Brand new Factor O2 VAM spied at the Tour de France

Tom Wieckowski
·6 min read
Simon Clarke's Factor O2
Simon Clarke's Factor O2

Factor has used the Tour de France to launch a brand new bike in the shape of a new O2 VAM model. The O2 VAM is Factor's lightweight all-rounder and the bike looks to have received a fairly large overhaul.

Tech Editor Josh is on the ground in Bilbao ahead of the opening stage of the race and snapped the new bike before the racing begins and the overall contenders do battle. We have also covered the eye-catching paint job on Mads Pederson's Trek Madone ahead of the race.

The new bike belonged to Australian rider Simon Clarke who has ridden for team Israel-Premier Tech since 2022. Although the team decided to not select Chris Froome for the race this year, Clarke and his teammates will be looking to race aggressively and target stage victories. Australian Clarke is around 175cm tall and his frame is a size 52cm model, and his bike is almost certainly one of the lightest bikes in the race, tipping the scales at 6.92kg, barely over the UCI minimum 6.8kg limit.

The biggest differences on the new O2 appear to be the slender tube profiles, with especially thin seat stays; Factor appears to have capitalised on the UCI's removal of the minimum tube cross-section rule here. There's also a D-shaped seat tube that transitions into an integrated seat mast, and dropped seat stays which are the biggest change visually from the existing O2 VAM.

The low-profile wheels from Factor's in-house component brand Black Inc are also unreleased, and we expect to see them in use during the race.

New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall
New Factor O2 VAM stands in front of a white wall