Factor has expanded its off-road lineup with the Elara, a gravel racer that clearly takes aim at aero-focused competitors such as Ridley and Argon 18. Borrowing heavily from the brand’s road-racing heritage, the new bike blends wind-cheating design with the kind of handling and tyre clearance that modern gravel racing demands.
The most eye-catching element is the fork, which shares its wide-mouth profile with the Factor One aero road bike. Alongside that distinctive front end, the Elara adopts progressive geometry featuring a longer reach and shorter trail for sharper handling, plus enough room to run tyres up to 57mm wide.
What may raise the most eyebrows, though, is that Factor has kept 2x drivetrain compatibility while still managing to hold the rear end down to a compact 423mm chainstay length. That combination is a rare achievement in the gravel segment.
The Elara isn’t a complete unknown—spotters caught a glimpse of an aero-gravel prototype from Factor at this year’s Traka event, sitting alongside the suspension-fork Sarana. The Elara appears to be the production-ready version of that machine.
Redesigned geometry
Compared with the model it replaces, the Elara runs a longer reach, less trail, and a lower bottom bracket. Factor positions this as the secret to sharper handling, particularly when riders opt for bigger rubber.
The extended front centre is designed to improve weight distribution and place the rider more centrally within the bike. Factor describes the resulting position as one that road racers will recognise instantly, while the bike stays composed when the surface turns rough. That claim is worth testing, since the earlier Ostro gravel had a reputation for losing its cool on the most brutal terrain.
The Elara’s frame shape emerged from extensive CFD aerodynamic analysis, and the DNA of both the One and the Ostro VAM road models is visible in its lines.
1x or 2x—both work
In a move that sets it apart, Factor has preserved 2x compatibility on the Elara, even as rivals from Argon 18, Scott, and Ridley have committed fully to 1x-only platforms.
Stuart Munro, Factor’s design engineer, put it plainly: “Nobody’s managed to keep a proper short rear-centre on a 2x gravel bike with 57s. We just kept shaving it until it fit, 423mm chainstays, and everything still clears. 2x was never negotiable; we didn’t want to force a drivetrain choice just to fit a tyre. That’s not how we work.”
To pull this off, Factor relied on a sculpted, extremely slender driveside chainstay. The company says such a thin junction would normally be a structural weak point, but producing the Elara frame as a true one-piece monocoque made it viable. The payoff is a frame with superior alignment, reduced machining, and lower overall weight.
Aerodynamics throughout
Factor says the Elara’s design language comes directly from the One and Ostro VAM, featuring planar fork integration—the wide-mouth crown and forward-set fork leading edge—a slim hourglass head tube, and carefully tuned leading-edge transitions around the down tube and bottle areas.
CFD validation reportedly shows measurable drag savings when running 45-57mm race tyres, though Factor hasn’t released supporting figures. The brand also claims the Elara matches the aero efficiency of contemporary road frames.
A down-tube storage port means riders can carry training and race essentials without compromising airflow through bolt-on bags.
Black Inc components
Black Inc, Factor’s component arm, developed both a one-piece cockpit and a fresh aero gravel wheelset for the Elara.
The Black Inc Aero Gravel Bar AB07 cockpit features a mild flare, an integrated computer mount, and internal hose routing.
The new Black Inc Sixty Four gravel wheels use a 64mm-deep aero rim with a 30mm internal width.
The Elara will come in six sizes spanning 49cm to 61cm, and buyers can choose between a zero or 20mm-setback seatpost.
The AB07 Barstem is offered across a broad size range, from a 36cm bar with an 80mm stem up to a 40cm bar paired with a 140mm stem.
Frame packages start at $5,999 / €7,199.
