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.
More details on the Factor One frameset.
