My Aero Gravel Race Bike, the New Factor Ostro Gravel

Aero gravel bikes are coming and aerodynamics seems to be playing a bigger role in gravel events every year. Is an aero gravel bike necessary though? I break down how much aero matters at low speeds and give you a run down of my own personal aero gravel bike, the Factor Ostro Gravel.

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[amputech]

I don't care about marginal gains on my bike because I don't race, but I love watching your videos and learning all the theory.

[ANONyme-xtvb]

I thought this was only going to be a boring advert for Factor but I am glad that this video is much more technical.

[andyheilmann]

thanks for the simple math brake down. especially at 10mph! Ive never an aero breakdown this slow, and it's definitely a real speed for a lot of people

[jeffreythompson]

Backward hat Dylan was on point this video! Love the nerdery.

[Wiz]

You almost could have been doing a video about time trialing. Everything you mentioned really matters. Good stuff.

[donaldryder]

I liked this a lot because it brought together a lot the things you talk about into one video showing practical applications.

[mellowcat]

Lots of good takeaways, even for more casual or fondo riders: keep your chain clean, tidy your cables, choose tires carefully, etc.. These will let riders at all speeds use less energy and ride faster or further. Keep up the solid content!

[torstenfrank]

Kudos to Factor. So much cool and right things done. Rest assured you are not the only one preaching to the industry to do the simple and obvious things like that handlebar where you can screw aerobars on and off to your liking. Actually it blows my mind how intricate and overengineered (cough, Canyon, cough - but they aren't the only offenders) some integrated cockpits are and how the companies wax lyric on a few saved watts here and there when the greatest saving is the riders position. Aerodynamics and comfort for long gravel rides... If you want that you have that to throw that cool integrated cockpit out of the window with many top gravel (and road bikes for that matter) bikes and mounting a normal stem handlebar combo to be able to fit real aerobars. And you have a PITA of a rerouting / reconnecting brake hoses to boot. 

So again - hat's off to Factor. That's how it's done.

[cycletherapyUSA]

Your videos take a while to come compared to others but they are well worth the wait. Thanks for sharing and putting out all the science and experience to back it. I'm not a racer but I'm always seeking to improve so your channel is well loved on my part. BTW, your alter ego character is genius, top notch comedy and I always look forward to it. Thanks again!

[hs]

Gravel has had me scratching my head for a long long time. It's a race?  It's a scene? Its' how you go ride alone in the woods with no cars? What are those bikes?? They're road bikes... mostly, until they're mountain bikes... wait... I finally got one and for me it is the ability to ride just about anywhere, any surface, and all on the same bike, on the same ride. It's awesome.

[gtej]

Your video convinced me to only ride in the drops all the time, even on my mountain bike.

[terryhollands]

Chamois is a softened deerskin. My wool cycling shorts had a deerskin chamois.

[benmiller]

Matters alot for Dylan since he lets the first group go after 23 mins. Top 5 fav channels. Even if its a topic I don't care about I'll let it play and like for support.

[pjlehtim]

Also, this bike looks damn cool! It might not make you faster but it makes you look better. Worth it. :)

[wazzup]

I don't care about speed, but I do care about efficiency. Riding further in the same amount of time means I see more and have more fun ;-) Especially when efficiency "hacks" are free (or cheap).

[ihanatom]

Agree with your wider tyre theory - I have both 40 and 45 mm Pirelli Mud tyres on my gravel bike and the wider ones are faster and, of course, more comfortable.

[RiordanJohn]

I subscribe to a lot of channels, but yours are the videos that I save for reference. This video is no exception. Well done.

[wasupwitdatmofiki]

I guess this means we are going to start getting aero mountainbikes. Can't wait.😁

[williamcatt]

Good stuff Dylan. I am the proud owner of regular Ostro and love everything about that bike. Still waiting for your review of the Lando XC.

[RimShot]

I don't ride gravel, but still found this interesting and educational. Thank you! Besides that, I had missed Backwards Hat Dylan.