Factor Monza review: a race bike for the weekend warrior

Factor is unashamedly premium in its intentions, with the prices to match. The Ostro Vam with Shimano Dura-Ace comes in at just £500 less than a Specialized Tarmac SL8 in a similar spec. £11,000 give or take for a road bike is verging on ridiculous. Drop down a tier to Ultegra, and you’re still parting with £8,995 for a second-tier groupset on the flagship frame.

In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, only having bikes at that level in your inventory can’t be that much fun – and so Factor has produced the Monza.

(Image credit: Future / Andy Carr)

The launch literature spoke to the needs of the ‘everyday’ racer. I’m not sure if that means every day, as in racing the bike every day, or every day, like a toaster or a serviceable car. But, at £3,000 less than the Ostro VAM, the Monza certainly looks like a serious effort to bring more people to the brand.

Quite how ‘everyday’ a £6,399 bike is for most people is unclear, but the errand is a welcome one and if you, like me, covet really well made, high performance bikes and like the idea that you ride the best kit out there, it’s not a crazy proposition to put a cut-price Factor ahead of lesser brands, if you want something impressive to put in the garage.

But is it more than that? And is Factor on to something with the Monza? I tested it over a very active period of riding this summer to find out.

Design details

The Factor Monza is intended as a stripped-back, more practical version of the Ostro VAM. The company has had to make some compromises along the way, of course, but it seems to have considered them all from the perspective of the use case in the project brief, the everyday racer, so some won’t come as a surprise.

First, the geometry. The handling geometry remains exactly the same as the Ostro VAM. There is no extra chainstay to give the doctors and lawyers a bit more stability. No extra trail with that extra tyre clearance (now 34mm).

This is important. The Ostro VAM, with its vital statistics, is every bit the Tour De France race bike template, sharing a short wheelbase, short front centre, low trail value, and steep angles with many other competitive bikes in the pro-peloton. All those handling values are transplanted directly into Monza, unchanged.

The fit geometry is adjusted in what it calls a move towards ‘democratisation’. In reality, that means a 9mm extra stack over the Ostro VAM, rising at the front end to 574mm, and shortening the reach by just 3mm. If the previous fit wasn’t democratic, it’s not a lurch to the centre ground, but it will be welcome for many. At the very least, it means fewer spacers, but it’s certainly not what you’d call an endurance fit, so that shouldn’t put anyone off either.

To achieve the magic numbers on the spreadsheets, the layup includes some lower modulus fibres, which increase the frame weight over the Ostro Vam. However, Factor claims they’ve retained the ride quality and response that the Ostro Vam is known for. It’s a fair bit heavier, 1,100g, but they’re assuming the ‘everyday racer’ doesn’t care if it comes with some extra robustness. Handy if you’re prone to crashing and need to ride home. Try that on an Aethos.

Some of the extra grams have not just gone on bloat and armour. Some have been spent on added practicality. It’s not all one-way traffic in the features sense, though, as the Monza gets some extra goodies, a round steerer, larger top bearings for added serviceability, and a neat hatch to stow race day goodies, like a tube, a gel, or some spares. A UDH hanger, too. Sounds good.

Enough of the intentions, let’s see what all the fuss is about, and get into the actual review.

Performance

On any given smooth piece of tarmac, we usually have an excellent idea of what we’re getting into here with a bike with these kinds of geometry values. Even the harsh ones work well in that kind of test, and it fits a mould.

A sub 1m wheelbase, 405mm chainstay, and steep seat- and head tube angles, ported over from the Ostro Vam, is going to ride, well, like the Ostro Vam. It’s ‘insert-favourite-race-bike-handling-here territory. And in the Monza, it’s certainly not going to be disappointing.

I can also reach for the usual descriptors to tell you how that feels under power and in the corners; the Monza feels stiff, light, eager, quick to change direction, and planted, just like a proper race bike should. It’s fast, straight out of the gate.

The slightly more upright position is barely noticeable, but welcome, and I defy anyone to notice the reduction in reach, but it’s reassuring to know it’s there.

What’s surprising is I don’t feel like I’m hauling a load of extra mass around. This is partly due to the numbers directing the handling, of course. They give the bike a lithe, high-frequency, racey feeling.

When the road gets rougher, I am also delighted to confirm that the bike isn’t darting around like a startled rat either. It’s got plenty of composure, in fact, and while the ride is firm, it’s split well front to back, with no noticeable jarring. The ride quality is plenty good enough for a bike of this type in terms of out-and-out comfort. With much of the energy in this project surely going into hitting numbers on a spreadsheet, you’d think the ride quality might suffer, but it hasn’t. Hats off to Factor in that department.

Is the harshness hiding in a big tyre? Well, no, not really. Okay, I’m running four bar or 60psi front and back in what are excellent Continental GP 5000s, but they’re 28mm, and I’m hitting every pothole between here and Sheringham, out and back along the Coast road, not wishing I’d chosen something else.

When you really want to press on, there’s a devilish urge inherent in the numbers that pushes you out of your seat and makes you want to chase everything down. Handling is pretty intoxicating to be honest, so you push hard in bends you might otherwise have cruised on a less racey bike, and the boxy frame and deep wheels respond with those race bike noises that add to the theatre. As much as there’s a bit of lovestruck hyperbole in that statement, the best race bikes do this willfully and throw the confetti whilst they’re at it, and this one is no different. To deny that heady concoction is real is silly and misses the point of these otherworldly toys.

For all its focus, the Monza is also an enjoyable place to spend some time. In fact, in a period of some eight weeks, I reached for this bike more than anything else. And I had some pretty exotic stuff to call on.

Why did the Monza captivate? It wasn’t just down to the handling.

Specifications

To understand the appeal, I’ll have to dig into the spec and features a little more, and of course, the aesthetics.

Firstly the spec is pretty sensible, and all good stuff. The handlebar, so called the Black Inc HB04 carbon, is nicely shaped and stiff enough without feeling harsh. Great in the drops. No crazy flares here, just sensible dimensions as befits this kind of bike. I really like the fact that it’s in a contrast black. That clearly makes it a little easier to throw together and might be a cost-saving device, but it looks really smart. The interface between the fork and the headtube is sensible too, apparently saving money on moulds while creating a really purposeful-looking front end for this bike. No fuss, but fast looking.

The groupset on this bike features what I now believe is the best-looking crankset on the market, in the new Force D2 setup, with its narrowing crank design and those lovely-looking chain rings. I don’t care that you can’t buy this bike with SRAM Red AXS, because Force works just the same. And compared to Ultegra, it really is the better-looking option now. Excellent brakes are now a given in SRAM setups, and the lever feel is next level.

The wheels are Black Inc’s own, with a 45mm depth. These particular ones aren’t anything special to write home about on paper. But in testing, they’re solid, reliable, and responsive, and didn’t deviate or degrade in any way. The presence of a steel spoke is a plus in my book, and you can keep your carbon alternatives.

I swapped the saddle out on this bike almost more than I rode it, for pictures and various other errands, so I won’t comment on Factor’s standard saddle choice. However, if you do go and buy one of these from a Factor dealer, and especially Vires Velo in Norfolk, where I picked this bike up from, they’ll put you on their ID-Match fit jig and find you one that fits you perfectly, I expect. Such is the personal nature of saddle choice. And more power to Factor for supporting dealers in making the necessary changes to ensure your expensive bike fits and works for your physiology. More of that, please, big brand bike companies.

Value

At three grand less than an Ostro VAM, I’d struggle to recommend the Ostro VAM, or even a Specialized Tarmac for that matter.

While I don’t need a space in the downtube for a Snickers on my race bike, once you’ve got one, it’s a nice feature for sure. Hell, Factor reckon your bike is slower with a saddle pack on it anyway, so why argue? But in all seriousness, the added practicality really enhances and does not detract from the Monza.

The SRAM Force components are also so sensible compared to the price of the Red tier, and so what if it’s a few grams heavier? A Black Inc wheelset and matching bits probably feel or seem a bit more premium than most lower to mid-priced aftermarket options, too. Certainly, it looks a little more murdered-out or fancier than some big brands, so I’d have to say Factor is pretty compelling in the rolling stock and finishing kit stakes, too.

Where value can’t be suggested or assured is in this bike’s intentions. It’s for the few, not the many, even at just shy of seven grand, I’m losing patience with hearing about value at all at this price point, and I’m sure the public is sick to death of it too.

If, however, you’re lucky enough to have seven grand burning a hole in your pocket for yet another bike, or even one bike that will be, as Factor intended, suitable for racing on the weekend, training in the week, and riding home from it all, or dare I say commuting, too, this certainly is a compelling option.

In fact, I’m not sure which bike would be better at it or look better for this money.

Verdict

The Factor Monzo is a cracker of a race bike that can just about squeeze enough tyre to take on some other fun rides, too, or even a commute, with clever storage and a thoughtful spec that does away with a lot of stuff we don’t need as ‘everyday’ racers, and adds plenty of things we never even thought of.

You might get a bit lighter bike for an extra three grand, but you won’t get it much slipperier, and I’d argue it certainly won’t be better looking. You could spend that spare three grand on another hobby altogether, and be just as quick around Hillingdon on a Wednesday.

Geometry table

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Size	45	49	52	54	56	58	61
Stack	502	514	535	552	574	597	611
Reach	360	367	373	381	389	401	410
Head Tube Angle	71.1°	71.7°	72.5°	72.5°	73.3°	73.3°	73.3°
BB Drop	72	72	72	70	70	70	70
Trail	58	58	58	58	58.6	58.6	58.6
Fork Rake/Offset	57	53	48	48	43	43	43
Chainstay Length	405	405	405	405	405	408	410
Wheelbase	970	969	971	985	987	1006	1022
Standover Height	726	742	765	786	803	830	842
Seat Tube Length	428	450	474	498	519	541	553
Seat Tube Angle	75.5°	74.5°	74°	74°	73.5°	73.5°	73.5°

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