Factor LS gravel bike review: putting the road in 'groad'

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Күн бұрын

Factor is a high-end carbon manufacturer focussed on producing bicycles for racing. And while the company is best known for its road and triathlon bikes, its range now extends into the realms of gravel racing, too.
The LS is one of the newer bikes in Factor’s small range, and it’s aimed squarely at the performance rider looking to ride and race across mixed surfaces. This high-end race machine offers a noticeably road-bike-like aesthetic, attitude, and low weight that all closely mimic the company’s 02 VAM road bike. And this also means the LS is a pretty interesting quiver-killer type of bike for the person looking to own a single sporty drop-bar bike.
I’ve had the Factor LS in for review for about three months longer than the company had intended (sorry Factor!), and finally finished off my testing as part of our 2021 Field Test in Victoria’s High Country.
See the full review at:
cyclingtips.com/2021/01/facto...
Thanks to ringerreef.com.au/ for hosting us during our conversation.
Music by Epidemic Sound
Includes paid promotion: Our second Field Test was done in partnership with Ride High Country, the tourism and advocacy group responsible for cycling within Victoria’s North East region. We thank them for their support in being able to produce this series.

Пікірлер: 39

@ericcioffi7309 3 жыл бұрын

I have this bike. It's built up with 11 speed Di2 2x Dura Ace and Zipp 303s wheels. Super fast super comfortable. It replaced my Domane. 90% road 10% gravel. 100% fun.

@richardggeorge 3 жыл бұрын

Creaking BB on a $10k bike. What a joke 🤣. Thanks for the great reviews. I'm missing Bright already and was there recently (drove there on the morning the "ring of steel" was lifted on Melbourne late last year for a week of hill riding 😅)

@jesseheath7718 3 жыл бұрын

Brillant, honest, informative review as usual Great work!

@michaelholmes137 3 жыл бұрын

Loving the 80s intro music!

@andrew78219 3 жыл бұрын

No idea who's going to be buying this! Love the honestly in the review, a lot better than most.

@involuntarysoul3867 3 жыл бұрын

bigger publication can be more blunt in their review without the fear of not getting a review bike, not so much for smaller reviewers, they pretty much have to hardcore shill to get anything to review

@Penri1215 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for an honest review. Sounds like a bike to avoid to me. It appears as if factor have made no effort what so ever other than sticking a hefty price tag on. Toe overlap? Feels unstable on single track? Those are two big no no's!

@mattdowney6540 3 жыл бұрын

Could be a case of Horses for courses. I love the idea of a gravel racer. The current crop of “adventure” bikes feel heavy and sluggish to me.

@dragonoftheninja 3 жыл бұрын

Would you mind mentioning your heights? Seems like you guys normally test size 54's while here you have a 52. Was it a good fit?

@C.Medina 3 жыл бұрын

Wonder if my Bianchi impulso allroad is in this category of bikes.

@benvicius672 3 жыл бұрын

Basically gravel-lite. There's a place for that kind of bike on the spectrum, but it seems closer to a Domane or a Roubaix than the average gravel bike.

@VeloVeloVeloTV 3 жыл бұрын

Gravel-lite is a good way to put it. The most comparable bike to this is something like the Cervelo Aspero. This one has a stack and reach that's more aggressive than endurance road bikes like the Domane and Roubaix. Also, the tyre clearance is still more generous than what the latest endurance road bikes offer. Dave Rome.

@armadillito 3 жыл бұрын

@@VeloVeloVeloTV does it actually differ much to a cyclo-cross race bike, beyond slightly more tyre clearance?

@ericcioffi7309 3 жыл бұрын

@@VeloVeloVeloTV I'd add Orbea Terra to that group as well.

@d_charles 3 жыл бұрын

What about compared to a Salsa Warbird or Open UP?

@matthewbenger8355 3 жыл бұрын

So its lighter than emonda climbing bike? So is it a climber gravel bike?

@darrenbarlow5759 3 жыл бұрын

I wish I could find some good reviews on the O2 in regard to comfort and performance

@VeloVeloVeloTV 3 жыл бұрын

The LS has similar torsional (pedalling) stiffness to the 02 but with more comfort (vertical compliance). Dave Rome.

@darrenbarlow5759 3 жыл бұрын

@@VeloVeloVeloTV thanks. So the LS is more comfortable. I'm trying to get a sense of what the ride is like and what it compares to. Cheers

@NDURcycling 3 жыл бұрын

650b compatible?

@alanhill7965 3 жыл бұрын

Great review nice bike but i will stick with my Bossi Grit

@akennelly1473 3 жыл бұрын

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't this Factor's second gravel bike, after the Vista?

@awesomesloppyjoe 3 жыл бұрын

The Vista is an allroad bike with 35c tire clearance.

@scotth3354 3 жыл бұрын

Hey, look... a Crux!

@thelmaviaduct 3 жыл бұрын

Toe overlap, wouldn't even accept that on a road bike tbh 👍🏿

@nationsnumber1chump 3 жыл бұрын

aero matters in Kansas, but nice try

@COMOMTB 3 жыл бұрын

I want to like this bike, but this is basically a very expensive nearly identical bike to my current 2017 Stigmata... Factor needs to offer up something new.

@involuntarysoul3867 3 жыл бұрын

toe overlap + creaking BB, yuk

@fadenseiden 3 жыл бұрын

Talking about great tolerances...

@rws0010 3 жыл бұрын

Why don’t y’all ever take a sip of your booze?

@richardggeorge 3 жыл бұрын

You didn't watch till then end then!

@lakishaweaks9784 3 жыл бұрын

Cause they might tell the truth especially about $$$$

@paolocapozzi927 3 жыл бұрын

Chain stays are too short, head tube is too steep...this really looks like a road bike with fatter tires. Would not necessarily call this a gravel bike :)

@armadillito 3 жыл бұрын

Gravel is basically the "other" category of drop bar bikes, so covers a broad spectrum from all-road to monster 'cross. This is at the all-road end of that spectrum, I guess?

@thanh-dungnguyen8078 3 жыл бұрын

My cyclo-cross bike is also a gravel 😉

@fennec13 3 жыл бұрын

hard pass for me at that insane price point - lol

@sbsb4995 2 жыл бұрын

It's a shame that the disc brakes ruined the look and the aerodynamic of this bicycle. 😞. Disc brakes is the biggest marketing scam in the history of bicycles. Very sad. People follow like sheep.