Taste
From hypercar to high-performance bike
Bugatti and Factor Bikes launch an exclusive racing bike without UCI restrictions. Discover the design, engineering, and performance of this unique bike.
Always wanted a Bugatti? Good news: it is possible. Only this time it isn't in your garage, and yes, you still have to kick it yourself.
A collaboration between Bugatti and Factor Bikes sounds like something that will either be brilliant or totally over the top. Fortunately, the former is the case. With the Bugatti Factor ONE, the two brands bring together their shared obsession with speed and perfection in a strikingly sleek piece of engineering.
Factor builds its frames entirely in-house and is known for a rather technical approach to cycling. For this project, the engineers were given a remarkable amount of freedom. Instead of adhering to the rules of the UCI, the International Cycling Union, has looked here at what is possible without those restrictions.
Normally, those UCI rules are in place to keep the playing field fair and safe. For instance, there are strict guidelines for frame dimensions, tube proportions, and even the position of components. As a result, many modern road bikes have become quite similar in shape. By relaxing those rules, room is created for other solutions, such as a wider fork and modified airflow around the front wheel.
The basic principle remains simple: less air resistance means more efficient riding. According to Factor, every component on the bike has been made subservient to this. Anything that does not yield a demonstrable benefit has been omitted.
Those who look closely will see little nods to the car brand everywhere. The deep Bugatti Blue is naturally present, a color that has been around for over a century. And the 'Dancing Elephant' also pops up somewhere on the frame.
The Black Inc wheelset weighs just under 1,3 kilograms and was developed with stability in mind at higher speeds, even in crosswinds. In addition, several components have been specifically adapted for this bike, from the brake discs to the drivetrain. Everything is aimed at the most direct power transfer and control possible.
250 units are being built worldwide, each with its own number. The chance of having one next to you at the traffic light is therefore (unfortunately) quite small…
