Factor is claiming its latest ONE is the fastest UCI approved aero bike in the world, boasting a radical new design that the British brand says is 8% faster than its OSTRO VAM 2.0, 15% faster than the 2024 Cervélo S5 and 22% faster than the Tarmac SL8.
“The One represents a shift in how modern race bikes are conceived. Elite racing has evolved: riders sit further forward, run narrower bars, shorter cranks, deeper tyre volumes, and more aerodynamic positions than ever before. The One was engineered around these realities from day one, not retrofitted to them,” says Factor.
The ONE’s bold silhouette features a massively wide fork, along with a bayonet-style steerer tube that’s mated to a “chin” faring that’s designed to redirect airflow downward from the front of the bike, while a new integrated bar system mounts directly with the head tube, decoupling unwanted handlebar feedback, with five widths on offer with stem lengths that range from 110–150mm, along with three rise options and spacer adjustability up to 15mm.
“The ONE’s fuselage controls airflow at the very start of the bike, minimizing spillover drag and sustaining advantage deep into yaw where other platforms lose efficiency. Every variable was run through CFD with both half-frame accelerated models and full rider configurations before entering the tunnel in Canada. We confirmed the numbers: the wide fork with ducted chin produced the lowest drag and the most stable yaw performance, holding its advantage beyond 15° where competitors fell apart. The One’s front-end design isn’t simply about cutting the air — it dictates where the air goes next, ensuring smoother flow across the entire system,” explains Factor.
Not surprisingly, geometry played an important role in the development of the ONE, affording riders a modern racing position without sacrificing handling or confidence.
“These changes push the rider’s weight further forward, raising the centre of gravity and unbalancing the front/rear load split, a recipe for reduced stability and increased crash risk. [Our] engineering team embraced the reality that today’s riders are pushing fit boundaries once considered extreme. By decoupling the handlebar mount from the steering axis, the One enables reach positions that would previously require unstable stems. By building cockpit sizing into the integrated bar system, the One eliminates the compromise of ultra-long stems while giving modern racers the forward position they demand, with stability and control preserved. The stiffness levels of the Gull wing bar are extraordinary: as much as 50% higher than an equivalent bar/stem combo,” adds Factor.
Elsewhere, the ONE features a deeper 77mm bottom bracket drop on the smaller sizes, and 75mm on the larger sizes, with the goal of bolstering stability, particularly when shorter crank length are used, giving the bike a more “planted” feel, while the adjustable seat post provides a virtual seat tube angles of 73.5 to 77°.
Tire clearance was also a critical concern when designing the ONE, which can accommodate tires up to a hefty 34mm.
All things considered, Factor says the ONE’s frame tips the scales at 900 grams, while the fork weighs in at 540 grams, respectable measures given the frameset’s robust design.
The ONE is available as a frameset only for $6,900, along with a number of complete builds that fetch anywhere from $10,900 to $13,200. Here’s how the models break down:
Factor
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