Factor Bikes Avis 8

Very poor

Bought two bikes from Vires Velo in the UK.

Both bikes had serious issues including worn bottom bracket, faulty ceramic speed bearings, faulty headset etc.

After very good sales chat while buying Vires Velo wanted nothing to do with me. Zero after care.

Very expensive brand. I thought this would translate to quality and good service. Sadly not.

Really bad service and quality. Don't recommend buying bikes here.

I’m truly disappointed with my experience as a Factor customer. I bought a Factor bike expecting top-tier quality and support, but instead faced major safety issues and a lack of accountability.

The carbon wheels that came with my bike started snapping spokes during mountain descents — no crashes, no extra load, no visible damage. This happened on both wheels and posed a serious safety risk. I reported the issue immediately, along with unusually loud drivetrain noise, but their distributor handled it poorly.

Instead of sending the wheels to Factor for proper analysis, they gave them to some “friendly” external workshop. No proper diagnostics, no investigation into spoke failure or drivetrain behavior — just a quick spoke replacement and a superficial inspection.

The loud drivetrain wasn’t just noise — the hub’s freehub body (CeramicSpeed bearings) showed abnormal wear after only 3–4k km, rendering them useless and ready for the trash. The drivetrain noise persisted in middle gears, whether using SRAM or Shimano groupsets, so the issue was clearly with the wheels, not the groupset compatibility.

Worse, their representative mocked my concerns, denied earlier statements, and made no real effort to resolve the situation. Factor’s global team showed little willingness to step in, even after I raised the alarm about how this was being handled. After three months (!) of waiting, I was told — following a one-day “inspection” — that the damage was “external” and not covered under warranty.

I take safety seriously and don’t want to experience a spoke snapping for the third time. I’ve replaced the wheels with a trusted brand and will never ride the originals again — I can’t even sell them in good conscience.

Sadly, Factor didn’t live up to its premium reputation. For a brand in this price range, I expected professionalism, transparency, and above all, a commitment to rider safety. I can’t recommend them after this experience.

Awesome bikes, but customer service is lacking. Having a hell of a time getting a replacement seatpost.

I'm really very disappointed in the Factor bikes. I needed to replace my Trek Madone Gen6 SLR7 after being knocked of at high speed last year, one of the most scariest events in my life - destroying the bike and nearly destroying me.

I was looking at the Gen7 Madone but someone recommended the Ostro VAM as an alternative as it's a good all-rounder, especially for hills.

I visited Vires Velo, Factors only outlet in the UK, and after speaking to the sales team and getting all the sales talk was also told the Ostro VAM was a great all-rounder. I also specifically asked if there was a new model in the pipeline and told there was not.

I had their "bike fit" which was done in less than an hour, paid my deposit - but during the bike build process was concerned and questioned some of the sizing as it was quite different to my Madone and from the sizing on my RETUL bike fit, but was assured all was correct.

On collection it was apparent this wasn't the case though. The saddle height was completely wrong and had to be adjusted massively leaving scratch's all down the new seat mast. I also found my knees hit the handlebars. I was not happy on a £10,000 bike. 

Communication went downhill fast, taking days to get any response, I wasn't able to ride the bike for weeks whilst this all went on, and I specified I wanted to return the bike for a refund due to the issues - but this didn't seem to be an option.

In the end I had to drive back with the bike, another 300 mile round trip, to have the handlebars and stem replaced with a larger one.

I have now found out, less than 3 month's after ordering, a new model has been released - I saw they were having flash sales shortly after they sold my bike to me, which indicates they knew very well the new model was coming out, but still proceeded to sell me the old stock at full price even though I asked specifically if a new model was coming. If I had known I would have waited the short time to obtain the newer, lighter, faster model, as I plan get in to more competitive riding this year as I fully recover from my accident.

I am not very happy about the whole affair, and has left me rather disappointed in my purchase. This is my 5th and most expensive bike to date, yet the least pleasurable.

I reached out to Rob Gitelis, the founder of Factor, and initially he responded to me, but once I sent my complaint across, never came back to me, so it just shows Factor are not interested in customer complaints.

My recommendation, avoid, and buy Trek, I certainly wish I had...

I have personally worked with Factor Bikes for 6 years. We ordered 30 of their very first Factor VAM´s, half of which had quality issues, we supported the brand through this process (often investing our own money in rebuilding replacement frames). There have been many quality issues and always we have represented the brand well. We have spent our own money on markeing the brand in Spain. We put their bikes as demo bikes ourselves to promote the brand.

We have been the largest Spanish account for over 3 years and have spent close to €1 million on the brand.

Then I receive a call by the local distributor to tell me we can no longer sell Factor. No contact by the brand itself, no visit or explanation. I have never experienced this un-professional behaviour in all my career.

This is a word of warning if you are considering working with Factor bikes and also something to think about when you are selecting the brand of bike you want to ride.

I thought carefully before writing this message and decided it is unfair not to let other bike shops know that at any moment you could lose that income because Factor is a fickle brand without a solid consistent distribution.

High end customer service for a high end product.

Buying a new bike can be daunting but Rob and the team at Factor made it a smooth and enjoyable experience. They ensure you get a bike fit so the sizing and set up straight out of the box are pin point accurate, there is no pressure during the spec and sale process and the product is amazing , just ask Chris Froome if you don't believe me!

Happy to recommend to anyone in the market for a superbike.

I purchased a FACTOR O2 disc brake - 2018 from GloryCycles.com. Great bike and the FACTOR support via email provided awesome support.