Factor Bikes

Last updated

Factor Bikes
Company type Private
Founded2016
FounderRob Gitelis
Headquarters
Hethel Engineering Centre, Norfolk
,
United Kingdom
ProductsBicycles
Subsidiaries Black Inc
Website https://factorbikes.com

Factor Bikes is a high-end British bicycle manufacturer. Founded in 2016 from an offshoot of a performance car engineering company by Rob Gitelis, a former professional cyclist and a specialist in the manufacture of carbon fibre equipment, the company has supplied road bikes to UCI World Tour and Pro Continental teams, and currently produces the Factor ONE, which it claims is "the fastest UCI-legal road bike in the world". [1]

Contents

History

Factor001 on display at the Science Museum, London, in 2012 Composite Bike (3665606309).jpg
Factor001 on display at the Science Museum, London, in 2012

The Norfolk-based engineering group Beru F1 Systems, founded in 1993, released a radically designed bike in 2007 called the Factor001, costing £25,000. This was a training bike that Bike Radar magazine claimed "leaps ahead of anything the cycling world has even envisaged" [2] and was called "the most advanced bike ever made". [3] Five years later the company, now renamed BF1 Systems, [4] produced another bike, this time in conjunction with the luxury sports car maker Aston Martin. Called the One-77, this model had several elements in common with the Factor001, and was limited to 77 individual bikes, with the company making the bikes – Factorbikes, a subsidiary of BF1 – using seven staff taking two weeks to build each one. They were equipped with a "motorsport-derived data logging system" and other kit not found in road bikes at the time. [3]

In 2013, BF1 developed another advanced carbon-frame bicycle, called the Factor Vis Vires. The company contacted Rob Gitelis to help develop the bicycle and create a brand. [5] In 2016, the brand Factor was launched at the Tour Down Under in Australia. [5]

The company is currently part-owned by Australian tech billionaire Scott Farquhar, [6] while four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome is an investor in and director of the company, alongside Point King Capital and Skip Capital. [7] Former time-trial specialist David Millar was appointed Factor brand director in 2025. [8]

Product range

Factor Bikes designs road bicycles, time trial bicycles, mountain bikes, gravel bicycles and track bicycles.

Sponsorship

Romain Bardet of the AG2R La Mondiale team riding a Factor O2 in the 2017 Tour de France. Tour de France 2017, bardet (36124022516).jpg
Romain Bardet of the AG2R La Mondiale team riding a Factor O2 in the 2017 Tour de France.

ONE Pro Cycling

In 2016, Factor supplied bikes to the Pro Continental team ONE Pro Cycling. [9]

AG2R La Mondiale

Factor supplied bikes to the UCI World Tour team AG2R La Mondiale from 2017 to 2020, with French rider Romain Bardet finishing third for the team in the 2017 Tour de France. The bike he used was the O2 model with a Shimano Dura-Ace groupset and Mavic wheels. [9]

Israel–Premier Tech

From 2020, Factor supplied bikes to the UCI World Tour team Israel Start-Up Nation. In 2025, the Factor ONE, claimed to be the "fastest UCI-legal road bike in the world", was ridden by the Israel–Premier Tech team in the Critérium du Dauphiné, with Jake Stewart winning Stage 5 on the model. [1]

This team, which was rebranded Israel–Premier Tech in 2022, was accused of "sportswashing [Israel's] grave crimes against Palestinians". [10] Gitelis defended the partnership, stating in an interview with Cycling News, "I think that people understand that we're a bike company for the most part. We're not condoning what's happening there." [11] Even though there were calls for the team to be banned from the 2025 Tour de France, Factor and Israel-Premier Tech delivered a press announcement on 3 July 2025 – two days before the race began – stating that they had agreed a new multi-year contract, with Gitelis saying that he was "delighted to continue our partnership with Israel – Premier Tech. [...] This partnership is where innovation meets reality, and that's where Factor thrives." [12]

After the 2025 Vuelta a España, however, the next Grand Tour in the 2025 pro calendar, Factor's involvement with the Israel-Premier Tech team came to an end. On the final stage of the race, the traditional ceremonial procession into Madrid, 100,000 demonstrators protesting against the Gaza war lined the route, [13] [14] with numerous protesters invading the road at several points of the final circuit. The stage was cancelled completely after the police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and charged against the demonstrators. [15] According to news reports, both Factor and team sponsor Premier Tech had been calling for the team to change its identity, [16] and in late 2025, Israel–Premier Tech withdrew their sponsorshop of the team and a new sponsor, NSL, stepped in. The newly named team was slated to ride Scott bikes rather than Factor in 2026. [17]

Track racing

Factor's first track bike, used by the Australian men's track team in the 2024 Paris Olympics, was the Factor Hanzo, which retailed for $97,979 in 2024. [6] This price was set because Olympic rules state that all bikes used in the Games have to be commercially available; with such a high price, the Australian team were assured that their competitors would not use the same bike, despite being able to in principle. [6] Factor were assisted in the development of the Hanzo by AusCycling, with input from several Australian specialists in the motor racing, road racing and aeronautical sectors. [6] The Australian team of Oliver Bleddyn, Sam Welsford, Conor Leahy and Kelland O'Brien won the gold medal in the team pursuit in Paris riding Hanzos, breaking the world record in a time of 3:40.730. [18]

References

  1. 1 2 Brett, Mat (11 December 2025). "Factor officially unveils all-new One aero bike, declaring it "the fastest UCI-legal road bike in the world"". Road.cc. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  2. ↑ Giddings, Pete. "Tech feature: BERU f1systems' Factor001". Bike Radar. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  3. 1 2 Woodman, Oli. "Aston Martin One-77 Superbike unveiled in London". Bike Radar. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Gretton, Adam (2 March 2011). "Buy-out puts managers in driving seat at Diss F1 firm". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Our History". Factor Bikes. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Pender, Kieran (14 March 2024). "Australian track cycling team wheels out $100,000 bike in pursuit of Paris Olympic gold". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  7. ↑ "Chris Froome invests in Factor Bikes". Cyclingnews. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Croxton, Josh (29 January 2025). "'I was pretty down, I'll just take another punch' - David Millar opens up about CHPT3 closure, ITV losing the Tour de France and new role at Factor Bikes". Cyclingnews. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  9. 1 2 Fletcher, Patrick (16 November 2016). "Factor present AG2R-La Mondiale with 2017 team bike - Gallery". Cyclingnews. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  10. ↑ "BDS Movement calls for protests against Israel–Premier Tech at Tour de France". BikeRadar. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  11. ↑ Josh Croxton (1 March 2024). "The man behind the curtain - Rob Gitelis on building a brand in cycling's Far Eastern epicentre". Cyclingnews. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  12. ↑ Bull, Nick (3 July 2025). "Factor Bikes and Israel – Premier Tech celebrate partnership extension with special edition swap out for the Tour de France". Israel — Premier Tech Pro Cycling Team. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  13. ↑ Alberto Ortiz; Carlota E. Ramírez (14 September 2025). "La Policía carga contra los manifestantes propalestinos tras la cancelación de la etapa final de la Vuelta a España". elDiario (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  14. ↑ Fotheringham, Alasdair (15 September 2025). "Eyewitness: Destroyed barricades, flares and police lines – the unfolding turmoil that stopped the Vuelta a España reaching the final finish line in Madrid". Cyclingnews. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  15. ↑ Francesca Cicardi; Alberto Ortiz; Diego Casado (14 September 2025). "Las protestas contra el genocidio en Gaza paralizan La Vuelta en Madrid". ElDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  16. ↑ Whittle, Jeremy (7 November 2026). "Israel-Premier Tech's main sponsor withdraws backing citing 'untenable' position". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  17. ↑ Davidson, Tom (3 December 2025). "'An exciting step forward' – Scott returns to the WorldTour with NSN Cycling, as Factor leaves former Israel-Premier Tech". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  18. ↑ "Paris 2024 Olympics: Australia's men's team pursuit cycling team shatters world record". olympics.com. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
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