Producing an aerodynamic bicycle that rides like a traditional road bike has proven to be the most elusive quest for bicycle designers. The problem has been that as a bicycle’s shape becomes more aerodynamic it sacrifices stiffness. So the factory is forced to use more carbon fibre to restore the stiffness necessary to perform like a traditional road bike. Unfortunately, all that extra fibre makes the bike heavier and undermines both the bike’s comfort and road feel. One of the keys to a great aerodynamic bike is to start with the cleanest possible airflow at the front of the bike. What you don’t want to do is explode that airflow the way a truck does. That’s why we designed our OTIS—One Total Integration System. OTIS begins with an integrated bar and stem to eliminate the face plate and bolts that immediately create unnecessary turbulence as part of the bike’s leading edge. The bar and stem mount to a proprietary dual-clamp external steerer fork. This external steerer provides the bike with a more aerodynamic leading edge than a traditional head tube can provide and gives the bike more surface area for the wind to attach as it passes over the frame. The external steerer design also improves the front-end stiffness of the bike without adding a massive weight penalty.
The One is unusual in that its most distinctive feature—the Twin Vane Split Downtube—was created in order to improve the bike’s stiffness and ride quality, not its aerodynamics. Even so, we know that smaller structures create less turbulence because they disturb the airflow less, so the Twin Vane Split Downtube gives the air coming off the front wheel more options for smooth flow. The benefit is tangible and we’ve measured the benefit of the Twin Vane Split Downtube to be 100g at 25 mph when compared to a traditional down tube design.
Ideas like these don’t just fall out of the sky. We partnered with bf1systems, a respected engineering firm that has provided aerodynamics expertise to Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Maserati and multiple F1, Moto GP and WRC teams.
Whilst aerodynamics are a big part of the One, we include CeramicSpeed bearings in the headset and bottom bracket because we know that bearing drag can hurt the performance of any bike and we refuse to make such an obvious compromise with our bikes.
As proud as we are of the One’s aerodynamics, we are even prouder of how it rides. This is a bike that rides and feels like a traditional road bike and feels just as lively during standing efforts as any high-end road bike. The measure of a great road bike is its ability to carve the turns of an Alpine descent at race pace, and the One provides the balance in handling, road feel and stiffness you expect from a premium bike, and it does all this while providing an exceptional aerodynamic advantage.
More details on the Factor One frameset.
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