to the SLR boost (the short version). The biggest difference is I can't get the Berk as far forward by a few millimeters. That being said, with the Berk slammed forward on the rails, I have an 82mm setback from center of BB to nose of saddle. I'll be getting the 0 setback on Friday. Factor are REALLY good at getting stuff out quickly.
@@Cat3ForLife Thank you. Very useful reference for me. Plus I've just learned about more goodies from Berk.
Same gear ratio as the Bianchi? Hows the climbing performance?
Exact same ratio. I climb a LOT. I can't say that, despite the little extra weight that I've noticed any degradation in performance on the climbs. That's saying quite a bit since the Bianchi is insanely good on climbs.
How is it 7.6kg? Doesn’t make sense. Mine has been weighed on 2 separate park tool scales at 7.5kg. Mine is white (heavier than black) is a mix of Force and previous Red. That’s with dura ace pedals, black inc bottle cages and 30c Vitoria Corsa pro which are 298g each. That’s with 40g sealant per tyre.
Looks like you need the zero offset seat post too.
The power pedals are a full 200g heavier. And yeah, the zero offset is on its way.
And that is with all the mounts in place and the heavier bar/stem (about 100-200g heavier than stock)
Ah cool. Not aware of a heavier bar/stem. Makes a bit more sense now I suppose. I’d expect a black one with full 2024 red to be 6.9-7.1 depending on tyres/saddle etc
My weight was with front mount, no garmin though.
I had this bike on my wish list because of the integrated aero extension for the handlebar. However, I didn't expect these attachments bolts to be so prominent. Are the very noticeable when your put your hands right above them?
Not in the slightest. And I added them on. They come with very small rubber grommets instead, but I added the bolts to add a pop of color. Sadly, the bolts that I bought from Amazon 'looked' to be low-profile. They indeed were not. If you choose to use bolts instead of the rubber grommets (which will promptly fall out, btw), if you go with low profile ones, you'll be happy. That being said, I definitely don't have any issues with them on the tops. In fact, they add a little grippy comfort.
@@Cat3ForLife Thanks for the reply and your in-depth review. Very much appreciated. Sent the link to a friend who was going for the new Aeroad.
What size is it?
@@simonassouline1230 54
What power pedals do you use?
@@Chazz4804 Favero Assiomo duo
Heavy bike! 😁
You know it!!!